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Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Packet 03-09-1989
Regular Meeting of the Park and Recreation Advisory commission March 9, 1909, 7:30 p.m., AGENDA 1. Call to Order Z. Approval of Minutes 3. Visitor Presentations a., Athletic Associations b,. Staff c. Others a. Report on Past Council Action a... Final Payment Parkers Lake Pavilion b. Selected Community Center Architect (BWBR)` c. Accepted PRAC Annual Report d. Approved 1989 Park Rental PO icies and Fee Schedule 5. Unfinished Business a. Comprehensive Plan Continue Discussion b. Plat North of Mooney Lake c. West Medicine Lake Drive Trail' d. Plymouth Creek Parking Lot Expansion e. f. 6. New Business a. New Plats, b. C. d. 7. Commission Presentation; - 8. Staff Communication 9, Adjournment Next Regular PRAC Meeting April 13, 1989 Minutes of the Park. and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting February 9, 1989 Page 5 Present: Chair Edwards, Commissioners Anderson, Beach, Freel:s., LaTour, Hanson, Rosen; staff Blank, Busch, Patterson and Pederson I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Edwards calledthe February meeting to ordrr at, 7:34 p.m.' in the Council Chambers. Director Blank introducedthenew commissioner, Frank creels. Frank spoke briefly about his background, how long he had lived in Plymouth and Why he wanted to be a, member of the "Park Commission. Chair Edwards then, asked the commissioners to introduce themselves to Frank to help get better acquainted. 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Rosen and seconded by Commissioner LaTour to approve the minutes of the January meeting, as presented. The motion carried with all ayes. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a• Athletic Associations. None were present at this meeting. b. a,, Rick Busch talked a little about the upcoming adult summer v tball registration which.begins February 27.. He mentioned the. free 11row shooting contest to be held February 25 at Wayzata East Jr. High. He stated that a boot hockey tournament would be held on February 20, which in the last day that rinks are scheduled to be open. He informed the Commission that three separate indoor soccer camps were being held' in June - all the same week by three different roupa. Rick then presented two items from the agenda for updrting by the Commission. The first was the 1989 Softball Complex Rental Policy and. Foe Schedule:: The items which have changed from last year are: o DLscontinued giving a $30 discount to tournaments: sanctioned by the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association., Rick rotated that we haven't, had any problems in the past with groups that are not sanctioned, so he didn't see a need to differentiate: between the; two. o Added to the policy that no batting practice is allowed at Zachary Elestentary, School. The park staff received complaints in previous years from residents living north of Zachary that flys balls were landing in their, yards when players warmed up prior to the games by practicing at Zachary. o Raised fees an average of five to six percent for renting Zachary and Plymouth Creek softball fields There is a substantial. difference in the cost to rent Zachary over Plymouth Creek, and Chair Edwards wanted to know why. Rick responded that Zachary is more, because it has four fields and Plymouth Creek has only two.. t r February 1989 PRAC Minutes Page 6 Commissioner Rosen via• confusedby the fact that the policy states that no alcoholic beverages can be consumed, on. park property, but the application form asks the question "Mill beer be sold?" Rink responded that the question about beer was left in by mistake and will be deleted before the policy is formally adopted by the Council. Cossmissioner. LaTour wondered about the $100 damage deposit being kept by the City if the park required special maintenance following a tournament. She wcnted to know 'what constituted special maintenance_. Director Blank said that special, maintenanca would be something like our crews having to pick up trash scattered- around the park, rather than just emptying the barrels.. Commissioner Freels asked, if the fees quoted in the policy are per field and Rick stated that they are per complex. A MOTION WAS MADE, BY COMMISSIONER BEACH' AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HANSOM TO ACCEPT THE 1989 SOFTBALL COMPLEX RENTAL POLICY AND FEE' SCHEDULE AS 'PRESENTED' Y STAFF. THE ,MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES'. The second item presented by Rick was the Park Rental Policy and Fee Schedule. Once again, he explained, all the proposed changes and/or deletions from previous years. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER LATOUR AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER BEACH TO ACCEPT THE 1989 PARK FACILITY RENTAL POLICY AND FEE SCHEDULE AS PRESENTED BY STAFF. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES., Mary Patterson then talked briefly about how the Parkers Lake 'Pavilion policy had been changed to drop the priority list when determining which groups to rent to. She indicated that if a group reeerved the. pavilion for a specific, date and time, and another group came along; that wanted it at that same time, she would not kick ottt the first group just because they were "rower" on the priority list. She also pointed out that staff was recommending to drop the hourly rental charge if School Districts 281 or 284 wanted; to use the pavilion. These two groups would only be charged $7 per hour for a park attendant. This recommendation was made:, because a representative from District 284 questioned the policy based on the fact that they don't: charge us a. rental fee when we use their facilities. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER BEACH. AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HANSON TO ACCEPT THE 1989 PARKERS LAKE. PAVILION RENTAL POLICY AS PRESENTED BY STAFF. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH. ALL AYES. Mary then discussed the resident. survey that was sent out in January. So far,, the return rate is: 541, and Mary is hoping that more questionnaires will come in. She would like a return rate of 70-75X.. She indicated that lots of the respondents are single, and that the most dissatisfied residents are those living on the northern fringes of Plymouth. I Mary stated that the Plymouth Middle School has contacted t;s about j starting a ski club for their students and they are anxious to get some trips arranged for this winter. Cindy Anderson has already started working on this. sss February 1989 PRAC Minute: Page A company in Plymouth has contacted the park and recreation department about starting a corporate recroation program for its employees. Mary indicated that at the present time, there simply is no space available to run extra recreation programa,. After the success of the "Twins Trip" to spring training camp in Orlando last, winter, staff is planning other "adventurous" types of trips for the. residertt,s of _Plymouth,. A unique opportunity this summer will be to "sail a tall ship" out of the Boston harbor and along the New England coast, The ship is a replica of an old schooner, and participants would spend five days crewing the 125 foot tall ship, standing watch, steering, setting course, etc. The cost would be about $1,000 per person and would include round trip air fare, all Accommodations, all meals while on the ship, a full day excursion in Boston and a departure dinner. Space is limited to 20 people., Mary updated the Commission on the Fire and Ice Festival and What their 'duties would be regarding the supervision of the bonfire,, She. informed them where parking would be allowed, and that they should, report to the pavilion to get _a badge identifying, them as .a, Fire and Ice Festival. worker. c• Other Hone 4. REPORT ON PAST COUNCIL ACTION a. West_ Medicine Lak2 Drive- Trail, The Council approved the recommendation by staff to have the City's consulting engineer, Strgar Roscoe, prepare a preliminary design report for a trail on West Medicine Lake Drive from 26th Avenue to approximately 23rd Avenue. b. inguth Creak Parking Lot Exnangion, Council approved staff's recommendation to proceed with preparing the plans and specifications for the parking lot at Plymouth Creek Park. 5, UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Plymouth Creek -Park MasterPlan, Director Blank reviewed the document submitted by George Watson and explained the cost difference between lake construction alternate 1 and lake construction alternate 2. Alternate 1 includes approximately 24 acres of lake, while alternate 2 shows only four acres of lake. Director Blank indicated that he and the City Manager would be presenting the master plan cost estimate to the City Councils He also stated that FRAC would be having another joint