Conference

I spent the last couple of days at our state's annual conference for Parks and Recreation. I always look forward to it. Going to the "big city" is not really my cup of tea, but it is good to talk with a lot of other colleagues at the same place. It is especially helpful at this time of year, when the days are short and dreary, to take a step back and look at the big picture.

It is a popular misconception for parks and recreation, that things slow down this time of year. After 12 years, I am still waiting for that to happen. The reality is that just when you get things wrapped up from the previous year, it is time to start working on the upcoming year. In my own department, we currently have a request for proposals out for a bobcat exhibit and a bid to dredge 20,000 cubic yards from a lagoon. With the economy the way that it is, there is a lot of interest in both projects. Unfortunately, it also means that companies who may not be as qualified as you would hope may be stretching their own abilities. More on this later.

The biggest challenge at conference this year was a presentation that I did with a couple of other people. While only three of us presented, there were a lot more people involved. The topic was about our leadership team and charter format. Without getting into too much detail, it was about how our organization has become more collaborative in it's management approach. I suppose this is not too unique since I learned about the shift away from top down management several years ago during MPA classes. While being a part of the session was a worth while experience, having so many people contribute made preparation a lot more involved than I anticipated.

The one thing I do not have a good grasp on is where our "industry" is as a whole. I attended a session where some directors talked about the shift to a business model back in the early 1980's. I may be a little jaded since our area seems to lead the country in parks and recreation. For example, we are one of only a few states that actually have park districts that are separate taxing bodies from municipalities.

During conference you certainly run into people who do not seem "current", but overall there is a sense of professionalism and many of us are focusing on being efficient and effective agencies. It is hard to get a sense of whether this is more the norm or an exception. This is more important than ever when there is so much criticism of government in general.

Getting Started!

After keeping a personal journal for a couple of years, I have decided to leap into the 21st century and start one that I can share. Actually I suppose it is not that much of a leap, my wife has had one for a couple of years now and I expect I will get some encouragement and support from her on this endeavor.

So what can you expect to find here? As you might assume, things I feel are significant in my life. Probably a combination of work and my many hobbies. This should not be too difficult. My job involves creating places for other people to play. When I am not working, I like to play. My old Gary Fisher mountain bike had a neat phrase that endlessly repeats in a circle on the headset, "all work and no play is no fun at all...".

To start, here are a couple of projects that are underway at work:

• Renovation of a 70-acre park that involves wetlands, dredging, bridges, paths, a sled hill, a playground, basketball courts, and resurfacing a road and parking lots
• Improvements to a 20-acre park including two shelters, a water spray feature, artificial ice skating surface, a multi-sport court, and bike parking
• Creation of a bobcat exhibit at our zoo

Some of the more significant things I am doing at home:

• Exercising at various places and focusing on biking and running (for the upcoming triathlon season)
• Training (or being trained by) our two 16-month old shepherd mix dogs
• Looking forward to vacationing in Death Valley (which will be about our 50th national park visit)

Well that is probably enough for a first post. Hope you enjoy!