MARCH, 2013

Dear Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Colleagues:

It was good to see so many of you at the recent All-Staff meetings and to be able update you on the progress we have made in addressing previously identified staff concerns and issues. I appreciate both the time you committed to this latest round of meetings and the thoughtful feedback you provided. For those who were unable to attend our get-togethers, the Power Point presentation and transcribed feedback has already been sent to staff who are on the current city e-mail system and we have also included a link and URL address to these documents in this newsletter. If you have not had the opportunity to see these materials as of yet, take a look when you have the chance. It’s impressive what, together, we have achieved and where we are going.

And speaking of future directions, there are a number of projects and initiatives underway that will further solidify our merged efforts and heighten our impact as a unified department. As you will read in this newsletter, we are starting a branding process that will help clarify our Department’s public promise and graphic identity. We are also undertaking a number of strategic projects to address some of our department’s outstanding needs and issues. These projects will involve cross-divisional teams working together through a “System Coherence” model of leadership. Simply put, this means that staff members from different divisions of the department will be working together with a focused and coordinated effort to further our department’s goals. These coherence projects are identified elsewhere in this newsletter and updates on all projects will be provided in future editions.

Other staff initiatives getting underway include a variety of trainings that were developed in response to your requests. At the present time, or in the very near future, Customer Service training will be available for all department members; our Grounds Maintenance personnel will be involved in Sustainable Land Care training; the Rangers will be participating in an Interpretive Training series designed to assist them with their daily public interactions and sessions on Volunteer Recruitment; Orientation and Retention for Recreation Facilities will be ongoing. These staff capacity-building efforts will be the focus of the next newsletter.

And finally, we are continuing our engagement efforts with Friends groups and advisory councils. Last weekend, we hosted a Parks Summit with more than 100 representatives from Friends groups around the city to discuss our present partnerships and plan for the future. Recent meetings with advisory councils have yielded great progress in our collaboration to update the manual and recruit new members.

We will keep you updated on all of these developments and thank you for your work.

All-staff Meetings

On Wednesday, February 20, voluntary All-Staff meetings were held throughout the city to update our fellow coworkers on the progress we have made in resolving the concerns and issues identified during the last round of staff meetings. The participation in the most recent meetings was impressive and we want to sincerely thank each of you who joined us at the sessions. And for those who were unable to attend, we want to share with you the same presentation that was shown at the meetings. Additionally, attached please find a compilation of the comments and questions that were provided in response to our follow-up questions.

We remain committed to maintaining an open dialogue with all of you as we further form our future. We are grateful for your ongoing support and hard work that has helped make PPR a standout in the eyes of both the City Administration and our neighbors. We welcome your feedback to the attached documents and look forward to our next meetings.

All-staff Meeting

Presentation Slides February 20 Staff Feedback

Katie Kirlin Junior Wheelchair Basketball Tournament

From January 25-27, the Carousel House and High School of the Future hosted the 15th Annual Katie Kirlin Junior Wheelchair Basketball Tournament. Eleven teams consisting of over 100 athletes from seven different cities competed in the regional qualifying tournament. Teams who competed, including both of the local Katie’s Komets teams, qualified to travel to Louisville, KY to compete in the National Tournament in April!

Stuart Greenberg, Program Director, was honored by all the teams during a banquet held the Saturday of the tournament. He was honored for his dedication to the Katie Kirlin Tournament, which he has helped organize for all of its 15 years. Stu is a great champion of wheelchair basketball and wheelchair athletes in the department and across the country. The Tournament is the oldest consecutively-running regional tournament in the county.

View photos from the event

Winter Activities in Parks and Recreation

Our playing fields may be in the “rest” phase but many of our sites are doing anything but resting. As the winter months progress and bring all of the lovely weather with it, many of our program people are busy planning and hosting different activities to keep children and adults busy. A couple of those events include: tumbling and gymnastics, Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service and of course, basketball, soccer and ice rink activity.

READ MORE

Branding Process

On January 17 PPR kicked off its branding process. "What do you mean by 'brand'?", you ask? In our case, we're defining a brand as "the promise of an experience." It’s not about what we do but why we do it and what happens to those who access our services once they do so. We look forward to creating a recognizable and meaningful “graphic identity system” (logo, color palette, style guide), as well as a common language, as a result of this process.

The early phases of the branding process include high-level meetings and tours of facilities and parks. Once we receive an initial batch of branding suggestions from our consultant, we’ll need your input to refine the brand and ensure it reflects who we are as a department. Stay tuned in months to come for more details about your involvement.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day at McPherson Square Park

Twelve volunteers joined Heart of Kensington staff in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King by performing a service project for their neighborhood at McPherson Square Park on January 21. Thanks to everyone! We are happy to say safety conditions were much improved.

For more on PPR MLK service projects, read Eileen Sheridan’s story above or "PhillyRising and the 18th Annual Greater Philadelphia MLK Day of Service" (MDO Blog, January 22, 2013).

Parkway Plan

On February 4, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation and PennPraxis unveiled More Park, Less Way: An Action Plan to Increase Urban Vibrancy on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway at the Academy of Natural Sciences to a packed auditorium of residents and City leadership. Event speakers included Mayor Michael Nutter and City Council President Darrell Clarke, as well as Commissioner DiBerardinis and representatives from several community groups.

