June 2015 - Parks & Recreation - 20

Community Center

Notable News
n In late April, Arkansas resident Susie Clark discovered a 3.69 carat diamond in the search field of Crater of
Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro,
Arkansas. Clark named the pinto-bean
sized diamond the Hallelujah Diamond because of the prayer she said
before she went looking for a diamond.
Out of the 122 diamonds found at Crater of Diamonds so far this year, the
Hallelujah Diamond is the largest. According to Park Interpreter Waymon
Cox, weather conditions are currently
ideal to locate a diamond in the park.
n The park and recreation field
mourns the loss of Dave Rodda, who
passed away April 3rd in Long Beach,
California. Rodda dedicated 45 years
to the youth of the City of Lakewood,
California, before retiring in 2002 as
the director of Recreation and Community Services Department. During
his time as director, Rodda saw more
than $16 million spent on new facilities and capital improvements, such
as the revitalization of Mayfair Park,
the Lisa Fernandez Softball Field and
West San Gabriel River Parkway nature trail. Rodda was a champion for
gender equality in sports long before
there were state requirements to let
girls participate and might be remembered most for his coaching of female
track and field athletes. He coached 12
Olympic athletes and was an assistant
coach for women's track and field for
the 1980 and 1988 U.S. Olympic teams.
He was also a coach at his alma mater
Cal State Long Beach. In 1996, Rodda
earned the title of Master Coach - the
highest recognition in coaching given
by USA Track and Field.
n After six years of planning and nine
months of building, the city of Palo
18 Parks & Recreation

Alto, California, has opened one of
the few parks in the nation that offers
all-inclusive features to accommodate
children and parents of all abilities.
Opened April 18, the Magical Bridge
Playground includes giant slides, a jungle gym, musical instruments, swings
and a custom playhouse. All of the
surfaces are completely flat, and are
made from rubbery, spongy soft materials. The playground was dreamed up
by Palo Alto resident Olenka Villarreal
after recognizing that her special-needs
child could not comfortably navigate
and play in any of the 34 playgrounds
in her community. After speaking with
the city of Palo Alto, Villarreal was
approved for a space and ultimately
raised $4 million for the park.
n On May 19, the White House unveiled a plan aimed at stopping the
rapid decline in bee and butterfly populations. Pollinators are responsible for
$15 billion in agricultural value each
year and their disappearance has become a major concern for farmers. The
White House's plan aims to reduce the
death rate of honey bees while stimulating the growth of monarchs by restoring 7 million acres of federal and
private land for the insects to use as a
habitat. To save the bees, the White
House said it will make sure that the
government's landscaping plans, methods of restoring forests after fires and
other land management actions keep
the insect's health in mind. President
Obama's budget for the 2016 fiscal year
asks for about $82.5 million for the effort, an increase of almost $34 million
from last year's budget.
For more news from around the industry, visit www.parksandrecreation.
org/2015/June/Notable-News.

| J U N E 2 0 1 5 | W W W. N R PA . O R G

NRPA Connect
Hot Topics

t's almost officially summer and
that means the weather is heating up - and so are the conversations on NRPA Connect! Below is a preview of some of the latest
trends in parks and recreation that
your colleagues are discussing:
1. Little Free Library: Local parks
are being approached by Boy Scout
and Girl Scout troops about installing free library boxes. Professionals
share their experiences, including
maintenance, usage and vandalism.
2. Policy on Inflatables in Parks:
With increasing requests to bring
in bounce houses and other inflatables to special events, it is important to make sure you are equipped
to handle your community's wishes. Visit this discussion for ideas on
implementing your own policy.
3. Food Truck Thursdays: Participants in this discussion share their
ideas regarding food truck events.
How much do you charge vendors?
Do you keep a consistent vendor
list or change it weekly? Read this
post to have these and other questions answered.
4. Inclement Weather Notifications:
Looking for new and innovative procedures to put in place for inclement
weather notifications? Your colleagues discuss their current processes, including a calling system, social
media, apps and website updates.
It's easy to join the conversation! Visit www.nrpaconnect.org to learn more
about the latest hot topics in parks and
recreation. Don't forget you can connect anywhere! NRPA Connect is 100
percent responsive on all devices.
- Hayley MacDonell, NRPA's Membership Programs Manager

June 2015 - Parks & Recreation

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