SEPTEMBER, 2012

Dear Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Colleagues:

I would like to sincerely thank and congratulate all department staff for their commitment and efforts to providing Philadelphia with an overall safe, healthy and fun Summer. Admittedly, we did experience isolated incidents of serious criminal behavior and we are assertively addressing those factors within our control to minimize the probability of similar occurrences in the future. We will invest as much energy and resources into these efforts as we did over this past year in developing new protocols around Adult Outdoor Basketball Leagues and creating program clusters that have resulted in higher quality and safer programs for our participants and staff. We will also continue to coordinate our actions with the Philadelphia Police who have demonstrated a strong commitment to our facilities.

I believe the City administration and the public recognize our determined efforts as evidenced by the positive testimony and support offered by elected officials and citizens alike at recent City Council hearings on safety within the city’s park and recreation system. City Council and the city residents also recognized the tremendous benefits that we provided throughout the city this Summer. Obviously, the public’s general perspective is based on their own experiences with some of our more visible offerings such as pools and camps and they are correct in this assessment. Thousands of families across the city rightfully entrusted their children to our program and environmental education staff for a wide range of enriching activities and experiences.

Our accomplishments this Summer were the result of the collective effort of everyone across the department elevating their game to meet the needs and demands placed on our system. Our HR unit processed applications, maintained time records and managed payroll for approximately 1,500 seasonal employees in addition to their regular demands. Our Grounds Maintenance kept facilities clean, ballfields functional and the Dell Music Center a welcoming environment, as well as supported special events taking place throughout our system. And what would our Summer have been without the men and women of our Skilled Trades unit who worked long and hard behind the scene, and sometimes under the scene, to keep pools functioning, lights operating, and facilities secure.

There are numerous other instances of significant contributions by other units but with full recognition and respect for the intentional focus of your efforts this Summer, I want you all to know that I highly value and truly appreciate the communal nature of everyone’s contributions. This past Summer truly is a shared success. Thank you all.

Thank you.

PaRC Safety Conference

The Parks and Recreation Commission (PaRC) and the Department are preparing to host a conference entitled “Delivering Safe Parks & Recreation Centers: Best Practices and Next Steps” on Tuesday, October 23 and Wednesday, October 24. Parks and Recreation leadership, Commission members and visiting safety experts from other urban park systems will meet with City officials, PPR staff, advisory councils, friends groups and user groups to develop solutions to widespread safety challenges in our parks and facilities.

For the past year PaRC has hosted its bimonthly meetings in recreation centers throughout our system, surveying members of each community about their safety concerns. In addition, the Commission has been studying best practices in other urban parks and recreation systems. The information collected by the Commission will be a starting point for our conversations in October.

Lights! Camera! Action! Parks and Rec Crew Makes Movie Nights a Blockbuster Hit

All across the City of Philadelphia in our parks and recreation centers, open air movie theaters are popping up for community movie night events. More than 20 parks were the venue for such movies as The Muppets, The Lorax, Kung Fu Panda and Happy Feet this summer.

Even though the action, adventure, comedy and entertainment is on the big inflatable screen, much to the delight of the park users who plop down in their beach chairs and blankets, the real magic happens behind the screen with a dedicated and hardworking Parks and Rec crew.

The Summer 2012 crew consists of a revolving pool of Volunteer Coordinators Joe Caesar, Jason Mifflin and David Bowers with direction from Broad Street Run Czar Jim Marino, Office of Stewardship Director Barbara McCabe and Mike Mecchella, Supervisor of Maintenance. Parks and Recreation VISTA Larken-Wright Kennedy rounds out the behind-the-screen crew as the well oiled machine makes sure that when the sun goes down, the show goes on at the park.

Setting up the gigantic inflatable movie screen and projector takes many able hands and this crew has it down pat. They can create an outdoor movie theater experience in 15 minutes flat--now all they need is to bring the popcorn and overpriced soda.

TOP

Our New Website

This September, Parks and Recreation will launch a merged website. Built on a common platform with the City’s phila.gov website, PPR is among the first departments to have their websites upgraded. The other two departments, L&I and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, launched their new sites in August.

