Articles
Beyond Bricks and Mortar
Envisioning the possibilities of a new community center or sports facility is exciting, but when the costs of a project add up, the last thing anyone wants to see is a surprise. To bypass aggressive finger-pointing, the best advice is to avoid any comparison with similar facilities and to invest in information-gathering that will help determine the true cost of a project.
Preserving Parks
In this tough economy, budgets for ball fields are being squeezed like every other area of parks and recreation. Because of this stress and an immediate need to make changes, parks departments are
Financially Speaking
It seems like a no-brainer to predict that most school-district budgets are going to take a big hit because of the effects of COVID-19 on the economy. How much less money is anybody’s guess at this point, but
How Gifts-In-Kind Organizations Make It Easy for Parks & Recreation Centers To Connect With Donors
When nonprofit parks and rec agencies think about what they need to keep their organizations running, they often think of fundraising campaigns. But what if they could get the items they need donated just by
RFPs And RFQs
In 1961, Astronaut Alan Shepard was the first American to go into space and orbit the earth for 15 minutes in a Redstone 3 rocket called Freedom 7. After the flight, he said, ТIt's a very sobering fee
Change Your Thinking
Want to increase your aquatic bottom line? Pricing can have a huge effect on profits and your ability to have a sustainable facility. First and foremost, aquatic facilities must simply break the mold of pricing that
We’re In This Together
As recreation-service providers, we strive to fill gaps in programming for customers who might not have access to programs from other organizations. Core to filling these gaps is research. Many times, we may
Call On Your Neighbors
Public parks and recreation departments across the U.S. have felt the squeeze of the economic downturn over the past few years. Many agencies have closed facilities and faced massive budget cuts and layoffs--
A Healthy Bottom Line
In recent years, the trend in local government is to operate recreation facilities more like private-sector businesses. Facilities are often built and operate with great success initially, but
Industry Workers See Pay Raises?
Each year, many Americans consider whether to ask their employer for a pay raise so finder.com crunched the numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find out which careers had the
Financially Challenged
For small communities with limited budgets, the struggle to make improvements is real. Maintenance is needed—well overdue, in many cases—but financial limitations too often make
More Fun, Less Funding
Public agencies that develop and maintain parks and trails are under constant pressure to spend money wisely. Most industry professionals understand that dollars spent on parks and
Going, Going, Gone!
The Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) in Virginia is living by the old adage that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Through the nationwide Public Surplus.com website,
Part 2: Make More Money
In part one of this two-part series, the focus was on revenue builders and how to be less dependent on the general fund.
Revenue Builders--Part 1
As more parks and recreation departments are forced to rely less on the general fund, the need to develop and utilize different revenue-building strategies has become important.
Right The First Time
If you have an active imagination like I do, the term “master plan” conjures visions of world-takeover plots, dastardly deeds, and evil henchman.
Run It Like A Business
Within the first 15 minutes of my job interview, the park board president instructed me to Тrun it like a business.У Coming from the private sector, I wondered what the alternative was.
Maintenance By The Numbers -- LBWA
Photos Courtesy of Oakland, MI Parks and Recreation DepartmentEditor's Note: This column, ТLBWAУ (Leadership By Wandering Around), is based on the premise that, in order to find out what's going on i
Recruiting Selfless Services
To save on staff costs and expand programming and special events, Oakland County Parks and Recreation (OCPR) in Southeast Michigan began a volunteer program in 2011. Today, the 13-park system utilizes the talents of more than 700 volunteers.
Run From Red To Black
Photos Courtesy Of City of BrunswickIn 2006, The Brunswick Community Recreation and Fitness Center, located in Brunswick, Ohio, was operating at its lowest level since opening in 1991. Over the