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RECREATION DIVISIONRECREATION DIVISION

Longtime JCPRD Outdoor Education Man-ager Bill McGowan was honored with the National Association for Interpretation Master Interpretive Manager Award for 2014. Having received a Bachelor of Sci-ence degree from Kansas State Univer-sity in natural resource management, McGowan began with JCPRD in January 1980, when he was hired as a park rang-er. He was part of a group of rangers with natural sciences backgrounds hired with the plan to develop a new outdoor education program. Within nine months of being hired, he interviewed for and was offered the new position of outdoor recreation interpretive coordinator, which has since become the outdoor education manager position. He was tasked with developing fee-supported programs, and he oversaw the building of the Ernie Miller Nature Center, as well as two major ex-pansions of the building. His primary duty is overseeing the daily operations of the nature center and the TimberRidge Ad-venture Center. Each year, park police of-ficers and naturalists present over 1,100 programs to over 38,000 participants.

Three Johnson County Park Police Officers were recognized for their professional and efficient responses in life or death situations in 2014. Park Police Captain Rob Weber received a Distinguished Ser-vice Award from the Kansas Recreation and Park Association (KRPA), while Offi-cer Charles Cofield and Sergeant Michael Middlebusher received Lifesaving Awards from the Kansas Park Law Enforcement Association. A 15-year veteran of JCPRD, Captain Weber was recognized for stay-ing calm and in control during an early May 2014 incident in Shawnee Mission Park in which he successfully negotiated a distraught and suicidal woman into giv-ing up her weapon and getting the help she needed. The two Lifesaving Awards resulted from an early August 2014 in-cident in Shawnee Mission Park in which Officer Cofield noticed a fisherman laying on his back. The officer checked on the man, found him unresponsive, and began CPR. Despite a violent electrical storm go-ing on, Cofield, Sergeant Middlebusher, and Johnson County Deputy Cory Neal stabilized the man’s vital signs until an ambulance could arrive.

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The Safety & Outdoor Education Division provides effective community-centered public safety, resource protection, visitor services, and cultural and environmental education. It includes the Park Police and Outdoor Education departments and operates Shawnee Mission Park’s John Barkley Visitor Center, Ernie Miller Nature Center, and TimberRidge Adventure Center. Regular Employees: 27 Seasonal Employees: 44

Park PoliceOfficers Lauded

Bill McGowanReceives Award

SAFETY & OUTDOOR EDUCATION DIVISIONSAFETY & OUTDOOR EDUCATION DIVISION

Background photo by Focus On Fun Photo Contest participant Michael Williams10

Antioch Park ............................................43.48

Big Bull Creek (Future Park) ........................1,933.26

Blue River Streamway Park .....................23.33

Camp Branch Creek Streamway (Future Park) ...28.36

Camp Branch Glade..................................57.34

Camp Branch Park .................................236.08

Cedar Niles (Future Park) ...............................955.59

Coffee Creek Streamway (Future Park) ..........160.96

Ernie Miller Park ....................................116.18

Heritage Park ......................................1,238.50

Kill Creek Park .......................................907.74

Kill Creek Streamway Park ....................323.96

Little Cedar Creek Streamway Park ...........2.93

Martin Creek Park (Edgerton) .........................19.65

Mid-America Sports Complex ...................86.66

Mid-America West Sports Complex ..........62.13

Mildale Farm ............................................22.01

Mill Creek Activity Center ...........................2.40

Mill Creek Streamway Park ....................613.26

Neale Peterson Park (Fairway) ........................0.25

New Century Fieldhouse ............................9.82

Nursery/Streamway Maintenance ...........20.29

Prairie Park (Prairie Village) ................................0.24

Rieke Lake (Future Park) ................................465.18

Roeland Park Aquatic Center .....................3.44

Shawnee Mission Park ........................1,591.36

Shawnee Mission Park (Future Addition) ..........164.55

South Hedge Lane (Future Addition) ...................60.75

Stillwell Community (Future Park) ...................54.01

Sunflower (Early Transfer)...............................132.92

Sunflower Nature Park ............................57.16

Swarner Park (Shawnee) ..................................2.67

Thomas S. Stoll Memorial Park ................78.96

Tomahawk Hills Golf Course ..................259.01

Waterfall Park (Merriam) .................................4.32

GRAND TOTAL .....................................9,738.38

PARKS & ACREAGEPARKS & ACREAGE

Antioch Park ............................ 1,017,000

Camp Branch Glade.........................2,595

Ernie Miller Park ......................... 136,335

Heritage Park ........................... 2,207,226

Heritage Park Golf Course ..........193,263

Kill Creek Park ............................ 206,032

Mildale Farm ................................. 49,010

Shawnee Mission Park .............2,144,519

Stoll Memorial Park .................... 997,638

Streamway Park System .............688,599

Sunflower Nature Park .................52,064

Tomahawk Golf Course .................65,664

TOTAL VISITATIONS ................ 7,759,945

2014 VISITATIONS2014 VISITATIONS