PARKING LOT TOPLAYGROUND - ICE AGE FLOODS PLAYGROUND OFFERS A GLIMPSE INTO THE EVENTS THAT SHAPED THE REGION'S GEOGRAPHY
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How To Attract National Events P.16 | Creating Quidditch And Ultimate Fields P.42
From
Parking Lot
To
Playground
Ice Age Floods
Playground offers
a glimpse into
the events that
shaped the region’s
geography
MAY 2022 » ParksAndRecBusiness.com
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Features MAY 2022
Volume 20 | Issue 10
DEPARTMENTS
08 PUBLISHER’S NOTE
10 THIS-N-THAT
52 BUYER’S GUIDE
56 PRODUCT REVIEW
59 M
ARKETSPACE
SPOTLIGHT
60 ADVERTISER INDEX
16 Attract National Events
With a mix of personality, culture, and data
Columns
By Jefferey Spivey
48 SPORTS SPOTLIGHT
Duty Of Care
BY JOHN ENGH
22 From Parking Lot To Playground
Ice Age Floods Playground offers a glimpse
into the events that shaped the region’s
geography
By Josh Morrisey
50 A STEP AHEAD
The Village That Raised Me
BY RON CIANCUTTI
COVER PHOTO: SPOKANE PARKS & RECREATION
4 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022
Features http://www.facebook.com/PRBMag
http://twitter.com/#!/PRB_Mag
28
Cultural Connection
34
Fulfilling Visions
38
The View From A Rooftop Park
A Chinatown park aims to link From plans to parks, identifying Envisioning, building, and
residents to their neighborhood the neediest communities and programming an elevated park in
By Wendy Chan ensuring ideas implemented downtown San Francisco
By Clement Lau By Ashley Langworthy
42
Quidditch And Ultimate
46
Effective Communication
Creating fields of the future for The lifeline of a well-run
up-and-coming sports youth-sports program
By Mary Helen Sprecher By Jason Schaitz
“Your body hears everything your mind says.”
—NAOMI JUDD
6 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022
C O N TA C T I N F O R M AT I O N
Publisher’s Note
Rodney J. Auth
Email: rodney@northstarpubs.com
Phone: (330) 721-9126 • FAX: (330) 723-6598
P.O. Box 2910, McCall, ID 83638
Yay For Summer!
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PARKS & REC BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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PUBLISHER
As we finished the last bike, it was time for Rodney J. Auth
dinner and then a post-dinner walk. It wasn’t exactly like our summer routine, but close—leav-
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ing us feeling like the seasons were a-changing. Christine Schaffran
We went to bed with plans to enjoy a lazy Sunday riding bikes, hiking any snow-free trail
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
we could find, and firing up the grill. Stan Sever
We awoke to a raging snowstorm—one that lasted for more than a week, dumping near- CREATIVE DIRECTOR
ly four feet of snow on the surrounding mountains. We found ourselves digging out our ski Al Holappa
equipment, skinning up our local peaks and whooping and hollering as we took advantage of GRAPHIC DESIGNER
the awesome powder conditions. Danielle Beattie
Today, finally, spring returned—sunshine, higher temps, and melting snow. Soon, no OPERATIONS MANAGER
doubt, we’ll be riding our bikes and hiking our favorite trails. Judy Cehelnik
This little “false spring” story came to mind as I read through this month’s effort. As usu- PRESIDENT
Rodney J. Auth
al, our May issue is a celebration of all-things spring and summer. It’s our official transition
to park season—and the all-important Memorial Day start date for all-things outdoor in the SECRETARY
Carol Auth
northern part of the country. I think you’re going to like what our team created—I know I did.
If you do, or if you don’t, let us know. We love mail. SALES
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Till next month… P.S. Want to buy a Rodney J. Auth
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8 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 © CAN STOCK PHOTO / URBANLIGHT (BIKER) • GELYNGFJELL (SKIER)
May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 9
THIS-N-THAT
Acquisition Finalized—
George Furrer Named
President of Valley Green
Holyoke, Mass.—The transaction
between Advanced Turf Solutions,
Inc., George Furrer,
and Charles Dooley
to form a new
company and acquire
Introducing Cobalt Hybrid St. Augustinegrass substantially all of the
The Texas A&M AgriLife Research program and turfgrass breeder Dr.
assets of Valley Green,
Ambika Chandra have officially released Cobalt Hybrid St. Augustinegrass
Inc. is now complete.
(experimental designation DALSA 1618). After nearly 20 years of research and
George Furrer has
development, Cobalt was selected over other experimental turfgrass lines for its
been named president Furrer
commercial potential.
of the new company,
Cobalt features excellent drought resistance, very good shade tolerance, is
and the New England-based distributor
tolerant of disease, has a good establishment rate and is winter hardy (USDA cold
will operate under the name Valley
hardiness zone of 8a). This selection has an excellent visual quality with a dark
Green.
green genetic color and a wide leaf blade and stolons.
Furrer’s background spans more
For more information on Cobalt, watch a video of Chandra speaking about
than 30 years in the green industry,
its traits at Kubicek Turf Farms at https://youtu.be/WFREixLCMB4.
including previous roles as CEO of
United Turf Alliance and Vice President
of Specialty Business at Sipcam Agro
Indoor pool technology innovators improve IAQ, USA. He holds an Associate of Arts and
protecting the health of swimmers and facilities Sciences in Turfgrass Management from
Dehumidified Air Solutions, part of the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Ohio State University and a Bachelor
division of Madison Industries and a manufacturer of indoor pool of Science in Marketing from Franklin
dehumidifier brands (Dectron, PoolPak and Seresco), has teamed up with University.