meeting with, the Council to review the master plan at some future date. Commissioner Beach noticed that the estimate provided by George did' not include the cost for a third soccer field and she understood that this had been discussed at one time. Commissioner Rosen asked Eric how much money was available in the 1989 CIP to begin constructing the tennis courts in this park and would a this project get underway this year. Director Blank.: said $150,000 was in the CIP, and ha wasn't sure if we would be able to build this year. k February 1989 PRAC Minutes Pa;Ie 8 b. goaRrehenaivt Plan. Director Blink briefly reviewed the comprehensive plan and told the Commission he had been contacted by the Northwest Trails Snowmobile Club, because they would like the trail along Niagara. Lane from. County Road.6 to Highway 55 officially designated in the plan as a snowmobile trail. They currently use it to get .from Parkers Lake to the Highway 55 snowmobile corridor even though it is not recognized as an official snowmobile trail. Commissioners expressed some concerns over the safety of snowmobilers crossing County 'Road `6 to get to the Niagara. Lane trail and the noise they will create as they drive past the townhomes in Cimarron East and Mallard Points They were not eager to officially designate Niagara. Lane as snowmobile grail at this time. Director Blank then discussed other trails and parks in the plan that are either being deleted, relocated, or added:_ He, stated that, the 'Planning Commission, is the group that will, hold the public hearing, but. that PRAC can, hold a public. informational meeting regarding the parks portion of the comprehensive plan, To stay in line with the Planning Commission's timetable regarding the comprehensive plan., staff suggested holding the public informational meeting, in March or April. Director Blank inaicated that letters would. be sent to alll property owners affected by the proposed changes. Commissioner Rosen asked about the guiding of golf courses.. Director Blank responded that it is the consensus of the City Manager, the Planning Director and himself that golf courses are considered public, semi-public," and that is probably the best guiding at this time. c. Comunity Center_ Meeting Schedule, Director Blank. stated that, the concept plans from the architects are due Friday, February 10, n11'a they will be delivered to the commissioners and the City Couricil Friday night. Commissioner Beach suggested distributing PRAC''s copies to them at the Fire and Ice Festival on Saturday. The copies intended. for the public, will go on display in tho Council Conference Room on Monday, February 13. Saturday, February 19, the architects will make formalpresentation* to the Architectural Selection Committee and any other interested parties. A; second public meeting will be held Monday,; February 20. PRAC and the architectural selection committee will hold a joint meeting, on February 23 at tthich time the committee will make a recommendation on the winning architect. The Council, will make their eecision on February 27. d. Annual ReRort, A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER ANDERSON AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LATOUR TO ACCEPT THE 1988 PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION ANNUAL REPORT AND FORWARD IT TO THE CITY COUNCIL. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALI..., AYES. 6, NEW BUSINESS a. New Plats. Lundgren Bros. has submitted a plan for the north end of Mooney Lake. The plan shows a house where staff would like to see a parka Negotiations will continue. A. development plan has been submitted for the Swan Lake area, and it. does not meet the intent of the park plan. It shows houses all the f, way around the shoreline. Director Blank will continue to meet with 1 them to try and work something out. February 1989 PRAC Minutes Fafe Q A preliminary plat was approved For the northwest section of the, I-494 and County Road 9 area, but nothing ever came of, it. The developer is in the process of replattng, and staff is work:ing, on getting some of the hardwood forest area for park purposes. b. Park Rental Policies and fee Schedules. This item was covered under 3b. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION Chair Edwards asked if the publication "How to Survive an a Park. and Recreation Board Member" had been ordered for the Commission. Staff said that one copy was ordered and when it arrives, it Will be xeroxed for each member. 8. STAFF COMMUNICATLON Eric reminded the commisaoners once again about the Fire and Ice Festival scheduled for Saturday, February 11. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:53p.m. I MEMO CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUT- nOULZVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447 DATE; March d, 1989' TO: PRAC FROM: Eric J. Blank, Director of Parks and Recreation SUBJECT; MOONEY LAKE PLAT The attached map shows the Lundgren Bros. proposed, development of the property lying between Green Oaks Park and. Mooney Lake. On the attached graphic, I have, shown in yellow the trail outlots for this development. It is- my understanding that. Lundgren Bros, is in agreement with our request for this trail. The small square colored in purple is the scenic overlook area Lundgren Bros. has proposed on the northeast corner of Mooney Lake. I do not believe that this is adequate public access. I think we should be requesting dedication of a parcel as depicted, in the area in green. The area in green above the 100 year flood plain is 63,200 square feet approximately. Including this with the area in yellow, there is approximately 2..,.2.E acres of park dedication., This would be under the 3.4 aeras we may request, using the 10%, formula. Currently, the City has, secured some type of public access on Mud Lake, Bass Lake, Schmidt Lake, Swan. Lake, Medicine Lake, Parkers Lake and Gleason, hake. This leaves only !looney and Hadley Lakes as significant bodies of water that do not have any type of public access at this time. As you can see by the configurat::,Dn of the plat, I'm not proposing •-^y type of access, that would be available, for launching boats, etc. This would remain a wooded preserve with shoreline on the lake that would make a wonderful destination point for a walk or bike ride. Lundgren Bros. have suggested adding a raised observation deck to be built by them and maintained by the City (see attached graphics). The deck would be located just: west of the lake overlook easement they proposed for this plat. Having a deck would certainly be better than no deck. Lundgren Bros. will have a representative at the 'PRAC meeting to discuss this proposal.. It is my recommendation that the City require a dedication, of significant size on the southeast earner of the Lundgren Bros,. plat on, the north end of Mooney Lake. SB/np rC PARC VACATE RIGHT OF WAY RETAIN TILITY EASEMENT) C!TY OF CITY OF PLYMOUTH NELSON p6.YMOUTK Q A w 64 IS*'E g i12 seL 1tI ft Ij9,-loo S.F 16<SOO S.F l j.000 5 F t8, yOQ S,F 5 15 STATE8LAND RIO' ND ~ 0, DEPT. loolk ie,eoa = 6 yQ 25TH AVE. NO. OIEN 3 , 19, SW s.FZO,4W CF, 211soos.i v >> i LOKKESMDE 19eiOC `.F. . if. s. it so JOHNSON Is l9 NORTH zs „ so 24TH AVE NO. tta 30,100 s F _ _ J r PETER40 l W rV 30.100 S F ry 16 N 1410 ' J op, s.F W; 18 N FOX- WASS, INV. Q IN 19371 • . I TETu 3 s -- 119 I , PROPOSED CITY OF PLYMOUTH-' wtRT7- 1 LAKE OVERLOOK EASEMENT w J , til 988.0 MN DNR O.H.W. r t ES r SHORELINE ,. w n G OCT. 19138^ `- 9842 N eq•zq'e'E . ER C 1 4gn rTM Ism Vol rATH rO a •. • •. • • a e . i • 77 HKO44 Lrr C K I, UN t4G eh K T. Gv"ING. i dorEr f Yr X9.0 ww A O Tt a1MNN A 11T O.T. AOt I .RT. I f+ MMI WT t INNi Sm". cmeK M.PT I VI1iO POW ROM q.lT. cvro / OMPT. MVM' omcxwm PLCNM OMPT DRY 4900NO Kos W111W K RKYS 1000 AA A, Pay f DLeAIN4 kreD L*V" P ii t ^LL *TRo&rvitAL coact$ wrs 1iTim" "Arop DRw6N to rtrAoL6 PGAICIN4 nor 14 MMOF i CITY OF PLYMW March 1, 1989 Ron Mulford 9725 27th Avenue [ Plymouth, MH 55441 Dear Ron• Mayor Schneider has forwarded your resident feedback form to me for review and comment. Your assessment of the current Conditions at Kilmer Park would appear to be quite accurate. Our 1989 capital improvements program has budgeted money to replace the old worn out playground equipment with new equipment. I intend to pass your letter on to the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission and the park maintenance division, so that we can look at all of these issues at the same time. I hope that, together, we will be able to address some of the issues that you have raised and make Kilmer Park a safer, better looking, fun place to be. In the near future we will be sending a letter to all of the residents around Kilmer Park asking for their suggestions on the playground equipment. in the same letter, I will ask them to make comments on other improvements they would Like to see the