Parks & Recreation

[From my February 4 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

For excellent reasons, there are many efforts afoot to find ways to collaborate and partner wherever possible. By teaming up to tackle challenges and take care of business, amazing things can happen. In that spirit, I am proud to say that this week Colchester Parks & Recreation took part in a joint venture that could not have succeeded without the participation of numerous contributors.

As anyone who has driven by the Town Green this week knows, there is a massive lit display of a beautiful rose towering over the gazebo. The installation of the rose was conceived by Wallis Johnson, the Director of Colchester Community Theatre’s upcoming production, as a way to promote the show. “Beauty and the Beast”, this year’s presentation, is a familiar and loved story, which includes the rose as a key symbol throughout the show.

Wallis had seen the rose displayed as part of Norwich’s annual holiday lighting exhibit and thought it would be a wonderful tie in to the show. After a few phone calls, she connected with Kathy Relyea, a dedicated volunteer in Norwich who coordinates the annual display. After connecting Kathy with our office, we were able to arrange permission from Norwich to lend it to our Colchester. Upon receiving approval and support from the Bacon Academy Board of Trustees, who actually own that half of the Town Green, we were off and running.

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[From my January 28 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

Next Thursday I’ll be performing one of the more enjoyable duties of my job: auditioning potential entertainers for our many uses here in town. Each year, the Connecticut Recreation and Parks Association produces its Entertainment Showcase. From bands to jugglers to magicians to dancers and more, one performer after another will take to the stage to give the attending crowd a short taste of what they have to offer.

Like parks and recreation departments from across the state, we use this opportunity to find excellent and appropriate entertainers to bring to our various programs and events throughout the year, such as summer concert bands, day camp special guests and school vacation entertainers. The event actually splits the acts among a large auditorium for bands and bigger shows, and another room for kids’ entertainers and smaller shows. Additionally, all of the live entertainers, along with dozens of others not performing, have information booths set up where you talk to them and discuss booking options.

The service this provides in invaluable. As anyone who has ever attended a concert knows, there is truly no comparison between a live show and a recorded version, whether audio or video. As you might imagine, our department is inundated each year with inquiries and suggestions about potential performers for our venues – most providing cds, dvds and/or links to web sites. Of course, there is no feasible way for our staff to personally see even a fraction of these groups by traveling to other performances they may have. So the opportunity to see so many entertainers live in one place at one time is an immense savings, both in time and money.

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[From my January 21 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

In recent years, the United States seems to be slowly catching on to the worldwide movement known as “complete streets”. More than just an effort to add sidewalks and bikeways to roads, it is an overall philosophy that seeks to improve the livability of our communities. By making thoroughfares more accessible and inviting to alternative modes of transportation, a whole host of benefits come flooding in: from improved health and a cleaner environment to economic development and enhanced safety.

When people are restricted to traveling by car, whether by dangerous situations, long distances or other barriers, they lose their connections to the surroundings. One simple example is the success of malls and the associated struggles of local stores. Why hop in your car from store to store in your community when you can simply park in the vast sea of spaces outside of a mall and complete all of your tasks in one fell swoop?

If there were safe, interconnected routes locally, people could shop in their own community without having to get in their cars, drawing additional shopkeepers and greater diversity as well. With the added benefits of exercise and reduced carbon emissions, this is clearly a winning strategy.

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[From my January 14 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

While I wholeheartedly believe that our neighborhoods and communities are not much more dangerous than when we grew up, there is no doubt that our awareness of and reaction to these real and perceived threats have transformed immensely. We can not turn on the news without hearing about the latest child abduction or abuse of an elderly person. This is entirely due to the culture of fear that has gripped our country, which is exploited by media outlets and national politicians – not that there isn’t enough to be worried about.

Along with this heightened sense of consciousness, however, have come many ways to combat these perils. We have developed numerous methods and tools for protecting our loved ones and those among us who are the most vulnerable. From national Amber Alerts to mass emails, there is no shortage of ways to spread vital information quickly when something terrible occurs.

The real trick, of course, is to prevent these tragedies before they happen. As they say, the best defense is a good offense.

