Parks & Recreation

[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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