Up on Play Parks and Recreation Issue 4

Earlier this summer, the Star Tribune published an article about

parents of children with special needs pushing for more inclusive

playgrounds. Admittedly, cities throughout the Minneapolis

metro are updating their playgrounds to meet ADA

requirements, but parents want more. They want inclusive

playgrounds that are fun, functional, stimulating and interactive

for everyone—from children with special needs to their siblings,

parents and grandparents.

Reporter Aimee Blanchette included interviews with a variety

of people involved in the creation of inclusive playgrounds

including city representatives, parent advocates for inclusive

play as well as playground manufacturers. John McConkey,

Landscape Structures market insights manager, explained that

while ADA requirements, which are required by federal law,

address physical accessibility they don’t accommodate a broader

range of diagnoses and disabilities, such as autism and sensory

processing disorders, to make the play experience truly inclusive.

See the full article here. Also included were great supplements

including a video interview with Blanchette, a list of inclusive

playgrounds around the Twin Cities, and a 3D of a playground,

which recently opened in Minneapolis, with highlights of the

inclusive elements.

The publication of this story leads us to ask: How are you

addressing inclusive play in your community? Share your story

with us on Facebook or Twitter using #MyPlayStory. And learn

more about inclusive play including our recent inclusive play

survey results on playlsi.com.

Pushing inclusive play fo r w a r d

Supporting Parks & Recreation Associations with ScholarshipsWe are proud to announce that once again we are offering the Parks and

Recreation State Association Speaker Scholarship program. The 2014-

2015 program will support the appearances of keynote speakers at

state parks and recreation associations’ annual or regional conferences.

State associations that are chosen will receive a scholarship of up to

$2,500 to support conference speakers whose messages are focused

on topics related to play, environmental stewardship or other professional

development topics. Scholarship applications are being accepted

now through July 31, 2015, and will be awarded on a first-come,

first-served basis.

This is the sixth year that Landscape Structures has offered this program

to state park and recreation associations.

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Below are recipients of the 2013-2014 program as well as examples of past speakers:

2013-2014 scholarship recipients:

Past speakers:

• Walter Stasinski, The Power of Fun at Work

• Jodi Rudick, Little Red’s Big Ideas

• Jeff Evans, world-renowned climber, adventurer and author

• Bob and Martha Manning, authors of Walking Distance: Extraordinary Hikes for Ordinary People

• Dr. Richard D. Brynteson, professor at Concordia University

• Mark Fenton, public health, planning, and transportation consultant

• Jan Neitzert, executive director of Missouri Park & Recreation Association

• Shellie Pfohl, executive director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition

• Dr. John Crompton, distinguished professor of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University

• Paul Assaiante, men’s squash and tennis coach at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

• Eileen Soisson, president/owner of The Meeting Institute

• Matthew Cullen, chairman of the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy

• Corey Ciocchetti, associate professor of business ethics and legal studies at the University of Denver

• Aron Hall, director of programs for the National Inclusion Project’s “Let’s ALL Play” partnership

• Matt Jones, world-class professional speaker and author

• Lori Hoffner, Supporting CommUnity

• Mike Shellito, former city manager and parks & recreation director for the City of Roseville in northern California

• Tom O’Rourke, executive director of the Charleston County Park & Recreation Commission

Complete your application for Landscape Structures’ 2014-2015 State Association Speaker Scholarship

at playlsi.com/2014Scholarship.

• Colorado Parks & Recreation Association

• Connecticut Recreation & Park Association

• Florida Recreation & Park Association

• Indiana Parks & Recreation Association

• Iowa Parks & Recreation Association

• Kansas Recreation & Park Association

• Maine Recreation & Park Association

• Maryland Recreation & Park Association

• Massachusetts Recreation & Park Association

• Michigan Recreation & Park Association

• Midwest Regional Conference

• Minnesota Recreation & Park Association

• Missouri Parks & Recreation Association

• Nebraska Recreation & Park Association

• New Hampshire Recreation & Park Association

• New York State Recreation & Park Society

• North Carolina Recreation & Park Association

• North Dakota Recreation & Park Association

• Northern New England Conference

• Ohio Parks & Recreation Association

• Oklahoma Recreation & Park Society

• Rhode Island Recreation & Park Association

• South Carolina Recreation & Park Association

• South Dakota Recreation & Park Association

• Tennessee Recreation & Park Association

• Utah Recreation & Park Association

• Vermont Recreation & Park Association

• Wyoming Recreation & Park Association

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Leave it to the professionalsLandscape Structures is so honored to work with parks and recreation

professionals around the world. We’re constantly learning about fun and unique

projects on which you’ve worked, obstacles that you face and innovative

solutions that you create to overcome challenges. In this feature, we’ll spotlight a

professional, and offer a glimpse into implemented projects.

Our featured professional is Darin Krueger, executive director of the Williston

Parks and Recreation District, in Williston, N.D. Read below to learn more about

Darin and his experience in the field of parks and recreation.

Q: How long have you been involved in the park and recreation industry?

A: I started working for the park system in Jamestown, N.D., when I was about

12-years-old. I was given odd jobs like dragging fields and picking up bases, and

was able to continue helping out the park system throughout high school. I went to

Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) and got involved with intramurals

right away, and became the director of intramural sports my last two years of

school. I also worked part-time for both Fargo and Moorhead’s parks and

recreation departments through college.

After leaving MSUM, I got a job as recreation director at the Perham Area Community Center in Perham, Minn.

I loved working with kids, so during my time there I coached 9th grade basketball, girls high school fast pitch

and Babe Ruth baseball in the summer. After being in Perham for a couple of years, we relocated to Denver

where I worked as sports coordinator for Highlands Ranch Community Association, the largest homeowners

association in the country. I was in charge of youth and adult recreation and family programming, during

which I learned a lot… that it’s not just about sports and recreation.