One of the most valuable tools in community programming, such as that provided by our department, are background checks. By adequately researching their past, we are much more likely to ensure that the staff and volunteers working with our children, elderly and disabled are the types of people with whom we can feel safe.

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[From my January 7 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

A couple of months back, I wrote in my column about this wacky idea I had: unhealthy options. Essentially, it is about changing the default situation to providing healthy meals and offering unhealthy alternatives, instead of the other way around. In practice, I was proposing that fast food chains routinely include fruit and milk with kids’ meals, offering the fries and soda as an option. The hypothesis is that the majority of people will simply stick with the default, for a variety of reasons, and automatically eat healthier; actually, this theory bears itself out in virtually every scenario in which it is studied.

Not content to simply throw the idea out there, I wanted to see if this proposal might have some legs. Soon thereafter, I met with the managers of Colchester’s local McDonald’s and Wendy’s and discussed the idea to see if they might be receptive to an experiment along these lines.

Not surprisingly, it was not an easy sell. One of the great things about chain restaurants is their consistency: no matter where you go, you know you’ll get the same products and services. Of course, the downside to this is that there is very little room for change or variation. If something does not improve the brand’s image and/or bottom line, it is unlikely to be adopted.

Fortunately, this proposal has the potential to do both. In today’s health-conscious world, businesses seemingly fall over each other to promote their latest and greatest efforts to be healthy, “green” and generally earth-friendly. By advertising an effort such as this to improve the overall health of its customers, these companies could certainly score big points.

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[From my December 31 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

Turning the page of the calendar each month seems to give such a sense of accomplishment. And, of course, turning that final one each year, as we do this Friday, is the ultimate triumph. Yet, what have we achieved? Are we actually taking credit for the sheer passage of time?

I’m no psychologist, but I think there is more to it. I believe the marking of time provides us with natural opportunities to not only reflect upon our past accomplishments, but also to start fresh and set new goals.

As we close out 2009, I am proud of the work that the dedicated staff of Colchester Parks & Recreation has done over the past year. New programs and events have been introduced, facilities have been improved and maintained, partnerships have been fostered and expanded, and we have raised the bar on customer service across the board.

Certainly one of the biggest hits of the year was our inaugural Trick or Trunk Halloween event, with nearly 100 families signing up to distribute candy and other treats out of decorated vehicles on the Town Green. We were amazed at the overwhelming response, and look forward to next year’s event and the creative displays it will no doubt bring.

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[From my December 24 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

As the town continues to tighten its financial belt, more and more focus is placed on user fees. Essentially, the theory is that rather than taxing an entire population for particular services, those costs should be borne by the people who will actually make use of them. Within the Parks & Recreation Department, we employ both models, as appropriate.

For all intents and purposes, the “parks” half of our department provides services that are enjoyed by the entire town in some form or another. From clearing sidewalks and parking lots of snow in the winter; to maintaining school grounds; to ensuring the safety of playgrounds and sports fields; to emptying trash receptacles throughout town; to preserving walking and biking trails, the tireless work of our parks maintenance crew is appreciated by the entire community. They work to beautify the town for its residents and visitors alike, raising the general quality of life and contributing to its desirability as a destination for new families and businesses.

For these reasons, the parks division is funded through the town’s general fund: the budget that is voted upon by the citizens and paid through local property taxes. This is an extremely lean operation, with only seven full-time crew members maintaining the nearly 400 acres of managed grounds, along with the numerous natural parks and areas throughout the town.

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[From my December 17 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

In the latest issue of Parks & Rec Business, one of the professional trade magazines that I read on regular basis as a way to keep up on current trends in the field, I was captivated by the monthly column by Fred Engh. Fred is the founder and CEO of the National Alliance for Youth Sports, which among other things provides the youth sports coaching training that our department offers.

In the column, Fred was summarizing the ongoing debate regarding the philosophies behind giving trophies to youth sports participants. Essentially there are two opposing beliefs: give every child a trophy as recognition of their participation, regardless of their skills, effort or commitment; or award trophies only to the top teams/achievers.

Of course, each argument has some merit. By giving trophies only to those who excel, the effort that those children put forth is most definitely reinforced. If they remain on that path then there is a greater likelihood that they will pursue athletics at higher levels.