City consider making. There may be Other concerns that we are not aware of that you have not raised in your letter. Thank you for taking the time and interest to write to us. If I may be of further assistance to you, please give me a call. Sincerely, Eric J. Blank, -Director Parks and Recreation EJB/np cc: City Manager PRAC Superintendent of Parks 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNES"' "447 1'EIEPHONE (612) 559-280 RESIDENT FEEDBACK FORM ' FB 17 1989PleaseusethisformIfyouhaveaquestionorconcernwhichdor "A on the town meeting agenda to which you would likeLhe Ci Out:U I I, and/or investigate. If you provide .your name, address and pho4;;Qumber, we will advise you of our actions and findings with respect to your ern. NATURE OF CONCERN/PROPERTY ADDRESS INVOLVED: r j. vR N6 Mo cR.ftr To H vY Q T 4f--- h oVEP- TFNC 5n i_ Pis w o wwopy Rv c3. C P .EIS l3Y t'F • 8Nb QQbf NW- Ct-IL iZ I EkSV-STEAL [- CoURTNEF-b-'S C-0NSANT 1 t? PP-Y, 1.5 WELL jJE! TIE WOOL-p Ylt-j-> E R t p u N c J ACTION YOU DESIRE THE CITY TO TAKE: Lt'R47,ER C.ULVFR:iS A-iz IVES-F 12H N3 F1DU-)(F-PST- +6016T'H), a•A AVZEh i S Ntsc,rg's g To j<6.ipGkR,Sc>PF pp4zy- As U-)ELL- A6 2E T. T )4P RCD1 1*.1 PTE 'S *A)5 - SIL -S- PEEQ LUV MPS . S. J L 1 1+ i K)6 I-Rpu J v ROk b EL> Cit= PAi4 OK) 6TTzE NAME OF CN''rRNED RESIDENT: ADDRESS OF i%[SIDENT: 9-7a5 c27 f-L' IW Kw PHO L NUMBER: t.y S-d0,-q i(e ) H 5—976-56 G . UP . -P-Nl` Pe0IV b ) LRCD6E L.4nj O E / c I b` 1 11,3 1_ C2C 11_ 4N D Nks W rH L-r P&E C D4rT sT!>NES LCO 1L o _ . ti STALL l ' R(3 P F- GwE This booklet is published by the Citizen -Board The Authors Member Branch of the National Recreation Dmaid F. drorumn has been a Park andandParkAssociation (NRPA) to assist Board Recreation Board Member since 957 in Members of Park. .nd RecreationAgencies : Champaign, Illinois. He is a former Presidentunderstand. what a Board Member meds to of the Illinois Association of Park Districtsknow, and the Citizen -Board Member Branch of the The Citizen Board Member (CBM) Branch of National Recreation and Park Association. NRPA represents all CBMs in the 50 states, He is a long time Trustee of provides printed materials, arranges NRPA and Is a frequent seminars and meetings, and assists State speaker at state, regional Associations in training citizen board and national meetings, membets from local boards everywhere. For Reglna S. Glover has Information on membership or materials been, In the: field of write: parks and recreation` Ref Tonal Director for over 15 years. National Recreation and Park Association Her board exposure began early as the 4319 Covington Highway daughter of a park board member; She has Room 209 worked in municipal recreation and received Decatur, Georgia 30035 her Ph,D. in Recreation from the University of tpg) 284-5626 Maryland. At present, she is a faculty member In Parks and Recreation at Southern Illinois University. She has also been. a board member for various non-profit organizations. Copyright'" 1968 by the National Recreation and Park Association All tights reserved, No part of this publication may be reproduced In any form without permission from the publisher, except by a reviewe+E who may quote brief passages, in an Intel tiew; 1 R Index Pop A, introduction 1. Why lois Booklet? , . .. , , , 5 2. Words and Acronyms , , , , 6 3. The Park Rec Jungle , .... , ... , . , ... B B; '1to ChiwIl-Board, Ma Tiber (C9M) 1, The Chosen One ... ... , 7 2, The Shaky Halo, . . . .: . . . .. . ... . 7 3, The Guiding Light , . , . .... , .......8' 4. The Group Upstairs ... . ......... 8 5, Thou Shall Not Sin ................ 8; C. The Meny-WPWund Starts 1. The Name,....,.,.. ......... 9 2. Types of Park Rec Boards ....... , , ... g i. 3. Why Do We Have Boards? ...... , ...10 4. The Ideal Board . , -- ... ....1a I D. Board Member Basics 1. How Do You Get To Be One? .........10 2 How Big Are Park Rec Boards? .......11 3. Haw Long Are Terms of Office? ......11 4, AeAPpointment or Re -Election ........11 5, vft, Gets Paid What? . , , , , ..........1 t 6. Nepotism . , .. I .... . . . . ......... 12 7. Frits and Freebies , .. . , ..... ..12 E Board Meeting Preparation 1.. New CBM Orientation , . .. . ,12 2. Basic Material for Meeting .. .. ..13 3, it's A Job and Requires Work .1J 4, You Need to Know Quickly . , , . .13 5, Tired Eyeballs ...... , . .14 F. The, Board Meting 1. The CBM Authorit,, at; Board Meetings , ... , .14 2. Length of Meetings ... .. ..15 3. Stick to Agenda or Whyz Have One . ........... ... .15 4. Exaggeration in Speech ........ 15 5. Meeting Discussions, ........... —16 6. Loam By Asking .... .16 ISBN 4-929581.48-2 7, The Chairman ........... . ........16 8.. The Chairman's Problems ...........17 3 2 t Why This Booklet Page CwWatulatidns! You are now a member of a Q CBM Pitfalls Park & Recreation Board: There are almost I. Lawn to Count Fast ..... ..18 30,E of us In the U.S. and 35% of us are 2. Never Forget Who female.. And, most of us were told the position the Customers Are . , . .......18 would not take any time that's the first lie 3. The Newsy Elected Board Member ...19 we were told. 4, introduction to the Media ........ , . 20 The Educators tail us that we are assuming a 5, The CBM Mouth .... 20 civic responsibility, as par', of a group, to pro - 6. Dirty Wnen, ., .21 vide Park & Recreation services to the 7. MeethV Surprises ......... . . .... 21 residents. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? J. 'Single Issue New CSM .. ..... 21 We all want to succeed. If someone would only9, Crusaders. Site — You .... .. , 22tell us in words we can understand just10, Xerox Meetings.. .. ....... 22 what we are supposed to do. H. Money This Booklet is written by a Park & Recreation 1., Your Park Rec Annual Allowance 23 Board Member who for more than 30 years has2. Budget Preparation .. ... , ...... 23 been one of those responsible for providing 3. Sell, Your Budget ........... , _24 Pa* & Recreation services In his community. 4. Budge; Cuts , ........... .. , ... 24 He is trying to share his experiences (good & 5. Stop Talking About Money 25 bad) with you, 6. Fees and Charges, . , ... . _ , ..., 25 But. My Community Is. Different -- of course 1. Relation" with Administrator they all are. However, the problems and solu- 1. The Administrator ... . ............ 26 tions are the same everywhere and we are 2. What the Administrator Dees ... .. 26 trying to save you time and energy. Energy that 3. Tell the Administrator you surely will need if you are going to do ;!;e What You Think .. .... .. 27 job right. 4. Policy vs. Administration..... , ......27 5.. 'Be the `Devil's Advocate' , , .. , . 28 6. Technical Jargon ........... . . .28 7, Administrator Taking Another Job? . .. , ...... 29 ' 8. How to Fire Your Administrator .............. 29 4. How to Find Another One . . .. 30 J. Community Support tr. 1. RasidenW View of hark Rec ... , ....31 2. Build Your park Rec Identity .. . .....31 w =" 3. Daily Contacts With , the Customers ........ . 32 r 4. Home Telephone Calls . .. _...3232 K. The Big Picture i. Your State Pack Rec Association . , , , 33 - - ' -°- •---- 2. The National' Rec Park Associailc n .. ... , 33 3. Why Go to Park Rec Meetings Out of Town ...... 34 4. Steal Ideas and Improve Your Park Rec 6-ograms .. ....... 34 L. The Merry -go -Round Stops .... , , , .. .. 35 4 a. l Words and Acronyms Like all fields of work certain words are used that are not readily understood by new people, We have limited these to the; few given. below,. to make it easier for you, A;!M . ....Administrator or director of the park and recreation agen- cy. Agency .... ...The Department or Organi- zation that is responsible for delivery of Park r!; Recreation services. Authority ... See Agency: Board..; .. , . ,The group of residents responsible for the operation of the Agency, C13M :: , , ...Abbreviation used for Citizen- E iatd Member.. Commission .. , ,Sao Agency. Commissioner. ..Board member in certain states,. Customers , ... ,The residents in your com- munity, the customers of your service. Department ::. , ,See Agency, Municipality ,...A city, town, township, village, county, or other geo- graphical area providing ser- vices to its residents. Park flee , , , Abbreviation used for Parks & Recreation. Residents; ...... Customers, and for your own good do not forget this. Trustee .....Board member in certain areas.. The Park Rec Jungle You will find that; Park Ree organizations are confusing. There are many different ways to provide Park Rec services. We are only in- terested in the one we have in our town; after all we live there. (More on this later in this booklet.) To make it easy for you we have selected a 7 person Park Rec Board: to discuss this booklet. All Hoard members rare appointed for 3 year srms. The reader can mentally adjust the situations to the size of his/her Board and the atea of service. 