Paddock Pool Equipment Co., a manufacturer of pool equipment, to offer The Valley Green team of sales
a solution that will protect the health of swimmers and the integrity of and support staff will continue serving
swimming facilities from harmful chloramines. New England, and with the support of
Chlorine, added to indoor pool water to keep it clean, attacks organics Advanced Turf Solutions, the company
in the water, such as hair, skin, urine and saliva. Chloramines, the chemical will be able to offer more resources to
byproducts of chlorine doing its job, off-gas from the pool water and build employees and customers. Valley Green
up over time. Trichloramines, the most volatile of chloramines, are a health plans to grow its presence in existing
hazard to swimmers and can cause corrosion to the indoor pool facility. and new segments. Learn more at
Dectron, PoolPak and Seresco equipment can be built to accommodate valleygreenusa.com.
Paddock Evacuator Technology, a source-capture system that pulls
trichloramines from the water’s surface and, with the help of HVAC
equipment, exhausts them outside the facility to significantly improve IAQ.
For more information, visit https://www.businesswire.com/news/
home/20220125005141/en/Indoor-Pool-Technology-Innovators-Improve-
IAQ-Protecting-the-Health-of-Swimmers-and-Facilities.
10 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022IT’S TIME
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Trademark(s) are the property of BCI Burke Company. © BCI Burke
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May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 11THIS-N-THAT
Every Child A Swimmer Initiative Gains Momentum
The USA Swimming Foundation announced that it has awarded $898,184 to learn-to-swim
programs across the country through its 2022 grant program—the largest ever dollar amount
awarded through its grant program for swim lesson providers. Step Into Swim, an initiative of the
Pool & Hot Tub Foundation (PHTF) committed to safer swim education and drowning prevention,
contributed $200,000 to the total awarded, helping bring the learn-to-swim grant award to the largest
amount in USA Swimming foundation history. Step Into Swim’s donation helps the foundation
continue to save lives and build champions, by offering low to no-cost swim lesson scholarships for
qualified children. For more information, visit https://everychildaswimmer.org.
Project EverGreen Announces Officers
Ecore Unveils Optimized And Board Of Directors
Website With Enhanced Cleveland, Ohio—Project EverGreen announces
the appointment of its 2022-23 officers and board of
Features directors.
Lancaster, Penn.—Ecore, a company Kevin Laycock of SiteOne Landscape Supply takes
known for transforming reclaimed materials overs the reigns as president of the national non-profit.
into performance products that make people’s Joining him are Scott A. Bills, CSFM of Sports Field
lives better, has transformed its own website Solutions as vice president/president-elect, and Fred
(www.ecoreintl.com) to deliver an optimized Haskett of TrueWinds Consulting returns as secretary/ Laycock
user experience. Featuring additional treasurer.
resources and a sleek, easy-to-navigate design, The 2022-2023 Board of Directors includes Beth
the redesigned site enables visitors to easily Berry, Advanced Turf Solutions; Cayla Chamberlin,
browse Ecore’s performance-focused flooring Rocket Community Fund; Tim Demerath, PBI-
surfaces by product, market or application. Gordon; George Furrer, Valley Green Inc.; Boyd
Visitors also will find an elevated focus on the Montgomery, The Toro Company; Blaine Pinkerton,
company’s commitment to sustainability and Nufarm; Linda Satter, Sipcam-Agro; Takisha Truss,
circularity. Glaxo Smith Kline; Alan White, Turf Systems; Ashley
To learn more, visit www.ecoreintl.com. Williams, TKXS; Andrew Bray, National Association of Bills
Landscape Professionals; Russ Mitchell, Albaugh.
12 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 © CAN STOCK PHOTO / URBANLIGHT (TOP)FIT FOR YOUR
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May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 13THIS-N-THAT
KABOOM! Launches 25 In 5 Initiative
Washington D.C.—KABOOM! announced the launch of the KABOOM! 25 in 5 Initiative, their five-year, $250-million
plan to accelerate efforts towards achieving playspace equity across the United States. A $14-million gift from MacKenzie
Scott allows KABOOM! to immediately begin work in several places, to be announced over the next few months.
KABOOM! plans to raise $250 million for the initiative to end playspace inequity, bringing together diverse partners to
drive resources to local places with limited access to quality playspaces.
DLF Brings Seed-Enhancement
Investment To North America CALENDAR
Halsey, Ore.—DLF announces plans
for investment in its seed-enhancement JUNE
capabilities including a new facility and 21-24
equipment. SIMA Snow & Ice Symposium,
Brian Jaasko and Robert Keeter have been Milwaukee, Wis.;
Jaasko Keeter hired to lead and support this development. www.sima.org/show
Jaasko is an expert in seed-enhancement
AUGUST
technology and its strategic applications, while Keeter has excelled alongside
Jaasko in operations for much of his career. Their experience will help ensure 31
a successful build and startup of DLF’s first seed-enhancement facility to be Arkansas Recreation and Parks Association
located near Corvallis, Ore. Annual Conference and Trade Show,
Little Rock, Ark.—Little Rock Marriott;
www.arkarpa.org
SEPTEMBER
20
Field Notes National Outdoor Recreation Conference,
Phoenix, Ariz.;
https://www.recpro.org/home
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy Indianapolis-based Schmidt
welcomed urban transportation Associates, a regional architecture, 27-28
and environmental planning expert engineering, and interior design Waste & Recycling Expo Canada/Municipal
Equipment Expo Canada, Toronto, Ontario,
Daniel A. Rodríguez to its board of firm, has hired Patrick Grap as Canada—Enercare Centre;
directors. Rodríguez an engineering project manager www.cwre.ca
is a chancellor’s and Benjamin Martin as a senior
professor of city electrical engineer. OCTOBER
and regional 4-7
planning and the Colorado Parks & Recreation Association
interim director Conference, Breckinridge, Colo.