I then transitioned to the South Suburban Parks and Recreation District to manage their indoor sports dome.

The Denver Broncos often used the facility for practices, and one day when they were in to reserve space they

offered me a job. I worked for the Denver Broncos for three seasons as a facilities and operations coordinator.

It was great, but I decided that I wanted to get back to recreation and working with kids. That’s when I saw

this position with Williston Parks and Recreation District, and I was fortunate enough to get it.

Q: What have been some of your favorite initiatives to tackle since moving into parks and recreation?

A: Getting the community of Williston to support the new recreation center that was so needed is probably my

biggest accomplishment. There was so much negativity surrounding Williston with the oil boom that the

community was looking for something positive. And the team with which I worked on the project achieved

that on March 28, when the Williston Area Recreation Center (A.R.C.) opened.

We were a poor park district, but since the oil boom our budget has increased by nearly $6 million. The oil is

great, it’s a good thing for Williston if we take advantage of it. We’re beginning to grow with it and our quality

of life is growing, too. The Williston Parks & Recreation District and the huge team of people involved in the

A.R.C. had big dreams, and we made them come true.

We lost the first vote to increase our funding for the district by 31 votes in 2011, but we weren’t ready to give

up. We came up with a new plan, continued presenting to anyone that was interested and held community

forums. The vote passed in November 2011, and we went on to build an approximately $75 million recreation

center, one of the largest owned by a park district in the country. And now I’m able to sit in my office and

watch people of all ages enjoying it. It’s great! And it has changed Williston for the better. The A.R.C. as well as

replacing 13 playgrounds and other capital projects throughout the past three years has been an amazing

journey; I can’t wait to see what comes next for WPRD.

Darin Krueger

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Q: How are you addressing challenges you’re seeing with the huge growth of the community?

A: The population growth is so crazy, and we’re trying to stay ahead of the curve. We’re adding programming for

kids and adults, and provide quality-of-life activities that meet everyone’s needs. The biggest challenge we’re

faced with is that our new population is coming from all over the country. What they do for fun in Houston and/

or Oklahoma can be very different from what we do in North Dakota, but we’re trying to fulfill everyone’s

requests. And our goal is to make sure that all of our programming is affordable.

Additionally, we’re making sure that we’re acquiring park land as the city grows. We’re working with developers

as they’re planning our new housing so that there is park land available to those residents; we want to ensure

that everyone in Williston has a park within a mile of their home. Within the past two years, we’ve acquired three

new parks—6-, 10- and 150-acres.

A key to our success as a park district has been to partner with organizations across the community. We’ve had

a long-standing partnership with Williston State College—the A.R.C. is located on campus, and many students

are working for the park district. Additionally, we have an agreement with the school district so that physical

education classes and athletics teams can use the A.R.C., which is one of the reasons we included the 50-meter

swimming pool. Working with the City of Williston and the Williston Convention and Visitors Bureau has helped

us make huge impacts on our community. Having relationships across the community has made us stronger.

Q: What are some of your hobbies?

A: I’ve been married to my wife, Amy, for nine years, and we

have a chocolate lab named Mulligan. Our biggest hobby is

watching the local youth sports teams, and traveling to

support them in games around the state. I play softball,

and golf when I can get it in. I referee college fast pitch

and high school basketball. I’m also involved in the

North Dakota Babe Ruth League as a state commissioner.

Learn more about Darin and his work at the

Williston Parks & Recreation District by visiting

http://www.willistonparks.com/index.html.

The importance of outdoor play and physical activity during school hours

Both outdoor physical activity and indoor classroom time are important

for kids’ growth and development. School provides students with the

education they need to have a successful career, and physical activity

gives them a chance to stay healthy. Unfortunately, not all kids get their

daily 60 minutes outside. Read how schools can supplement the lack of

physical activity kids get at home by requesting our new whitepaper.

continued from previous page

Williston Community Builders Playground, Davidson Park

©2014 Landscape Structures Inc.

Calendar of EventsLooking forward to seeing you at the following events:

SEPTEMBER • North Dakota Recreation & Park Association, Minot, N.D.

• New Hampshire Recreation & Park Association, Concord, N.H.

• South Dakota Parks & Recreation Association, Spearfish, S.D.

• Vermont Governor’s Conference on Recreation, Fairlee, Vt.

OCTOBER • National Recreation & Park Association, Charlotte, N.C.

• SPD Foundation, Charlotte, N.C.

NOVEMBER • Oklahoma Recreation & Park Society, Lawton, Okla.

• National League of Cities, Austin, Texas

• American Society of Landscape Architects, Denver, Colo.

Industry News Learn about the latest happenings in the playground industry below, and then join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. Let us know what you think about the following topics:

• Playground program getting national recognition After 70 years, the Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Playground Program is being recognized. The program, which invites kids to gather nearly each weekday for play at 20 playgrounds throughout Sioux Falls, S.D., and Program Coordinator Susie Garry will be featured at the National Recreation and Park Association Congress in Charlotte, N.C. Read more.

• Park prescriptions: New treatment for obesity More than 74 million people in the U.S. are considered medically obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the healthcare system is working with national public lands departments on a new treatment for the obesity epidemic: park prescriptions. The Park Prescriptions program is a national movement to get people to be more active and take advantage of underused parks and public lands. Read more.

• Local parks bring $175.5 million to southwestern Utah Despite a two-week government shutdown in 2013, visitors to Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument and Pipe Spring National Monument still brought $175.5 million to the area. Those tourism dollars supported 2,155 jobs, according to the annual visitor spending report released last week by the National Park Service. Read more.

Landscape Structures Inc.601 7th St. SouthDelano, MN 55328-8605888.438.6574763.972.5200playlsi.com

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