6 The Chosen One At first this is an ego trip. They picked the right person. You can feel proud, for your qualifications,were, the best of all. No matter how you got appointed, whether, you ore the p Mayor's next door neighbor, his fund raiser, his best vote g"ter, related to a e councilman, selected from blue - ribbon committee dist, the President of the soccer program, or the one who led the protest (about anything) it makes little. difference. We all came here from somewhere. You have met the requirements better than anyone, else. There are only 3. The first, be a legal voter; the second, be a resident of the community; and the third and most important get Ow appointment. You need no "professional" qualifications to be a_ member of your local board. You do not need a Master's Degree in Horticulture, you do not need to know the rules for volleyball, and you do not need to know the difference between a bush and a shrub. The Shaky Halo When the thrill of being appointed wears off after a few days, then everyone who has ever been appointed starts wondering if they can handle the assignment. If it makes you feel any better, all hoard members felt the same way back when they started, but they lived through it and so will you. You are one of seven, You cannot. make a decision aioze — you need 3 others to agree with you — before something happens, You are part of a team. and it takes a while getting used to this. 7 e The Guiding Light The Name All citizen board The original name was PARKS, This firings members (CBMs) should; hack memories of trees, grass, picnics, band have a basic goal that I ' guides them in all .' ' ," . concerts, sunburns, mosquitoes, and all the other items involved in youth while enjoying a decisions during day In a big opera space owned by everyone, their term of office, and called a PARK. May we suggest that The beginning of community recreation acti- you set as a goal, vity came on the playgrounds, Steel monsters ! Providing the Best Park allowed you to go back and forth, up and and Recreation Services down, and slide down from top to bottom. in the USA for Your Then people got brave and started sports Residents." leagues for children and we had a new Unless you have a positive attitude, you municipal agency. This was named the will just wander from meeting to meeting,, lost Playground and/or Recreation Commission, It in details and have a mediocre program and was separate from Parks and conversations facilities were heldat arm's length between the leaf In providing tate best you have fun being a rakers and ball bouncers. CBM. If it is not fun, tell the appointing Quickly however they were combined for authority you wish to step down. Use any efficiency and today both services are pro. excuse you want and let the chair be occur vided by the same Park Rec agency. A few Pled by another resilient, and go do some. communities In the northeastern and north - thing you enjoy. western part of the U,S. stili have separate departments. The Group Upstairs You will always be sympathetic towards the person or group who proposed your name for your appointment and to those who voted, for you. The best wey to reward, them is to give them a Park Rec program that they can be proud of AND keep them Informed of the Board's thinking as a group NOT just your In- dividual thinking, The Park Rec Board exists because the appointing authority cannot devote the time to park and recreation. services. So keep the residents off the Mayor's back and give the Mayor something to brag about in the Park Rec program. Remember, he or she is human too. Thou Shall Not Sin The CBM Branch of National Rec: _,tion and Park Association prepared a code of ethics some years ago (in fact one of the writers was chairman of the committee), It was approved by CBM from all parts of the U.S. and it is printed on the back of this booklet. When in doubt, at any time, read it and stick to it. It keeps you out of trouble. 8 Types of Park Rec Boards Park Rec services are provided by a Board, a Commission, an Authority, or a Department.. The names make sense to the legal and ad- ministrative people who set them up and manage them. The residents are confused by them. We have been told for years that there are 2 basic types., 1. A Policy Board has the authority to make the rules, decide what is to be done, employ the people, inmostcases allocate the money, and the primary responsibility to provide Park Rec services to the residents. 2. An Advisory Board gives advice and counsel to the people employed by others to do the work. The advice and counsel can be taken or ignoreddependingupon the personalities involved. Do not expect to find logic in the organi- zation of Park Rec government at the local or county level in the U.S.A. it does not exist. 9 Why Do We Have Boards? It all started back in. New England with the Now Big is a Park Rec Board? Town Meeting when every spring on a wet, Park Rec Boards vary greatly In size. There muddy day a!i of the voters met in the local are as few members as 3 in the northeast to 30 church (largest building in town) in county systems in the midwest. and transacted the annual business and made up a budget.... How Long are Pack; Rec Terms? As the towns grew, and the church didn't, they started appointing a few to act for all in various areas These run from 1 year to 6 years. You may get a full term or get appointed; to a partial local government. The American term. way— APPOINT A COMMITTEE. Thus the Town Council, The Board of Public Re -Appointment or Re -ElectionWorks, The School Board, and finally the Playground Board, which was your great- All CBMs know their term of office whether grandfather, were born. appointed or elected. You know the date when Lik C' d H The Ideal Board Different organizations and size of board are ideal subjects for the coffee shop or lounge when you are killing time before the next: meeting; leave them there, This dicussion is a time waster. You are a member, of the only board in your community. It has been set up by law and you and the other 6 have the responsibility to provide Park Rec services to your residents. Make the system work and succeed. You live THERE. Board Members How Do You Giat To Be One? There are 2 ways: 1, appointed by Mayor, City or Town Council, County Board, Governor, or some other legal authority, for a specific term. Some can be reappointed, some cannot. 90 plus % of Board members are appointed, 2. Elected by the residents for a specific term of years. (Usually run on the non- partisan ballot.) They can be re-elected depending upon the voters' attitude. Less than 10% of Board members are elected. Most all in Illinois and North Dakota are elected., There are some in isolated areas in other parts of the U.S. 10 you must vacatR your seat. e m ere .a,, you either must leave quietly oro! tain another appointment or win another election. Should you try again???? This is a personal decision, ONLY you can make it. Remember, If you state early that you are not going to be a candidate again, the other CBMs consider you a "lame duck" at once and your effectiveness drops quickly, Who Gets Paid What? You do not. The great majority of Park Ree CBMs do not receive compensation for serving their community, just like School Board members or Library Trustees. It is no different than the church or social agency boards you may have served on before. A small minority in some states are paid some insignifi- cant token amount set 50 years ago that does not cover the gas to go to the meetings. This runs from $10 per meeting to $100 a month in a wealthy western state. Practically all agencies pay Board members' expenses to attend regional, state, or national meetings. And, the decision as to who goes where, and when, is dacided among the board members with much conversation and sometimes emotion. c. Nepotism/ memos in the last 5 years. This material is sent This practice, commonly known as hiring to your house in a Park Rec truck and unloaded: in your Iron, heli. your wife and children has gotten lots of CBMs if you are a normal new CBM, you figureInthelocalnewspaperonthefrontpage.. You ways to avoid reading all that stuff as it does. try and use logic as a defense. The issue is not make any sense to you anyhow. emotional. You can make a reasonable ex planation, but the doubt. still remains In the residents` mind. You always lose on this one. Basic Material for Meeting Request agenda and all supporting papers Perks and Freebies from your administrator 48 hours minimum A vary touchy subject and 30,000 CBMs before the formal meeting, So you can read the would: give 3x,000 different replies. We recon- material, in a relaxed environment, at home, g p and be properly prepared to discuss the itemsmendyoudonothingthatyouwouldn't want on page 1 of your local newspaper; at the meeting — in an Intelligent manner. Eating the cookies at the Senior Citizen's Many years ago, when we first started