6.0. PRSR 03-11-2015 EllsMemorandum
River
To: Parks and Recreation Commission
From: Michael Hecker,Parks and Recreation Director
Date: March 11,2015
Subject: Director's Report
This report is a monthly highlight of our Department's activities informing the Commission on
items related to collaborations, strategic planning, staff changes/ development,and park operations
Outdoor Rinks are Closed
The Lions Parks and Handke Pit Ice Rinks are now closed for the season. We were able to get a
longer season than average this year with the last day scheduled of March 8.
Skate Park and Park Improvement Fund
A budget of$35,000 was approved for skate park design in the Park Improvement Fund.
Recreation Manager Steve Benoit will be heading this project with a completion date slated for this
late summer.
Parks and Recreation Business Magazine Article
Attached is an article from the March issue of the Parks and Recreation Business Magazine. It is an
article on designing the Orono Park Playground. This is a monthly national publication sent to cities
and parks and recreation agencies nationwide.
Riverfront Concert Series Schedule
Soon after the summer concert series was announced at the February Commission and Council
meetings,we received a cancellation from Chris Hawkey. He will be touring in Nashville at that
time. Staff was able to recruit a quality replacement country act for June 11-Maiden Dixie. The
complete lineup with the new changes is outlined in the below table.
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N:\Departments\Parks and Recreation\Commission\Packets\2015\03-11-15 PRC Packet\Directors Report 3-11-15.docx 1tLATUREI
Date Band/Act Genre/Description
June 11 Maiden Dixiey Country NEW!
June 18 Ivy Stone Classic Funk NEW!
June 25 Forever Elvis Art Lister and the EP Boulevard Band NEW!
Jay Song Blast Dueling Guitars NEW!
Minneapolis Police Band Patriotic Community Band and
July 16 and warm up act
Sean Emery Funny Man Juggling
July 23 The Jimmys Chicago Blues/New Orleans Jazz
July 30 Fabulous Armadillos Classic Rock 60's,70's&80's
August 6 Brat Pack Radio Pop/80's!
Rockin'Hollywood's with
August 13 DawnL McArthur Classic Rock and Roll NEW!
Martin Zellar and the
Alternate Country/ Rock NEW!
August 21 Hardways
N:\Departments\Parks and Recreation\Commission\Packets\2015\03-11-15 PRC Packet\Director's Report 3-11-15.docx
•
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Park Planner ,. ' ,d
BY MICHAEL HECKER `
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Des gning.a playground with user input
T oday's youth are far more sedentary than previous feedback on which pieces they liked best.After decades of
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generations due to multi-channel television,gaming building small neighborhood parks with limited recreational
systems,and digital devices that discourage children amenities,as recent strategy is to build fewer,but larger,
from going outside to explore,run,and play.A recent United multipurpose play areas,where children and adults are able
Nations study reported that 94 percent of a child's day is to interact more closely.
spent indoors with 8 hours watching some type
of screen.
While many playgrounds are designed
with good intentions,they often lack the !
environment to keep children and adults - � , , '„:„'`,•1":74,,,,••:1-,r-WA., ,"
interested.In 2013,the city of Elk River, �1 , ., .° x
Minn.,set out to change this. In June,the first .;Y ,- 1 =,,t M * ,, �
"destination playground"opened with a theme
design as well as unique and iconic features
that appeal to a broad range of users,including `
children with disabilities. `-ti E .
The Orono Park playground began with –»
a reference to the city's brand—Powered !)
by Nature. In community-interest surveys, w !..n. tt�',f
residents frequently cited their passion for the 1 t ! !,J 1,
outdoors hunting,fishing,walking/biking, �'
an d the many natural and man-made amenities '.. 4` -
as a draw to Elk River.The city's park designer
worked to incorporate this strength into a - .
destination play system to further enhance the
Powered by Nature attitude.
The Nature Of The Playground Rather than relying solely on a catalog from which a
The public process to decide the final playground few adults choose the amenities,or on ideas based on what
design included input from school children who visited other adults think might be fun,successful playground planning
play areas to experience the different features and provide occurs when children are allowed to participate in the design
Top Photo:Landscape Structures,Inc./Other Photos:Courtesy of Elk River Parks and Recreation PRB www.parksaztdrecbusiness.com
47
Powered By Nature •
process.Interestingly,the feedback �' Public Playground Safety,the Consumer
received from the first public design ''*h,,,p Product Safety Commission(CPSC)
meeting was almost exactly the same ■ I g , F41' . _ notes,"Preschool and school-age■
as that received from 120 fifth graders ,z ;� ', children differ dramatically not only in
at a second meeting held at a local K ' physical size and ability,but also in their
elementary school.Each fifth grader 7,,,...,47# cognitive and social skills.Therefore,
was provided a ballot card to vote for a age-appropriate playground designs air
preferred design and to explain why it should accommodate these differences
was his or her favorite. " '" with regard to the type,scale,and the
The overwhelming favorite was layout of equipment."
the iconic climbing tower with a The handbook divides playground
nature theme.Both children and adults users into two groups:
wanted this feature in the center of
the playground.The other popular •Preschool children,
nature-themed features included a 2 to 5 years old
rotating climber,a roller slide,a spinner, - •School-age children,
a climbing boulder,and the Oodle 5 to 12 years old
swings—fully accessible,dish-like swings that can be used by
as many as four children at a time. Preschool Children A:es 2 to 5
These young children enjoy dramatic play and imitating
Age-Appropriate Playground others.They like a place of their own,and have a limited
The Orono Park playground is also Elk River's first age- attention span.The best playground challenges involve
appropriate play area.Two spaces within the playground climbing over,under,and around objects,plus activities that
are designed with amenities for specific age groups and are foster fine motor skills.Obviously,the equipment is smaller
identified with specific signage. and not as challenging as found in most playgrounds.The
Age-appropriate playgrounds are designed to provide area at the Orono Park playground designed for this group
safe,developmentally appropriate play experiences for includes a hollow log and small tree trunks to climb,and a
children of two different age groups.In its Handbook for small stand with a musical panel.
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48 MARCH 2015 PRB
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• 1 7 In community-interest surveys,residents frequently express
their passion in the outdoors. The city's park designer worked
.
to incorporate this strength into a destination play system to 4
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further enhance the Powered by Nature attitude. 1 • ry"A -„4... ;get
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De$coted June 2013
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Oyster blend for bocce courts
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Bocce court surfacing available. Nationwide!
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tel: 360.224.2909
411/likk''''' • BOCCEMON•COM TM —
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fax: 360.734.2909 EF,
email: tom@boccemon.com
PBS www parksandrecbusiness com 49
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Sustainable Fun Playground
The Orono Park playground is one of the largest
destination playgrounds in the Twin Cities'Northwest
metro. Not only does the one-of-a-kind structure uniquely
suit the community,but is also constructed and maintained
with nature-friendly materials. It is also the first Elk River
School-Age Children Ages 5 to 12 playground that has free Wi-Fi service. PRB
Physical challenges for developing gross motor skills
are especially important for this age group. Older children Michael Hecker is the Parks and Recreation Director for the city of
forget that preschoolers are smaller and weaker and Elk River,Minn.Reach him at MHecker@ElkRiverMN.gov.
accidents may result when engaged in high-spirited play
around younger children. To comment on this article,log on to www.parksandrecbusiness.com
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