of the Institute of www.cpra-web.org
Transportation
Rodriguez
Studies at the
18-21
Equip Exposition, Louisville, Ky.—
University of California, Berkeley. Kentucky Exposition Center;
His research is focused on the www.equipexposition.com
relationship between transportation, Grap Martin
land development, and health
and environmental consequences,
with a goal to find solutions to
practical problems for planners and
policymakers.
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15 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022ATTRACT
NATIONAL
EVENTS
With a mix of
personality,
culture, and
data
BY JEFFEREY SPIVEY
N
Nationally recognized events can be a boon to cities “We try not to focus on the fact that it’s all concrete
large and small. Socially, they bring people together because we’re in the business of wetlands, woodlands,
from far-flung locales and all walks of life. However, the prairie, things like that, but we are in the business of
most significant impacts are often financial; these hap- outdoor recreation, and skateboarding is outdoor recre-
penings attract tourists who jumpstart a local economy ation,” she says.
by spending on hotels, food and beverage, parking, entry
fees, and much more.
But if your community isn’t an obvious choice for a BE PROACTIVE
big festival or convention, or if your department has yet
to succeed in attracting this type of event, where do you
begin?
“It just takes some open-minded people from many
I n considering a wider scope of possible events, depart-
ments need to be proactive in their outreach. It’s rare
that event organizers will stumble upon communities
different backgrounds to make things like this happen,” that are off the beaten path.
says Kami Rankin, Deputy Director for central Iowa’s “With Dew Tour, and really with a lot of events,
Polk County Conservation Board. She played a key role we do a lot of prospecting,” says Trina Flack, President
in ensuring the success of Dew Tour, a major skate- of Sales for Catch Des Moines, the region’s visitors and
boarding event the city of Des Moines hosted in May convention bureau.
2021. Dew Tour coincided with the opening of Lauridsen
16 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 CATCH DES MOINES (TOP / FACING TOP RIGHT)Skatepark, an 88,000-square-foot, world-class facility.
“About the time that the shovel was in the ground, we
started having the conversations with USA Skateboarding
and started to identify potential users or events for that
space,” Flack says. In the case of Dew Tour, conversations
began in late 2020, but in many instances, relationship-build-
ing with event organizers can take years.
DEVELOP A BRAND
T he content of these talks will vary based on a depart-
ment’s experience and history of events, but one of the
most important factors involves the marketing of a city’s or
community’s appeal. In the past, conversations may have
focused more on statistics and data, like the number of
available hotel rooms or the size of a particular venue. But,
as consumers have turned their focus toward experiences, so
too have visitors and convention bureaus.
“The brand of a city has really become a major, ma-
jor thing,” says Zack Davis, Vice President of Destination
Services for Louisville Tourism. “Over the last three or four
years, destinations really stopped talking as much about what
we would say [are] rates, dates, and space, and more about
their brand and what the experience is going to be.”
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May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 17THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE, KY., HOSTS A WIDE ARRAY OF EVENTS,
INCLUDING THE BRICKUNIVERSE LEGO FAN CONVENTION, THE
KENTUCKY DERBY, AND A MIX OF MUSIC AND EXTREME-SPORTS
EVENTS, LIKE LIVE ON THE LAWN AND THE USA BMX DERBY CITY
NATIONALS.
Louisville hosts a wide array of events, including the
BrickUniverse LEGO Fan Convention, the Kentucky Derby,
and a mix of music and extreme-sports events, like Live On
The Lawn and the USA BMX Derby City Nationals. Part of
what makes the city attractive to so many different organiza-
tions is its bourbon culture.
“We have great attractions, we have a great culinary
scene, but really, what we have that no one else has is this
amazing bourbon and distilled spirits scene,” Davis says.
While prospecting in Las Vegas, Davis’ team set up shop in a
local speakeasy and invited potential event producers, meet-
ing planners, and organizers to a bartending class where
they learned to make an Old Fashioned, Louisville’s official
cocktail.
Essentially, it’s crucial for cities to lead with culture first.
Flack also spoke of this industry-wide shift during the pros-
pecting stage, stressing that a sense of community passion
was key to securing Dew Tour.
“What attracts the visitor is the same thing that attracts
a resident,” she says. “We have good schools, and we have
lots of things to do, and we have great arts and culture. We’re
safe, and we’re a clean city. When the event organizer comes
to town, they see all of that, too, and they see the genuine
care that the team brings.”
Flack says Dew Tour’s team conducted its first site visit
at the height of the pandemic, during a time of intense
uncertainty, and raved about how open and receptive locals
were.
“We take these things that are going on, and we really
rally around what’s here, and everybody knows about it,
everybody talks about it, everybody’s welcoming,” she says.
