Rejuvenating Neighborhoods and Communities Through Parks—A Guide To Success www.NRPA.org National Recreation and Park Association © 2011 All Rights Reserved 57 Also, individual outcomes can have varying degrees of difficulty in terms of observation or demonstration Focus on the more tangible outcomes of your parks or the activities and services associated with these parks For example, it is easier to determine whether a child on the playground has learned new lifetime skills over the summer months than whether he appears to be healthier It is also easier and more realistic to determine people’s perceptions of personal safety in a park after a renovation than it is to monitor the occasions in which they have avoided potentially dangerous situations Be Sure the Change Is Meaningful In every case, public park developments, activities, and services are intended to be beneficial to children, residents, and the community Therefore, when conducting an outcomes assessment, your best approach is to demonstrate a change or improvement that the community, decision-makers, and parents find important and meaningful For example, while a community may approve of the idea that children are having fun during the nonschool hours by playing in the park, it may place more importance on the children’s remaining safe during these times Similarly, the regular mowing of grass in a park and ongoing removal of graffiti naturally relates to aesthetics, but far more significant priorities for the community are likely to be the improvements to property values and reduction in vandalism Making Use of the Outcomes and Findings Lastly, the assessment outcomes need to be shared with many constituents: staff, volunteers, parents, decisionmakers, other partners such as schools and health departments, and, of course, the general public and the media as appropriate Initial assessment efforts often lack a certain level of import due to the agency’s learning curve For example, since physical activity affects the containment of chronic illnesses, premature death, and the escalating costs of healthcare, the fact that the agency’s accomplishments have contributed to an increased level of physical activity raises credibility with a variety of stakeholders in the community Sharing the Outcomes – Lee’s Summit (Missouri) Parks and Recreation Department Lee’s Summit (Missouri) Parks and Recreation Department chose to share the following messages with the general public following two major park development and renovation projects. Summit Waves: Outdoor Aquatic Center The construction of this aquatic center resulted in the following: • More than $7 million in materials purchases and wages for numerous skilled workers and design professionals • Meaningful employment for approximately 120 local youth and adults • Annual operational expenses of the facility exceeding $600,000 for salary, benefits, and supplies • Aquatic activities that have proven health benefits to the 50,000 participants a season and provide millions of hours of active recreation for many years • A safety benefit—teaching youth how to swim Did You Know? Legacy Park Here are some interesting facts about Legacy Park. • Legacy Park was designed to use bioswales and native grasses to channel water into its lake, which doubles as a stormwater and erosion basin. • The water from the lake is then used to irrigate the athletic fields at the park, rather than purchasing public water, so Lee’s Summit saves more than 20 million gallons of potable water annually. • The water is also used for the fire suppression system for the entire park—again saving dollars for the citizens of Lee’s Summit.
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