February 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 51

Team building at Gurnee Park District, Illinois

By Elizabeth Beard

A
Happy Tails Dog Park, Lee's Summit, Missouri

dog park built on public water utility land. A literal tug of war among
agency staff. A trip to visit a hospital. A call from a " secret shopper. "
Best practices among park and recreation agencies can vary as much
as the agencies themselves, but whether best practices come from
within or are borrowed from other agencies or departments, they become ingrained in the standards at successful agencies, fostering a culture of excellence.
The one thing effective agencies have in common is that they never stop searching for even better practices. At the recent 2010 NRPA Congress in Minneapolis,
several agencies were recognized with the Gold Medal Award for Excellence in
the Field of Park and Recreation Management, and the use of best practices is one
of the criteria for the award. Below, four of the Gold Medal Grand Award winning
agencies share some of their most innovative best practices-practices that have
helped position them as both vital partners in their communities and financially
sustainable departments despite tough economic times.

Best Practices in Practice

Riverplex Recreation and Wellness Center, Peoria, Illinois

Customer service training, Fairfax County, Virginia

How do you tell a best practice from an idea that just sounds like a good thing
to do? It can seem like a subtle distinction.
" A best practice has been proven to be real-we have tried it, it has been
tested, and it has turned out to be better than what we have done before, " says
Max Ramsey, chairman of services and resources for the American Academy
of Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA). The AAPRA administers the
Gold Medal Awards program, conducts research, publishes the Journal of Park
and Recreation Administration, and also offers at-cost consulting services by
its 125 expert members for park and recreation agencies. " This can get down
to all kinds of details-you can go as far up or as far down as you want to go. "
The problem is that few best practices will work for every situation. Ramsey
explains that understanding your agency's particular circumstances is crucial-is it a company town, dominated by a single large employer? Are there
particular influential citizens or politicians who are friends or foes? Is it a time
of opportunity or a time to be patient and stretch your resources?
Because there are no universal best practices, agencies pick up their best
practices from a variety of sources, including the NRPA. The NRPA's management schools at Oglebay Resort in Wheeling, West Virginia, have helped provide the foundation for best practices at the Lee's Summit park system, near
Kansas City, Missouri. " I have sent all of my management team through those
schools as a part of their development, " says Tom Lovell, administrator of the
Lee's Summit Park and Recreation Board. " Accreditation was also very valuable to us and helped us get our house in order. There are numerous examples of where those policies and procedures have come into play and saved us
from some administrative nightmares, especially the risk management plan. "
Meanwhile, the Peoria Park District turned not only to other park and recreation agencies in Illinois but even to hospital and university fitness centers for
best practices when developing its Riverplex Recreation and Wellness Center. " Our staff visited fitness centers, both hospital and park-district-run, and
a few private ones, throughout the Midwest...learning all we can about what
we're doing, " says Cyndy McKone, superintendent of marketing and public
relations. The fitness center is reviewed and overseen by a committee including three staff members from Peoria's St. Francis Hospital.
Illinois is one of the leading states in childhood obesity rates and Peoria park
management wanted to be on top of this trend by developing the ExerGaming Studio at the center. Families attend the physician-administered 10-week program at

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FEBRUARY 2011

Parks & Recreation 49

February 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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