18 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 USA BMX DERBY CITY NATIONALS (TOP) • LIVE IN THE LAWN (BOTTOM)Part of showing a community’s passion involves empha-
sizing the city’s strengths. Flack knew that Des Moines wasn’t
the “biggest” or “sexiest” city, but she and her fellow Catch
team members were able to leverage the city’s major capabili-
ties and features.
“If it’s not perfect on paper, that doesn’t mean that it
can’t happen,” Flack adds.
CONSIDER LOGISTICS
S till, despite the outsized focus on experience and a city’s
personality, logistics do play a critical role in early dis-
cussions and also during an event’s execution.
Some of this research happens on the front end, when
a bureau or department assesses the viability of a potential
event.
“We have a whole sales department that goes out and
tries to bring business to the city, and we do that through
face-to-face trade shows,” Davis says. His team parses indus-
try data to understand an event’s requirements for capacity
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CATCH DES MOINES May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 19and exhibit space. Organizers may need a ballroom, specific
meeting spaces, or a certain number of hotel rooms for peak
nights. Based on those specs, Davis’ bureau can then decide
what Louisville can accommodate (the metro area has an
estimated 20,000 hotel rooms) and which events the team
should target.
The bureau may also dig into an organization’s member-
ship and their locations. If the bulk of the membership lives
on the East Coast or in the South, it makes sense to court the
event, since attendees are able to reach Louisville easily.
Zooming in, however, there may be even more specific
demands cities need to meet. This was the case for Flack and
Rankin as they ironed out details for Dew Tour.
Previously, Dew Tour partnered with California Skate-
parks to build the exact courses needed for competition. In
contrast, Lauridsen Skatepark offered a lot to work with,
meeting the event’s minimum requirements and only requir-
ing the addition of a few temporary elements.
“They came in and added some difficulty for their
athletes,” Flack says. “For the most part, they would create
whatever they needed to create, but you still have to have the
basics to accommodate.”
20 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 CATCH DES MOINESAdditionally, there was the added layer of balancing Dew beyond your purview, focus on long-term relationship-build-
Tour’s needs with the public’s access to a brand-new facility. ing, lead with culture and experience (while still knowing
“This skatepark is so big that they were only using two the logistics), and emphasize a city’s strong points. However,
elements of the park,” Rankin says. “So, they allowed specta- Davis says cities should just start hosting and growing events.
tors to actually skate the other elements while the competi- “You want to start doing events, you want to get people
tion was going on. They just were wonderful to work with.” into your facility talking about it, and then you typically have
an opportunity to grow from there,” he says. He also stresses
the importance of partnerships between parks departments
OFFER MARKETING SUPPORT and tourism bureaus, as the latter have built-in marketing
infrastructure and strategies to draw upon.
T hough a great deal of work goes into attracting events
to a community, departments should be prepared to
offer some marketing support in advance of an event and
Flack brought it all back to the people the events serve,
citing local talent that can ensure events go off without a
hitch. In the case of Dew Tour, several local contacts helped
during its run. Major events come with a certain level of Catch overcome potential logistical hurdles.
name recognition and fanfare, but local support still matters. “Get your community involved,” she says. “Don’t under-
Davis’ team has begun offering paid advertising support estimate the passion and all the skills that your local commu-
for both print and digital, and for Dew Tour, Flack’s team nity has.” PRB
handled contacts with business partners and sponsors in the
community, in addition to an airport welcome, city signage, Jefferey Spivey is a writer based in Urbandale, Iowa. Reach him at
billboards, and media hits. jeffereyspivey@gmail.com.
Davis’, Flack’s, and Rankin’s experiences suggest a clear
playbook for bringing major events to town—consider events To comment on this article, visit ParksAndRecBusiness.com
May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 21FROM
PARKING LOT TO
PLAYGROUND
Ice Age Floods Playground offers a
glimpse into the events that shaped
the region’s geography
BY JOSH MORRISEY
22 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 SPOKANE PARKS & RECREATION (TOP)IN
1974, the little big town
of Spokane, Wash.,
changed forever when
the city cleaned up a
blighted 100-acre area of downtown
and used it to host the Expo ‘74 World’s
Fair. Then, in 1978—four short years
after President Richard Nixon de-
clared Expo ‘74 “officially open to all
the citizens of the world,”—President
Jimmy Carter dedicated the former
fairgrounds as Spokane’s new River-
front Park.
“You’ve transformed an area that
was declining, that was far short of its
great potential, into one of the nation’s
most innovative and refreshing urban
settings,” Carter said in his speech.
In the years that followed, River-
front Park became known as Spokane’s
crown jewel and the top attraction
for tourists, hosting large communi-
ty events, an IMAX theater, seasonal
carnival rides, and an ice rink. But
it lacked one thing that most people
would find surprising for the premier
park in any city—a playground. Aside
from the remains of a small play area
once used by an adjoining YMCA for
daycare, there was no playground in the
ers...
100-acre park.
By the 2010s, Riverfront’s charm
r o u n d s keep
had visibly faded as facilities and infra- G
structure became outdated, and attrac-
tions that were once a big draw became
less and less desirable for a changing
demographic of citizens.
You seed and push snow, mow and
In 2014, citizens overwhelming-
ly approved a $64-million bond to grade lanes. You take pride in your
improve and redevelop their prized work and love a job well done. You
downtown park. The public requested treat the ball field as it were your
the bond fund three new attractions,
one being a destination playground. lawn. And there's no stopping your
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an underused 1-acre dirt parking lot
on the north bank presented a unique
opportunity to create the most dramat-
ic change of the bond-funded redevel-
opment. This site would become a new
landpride.com
regional playground.