The new website required a lot of collaboration between PPR and the Office of Innovation and Technology (OIT) staff. Starting in May 2011, OIT interviewed five groups of PPR “subject matter experts” and used those interviews to shape the foundation of the site. Andy Viren, an analyst for the Programs division, said of the process, “In many ways the website merger process resembled the departmental merger process; breaking down all the content of both departments’ sites, seeing how it all worked together and then rebuilding it into a single, better unit.”

The new website consists of five main sections: Programs & Activities, Places to Go, Get Involved, History and Environment. These sections were created after content specialists at OIT reviewed all of our site content and determined each section based on the how users who visit the site would most likely look for content.

In addition to the main website, the department will also re-launch the Find A Facility application. This application allows users to search for specific programs and activities within our system. Users can search by activity types, Zip Code, City Council District, PPR District or weekday. Users can also look up specific facility names from a list of over 300 locations including Parks and Historic Sites.

Lastly, our public events calendar, linked through http://ph.ly/PPR_Calendar (after launch), will be publishing Department-run, high-profile, public events. If you are planning or hosting any events at your recreation facility, park, environmental education center or other PPR facility make sure to get information to your supervisor so that we can post it!

We will certainly let you know when the new website goes live so you can visit the site and tell us what you think. The website is brand new and with your feedback, it will continue to improve over the next few months.

Swim Meet Reflections

I sit here and watch the highlights of the last two weeks of the Olympic highlights and think of the swim activity that has taken place at our pools: the little Quaker swim meet, the various district meets, the citywide youth meet and the lifeguard competition. I look at these events much differently than I did when I was the competitor at 11 and 12 years of age. I remember the laps we swam at practice and the water I swallowed when I was competing in the butterfly event at the city meet at Finnegan pool. That pool seemed very long to me.

Our swimmers, in many ways, were living the “true spirit” of the Olympic Games. At the little Quaker Meet, I was touched when Lifeguard Gabe Presley stripped from his street clothes to his trunks and jumped into the water, after his anxious little swimmer was quite hesitant to compete in the freestyle event. I guess you could say he got cold feet. Gabe encouraged his young swimmer to take one stroke at a time, and as he backpedaled across the pool we all knew that this was a Kodak moment. This is what we stand for and what makes it all worth it.

At the youth meet, we saw so many swimmers earn their gold, silver, bronze or maybe it was the 4th, 5th or 6th place ribbon. It really isn’t about the award but working hard and believing in what we can do.

At the lifeguard competition over 200 staff members came together to share, compete, and just have fun.

The lifeguard competition is more about the sharing and celebrating of getting to this point - past the heat waves, the long lines, the craziness of the first two weeks, the impatient public, the reluctant patrons, the health department visits, the infrequent compliments. Every season has its own challenges and yet for one evening we all come together and share what binds us together and acknowledge that we are all in this together. We all have a different story to tell and something to share but we are all connected.

View photos of the swim meets and lifeguard competition.

Arts & Artists Outdoors: A2O

This October Parks and Recreation and the Mural Arts Program will launch another session of A2O: Arts & Artists Outdoors, a fourteen-week-long artist residency program which uses free arts programming and community engagement to cultivate an appreciation of the natural and environmental assets of Philadelphia. A2O brings together artists, youth and the community to encourage a sense of stewardship of their environment through the creation of art. Each artist is paired with a selected recreation center, where he/she will lead twice-weekly art workshops for teens (ages 10-14) as well as conducting monthly community workshops that offer hands-on art activities that highlight the natural resources of the center's nearby green space.

This program will be expanded in Spring 2013 so we encourage interested parties to visit the Fall 2012 sites to learn more:

• Hawthorne Cultural Center
• Mander Recreation Center
• Max Myers Recreation Center
• McVeigh Recreation Center<
• Piccoli Playground

Teen Workshops will run from the week of October 15th - December 14th, 2012.

Download the Fall 2012 A2O Flyer

TreePhilly Fall Yard Tree Giveaway

Do you know a homeowner who could use some shade or color in his or her yard? Spread the word about TreePhilly's Yard Tree Program! Philadelphia residents can receive up to two FREE trees per address, to be planted on their private land.

The Fall Giveaway registration deadline is October 19th, and pickup days will occur throughout the City during late October and early November.

Children and Nature Certificate Series

Parks and Recreation is pleased to present a Children and Nature training opportunity for staff working with children and youth.

