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.