SELKIRK DEVELOPMENT (TOP RIGHT) May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 23WHAT WAS ONCE A 1-ACRE
UNDERUSED PARKING FUNDING THE FUN THINGS
LOT BECAME THE SITE
FOR THE ICE AGE FLOODS
PLAYGROUND, WHICH
I n 2016, over three years before construction on the north bank of Riverfront be-
gan, parks staff members leveraged bond funds for the playground by applying for
state grants. The result was $500,000 in funding from the Washington State Recre-
TELLS THE STORY OF ation and Conservation Office.
THE UNIQUE GEOLOGY OF As a former railyard and industrial area, the park was also eligible for EPA
SPOKANE, WASH, AND THE brownfield cleanup grants, of which $150,000 was awarded for the north bank play-
SURROUNDING REGION. ground area.
In 2019, local nonprofit Hooptown USA received a grant from Multicare to
build a $370,000 state-of-the-art basketball complex adjoining the playground, and
in 2020, the Jess Roskelley Foundation donated a performance climbing boulder to
the mix.
In total, including bond funds and grants, $12.2 million was allocated to the
north bank of the park for the new playground, basketball court, skate park, climb-
ing boulder, maintenance and operations facility, and new parking lot.
PARTNERING FOR A PLAYGROUND
T he theme chosen for the new playground was the Ice Age Floods. Responsible
for sculpting the unique geology of Spokane and its surrounding region, the
Ice Age Floods offered the opportunity for an exciting play environment that would
also allow for rich, multi-dimensional learning opportunities. With that in mind, the
redevelopment team tapped the local chapter of the Ice Age Floods Institute, which
became a crucial partner in creating a fun learning experience for the playground.
In creating a playground to serve the entire region, ADA-accessibility was
another important consideration. Early in the design phase, parks staff members
reached out to the local Access 4 All organization and Accessible Community
Advisory Committee. This partnership between parks and these groups led to the
creation of a special Parks Accessible Workgroup to provide input on all future parks
projects.
24 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 SPOKANE PARKS & RECREATIONMay 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 25
The endorsement of the Ice Age Floods Institute, Access 4 All, and Accessible
Community Advisory Committee in grant proposals was critical in receiving fund-
ing from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office.
A REMARKABLE TRANSFORMATION
O n May 21, 2021, the Ice Age Floods Playground and the entire redeveloped
north bank of Riverfront Park opened to the public. After a ribbon-cutting cer-
emony, hundreds of children and adults were soon playing in the new 1-acre play-
ground and exploring the revitalized
north bank. The space has been the
busiest section of the park ever since.
The story of a parking lot turned
playground embodies the story of
Riverfront Park as a whole. As the last
of five major elements, the completion
of the Ice Age Playgrounds was also
the completion of the entire River-
front Park redevelopment project that
had been underway since 2016. This
railyard-turned-park had finished an-
other remarkable transformation, for
the better, for the next generation. PRB
Josh Morrisey is a marketing assistant for the city
of Spokane’s Parks and Recreation Department.
Reach him at jmorrisey@spokanecity.org.
To comment on this article, visit
ParksAndRecBusiness.com
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May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 27A Chinatown park aims to link
residents to their neighborhood
BY WENDY CHAN
In a time of “cultural wars,” writing about Los Angeles’ relationship
with its Chinatown is fraught with danger. Suffice it to say that Los
Angeles Chinatown is a place that mirrors the experiences of an immigrant
group targeted by systematic racial discrimination for over two centuries.
Chinatown has been many things—ghetto, business center, massacre site,
tourist trap, and hip neighborhood—but it has never been a place with parks
and open space. Until recently, there was only one park, Alpine Recreation
Center, built in the 1950s, serving the densely populated neighborhood. Two
new parks have been completed within the last five years. The first, Los An-
geles Historic State Park, was developed on the old “Cornfields” site adjacent
to Chinatown and opened in 2017. The second, Ord and Yale Street Park,
opened in 2021.
28 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 BILLY HUSTACE (TOP, BOTTOM LEFT)Designed by the landscape archi-
tecture and planning firm, AHBE/MIG,
Ord and Yale Street Park represents
the transformation of a once-vacant, IT’S IN OUR NATURE
one-acre hillside into a new pocket
neighborhood park for the community. Concrete Never
Located directly behind the Chinatown Looked So Good...
Branch Library, the site has a steep
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women were observed walking up the that typically crack, rust, rot or easily burn. Over the life of
steep hillside carrying suitcases and your new fence or wall, the value simply adds up.
bags of groceries to their houses. It was
immediately clear that the project was
about providing community connec-
tions and a cultural journey.
The park’s design developed from
an idea that a person can experience
10,000 metaphorical journeys in the
park, while pursuing health, well-being,
and community. The design team’s chal-
lenge was to utilize the topography with
a consideration of the neighborhood’s
diverse demographics and multi-gener-
ational families.
Ord and Yale Street Park was
funded through Proposition 84. The
grant was awarded to the city after the
community participated in meetings
and outreach sessions to determine
what was needed for the site. Planning
began in 2010 when the project was
awarded $5 million in state funds. The
remaining construction budget was
provided by city and county general
funds. The project was led by the efforts
of the city’s Bureau of Engineering and
Department of Recreation and Parks.