However, not everyone – in fact, just a tiny fraction of kids – will play sports formally beyond their youth leagues. As I’ve written about previously, the vast majority of children simply play sports for the fun of it, and frequently get burned out when things get too serious. These children can benefit from the benign reward of a participation trophy, adding to their fond memories of sports.

But maybe there are more than just two options when considering giving trophies?

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[From my December 10 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

How could you not be intrigued by something called “The Fun Theory”? It’s impossible! Go ahead – I dare you not to read the rest of this article. Still here? Thought so.

In today’s world of viral information, chances are pretty good that you have already come across the Fun Theory, even if you did not realize that is what it was. That is exactly how I happened upon it. One of my Facebook friends posted a link to a short video entitled “Piano Staircase”. With my curiosity piqued, I checked it out. As you can probably imagine, the steps play notes as you walk up and down, a la the large floor piano made famous in the movie Big.

There is no question whatsoever: going up and down the stairs and making all sorts of musical noise in the process is fun. The catch, however, is that fun is not the goal of the stairs – fun is but a means to an end in this (stair)case.

The purpose of the piano is to encourage people to take the stairs instead of the using the adjacent escalator, with the ultimate goals of increasing physical activity and improving health. In this simple experiment that took place in Sweden they found that 66% more people than normal opted to take the stairs – simply because it was fun.

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[From my December 3 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

One of the most critical duties of the parks and recreation department is communication. At its most fundamental level, the work that we do would go completely unnoticed if no one were aware that we existed. Without providing reliable information about the many programs, activities and events that take place throughout the year our program rosters would be empty and our events would be lonely occasions.

For this very reason our department uses any and all avenues to reach the community with news of interest. Not surprisingly, this column is one of the most visible. While selecting and writing about an appropriate topic each week, after more than a year and a half of uninterrupted columns, can sometimes be a challenge, it is one that I truly enjoy and am honored to be allowed to continue. Yet, I see this column as a venue for more thoughtful subjects than promoting upcoming programs and events – the reporters and editors at this and other local papers do a great job of helping to publicize our events, leaving me the opportunity to reflect on other topics related to parks and recreation.

The gold standard for reaching the entire community continues to be the seasonal brochure. While it has gone through many changes over the years, most recently transitioning into a fantastic resource regarding all town departments and services, it is impossible to eclipse the broad reach and universality of this quarterly production. More than 9,000 households receive the brochure every three months, with many holding onto it until the next one comes out.

Yet, the brochure certainly has limitations. Virtually the moment it hits the streets, parts of it are already outdated or lacking. In the month that it takes to produce the brochure, new programs and services have been developed, some altered, and others cancelled.

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[From my November 26 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

While “Black Friday”, the de facto start of the holiday shopping season, arrives tomorrow, I know that many people have already been racking their brains over finding just the right gifts to show loved ones just how much they care. Of course, this difficult economy is adding more than the typical stress, as people struggle to pay their daily bills, let alone find extra money for gifts.

Admittedly, it is cliché to say that it’s the thought that counts – as true as that might be. But this year I think we are all realizing that truth on a whole new level. Going hand in hand with that is another old stand by: the best things in life are free.

There are limitless ways to give of yourself, and the community around you can provide any number of opportunities. Starting in your own backyard, those leaves that seem to mock you as they repopulate almost as quickly as you rake them up can make for mountains of fun. Who doesn’t enjoy flopping into a freshly raked pile of leaves? While kids may not completely understand the amount of work it takes to prepare that pile, they certainly can appreciate and enjoy the fruits of your labor and build lasting memories in the process.

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[From my November 19 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

Protecting and preserving the town’s open spaces and natural resources is an important endeavor – and the urgency only grows with each passing year due to increasing development. As the old saying goes, they’re not making anymore land. As Colchester, and towns across the country, look to bring in additional tax revenue by luring more businesses (the only option in the state’s current taxation arrangement), some of the most beautiful scenery and vital habitats are slowly disappearing.

Unfortunately, Colchester does not have enough funding at the moment to simply purchase land in the corridors that we have designated in the town’s Open Space Plan. Our recent acquisition, in partnership with the Colchester Land Trust, of twenty-plus acres of land adjacent to the Ruby and Elizabeth Cohen Woodlands on McDonald Road was the rare exception; however, in the process we used up the meager reserves that had been accumulated for such purposes.

