June 2014 - Parks & Recreation - 20

Community Center

Notable News

Q Sam Graft, one of New Mexico's
visionary parks professionals and former park and recreation director for
the state, lost his battle with Parkinson's
disease and Alzheimer's April 29 at the
age of 79. Graft's parks career began
following several years of service in
the United States Army, with much of
his tour based out
of Fort Bliss, Texas. He earned
his bachelor of
science
degree
from
Montana
State University
and his master's
at the University of Illinois at
Champaign-Urbana. Graft served as
the youth activities director at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo,
New Mexico, before moving in 1968
to Las Cruces to begin his tenure as
that city's park and recreation director.
While in that position, Graft managed
the design and construction of Young
Park and the Maag Park sports complex, both beloved park installments enjoyed by the public to this day. In 1975,
New Mexico Governor Jerry Apodaca
appointed Graft to his cabinet as state
park and recreation director. Following
Apodaca's term, Graft returned to Las
Cruces to serve as director of community facilities until his retirement in 1998.
Ten years later, he was diagnosed with
Parkinson's. In 2001, Sonoma Ranch
Partners; David and Vivian Steinborn;
George and Yvonne Rawson; and Dale
and Diane Schueller named and dedicated Sam Graft Park in Graft's honor,
which his loved ones described as " one
of the highlights of his life. "
Q Brooklyn, New York's Bushwick
Inlet Park has received big accolades
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Parks & Recreation

from the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment,
winning a spot in the group's Top 10
Green Projects list. In 2009, the parcel
of land on the Williamsburg waterfront
was a parking lot and former home of a
gas plant, and was generally regarded as
an urban eyesore. Perhaps worse, the area's impervious surface sent stormwater
runoff either directly into the city's sewer system or rushing into the East River.
As part of a comprehensive rezoning in
2005, the 6.2-acre waterfront parcel was
set aside to become public space, and today boasts amenities like tidal pools, a
soccer field and a community center. In
a " green " effort to manage stormwater
drainage, landscape architecture firm
Starr Whitehouse and Kiss + Cathcart
Architects built a 15,000-gallon cistern
under the soccer field's artificial turf to
collect rainfall that is then used to irrigate the community center's green roof.
In bouts of heavy rain, the tidal pools
will filter water before draining into the
river. Bushwick Inlet Park opened to the
public in October 2013 and is expected
to draw large crowds during the summer months.
Q Dog lovers and dog-park advocates have a new ally in the recently
formed National Dog Park Association (NDPA). " The growth in dog park
popularity is almost mandating an organization to help people find answers
to questions they have about a multitude of things regarding starting or
maintaining a dog park, " says NDPA
President Roseanne Conrad. NDPA's
stated goals include assisting and supporting developers, administrators
and managers of existing and planned
off-leash dog parks in their missions
to provide safe, clean, exciting and
healthy recreational parks for canines

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and their human companions. NDPA
also will offer annual memberships in a
variety of categories, and members will
have the opportunity to serve on various committees, including membership, marketing, bylaws, standards and
conferences/events. Conrad's business,
GPPInc., will manage NDPA as further plans for programs and benefits
are developed. To keep abreast of the
latest NDPA news, visit www.national
dogparkassociation.net.
QLepidoptera fans, take note - July
19-27 marks National Moth Week
(NMW), celebrating those intriguing, fragile insects that are drawn to
our camp lanterns and porch lights
throughout the spring and summer
seasons. The observation highlights
the beauty, life cycles and habitats of
moths, encouraging " moth-ers " of
all ages and abilities to learn about,
observe and document moths in their
backyards, parks and neighborhoods.
This year's event will pay special attention to the silk moth, which has
seen a recent decline in population
numbers. Nature lovers are encouraged to learn more about this diverse
subspecies - about 2,300 species of
silk moths exist worldwide - as well
as host local " moth-ing " events. Such
activities might include simply turning
on an outdoor light at night to see what
happens, or attempting to draw moths
with UV lights, mercury vapor lights or
sweet moth bait brushed on tree bark.
For more information, including opportunities to register local events and
find ideas for educational projects, visit
www.nationalmothweek.org.
For more news from around the industry, visit www.parksandrecreation.
org/2014/June/Briefly-Noted.

June 2014 - Parks & Recreation

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