Contact us for a free consultation with one of
THREE DESIGN ELEMENTS our professional engineers or consultants. SCAN TO VISIT US
The park’s design is a linear
journey with a series of terraces that (800) 942-9255 CONCRETEFENCE.COM
HELIPHOTO (TOP) May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 29
PRB_HlfPgVert_JAN22.indd 1 1/12/22 1:06 PMprovide residents with various social equipment. The wood picnic tables and which offers expansive views of the
spaces for community interaction. The game tables were custom-designed for surrounding neighborhood and
three main spaces are anchored by cus- this park. The picnic tables have an ele- mountains. An illuminated lantern
tom-designed landscape architectural vated shelf inspired by the “Lazy Susan” tower stands 20 feet tall and serves as a
elements. to allow easy sharing of food. Game beacon for the community. Park users
The Lotus Plaza stimulates the tables are designed with boards for can look up through a clear opening in
mind and encourages socialization for Chinese Chess and Chinese Checkers. the tower to the night sky. The laser-cut
community gatherings and perfor- This space also features the Bamboo pattern on the tower is inspired by the
mances. The plaza has a sandblasted Forest Shade Canopy—a series of four shadows created by bamboo stalks. A
graphic of a Lotus flower on the con- overlapping structures that provide continuous graphic stairway connects
crete pavement. The moon gate—made shade for picnic tables, game tables, residents from the hillside community
from powder-coated aluminum— and exercise equipment. The canopy is to the business district of Chinatown.
serves as an entry portal to welcome made from painted tubular steel rolled This 147-step stairway is not just an
visitors to the park. The Bamboo to form organic shapes inspired by important community linkage. It was
Garden Room encourages exercise overlapping stalks of bamboo. designed to reflect the journey one
of the body, with children’s play area, At the top of the park, the spirit is experiences throughout the park, with
picnic area, game tables, and fitness rejuvenated in the Heavenly Garden, motivational messages to encourage
30 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 HELIPHOTO (TOP LEFT, MIDDLE LEFT / RIGHT)• CALVIN ABE (TOP RIGHT)users to move towards a healthier life-
style. Each step has 3M vinyl graphics
adhered to risers—forming a larger
graphic of a lotus flower, bamboo leaves,
clouds, and a dragon.
At the base of the park, a garden
is designed to mimic a Chinese rock
garden by using drought-tolerant,
California-adaptive plants to create
texture, color, and movement, and to
complement the striking red details of
the park design. Trees native to Asia
and culturally important in Chinese
culture—such as Saucer Magnolia, pine
trees, and Chinese Flame trees—are
integrated with California native and
adaptive plants representative of the
cultural identity of the Asian American
experience. The hillside and stairway
are lined with California Native Coastal
Sage Scrub plants that help stabilize the
slope, reduce stormwater runoff, and
provide habitat and a food source for
urban pollinators and wildlife. On the
BILLY HUSTACE (TOP RIGHT) May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 31hillside, these plants will be well-estab-
lished in two to three years, and will be
self-sustaining and no longer require
irrigation. The park’s landscape is irri-
gated by a stormwater capture-and-re-
use system. The runoff is collected in
an underground cistern in the park’s
community plaza, and the captured
stormwater is then used to irrigate the
entire park.
Since its opening, Ord and Yale
Park has evolved into a communi-
ty space for residents to meet in the
morning to exercise, an outdoor class-
room to support Chinatown Branch
Library educational activities, and a
place to simply gather outdoors for
multi-generational families. PRB
Wendy Chan, PLA, is a Senior Landscape Architect
for AHBE MIG. For more information, visit
www.migcom.com.
To comment on this article, visit
ParksAndRecBusiness.com
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May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 33BY CLEMENT LAU
FULFILLING
VISIONS
From plans to parks, identifying the neediest
communities and ensuring ideas implemented
H
ow should the value of a park plan be deter- Planning is a key function of the Los Angeles Coun-
mined? Should a plan be judged by the degree to ty Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), where I
which it is implemented? What good is a plan if it work as a park planner. My colleagues and I plan with
offers a vision that is unfulfilled? These are the types of equity and implementation in mind, ensuring that plans
questions that many planners have wrestled with during prioritize the neediest communities and do not end up
their careers. sitting on bookshelves. Examples of such planning doc-
uments include the Los Angeles Countywide Parks and
Recreation Needs Assessment and the Community Parks
and Recreation Plans for various park-poor unincorpo-
rated communities.
COUNTYWIDE PARKS AND RECREATION
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
The Countywide Parks Needs Assessment serves as
DPR’s North Star, guiding its planning, resource allo-
cation, and decision-making. Completed in 2016, the
assessment was a historic undertaking to engage all of
Los Angeles County in a collaborative process to identify
and quantify the magnitude of need for parks in cities
and unincorporated communities across the county and
determine the potential cost of meeting that need.
The assessment established a new way to understand
and think about parks:
Considering parks as key infrastructure needed to
maintain and improve the quality of life for all residents
Using a series of metrics to determine park needs
Supporting a need-based allocation of funding for
parks
Emphasizing both community priorities and de-
ferred maintenance projects.