to go reception is a bit different from your family to Park and Rec meetings, we told our adminis swimming free daily at the. or you your trator of the. 48 hour rule. We stated if we did paoi.: Wife, and the couple- next door playing golf free not have the material 48 hours in advance we twice a week at the golf course, would not come to the meeting; and the second time it happened we would issue a press CBMs get in more trouble with this issue release. than any other and lose. They are convicted in So we have enjoyed 30 years of advance in- people's minds when the newspaper story is formation and the residents have benefited printed and no one listens. to the explanation, all those years. You: also always lose on this one. The New GBM Orientation it's A Job Requires Work The Park Rec boards in the U.S., as a group, Before every meeting you get do a miserable job in Qx• a package of papers telling you: about what's on the agenda - plaining the CBM job to facts of issues, staff thinking, the new CBMs. This Is etc. You cannot function unless the duty of the con ` ' u read and absorb timing CBMs on the his material BEFORE board who are, hampered by newer ,'-, you go to the meeting. having been properly If at 6:58 pm you oriented arrive for she 7:00 pm themselves. meeting, sit down = iyy The lucky new y ; and open your — CBM is told s sealer envelope " -- where to sit, for the first time and quickly glance through and where the rest rooms are located. the 's°.0% how well are you representing your The administrator tries to help. They want residents? You should think up an excuse for resigning and spend your time where you enjoy' you to know what's going on fast. So, they take what you would be doing. on the difficult task of teaching their new boss his/her job. Many do this by giving copies of all ordinances since 1921, minutes of all meetings You NOW to Know quicklysinceWorld; War ll, and copies of all staff At, or before, that first meeting, you should, determine flow much, if any, personal liability insurance coverage the CBMs have. You are 12 13 e performing a civic duty without compensation, The feast the civic body should do, =s cover the unpaid CBMs for the actions they take or fall to take when acting as members. of the .Board. It they tell you they have none, we suggest you get uninvolved quickly.. The job can be a. nightmare of legal fees even a judgement against you., Most CBMs are covered by the municipality as a matter of policy, however some stili are not. If in doubt ask your legal counsel for an opinion. Tired Eyeballs This is a disease contracted by CBMs for Park Rec. All staff ,people send you paper to read, study, analyze, and to comment upon at the drop of a hat. They do not understand' that CBMs look for reasons not to read 100 page books written in technical language that they do not understand. The SOLUTION to tired eyeballs is a heart to heart talk with your administrator, You do not want anything putin your mail that does not have a cover letter from the administrator. The tetter states what the enclosure is and what the administrator's recommendation for beard, CBM action. This sure cuts out a lot of un- necessary paper in CBM wastebaskets. The Board Members' Authority You are part of a group, or board; you have 14% of the action from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. every other Monday night, You do not have authority any other time.. You do not give staff instructions, overrule softball. umpires, change game schedules, issue press releases, 11,e11 employees to clean up their act, or all of those other things. You tell the administrator; he or she is responsible for the day to day operation, in- cluding all staff, Of course you can talk to the staff anytime as you go to different parks and visit various programs. Ask them about what is going on, how the residents like it, etc. The only no -no is do not give them Instructions; that's not your job, Tell the administrator what you saw and what your thoughts were about the program, he needs to know. 14 Length of Board Meetings Board meetings are where we approve the minutes and waste the hours. This is the American way. The longer the meeting, the less gets done. Any board meeting tasting more than 2 hours is a waste of the time of those attending. Get the garbage off the 6' agenda. Don't chatter about details, Speak up on the issues but only once.. Restating your case weakens your position each time you speak. Ruthlessly insist upon organized, well run meetings so the time of every board member, will be saved. You will be surpri, .,J at how fast you will net unanimous support. Stick to Agenda or Why Have One if you want to get home by midnight you. must stick to the agenda Most gavel holders are shy about interrupting other CBMs, but it Board conversation wanders all over the field it's a long night. Item 7 is; the Country W"tem Dance Classes and that's all we talk about until we dispose of this item. When you ask for the floor your subject should be the Dance Classes, NOT anything thpt comes to your mind. Exaggeration in Speech Some people use this for emphasis. Do not be one of them. Your remarks quickly get dis- counted heavily by the other CBMs. A tot of people have been calling me," Now all the others get some calls, not many, and neither do you. When a CBM says lots of people have been calling me, the other CBMs say to each other, "I wonder who called?" The same goes for "many people stopping me on the street," means one person. It is better to state that Susie Smith called me about the boys' soccer program and I said. that. I would bring her concern before the Board at the next meeting. Be sure you call Susie back after the meeting.) 15 t Meeting Discussions You must- devote time here. And, your In- volvement goes a 'long way toward getting 3 more votes; Do not be afraid to write your thoughts out In longhand before the meeting. Most of us are; poor "ad Ilbbers" and are not used to this type of discussion. Always define how the action rilli benefit the residents those are the people you serve. Loam by Asking A famous football coach says his father taught him to keep his mouth shut as you never learn anything while you are tallying. Same for CBMs. Ask ques.. Dons, ask f mr ethers' opinions, ask who, - :.3, when, where, and why 'fruentfy. You wilt= learn much more than you knew when you came in -- loam how to listen. The Chairman Or Chairwoman, or chairperson, or chair, or President, or whatever you call the person the one with the Havel exists bevause no one has ever found a better way to run a meeting,: He or she is there because, I. it their tum. 2. No one else wants the lob. 3. They have been there so long no one has the guts to nominate anyone else. 4. They have demonstrated the ability to lead and the others are confident with them. (This does not happen often.) 16 Watch the chair carefully.. You may get the gavel next. Who me? Yes, you. Stranger things have happened. Elections are political and you may get the 4 votes next time for all kinds of reasons you have yet to discover. Gavel holders lose their freedom as a member, but not their vote. They are continually looking for common ground and trying to get 4 people to agree on something ANYTHING.. They try to keep the other members from talking themselves Into a comer. If the gavel. hoid;r Is not careful, the vote ends up i•1-1-1-1.1-1 — and midnight comes fast. Do Not Be One of the Chairman's Problems The Chairman's problems are the other CBMs, especially the following 'four horsemen of doom. 1. The Motion Maker Who believes that the longer the motion, the more effective. This CBM could never repeat the motion verbatim because they do not remember where they started. Suggest to him he read the 10 Command- ments for an example of clarity and brevity. 2 The Compulsive Talker Who believes in talking first on each item while he gathers his thoughts. He thinks out loud. He works on the theory then makes his decision while he talks and the others are not able to oppose him at least initially. 3. The I Hate to Make a Decision CBM Who nibbles around the edges of deci- sions, ignoring the facts involved, worry- ing about making someone unhappy and not really wanting to take a position on ANY issue, He has. never understood that nothing happens until somebody makes a decision. He has voted PRESENT at least once in the last 87 meetings. Solution? Resign. Then he will not have to make any Park Rec decisions. 