March 2013 - Parks & Recreation - 38

C O V E R S T O RY

" We were getting complaints from
the public, and when we observed what
they were doing, we found it to be dangerous, " Richwine says.
With a population of 270,000,
Henderson is comparable in size to
Buffalo, New York, and Newark,
New Jersey. And like municipalities
of all sizes, Henderson shares similar concerns over rogue operators
in its parks. While boot camps have
become the face of unauthorized
private vendors, other groups and individuals pose the same set of problems. Sports clinics, sports leagues,
and coaches taking over tennis and
basketball courts top the list. But
it's the recent phenomenon of boot
camps that really got the attention of
park and recreation managers.
A Google search of " boot camps "
in any city will turn up a wide range
of businesses varying in size and sophistication. Many even post calendars
and schedules on their websites listing
parks as class sites. Some, of course, are
formally affiliated with park agencies.
But a recent query of NRPA members

through the association's NRPA Connect online network produced a torrent
of responses from agencies upset with
unauthorized park vendors.
Some, like Henderson's parks agency, have fashioned regulatory programs that manage to accommodate
private vendors without hurting the
everyday experience of their citizens.
Others, however, tell Parks & Recreation that unregulated vendors often
flaunt posted regulations governing
park usage.
But the agencies with successful
programs say ample measures can be
taken by any park system to achieve
equitable accommodations.
" We know that trainers are using our
parks in Morris County, New Jersey, "
says Denise Lanza, assistant deputy
director of the county's parks commission. " We would like to get them to do
so, which would include a fee. But we
can't always connect with them to let
them know this is required. "
For Lanza, the issue goes beyond
rules and regulations. Trainers can
use Morris County parks, but they

need to pay in order to do so.
" It seems unethical to use publically supported space for purely commercial gain, " Lanza says. " It's certainly a way to keep operating costs
down when you don't have to rent an
indoor space. "
A Victim of Its Own Success
Palisades Park in Santa Monica, California, may well epitomize the impact
of rogue exercise classes and fitness
boot camps. The narrow, verdant
strip of parkland is framed by the Pacific Ocean on one side and the City
of Santa Monica on the other three,
which in turn is bordered by the City
of Los Angeles. Even without boot
camps, Palisades Park has all the users
it can handle. But when exercise classes and boot camps began disrupting
the activities of regular park users, the
city's Department of Community and
Cultural Services had to take action.
Until recently, the park had a
" rogue " vendor for the past 10 years,
a yoga instructor tolerated by the city
in the absence of problems. Then
came a wave of classes that crowded
out the regular users, particularly residents of the condos, apartments, and
hotels across the street.
Karen Ginsberg, the city's director of
Community and Cultural Services, describes the National Historic Landmark
park as intended for walkers, joggers,
parents with strollers, and picnickers.
Ginsberg found a sympathetic ear
with Santa Monica's Recreation and
Parks Commission, and her department undertook a one-week usage
survey of Palisades Park last October.
The survey recorded usage between 6
a.m. and 7 p.m. for the week.
" We wanted to see where the classes were, the types of activities going
Damaged turf in Palisades Park is
directly attributed to unauthorized
classes held here.

Parks & Recreation

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March 2013 - Parks & Recreation

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