34 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 © CAN STOCK PHOTO / SAM74100 (BOTTOM LEFT) • TOPVECTORS (ILLUSTRATIONS)The Parks Needs Assessment was equity-focused, and and Willowbrook. Collectively, these communities are home
identified communities with very high or high park need— to about 257,000 residents, or about a quarter of the popula-
something that had never been done before. Knowing where tion living in the county’s unincorporated areas.
these underserved areas are enables DPR to focus and pri- DPR won that $1-million grant despite being up against
oritize resources to specifically address park inequities. The planning and transportation agencies with more experience
findings of the assessment were so compelling that the L.A. in competing for such funds—and completed the six CPRPs
County Board of Supervisors decided to put a parks-funding in 2016. Aiding in the effort were residents, communi-
measure, Measure A, on the ballot in November 2016. Due ty-based organizations, the board of supervisors, and other
in large part to an extensive community-engagement process county departments.
for the Parks Needs Assessment and an effective dissemina- Each CPRP begins with an examination of local demo-
tion of public information, Measure A passed with nearly 75 graphics, existing parks and recreational facilities, parkland
percent of voters supporting it. Measure A generates about gaps, recreation programs, tree-canopy coverage, transpor-
$95 million in revenue annually and has dedicated funding tation and connectivity to parks, and availability of land for
for very high and high-need areas. new parks. This baseline information, together with public
input, informs a detailed assessment and prioritization of
COMMUNITY PARKS AND RECREATION PLANS (CPRPS) local park needs. This, in turn, guides the development of
a green-space vision, conceptual designs of potential new
The first CPRP completed by DPR was for the unincor- park projects, and strategies and implementation actions to
porated community of Florence-Firestone. In 2012, DPR address the identified needs, with the overall goal of making
applied for a Sustainable Communities Planning grant from communities more sustainable through a variety of efforts
the California Strategic Growth Council to prepare addition- that offer wide-reaching benefits and impacts.
al CPRPs to address the needs of six of the most park-poor Implementation of the CPRPs is well under way, with a
communities in L.A. County: East Los Angeles, East Rancho multitude of projects at varying scales and stages of develop-
Dominguez, Lennox, Walnut Park, West Athens-Westmont, ment. Highlighted below are a few key examples:
LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION (TOP) May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 35WOODCREST 2 95TH AND NORMANDIE POCKET PARK
1
PLAY PARK
The park site was acquired by DPR shortly after being
Identified as a identified as a priority in the West Athens-Westmont CPRP.
priority project in the In 2020, DPR was successful in securing nearly $1.3 million
West Athens-West- in grant funds through California’s Proposition 68 Statewide
mont CPRP, Wood- Park Development Program. The 0.16-acre pocket park will
crest Play Park opened include a new play area with shade, therapeutic garden, space
to the public in late for rotating recreational activities, public art, storage shed,
2019. This innovative and landscaping.
project transformed The transformation of this overgrown and forgotten cor-
an underused space ner at a busy intersection into a lively and beautiful space for
at Woodcrest Li- rest, play, socializing, and exercise will positively impact the
brary into a small quality of life for Westmont residents. With the addition of
but vibrant public park, with a book-themed children’s play this pocket park, the percentage of residents living within a
space, seating with laptop-charging stations, outdoor exercise 10-minute walk of a park will increase from 57 percent to 74
equipment, and drought-tolerant plants. percent. This means an additional 5,700 residents, including
Created through a collaboration between DPR and Los nearly 1,800 youths, will be able to walk to a nearby park.
Angeles County Library, Woodcrest Play Park is located
in the community of Westmont, which has about 33,000
residents and a very high level of park need, according to the 3 WALNUT PARK POCKET PARK
Countywide Parks Needs Assessment. Thanks to this new
park, 57 percent of Westmont residents now live within a Walnut Park Pocket Park is the top-priority project
10-minute walk of a park. That number was previously 35 identified in the Walnut Park CPRP. DPR acquired the
percent. That means an additional 7,000 residents, including property in 2019 and was awarded $4.3 million in Proposi-
2,000 young people, can access a nearby park. tion 68 grant funds in 2020 to develop the park. The 0.5-acre
park will be the first park in the community of Walnut Park,
which has 16,000 residents and a very high level of park
need. The pocket park will include two new playgrounds
with shade, exercise equipment, a splash pad, a walking path,
an outdoor performance stage, public art, a picnic and BBQ
area, landscaping, lighting, and a restroom/security building.
The community has long desired a park of its own and is
eager to see this come to fruition.
The park is within a half-mile walk for over 13,000
residents, including 4,000 youths. By providing a new park
Coupon closer to where people live, the project will help decrease
Code:
PRBPA22 vehicle miles traveled and reduce greenhouse-gas emis-
sions. Walnut Park has a low level of urban tree canopy (16
percent), compared to the recommended standard of 25
percent. The new park will help address this by installing
38 drought-tolerant native trees throughout the site. The
carbon sequestration potential of these trees is estimated to
be 81,000 pounds of carbon dioxide over the lifetime of the
trees. The tree plantings will also provide additional benefits
by alleviating the urban heat-island effect, providing cooling
for the community, and capturing particulate contaminants,
such as ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and other
volatile organic compounds.