17 t 4, no Wei Blanket The Newly Elected Board MemberWhoInjectsthosefamouswords — What's: it gonna cost'' — in the beginninfl Most candidates for elected office,. unless explanation of any program or project. He they have burning local issue, have the stan- lord American candidate's platform, does not want to hear the proposed benefits to the residents or the long DO MORE ... AND range- savings. He just makes quick SPEND LESS... both at depressing comments that can stifle new the same time. Ideas. You get enthusiastic-- print up flyers — buy Loam to Court — Fast ads — make speeches say a lot of things to You we one of 7. You quickly learn to count. everyone and do not Imo' Unless you can get 3 others to agree with,,, ou, think too carefully in move on to the next the emotion of a agenda item. It takes a campalrn, majority to get any-- You read your material thing done, even to carefully, your opponents do also. But, you adjourn the meeting.won so what! The people who read what you The other 6 will wrote and said more carefully than you or your react to you based opponents were the incumbent CBMs whom upon how you treatthem. you will now join as a member of a team with Remember your courtship 14% of the action. days. Court the other 6 They frequently read into your words because you will succeed only something other than what you meant andwiththesupportoftheothers. Loners on a they can find upside, down periods In your board just put in long hours of being outvoted. campaign statements. It is no fun. They cannot normally answer you. They Those who are proprietors, self-employed, have the present responsibility for Park Rec. and those who work alone in life sometimes But, tension points can be created that unfor- have trouble adjusting to working as; part of tunately you are not aware of. the group. You are part of a team that is Now you, in complete innocence, arrive at, responsible collectively and it takes some time your first meeting and wonder why one or more to get used to this.. seem like cold fish. You better take it easy in the beginning until they net to know you better. After all, they have the other 6 votes and you Never Forget Who need 3 of them to get anything done during the Customers Are your term. For those of you who were appointed vs Park Rec Board meetings are usually held elected, the message is. still true. Other board with Board and staff people present. Most members will remember the comments you Boards hold open meetings of course, but no made before being appointed, one comes. It's not the CBM's fault if no one comes It's easy to become self-centered and to forget who the customers are, the residents f who are paying for the services you are delivering. Never get into any discussion at a meeting without asking yourself how this action will atfect the customers, This is why you are sit.- it- tingtingat the table, to represent the residents, all of them. Do. right by them. 18 19 introductIG. to the Media Dirty Linen If your Board meetings always have media if there is something you do not like about yo g y the Board, .he staff, the program, or the present,, you quickly learn how to act AND facilities, do not tell the residents FIRST. watch your tongue. It you do that, you give the media and the It you are like most community a controversy. This Is not in the Park Rep CBMs you best interests of an outstanding Park Rec usually see the media R`cR operatbn. when a burning, local Talk to the other Board members or the ad Issue has raised Its ministrator;. Always try to solve this type of ugly head, if you have Issue in-house first, You may not have all the had no experience in this facts, so don't get embarrassed; Often you can area, don't make the mistake solve the problem in a conversation or two and of ignoring what the media O the community will benefit. wants. They want a story. A tree planting does not excite ahem. They want controversy dissent—page 1 news and can only get it from CBM comments Be capful of what you say, they go to press, you don't. The Board Membees Mouth Under the Constitution you are guaranteed free speech. No one ever argues that point. As a Park Rec Board member, it is smart to let the Board Chair talk to the media for the Board and the other 6 refer all ques- tions to the Chair during his or her tern. } Most CBMs are not experienced with media people who are looking :w... for a story. The other 30,000 board members will testify that at one time or another they had a garbled story in the media which got them in trouble. So a word to the wisel If you are attempting to obtain support on a specific community issue for Park Rec never go to the MEDIA first. You first go to the other 6CBMs on your Board. Never forget that you need 3 other CBMs to vote like you do to take action. Don't bruise them unnecessarily. Atter action is taken on the issue and you bruised some people, it is more difficult to get their support on the next item on the agenda. And, some CBM have long memories. 20 Meeting Burplr!ses Never tet anyone demand you take action on something new that you have never heard of before the meeting. Insist on time to study BOTH uides of the new issue. Ask that the item be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. Request the ADM investigate and prepare recommendations for the next meeting. If local interest groups show up, you can usually find that you are getting only one side of the. story. The impetuous CBM who says 'oh it sounds ok let's do it' may end up with a'bloody nose. Single Issue CBM Starting out this way is no sin. Many, in- cluding the writer, started, out that way. The secret is not to stay that way. You have lots of decisions to make that have nothing to do with your single 'BURNING issue. No matter how strong you feel, unless you can convince 3 other CBMs to agree, you lose. BUT, by being. cooperative and, being reasonable and sym- pathetic with the other CBMs you will be sur prised how fast the other votes appear. 21 i, Crusaders Bite — You Your Park Rec Annual Allowance We all have a habit of classifying people Quickly, you will be in - who do not agree with us as nuts and fruits ot troduced to the all American some other uncomplimentary term:. sport called BUDGET and Residents do not get involved, unless they feel wronged. E most of the time it is - the excuse given any time you propose something. Facts have nothing to When the budget is pre - do with this; it is all • , pared, BE INVOLVED. emotional. This is Park Rec's When people com, "' ellowance for the plain, treat them as - a next 12 months. you would wish to be , There is never enough money to do all the treated. Or, you will things Park Rec wants to do. create crusaders. They are the opponents for Park Rec when the next appointment vacancy Bud9et Preparation comes up. The proverbial little: old lady in tennis shoes. Budgets are usually prepared by Adminis- trators as they have the records and flies, Theywillhaveyou'incourt before you know it, not,to use a step process, checking frequently with mention page 1 of your local newspaper. the Board, so they can determine the Board's In almost every unpleasant issue of this wishes for the coming year. type.,. it goes back to one of the CBMs making When you receive the first draft of the a comment that compounded the situation.: budget determine what Is included and what is And, the yelling and screaming gets started: not. Have the ADMexplain the budget to you Take the part of the crusader, Promise to pet and be sure you understand what is in the first the facts. Guarantee their treatment. Promise draft'. that they will be notified before any action is In Board discussions, do your job. Fill your taken. role. Dig, Probe. Queioneve crusaders to Park Rec boosters with sConvertDonotcptthe"s"same last year" concern for their point of view. answer. Why is it the same? Why do we do it? Can we do it better another way? Is the invest - Xerox Meetings ment successful? You get the idea. Don't be afraid to make changes. CAMs who When every meeting is just like the last one: do not like to do this because the budget we approved the minutes, the payroll, the bills, would have to be retyped are "chickening out." read the correspondence, listened to a couple of interested citizens, rubber stamped a couple of staff program proposals and gave out a cer- tificate of appreciation, you are in a rut.. You are custodians of a Park Rec organization going downhill, r r What is being done to develop new facilities? Programs? Anything to perk up and excite the residents? You don't need money, you need enthusiasm and ideas. Recognize when you are attending xerox meetings. 