Luckily, direct purchase is but one way that the town can acquire land. The more common route is through subdivision regulations. When a developer seeks to subdivide a parcel for the purposes of building multiple structures, the regulations require that a certain percentage of the land must be turned over to the town. Typically, these end up being environmentally sensitive areas – a.k.a wetlands – usually not appropriate for building, but frequently awash in biodiversity and other natural resources.

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[From my November 12 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

Twas the night before Halloween and on the Town Green
nearly one hundred cars gathered where they could be seen.
Trunk after trunk showed off a creative display
With a variety of themes celebrating the day.
Pirates and graveyards and other scary sights
Beckoned to children with endless delights.
As countless ghosts and goblins visited each car
Their bags filled with treats and their eyes filled with stars.
In the center of it all sat an incredible show
Of Jack-o-lanterns emitting a ghoulish glow.
As the sun went down and darkness fell
The candles within cast an eerie spell.
When treats were all gone and the awards were declared
It was time to pack up and see how we fared.
As each car carefully exited the park
It was frighteningly apparent that this was no lark.
The call from each car was incredibly clear:
“We’re already excited to do it next year!”

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[From my November 5 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

From here on out I will be a vocal proponent of unhealthy options. I know this seems crazy, and the opposite of what I am usually talking about, but let me explain – hopefully it will make sense by the end of this column.

More and more, wherever you go you now have healthy options. At most fast food places, if you order a kid’s meal you have the opportunity to replace the fries and soda with some type of fruit and milk. Many vending machines now regularly save a spot or two on the shelves for some healthy alternative to the bevy of sugared drinks, chips, candy, etc.

This past spring the Connecticut State Legislature took a bold step forward and passed legislation, which was signed into law by the Governor, that ensures that road and bridge projects will consider incorporating opportunities for alternative methods of transportation, such as walking and biking.

Now, I’ll agree – all of these signify excellent progress on the path toward healthier communities. However, with the virtual flip of a switch, we can be lightyears ahead of where we are now. What if we just turned these situations upside down, and reversed our way of thinking?

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[From my October 29 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

Perhaps more than any other holiday, Halloween may be the epitome of overindulgence. Sure – Thanksgiving and other holidays usually involve massive feasts, but none of them focus on getting as much junk as we possibly can. Don’t get me wrong: I love Halloween as much as the next guy and look forward to trekking around the neighborhood with my kids in their costumes. And I’m confident that we’ll collect more than our fair share of candy.

As a kid, I remember expanding our trick-or-treating zone further out each year, even driving to other areas once we had our licenses. While we had as much fun showing off our creative costumes as gathering the goodies, the ultimate goal was to come back with overflowing bags, which we never failed to do.

Of course, as a parent, I now see it a bit differently. Without taking the fun out it, Halloween can still be another opportunity to teach my children about moderation and healthy choices. We still tour the neighborhood, watching for the telltale porch lights that draw the kids like moths to a flame. I don’t discourage them from taking what is offered; although it is refreshing to see treats other than candy increasingly being distributed.

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[From my October 22 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

As I’ve mentioned before, I live in Glastonbury, where I coach my children’s youth sports teams, among other things. For the past four years I’ve been coaching either soccer or little league, depending on the season and their interests at the time.

I don’t coach out of a desire to see my kids become the next sports stars; I know the chances of that are slim, and any major success would be more the result of a genetic predisposition than my coaching. Nor do I profess to be a fantastic athlete in either sport; I’ve never played soccer, and I was far from a little league phenom. Like most youth sports coaches, I am just a parent taking advantage of another opportunity to spend time and connect with my kids.

As a coach, I’m lucky in that I benefit from my training in working with children, as well as the courses I’ve taken regarding youth development and the positive influences that youth sports can provide for kids. The “40 Developmental Assets”, as identified by the internationally-known and respected Search Institute (www.search-institute.org), outline the most important building blocks for ensuring that children grow up happy, healthy and well-adjusted. A large portion of these can be provided through participation in youth sports.