36 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 LOS ANGELES COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION (TOP LEFT / FACING MIDDLE)4 92ND STREET LINEAR PARK old, damaged, unused futsal court at an existing park with a
new mini-pitch for soccer. This is a much-desired and need-
Florence-Firestone is home to about 66,000 residents, ed improvement in a community where soccer is the most
and has a high-level park need. The Florence-Firestone CPRP popular sport.
identifies utility corridors as key opportunity sites for new
parks. In 2020, DPR received $7.8 million in Proposition PRODUCE RESULTS
68 grant funds to develop a 5.5-acre park on a portion of
the undeveloped utility corridor owned by the Los Angeles Plans that just sit on shelves have no use. As exemplified
Department of Water and Power. The new park will include in the examples above, DPR is committed to preparing and
new jogging/walking paths, three half-basketball courts, a implementing park plans to produce tangible results, provide
multi-purpose sports field, four playground areas, shade multiple benefits, and improve the quality of life for the
structures, exercise equipment, an outdoor performance residents we serve. But this is not easy to do, and we cannot
stage, public art, a community garden, fencing/gates, and do it alone. The successful development of plans and the
landscaping and lighting throughout. The park is within implementation of projects are only possible with visionary
a half-mile walk of over 17,000 residents, including 5,800 leadership, a focus on equity, engaged communities, ade-
youths. quate funding, and effective internal and external coordina-
tion and collaboration between DPR
and its many partners. PRB
ROOSEVELT PARK MINI-PITCH
5 FOR SOCCER Clement Lau, AICP, DPPD, is a Departmental
Facilities Planner with the Los Angeles County
The Florence-Firestone CPRP also Department of Parks and Recreation. Reach him at
calls for creative partnerships to meet clau@parks.lacounty.gov.
the recreational needs of residents,
especially youth. To that end, DPR To comment on this article, visit
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May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 37The View From
A Rooftop Park
Envisioning, building, and programming an
elevated park in downtown San Francisco
S
BY ASHLEY LANGWORTHY
an Francisco is known for its beautiful parks and Transbay Joint Powers Authority (TJPA), a government
landscapes. A few that come to mind for both agency created in 2001 to deliver the new Salesforce
residents and visitors are the Presidio, Crissy Field, Transit Center and rooftop Park in downtown San
Golden Gate Park, Dolores Park, and McLaren Park. Francisco while revitalizing the surrounding neigh-
But until recent years, there have been fewer celebrat- borhood. Through its asset manager, Lincoln Property
ed parks in the most urban and downtown districts of Company, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures (BRV)
the city, namely the Financial District and the South of was brought onboard in 2017 to manage and run the
Market Area. abundant, free programming, which occurs daily at the
Salesforce Park changes that, providing a sizable, public park.
well-maintained, highly programmed, and gardenesque Salesforce Park is a gathering place and a center-
park in the heart of the most urban district of the city. piece for the fast-growing East Cut neighborhood.
The park, which obtains its name from the nam- This distinctive part of San Francisco has experienced
ing-rights deal with the company headquartered next significant redevelopment and growth in the past few
door, is public property and is owned and operated by decades, including the removal of the Embarcadero
38 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | May 2022 BIEDERMAN REDEVELOPMENT VENTURESFreeway after the devastating 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, and a photography class were the first activities to return,
and the completion of the Salesforce Transit Center and with knitting classes and a garden-education series following
rooftop Park, which replaced the damaged 1939 Transbay soon after. Class participants were separated and masks were
Terminal in its place, and which will eventually house Cal- required. The community responded with delight, happy to
train and high-speed rail. It has the densest concentration of have safe, outdoor activities again.
new home and office construction in the Bay Area. Salesforce Park is at the forefront of several significant
placemaking and community building efforts in the district.
DESIGN DETAILS The programming has helped create kinship for an area of
Perched above the transit center 70 feet in the air, the the city that can feel disjointed. Biederman Redevelopment
park affords unusual views of the surrounding buildings and Ventures has collaborated with community partners to create
neighborhood. While strolling along the paths, one can enjoy a robust weekly calendar of recurring free programs. The
views of the street corridors below and see directly into the programs aim to activate the park on a daily basis and at off-
inner workings of adjacent buildings, a vantage point not peak times build regular “visitorship,” provide a free public
seen from street level or higher up in one of the surrounding amenity, and highlight local talent and culture.
towers. The idea has always been to focus on everyday activities
The 5.4-acre park includes rolling hills, a half-mile walk- and weekly programs, rather than large events. Large events
ing loop, and 13 distinct gardens. These gardens represent are important on occasion to reach new users who may
the wide variety of plants that grow in California’s Medi-
terranean climate, as well as the diversity of ecosystems of
the same climate from around the world. These include the
South African garden, the Chilean garden, and the Redwood
Forest, to name a few.
Peter Walker Partners (PWP) in Berkeley, Calif., de-
signed the park. PWP carefully constructed the landscape
to offer both a highly activated park and garden to immerse
oneself in nature—and allow the user both experiences in
one visit.
PERTINENT PLACEMAKING
Since the beginning of the pandemic, urban parks have
become even more vital. What was once a “nice to have” is
now a “need to have.” As a result, Salesforce Park’s impor-
tance has grown in the last two years.
The surrounding area, thought of as
an office district and the center of
tech, is also the center of a growing,
dense residential community because
of the Transbay Program delivered
by the TJPA. When the nearby
offices closed at the beginning of the
pandemic, the park stayed open and
became an important refuge of green
space for residents of the district,
and for those office workers who
remained in the mostly vacated office
towers.
Public programming paused for
a few months due to the pandemic
but restarted in April 2021. Because
of the pandemic, the programming
had to adapt to the current needs of
the community, and open in a way
that was safe, conscientious, and re-
sponsible. Fitness classes, bird walks,
May 2022 | ParksAndRecBusiness.com | 39You can also read