22 23 Selling Your Budget Stop Talking About Money Assume your budget authority is a City or This Is a trap we continually fall into without County governing board, thinking, You send the administrator to submit. and defend your budget. He is ., looked upon as, another , xt bureaucrat, like all the others pre- senting budgets, ' '" a His annual 4 letter'' ` word is MORE. The members of the governing board are aware of thetoothlessposition of the presenter, smile sweetly, glance at the, clock and give every speaker his turn at the podium.. But if the Park Rec Board is in attendance, and making the presentation, the governing board members' attitudes change, They think, hey, CBMs are Just like us, they are not paid, we appointed them, they vote, help me in my campaigns, go to the same school or church,. or bowl with me, etc. A different attitude exists. The governing board members realize that CBMs are telling what they will do andlor what they have cut out this year. I wonder how that will affect my area of town. What will the parents say? You get, the idea, Try it. It WORKS. Budget Cuts Many municipal Park Rec agencies have had severe budget cuts in recent years due to the loss of outside money. The old fashioned answer to this one was that children did not vote and Park Sec was just ahead of Cemeteries on the municipal priority list. Today, with your heavy program and facility use by adults, this is no longer the case. It Is another reason that adults, both residents and CBMs, must be involved In the budget approval process. Never reduce your budget by cutting 10% of everything. it you try, you sure had a sloppy budget to start with. Always cut 100% of cer- tain programs. Think about it for awhile. 24 Park Rec does not have enough money falls on deaf ears of a higher authority trying to put 10 pounds of programs in a 5 pound bag, or to residents who have trouble enough making all their monthly payments and buying groceries. We use money as it Is a verbal short cut. It saves us time to say we are $100 or $100,000 short of what we need. The trap is that we forget everyone is an expert on money. We all learned the decimal system In school, are aware of what money Is, and feel confident about being an expert in a conversation about it. Park Rec seems to lose when we talk money. So what do we do? Easy, talk; benefits to the residents. This per- sonalizes the conversation, The Board has cut out the grade school soccer program for boys. and girls due to lack of funds. What happens? The soccer parents unite with an issue and head for the mayor and council to state their case. rase groups are normally most effective. Wt fi residents gather together and protest, elected or appointed officials get uncomfortable. When delegations of residents appear at meetings, usually something positive (for the residents objecting) comes out of the effort.. Fees and Charges These started with expensive facilities like golf courses and swimming pools years ago and were accepted by the public. In recent years budgets have not kept- pace with inflation, soy r most Park Rec agen- cies have heavily r , increased Fees andv Charges. Many places Y ., have Fees and Charges as more than 50% of their budget. It's a method of keeping the same 25 level of services in spite of inflation and cut: budgets. Your administrator can explain how fees and charges are not discriminatory and how scholarships can be used. All of us had to overcome this mental block, The Administrator Unless you are a memberof a Board in.atiny community, you will have an administrator, a full time employee who is responsible for the day to day operation of the Park Rec agency, As a group these people are well trained, competent, and understand their role. They are responsible to work for the board and quickly observe how the board wishes to work, and the special Interest areas of the Individual members: You owe this person one *Wlfic action each year — an honest evaluation of his or her work Unfortunately, the majority of Boards do not ever take this step. The administrator is entitled to know how he or she Is doing, what the individual board members think of his or her performance and the areas where the board believes Improve- ment should be made. Most CBMs do not do this as they feel em- barrassed in such a discussion,, but you owe it to your residents. The better boards with the better programs always do this each year. So, imitate the successful. It pays. What Doss the Administrator Do? This varies with the size of the community of course. The Administrator Is dike a City Manager, School Supt., Police Chief, Librarian, or any other person responsi , ble for operating an agency or department.4!; He or she hires and fires the employees; you do not. He, she runs the day to day operation; you do not. He or she Executes the Policy set by the Board at monthly meetings, The ADM sits at the foot of the table and does not have 14% of the action. He or she works with or for a group of 7 people and can count (quicker than the Board can) and will do what the majority wants.. Tell the Administrator What You Think The Administrator wants to please the CBM, this is his/her job. He or she is prepared to do It daily. :a The ADM cannot do it unless you tell him what you want. He or she is not paid to read minds. If you tell the other CBMs, 4 the public, the media,: you are compounding the problem. Tell the administrator your likes and dislikes, what you think, what you think the public thinks. They want to know. You are not doing your job unless you talk to the administrator. Policy vs Administration If you are, a policy board, this one is something you hear frequently about from young staff and a lot of conversation is wasted here. The board sets the policy, the staff ad- ministers the dministersthepolicy. The easy way to remember; the board decides what to do and the staff decides how to do it. You decide to have a high school girls' soft- bail program, that is policy. That is all you have to do. The staff finds the 'space, publicizes the program, r©gisters the players, selects the volunteer coaches and umpires, determines the games to be played, etc. That is their job; let them do what you are paying them to do. 27 Be The Devil's Advocate The staff proposes and the Board disposes` a simple phrase that covers the usual pro- cedure of Park Rec. The normal Board meeting, while public by law, is held with Hoard and staff only. Rarefy does the citizenry bother to attend. The CBM becomes familiar with the staff, gains confidence in them, and normally sup- ports their proposals. This can be a trap !or CBMs if you are not careful. Your responsibility is to the residents.: Your job Is to question all proposals to determine if they are well prepared, well thought out; and will benefit the residents. You are part of a small group giver, the responsibility to act for the residents, all of them in your community. You may be hesitant, since you are ac- quainted with staff to embarrass. them, by asking questions, expressing your concerns, and playing the "devil's advocate," but that is your role. When the proposal is adopted, the Board is responsible for it and must stand behind it.. S00000, be sure you agree with it ... BEFORE... it is adopted. You don't want to end up with egg on your face when it reaches the residents, Technical Jargon Park flee like other fields seems to have developed a vocabulary of its own which is composed of words not in common usage. Most CBMs let the staff continue to impress each other until they start using the technical vocabulary on the CBM and the RESIDENTS. This is when you shut them off and demand they speak in a language that everyone understands to eliminate confusion and misunderstanding. The basic rule is, speak to me in a language I understand if you want me to understand what you are saying. DOf1M; 28 Administrator Taking Another Job? This is normal; everyone tries to better themselves. Talk to the ADNI. Why Is he or she leaving? Is it for personal growth? " Or, is it something wrong in your town? The Board perhaps. Find out. If he or she has another job, normally you will get straight r answers and you can identify the problem so the next administrator can have a better chance of succeeding. Have him or her write a new job description of his position. He or she knows the job.. He or she has been doing it satisfactorily, as ha or she left voluntarily. Also have the ADM write a description of the community and the Park Rec agency, he or she knows what to include for applicants. Ask him or her for names that should be in- vited to apply for the position. And, get his or her recommendation as to who should be in temporary charge until a new person is on board. How to Fire Your Administrator Don't! You normally lose. if they are caught with their hand in the cash register or other illegal acts you have no choice. But, this happens rarely. What happens frequently is that com- munication breaks down for one reason or another and CBMs start saying among themselves'we gotta' get rid of this one. What happens? You have an emotional issue, the media is involved, tempers flare and it is unpleasant. But so you fire them, then what? Now you don't have anyone and the second part of the problem is you must find a replacement. This takes time and the agency stands still at best. 29 Do everything possible to find out why the others feel as they do and get CBM and ADM talking again. Talking identifies many prob- lems and will solve most of these. conflicts. Most terminations of administrators are per- sonality