Training Details and Registration Information

Parks and Recreation Parents of Young Children

Working the nontraditional hours of the second shift can present some challenges as you parent and socialize with other staff. Parks and Recreation is pleased to provide a networking opportunity for you to get together with other parents/staff in the department. On Wednesday, September 12th at 10:00 a.m., plan to meet at the Pennypack Environmental Center to discuss an informal plan to participate in outdoor recreation activities with other staff/parents and their children ages 6 months to four years. This group will meet on a weekday morning twice a month. Participants in the group will plan activities for themselves and other parents in the group. This is specifically a social activity designed to meet your needs during your "off hours." This will be your program, with the department providing the space and backdrop for fun activities! For more information or directions, call Stephanie Robinson at (215) 685-0429.

Play Street in Park Program Focuses on McPherson Square

You cannot hide the elephant in the room when it comes to the reputation of McPherson Square Park, located in the shadow of the Market-Frankford El at F Street and Indiana Avenue. Dubbed “Needle Park” for decades because of the drug culture surrounding the location, it would be the last place you would think a summer day camp or community center could flourish.

But on the lawns and pathways of McPherson Square you’ll find wiffle ball games, horseshoe tournaments and a pick-up game of soccer or Frisbee along with a hose sprinkler cooling down the kids during this summer’s heat waves.

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, along with Impact Services and the Free Library of Philadelphia, took the bull by the horns and organized a supervised Play Street in the Park program this summer from July 2nd-August 31th using the historical McPherson Square Library as its base command.

Every weekday from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., a dedicated summer play leader and a handful of volunteers were present at the park to establish a consistent play program for local children. Bryan Tipton was SPL for the first six weeks, and then, thanks to funding from Impact Services, Jenna Bryant led the last three weeks with help from PPR’s Office of Development.

An added component to our efforts at McPherson Square was the Summer Lunch Program along with special presentations from the Philadelphia Fire Department, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and of course, the Free Library of Philadelphia.

The quality of life is far from perfect at F Street and Indiana Avenues, as outlined in recent articles published in The Philadelphia Daily News and Metro Philadelphia that detailed the 24th Police District’s efforts to combat the drug and crime problems in that area. But PPR staff believed that no matter how bad of a neighborhood the park was in, the kids deserved to have activities in the park over the summer. So for nine weeks this summer, the 40 or so kids that showed up at McPherson Square didn’t care if it was called “Needle Park”; all they cared about was that the wiffle ball game was underway and they had a chance to top their previous score in horseshoes. That’s what summer is supposed to be about.

Hunting Park Football Field Groundbreaking

On Tuesday, September 18 the Mayor Michael Nutter, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation will host a groundbreaking ceremony in Hunting Park with project funders including the Team Vick Foundation, Philadelphia Eagles and LISC, JAWS Youth Playbook, and EcoMedia.

The $1 million restoration of the Hunting Park Football Field is a part of the Hunting Park Revitalization Project, a community-driven, comprehensive plan led by the Fairmount Park Conservancy to turn the 87-acre park into a safe and well-maintained space that provides a place for healthy recreation for children and families, brings neighborhoods together and serves as a catalyst for larger neighborhood renewal. The neighborhood youth football team, the Hunting Park Aztecs, have not played a game on their Hunting Park home field in nearly 10 years because of the poor and unsafe conditions. The youth football program, which is a safe haven as well as a recreational outlet for many Hunting Park youth, has been a staple in the community for many years.

Open Air Interactive Public Art Project

September 20 – October 14, 2012

Running nightly from 8:00pm – 11:00pm

Located between 21st and 24th Streets on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Open Air is the world premiere of an interactive public art project commissioned by the Association for Public Art and created by Mexican-Canadian media artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer. The project combines public art with mobile technology to create a spectacular participatory experience that will illuminate the night sky over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Created specifically for Philadelphia, the project is designed for personal contribution. Using a free mobile app developed by Lozano-Hemmer’s studio, participants’ voices and GPS positions will control 24 powerful robotic searchlights placed along a half-mile section of the Parkway – creating giant three-dimensional “light sculptures.” A computer program will automatically analyze Open Air app users’ GPS positions and voices for frequency, intonation, and volume and will convert these characteristics into searchlight formations in the sky. The lights will react, both in brightness and position, to each participant’s voice and words as they are being spoken. Forming a canopy of light over the city, the project will be seen from up to 10 miles away. Tens of thousands of individuals will be able to participate during the project’s duration, and hundreds of thousands more will experience the project as viewers. The app will be available soon in iTunes.

