Southeast region - Regional Reports

Parks & Recreation, Feb, 2003

With an increasing number of retiring recreation professionals, NRPA's Office of Youth Services realizes the need to introduce and recruit youth to the fields of recreation, parks and conservation. To properly expose the youth to recreation opportunities, in the year 2002, NRPA developed a workforce development initiative, NRPA's National Youth Congress. The program consists of three components that are helping introduce the recreation field to young people. The three elements are town hall forums, action councils and internship opportunities. The program has been adopted by cities across America with the enthusiasm and dedication of adult recreation professionals from various agencies. The next training will be held on March 10-14, in Lansdowne, Va. NRPA plans to offer the training twice per month in various locations across the country. If your agency would like to co-host this training in your city, contact Sonia Amir at 705-858-2185 or samir@nrpa.org.

The Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will sponsor the First Building Connections for Community Health Conference on March 26-28 in Chapel Hill. Marshall Kreuter and Larry Green will present best practices in community-based participatory research--where we are now and pathways for meeting major challenges. In-depth skills training includes implementing lay health advisor programs, effective tailored health communications and getting the most out of focus groups. Educational sessions will cover community-based participatory research, translating research into practice, proven worksite and community programs, leadership development and effective partnering with the community. For more information write to: salli_benedict@unc. edu or go to www.HPDP.unc.edu/bcch.> The population of Fairfax County, Va., now exceeds 1,000,000. That growth prompted the award-winning Fairfax County Park Authority's decision to build an 18-hole upscale miniature golf course in Burke Lake Park. They called on NRPA corporate member Atlantic Miniature Golf, which they've worked with twice in the past, to design and build the course. Atlantic designed the landscape-style course with two waterfalls and six splash fountains, and construction is now under way. For more information, call 877-812-1200 or visit www.atlanticminigolf.com.

A citizens' advisory committee in Loudoun County, Va., is working on a plan to create a county-wide network of bicycle and pedestrian paths to connect residents with parks, schools, jobs, shopping areas and open space, and to reduce automobile use. Proponents say many of county residents' daily trips are within biking or walking distance. Yet the 2000 Census said only 0.12 percent of the county's 200,000 residents commute to work by bike, and only 1.23 percent walk to work. The Loudon County Board of Supervisors appointed the committee in July to develop a master plan for bicycle and pedestrian mobility. The move is part of the revised county-wide transportation plan that calls for improving transportation safety and efficiency, reducing the number of vehicles on roads and the length of their trips, and encouraging use of public transit and other alternatives to vehicles.

After a national search, Michael Vane has been appointed director of the Fairfax County (Va.) Park Authority. He had been acting director since Paul Baldino retired in the fall. Kane, a 25-year veteran of the agency, will supervise the day-to-day operations of the 22,000-acre county park system, with 592 employees and more than 2,000 part-time workers. Kane, a graduate of East Carolina University, lives in Ashburn, Va.

Harvey Faust, past president of the American Park and Recreation Society and current chair of the APRS Membership Committee, has retired as director of the Germantown (Tenn.) Parks and Recreation District. He plans to divide his time between Germantown and Sun City West, Ariz.

After working 50 years (42 as superintendent), Eugene Young retired from the East Baton Rouge (La.) Recreation and Park Commission in January. During his tenure, the system grew from 29 to 186 parks and budgets increased from $730,000 to more than $32 million. A total of 11 tax proposals were approved by the citizens.

Young is a life trustee of NRPA and the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials. His department was one of the first four to be nationally accredited, and it won NRPA's Gold Medal twice. He represented the American Academy for Parks and Recreation on the Commission on Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, and was awarded the Academy's Pugsley Medal. Gene and wife Betty hope to spend more time with their two children and grandchildren.

The Ida Lee Recreation Center in Leesburg, Va., just completed a $9 million expansion project, which almost doubled its size. The addition has more functional space and will appeal to a wider range of citizens and address the needs of the growing youth and senior populations. To publicize the grand opening, Leesburg Parks and Recreation provided free tours, balloons, gym tote bags filled with workout towels and t-shirts, and a chance to win a free membership.