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[From my October 15 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

On a number of occasions, I’ve used this column to underscore the importance of the partnerships that we have developed with many local businesses and organizations as sponsors of our events. Without their support, many of the events that our staff are able to produce for the community would not be possible. Over the past two years, sponsorships have provided approximately $80,000 toward our program fund, which completely finances our activities and events using no tax dollars.

While we have gone to great lengths to routinely and publicly recognize our sponsors before, during, and after each event, we felt that it was important that we thank them on a more personal level, and express just how much their partnership means to the community.

To that end, last week we held our first annual Sponsor Appreciation Party. Members of the Parks & Recreation Commission met and planned over the last month or so to put together a small reception in honor of the many businesses and organizations that have worked with us in the past year. The result was a casual get together, where commission members, department staff and town leadership came together to show their gratitude for the sponsors in attendance, as well as those who were unable to make it.

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[From my October 8 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

As a parks and recreation professional, I may be acutely aware of park-related matters; however, it seems that everywhere I turn over the last couple of weeks I’ve encountered promotional information about a new documentary currently airing on PBS. From magazines to movie theater previews to television commercials to ads on my bank’s ATMs, I’ve been alerted to a major film production about the national parks system.

This latest film from Ken Burns, entitled “National Parks: America’s Best Idea”, is a 12-hour, 6-part epic chronicling of the system’s history as well as the impact and importance of the parks on America’s culture and it people. Burns is known for his previous documentaries on jazz, baseball and the Civil War, with the common theme being things that define and are unique to America.

Of course, I could not help but watch. While I have seen only pieces of the first two episodes so far (I’ve set the DVR to record them all for when I get time), I am already amazed by both the content and the quality of the production. I can hardly wait to watch the rest, as I’m learning a tremendous amount about the movement to create the national system.

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[From my October 1 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

As promised, it is time for a periodic update on the status of a couple of our larger construction projects going on in town. Both the track replacement and the Cody Camp Memorial Ballfield are early on in their respective processes, yet crucial and exciting developments have occurred.

Approximately five months ago, the town approved the replacement of the Bacon Academy track as part of its bonding referendum. Since then, we have been hard at work putting all of the necessary pieces into place for a smooth project. With the help of experts, we crafted an air-tight Request for Qualifications/Request for Proposals (RFQ/RFP). This was an important step to ensure that only architectural engineering firms with the requisite experience would apply for the project. This preparation resulted in the hiring of a very reputable and respected firm within the state: Milone & MacBroom (M&M) – and they came in under budget too.

After working together to sign a contract that is both fair and protects the interests of the town, M&M wasted no time in getting to work; within days, their geotechnical experts were onsite at the high school, boring into the soil beneath the track to verify the stability of the subgrade. Shortly, M&M will be convening with the Track Advisory Committee to share their findings, make initial recommendations for the track’s reconstruction, and receive feedback and input on how to move forward.

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[From my September 24 column in the Colchester Bulletin]

Now more than ever, it is extremely important to develop partnerships in order to be truly successful. Combining efforts allows us to use resources more efficiently while at the same time to serve larger constituencies. When I examine what we do on a daily basis, it seems more often than not that we are leveraging partnerships to make our department more productive.

One of our longest running partnerships is what we call the “quad town” group. Colchester Parks & Recreation routinely combines efforts with our colleagues in Hebron, East Hampton and Marlborough. Perhaps the most frequent arrangement is our sharing of bus trips. Particularly in these difficult economic times, fewer people have disposable income to afford a visit to another city or special event – certainly not enough to fill a bus from any single town. However, by cooperating on trips, each town can offer these experiences to their community without the need to commit to filling an entire bus. It becomes significantly more likely that the trips will actually occur, rather than be cancelled due to limited participation.

An extremely visible quad town partnership is the annual “Air Line Trail Ghost Run”, the 13.8 mile run that starts in Hebron and follows the state park trail through Colchester to its conclusion in East Hampton. Now in its seventh year, the race has become a favorite of runners throughout the region, due to both the beauty and serenity of the route as well as the excellent coordination of the four towns. Coming up on Nov. 7, runners can sign up to cover the whole distance or break up the route into three legs for their relay team. Registration is already underway for this year’s event.

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