Project Information Center

Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Honor President of Friends of the Japanese House and Garden

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan awarded a 2012 Foreign Minister's Commendation to Yuichi Ozawa of Medford, NJ, President of the Friends of Japanese House and Garden (FJHG) on August 27, 2012 at Shofuso Japanese House and Garden located which is located on grounds of Philadelphia’s Horticulture Center. FJHG administers and operates the Japanese House and Garden under the jurisdiction of the Consulate General of Japan.

Learn more about the award

From Pools to Ice Rinks: An Interview with Lisa Whittle

How was the pool season?

The pool season went well overall and the managers did a great job of getting to the sites on a daily basis. We survived without major incident and that’s a testimony to our pool staff.

How do you transition from pools to ice rinks?

Normally there’s a big lull and you can take a breath between pools and ice rink seasons. This year, with three rinks being enclosed, there is no break in between. So we’ve been talking about ice rinks through the summer season, which was a little bit stressful. We had one rink open all summer long and we were in the process of closing a rink while opening another rink while the pools were in operation, so that’s the difference this year. Usually you have that big prep time between seasons.

How are pools and ice rinks similar? Different?

There really are no similarities. The only similarity is that you have a facility supervisor who is directly overseeing the particular pool or rink. Other than that, you’re going from water to frozen water.

The differences are mechanical issues and programming needs that go into the whole operation of the rinks.

What might surprise PPR staff about ice rink operations?

If you’re not running an ice rink (we have five of them), they’re removed from what a Recreation Leader routinely thinks about on a daily basis because operating an ice rink is so different than running a regular recreation center. We do have three sites (Simons, Tarken and Scanlon) that are multi-purpose facilities with ballfields, basketball courts and after-school programs so they are quite demanding on staff. Our other two sites (Rizzo Rink and Laura Sims Skatehouse) are pretty much just rinks, and that’s what their major focus is on during the year. Now that most of our rinks are operating year-round that’s a much greater focus. It used to be only a 14 week season but now we’re talking about the rinks being open for 10 months with rolling closures of 6 weeks or so for routine maintenance.

What’s new with ice rinks this season?

We’re in the process of enclosing Tarken Ice Rink so we will have four rinks that are fully enclosed at the start of the 2012-2013 season. That’s the only major change.

Anything else you’d like to say about pools or ice rinks?

Pool season is always very challenging. May and June are extremely rough, trying to get pool staff identified and hired. June, July and August you’re working hard to ensure that everything is operating well and as you get through each day, you thank your lucky stars for one more day without incident.

Pools are much more hands-on and keep you on your toes. Ice rink season is usually a lot calmer. The only difficult part about right now is that in the middle of pool season, I was dealing with ice rinks. Some days were overload, but only because it’s a change. Next year I’m sure that will be easier because we’ll have one year under our belt. It was new for us this year and harder to balance but next year it will be easier.

Visit our Ice Rinks page for locations and phone numbers.

Ice Rink - 2012-2013 Opening Dates

Laura Sims Skatehouse - End of September

Rizzo Ice Rink*- November

Scanlon Ice Rink - End of September

Simons Ice Rink - End of September

Tarken Ice Rink - November

*Rizzo is not enclosed and therefore limited to a 14-week season

Park Renovation Updates

Julian Abele Park
2123 Montrose Street, 19146

DCNR /Parks & Recreation funded improvement project.

Construction started: August 17

Anticipated completion: Nov/Dec 2012

Phase 2 Development will transform the former vacant lot into a true park-like setting with improved landscaping, site furnishings and central gathering space for future park events. Popular weekly Farmers Market will continue every Friday through construction. Friends will fundraise for perimeter fencing to be created by local artist Chris Wheeler to complete the renovation.

Pulaski Park
Allegheny Avenue & Delaware Avenue, 19134

DCNR/State Rep John Taylor/Parks & Recreation funded project.

Still under construction
Anticipated completion Oct/Nov 2012

The pier section of the park is complete and the fishermen are back. Park entrance improvements and signage are still to come.