conflicts not incompetence. The CBM has the responsibility to not let these things happen. How to Find Another One Look outsfoe your community, you may be passing up some real talent that would like to join your staff. Too often CBM sees a department head who has all of toe qualities of the Boy Scout Oath and says 'let's give old Joe the job.' it rarely works. You never know how attractive your vacancy is to others unless you throwthe job open for applicants from everywhere. You may find someone who can walk across the lalez and impress you. Many have. How do we find them? All collegeswho educate Park Rec people will be willing to help you. One of their faculty members will be happy to assist your Board. Ask thee-,: List the position with National Recreation and Park Association. They publish job listings all over the USA and you will be surprised who turns up. You usually have a more attractive job than you realize. W Residents' View of Park Rec Most residents take community government for granted. They complain about taxes, demand more services each year, expect instant service from everyone and never go to any government. meetings. Park' Rec is pleasant, fun,' and interesting. This is where ( l the residents play, relax and enjoy.. Park Rec does not chase burglars, put out fires, dig up streets, make you d buy a permit to fix your garage, or plow your driveway back in when, snow arrives. It is easy to have; community support for Park Rec for we have so few negatives in com- munity life. CBMs can develop community pride in Park Rec. Remember, everybody likes a winner and the residents will brag about what they have, if you give them the opportunity. Build Park Rec Identity Everything, animal, vege!able, mineral, should be marked with a logo, symbol, or name of the Park Rec agency. A Park Rec agency is many things to the residents and few know all of the parks and. programs. Park Rec is all over town, in many different locations, so you should tie it together ;. with identification. Doesn't the Anistrator do this? Of courGO, once you set a policy on building community support. But; as the representative of the residents you know r_ they want to brag so give them the opportunity. Bragging is a form of recreation for many, so give them the chance. 31 Daily Contacts with. the Customers When you first become a CBM, you are pleasantly surprised .at the people who stop and congratulate you. Everybody likes to be congratulated. Take advantage of every resident, contact to ask what they like and dislike about the Park, Rec in the community. This is how you serve your constituency. And, thank them for their comments. i Never argue with the residents. If you get questions, either answer them or tell them you. will check into it and come back to them. Do this within 24 hours and you wil! be surprised at how quick your reputation grows as a CBM. Remember .a CBM travels a routine path:. Your circle of contacts are limited to your neighbors, your church, where you work, and where you play and the majority of the residents are not in your routine path. You can talk with this group easily; take advantage of every additional contact you make. Home Telephone Calls As a CBMyou will get phone calls from residents at home; during normal times like when you are taking a quick nap, when your team on TV is marching for the winning score, or when you have just waxed the floor, and it is still wet :between you and the telephone. Welcome to the club. The, rule of ten applies here _ ten peoplepeople thought about calling, but only one finally does. So, this is where you make your community reputa- tion as a CBM. Always get the name of the person first. if' they tell you they do not want to give their name consider what we do; say that we do not take anonymous phone calls and hang up. It works for us. We like to know who we are talking to, don't you? LISTEN TO THE QUESTION OR COMPLAINT. It is never a compliment. The last CBM who got unsolicited compliments over the phone from a stranger did so In 1921. 32 OBTAIN SPECIFIC INFORMATION. If i tell the administrator that one of his staff told a girl in the Memorial Park. (200 acres) that she couldn't do something, etc. some time last week, it is not going to be easy to get an answer for the caller. If I say to the Administrator that a girl on a bike was stopped about 3:00 pm near the children's playground Tuesday by a girl in a Park Rec tee-shirt with a whistle around her neck and carrying a clipboard and a name 'tag that said JULIE, I get an answer back FAST, Remember, you are only hearing one side of the story in any phone call, Your State Park Rec Association All 50 states have a State organization. This Is composed of primarily administrators and staff. And together they accomplish much in training, edLrication, and communication.. Some have a CBM branch composed of people like yourself who have takjn some time to learn about Park Rec. In addition to State meetings, some hold area meetings. Your administrator can give you information about these. The National Recreation & Park Association (NRPA) This organization, located in Washington, D.C., is composed of all those involved in Park Rec. NRPA has an Annual Congress every fall and it is well worth attending for CBMs. We recommend it. One of the branches of NRPA is the Citizen - Board Member Branch composed of CBMs from the 50 states. They have special training sessions each year at the conference that help every CBM do a getter job in his or her own community. Every Park Rec Board should be an "agency" member of NRPA. The publications alone are worth many times the dues. Again your administrator can get you infor- mation on NRPA. If he can't, you shouldn't have hired him/her in the first place. 33 Why Go to Meetings out of Town? It's the easiest way to get new ideas and thoughts for your own community, ideas that have worked for others. You build a program the residents = wr love by beingl, Innovative and creative. Most Park Rec ideas do not i cost money just brains. Your State Organization holds meetings. The NRPA runs Regional meetings, workshops, etc. all the time. Try one — you'll like it and your residents will benefit. Steal ideas and improve Park Rec If you steal an idea from a person, it is not very nice. If you steal a thousand, it is called research,. At the many regional, state, and national Park Rec meetings is where most of us do research. The Park Rec Boards that seem to win all the Gold Medal Awards each year, and all the other Awards also, seem to be ones who have a CBM representative at the meetings. Be sure one of your Board members attend. Take turns or have one CBM designated as the Board reprosentative. After meeting other CBMs from other towns, you start getting ideas of what can be done in your community. Bring some back home and try them out and the residenw', will dove the new Ideas. This is the best shortcut to improving a program that you will ever find. 34 The Merry -go -Round Stops Eventually that fateful day will arrive. The day you have to get out of the chair and let your successor sit down. How you feel at that time depends on what you have accomplished during your term. Like most, you walk away with pride and satisfaction that you did the best job you knew how to do for Wk your community. They will rarely thank you in any form&, or informal way as residents assume that municipal government goes on and on. You have been exposed to local government and know what you have accomplished and you smileinwardly; as no one can take that experience away from you, ever. i AMN I it r I 8 i 6 35 1 i National ROM ation and Park Association CitlawBoar+d Member Branch CODE OF ETHICS Park do Recreation BoardMembers 1` As a Park and Recreation Board member, re- presenting all of the residents, Recognize that., 1. I have been entrusted to provide park and recreation services to my community. Z These services should be avail?' `Ie to all residents regardless of age, sex, race, religion, national origin, physical or mental limitation. 3. While honest differences of opinionmay develop, I will work harmoniously with other Board members to assure residents the ser- vices they require. 4 1 will, invite all residents to express their opi- nions so I may be properly informed prior to making my decisions. I will make them based solely upon- the facts available to me. i will support the final decision of the Board. 5. 1 must devote the time, study and thought necessary to carry out my duties. 8. The Board members establish the policy and the staff' Is responsible for -administering the policies of the Board. 7. 1 have no authority outside of the proper meetings of the Board. 8. All Board meetings should be open to the public except as provided bylaw. su• w v' t= WRI TE. Citizen Bosad Member Brandt Nationai Recreation and Park Association 4319 Covington Highway, Suite 209 Decatur, Georgia 30035