November 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 22

A D V O C A C Y PARKS GE T SUPPORT ON THE HILL

and recreation opportunities have
had in my hometown of Greensboro,
a three-time winner of the National
Recreation and Park Association's Gold
Medal Award. North Carolina's beautiful capital city, Raleigh, which is often
referred to as " a city within a park, " has
been recognized over the last several
years by publications such as Forbes,
Business Week, and the Wall Street
Journal as the best city for business,
the best city for jobs, and the nation's
best place to live. All of these accolades
are due in large part to the high quality
of the parks and recreational facilities
present throughout the community,
which were often cited when describing the criteria for making these " best
of " selections.
P&R: How much did the economic
value generated by parks weigh in your
decision to sponsor the CPR Act?
SEN. HAGAN: Job creation is my number-one priority, and investment in
parks creates jobs. Urban parks are a
catalyst for active outdoor recreation,
an industry that supports more than
six million jobs across the country and
generates billions in retail sales and revenues for local and state governments.
P&R: Obesity (at all ages) has become
a major public health issue. How does
the CPR Act address this epidemic?
SEN. HAGAN: Increased access to public parks and recreation is a key factor in
combating childhood obesity, improving public health, and reducing the burden that health care costs place on our
economy. Only a quarter of American
adults engage in recommended levels
of physical activity, but studies show
that easier access to parks signiﬁcantly
increases the frequency of physical activity. This is important because a lack
of physical activity increases the occurrence of chronic diseases.
P&R: Climate change and the conservation of our rich, natural resources
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Parks & Recreation

| NOVEMBER 2012 | WWW.NRPA.ORG

have short- and long-term implications
for the quality of life for all Americans.
What role can the CPR Act play in assuring a better quality of life for future
generations?
SEN. HAGAN: One of the goals of the bill
is to encourage the rehabilitation of existing urban recreational areas, as well
as the construction of new ones, with
environmentally beneﬁcial components. This includes installing sustainable landscape features and up-cycled
and recycled materials. My bill would
also prioritize the selection of projects
that provide environmental beneﬁts to
urban areas.
P&R: Parks and recreation agencies
have many programs designed to help
returning veterans and military families. Therapeutic, adaptive recreation,
and other programs for disabled veterans suffering from PTSD and physical disabilities provide signiﬁcant help.
How will the CPR Act contribute to the
transition of returning soldiers to civilian life, especially in North Carolina
where the military has such a strong
presence?
SEN. HAGAN: My bill will help enhance
North Carolina's reputation as the most
military-friendly state in the nation.
The bill would allow for the creation and
expansion of adaptive recreation programs speciﬁcally for military families,
especially those programs targeting
injured service members and injured
veterans. My bill would build on previous efforts that have worked in North
Carolina, such as the NRPA's Parks: Return & Restore program. Through this
program, the Fayetteville-Cumberland
Parks and Recreation Department was
able to purchase an accessible van in
2010 to transport veterans who want to
be involved in therapeutic recreation
programming.
Phil Hayward is Editor of Parks &
Recreation (phayward@nrpa.org).

November 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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