Pleasant Hill Park
Linden Avenue & Delaware Avenue, 19136

DCNR/Parks & Recreation funded improvement.

Still under construction
Anticipated completion Oct/Nov 2012

Major renovation of the park's four manmade fishing ponds and surrounding area includes dredging of and installation of pond aeration system for better fish habitat, improved landscaping, a beautiful handmade archway sculpture with fish shooting water into the ponds, new walkway, pedestrian lighting, site furnishings, two shade pavilions, picnic area and restroom improvements. And we already installed a brand new playground.

Summer Day Camps are in for a great surprise next summer when they sign up for a field trip to the Fish Hatchery!

Mayor’s Returning to Learning Partnership

The Mayor’s Returning to Learning Partnership is a 25% tuition discount program for full-time City employees (in some cases spouses and dependents as well) in partnership with several area colleges and universities. Discounts are available for Associates, Bachelors and/or Masters level degrees. The purpose of the Mayor’s Returning to Learning Partnership is to help more City employees reach their postsecondary goals. Currently, there are a total of eleven colleges and universities participating in the program.

For additional information, please call the PhillyGoes2College Office at 215-686-0315.

West Nile Virus and Lyme Disease Prevention Tips*

Late summer marks the peak of mosquito and tick season in our region, and it is important to remember that these bugs can spread illness. Bites from certain types of mosquitoes can spread West Nile Virus infection and deer tick bites can spread Lyme Disease. People who spend a lot of time outdoors are more likely to get bitten by a mosquito or tick.

Follow these simple tips to "Fight the Bite":

1) Use insect repellent and proper clothing (e.g., long sleeves and long pants) to protect yourself before heading outdoors.

2) Be aware that peak biting hours for most mosquitoes are from dusk to dawn. Ticks are most common in wooded and bushy areas, with high grass and leaf litter.

3) Find and remove ticks after being outdoors.

4) Mosquito- and tick-proof your home and neighborhood by removing standing water outside your home twice per week, keeping well-fitted screens on windows and doors, and regularly mowing grass and removing brush.

Visit the following websites for more information:

PDPH Fight the Bite

PDPH Vector Control Program

CDC West Nile Virus Questions and Answers

Niosh Fast Facts: Protecting Yourself from Ticks and Mosquitoes

*Source: City of Philadelphia

How Do You “Park & Recreate”

Andy Viren, Analyst, Programs Division

I love to ride my bike on the Schuylkill River Trail (SRT). I start from Markward and usually ride up to Conshohocken or Norristown. The trail has some great stops along the way including the Manayunk Tow Path and a great new restaurant in East Falls on Kelly Drive right under the Roosevelt Expressway called the Trolley Car Café.

It really impresses me, the extent to which our Department partners with other organizations to create a regional asset like the SRT. The Schuylkill River Trail Council is a collection of partner groups, like PPR, that oversees the expansion and maintenance of the trail. From the inception of the trail locally by our colleagues in the former Fairmount Park Commission, to its management within the Valley Forge National Historic Park by the National Park Service, the SRT is truly a recreation and park asset that I’m proud to be a small part of as a user and staff person in our department.

So, how about you? Let us know how you “park and recreate” at parksandrecreation@phila.gov

Editorial

One of the primary purposes of our newsletter is to keep our fellow co-workers informed and up to date on the wide variety of activities and developments taking place throughout our department. Another goal of our newsletter is to serve as a reminder of the daily contributions and positive impact we make to increasing the quality of life for our family, our friends and Philadelphia as a whole. But while we are doing all that, we would also like for you to get to know a little more about each other.

As you read in this edition, Andy Viren shared with us how he uses our system for his recreation and enjoyment. We’d like to know something about you as well, so please share with us how you “park and recreate” within the PPR system.

And another fun feature we want to add to future editions is our own version of “Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego?”. We would like you to submit a photograph of your favorite or frequently visited site within the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation system so we can have our coworkers guess “Where in the PPR System is your name?”. In the July edition of our newsletter we already saw one of favorite places of Mike Finn, Don Beam, Joe Rainis and Jeff Bass (the pulpit at Feltonville Rec Center) so how about yours?

Your photos, stories and events can all be sent to parksandrecreation@phila.gov; we look forward to hearing from you!