More Park, Less Way focuses on the Parkway from Logan Square to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It recommends a series of actions to shape the evolution of the Parkway as a 21st-century public space. The actions include designing high-quality urban parks on long-overlooked parkland, reconsidering how the community accesses the Parkway and programming public space along the Parkway in creative and consistent ways.

To learn more, view the action plan in its entirety or read the PlanPhilly coverage of its development:

"More Park, Less Way unveiled," PlanPhilly, February 4, 2013

"The plan for our greatest civic space: More Park, Less Way," PlanPhilly, February 5, 2013

"By the Numbers: More Park, Less Way," PlanPhilly, February 5, 2013

"More Park, Less Way reflects larger transportation trends," PlanPhilly, February 11, 2013

Spring TreePhilly Campaign

On February 15 Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, in partnership with the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Wells Fargo & Company, announced that registration for the spring 2013 TreePhilly giveaway is now open. TreePhilly is a yearlong initiative that engages Philadelphia property owners, businesses and neighbors to plant and maintain trees. Now through March 31, property owners can submit requests for a free yard tree to plant on their private property.

As TreePhilly embarks on its second year, there are a few new features to the program. More trees will be available for residents this year, increasing the yard tree give away totals from 4,000 to 5,000 trees (2,500 for this spring). Philadelphia residential property owners can request up to two trees and community groups that own large private properties with community access, such as faith-based institutions and senior centers, can register for up to 10 trees. TreePhilly is offering a total of nine pick-up locations on seven different days in April. Participants who pre-register for the yard tree giveaway will be able to select their pick-up site and date. At each pick-up location, TreePhilly will offer tree planting and care demonstrations. Those who participate in the demonstration will receive a free raffle ticket for a free tree watering bag. Additionally, TreePhilly will be offering free mulch for TreePhilly participants at select pick-up locations.

Learn more about the Tree Philly Spring Giveaway

Read the latest issue of TreeMail for more TreePhilly updates

March Madness – Parks & Recreation-Style!

From March 1 to March 31, 16 Philadelphia Recreation Centers – 8 from the North and 8 from the South – will compete for an upgraded look, courtesy of Replica Creative. Youth from each Center will create a :15 video that creatively answers the question, “What does a Recreation Center mean to you?”

Each week, the 16 Centers (and their videos) will be pitted against one another for votes, in the style of a March Madness bracket. During the final week, the two remaining centers will go head to head. The Recreation Center with the most votes will be announced on April 1, 2013, on Replica’s website. The winning Recreation Center will receive a graphic wall installation in their lobby, designed by the students and the creative team at Replica. An unveiling of the new installations will take place on May 1, 2013, with the launch of Replica’s Creative Wall Graphics website.

Voting begins on March 1, 2013 by visiting www.replicacreative.com.

But what’s fun and design without a little education? Replica and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation have also created a learning component to this March Madness-themed campaign. During the month of March, the students from each of the Recreation Centers will make a visit to Replica to learn more about the business of art and design, and how it connects to the larger creative economy. What’s more, the winning Recreation Center will work alongside the team at Replica in designing the wall installation, and learn the process of creating large graphics.

Download the March Madness postcard to see a full list of participating centers

Parks and Recreation Commission News

The Commission dedicated its January 16 meeting at Lloyd Hall to hearing public comment on Temple University’s proposal to build a new boathouse on Kelly Drive.

January 2013 Meeting Minutes

The February 27 Commission meeting at Mander Recreation Center included time for listening to public comment on the proposed Leadership and Conservation Center in East Park, presented by the National Audubon Society and Outward Bound.

February 2013 Meeting Minutes Coming Soon

To see documents related to the proposed Temple boathouse and the Audubon/Outward Bound facility,visit the PaRC page and download the appropriate document listed under “Announcements.”

2013 Mummers Parade

As the lead city department responsible for coordinating the annual Mummers Parade, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation invests a good deal of staff and effort into the event. Here’s a glimpse of the 2013 parade by the numbers:

• This year, 97 PPR employees worked on New Year’s Day.
• Parade participants totaled about 10,000 Mummers who made up three parent clubs in the Comic Division, two parent organizations in the Fancy Division, 17 groups in the String Band Division and 10 units in the Fancy Brigade Division.
• Spectator estimates were between 40,000 and 50,000 throughout the day along the parade route.
• The first Comic group arrived at the Welcome Center performance area at 10:30 a.m. and the last String Band left at 5:15 p.m., for a 6 hour and 45 minute parade.
• The 2013 Mummers Parade had four free viewing areas on Broad Street, including Broad & Ritner, Broad & Washington, Broad & Pine and the Union League. The final viewing/performance area was at 16th & JFK, in front of the LOVE Park Welcome Center.
• Tickets were sold to the bleacher seats in the LOVE Park viewing area, and two Jumbotrons were on hand for the thousands of revelers who navigated LOVE Park on New Year’s Day. Mummers’ fans from 21 different states purchased tickets to this upgraded performance areas with new bleacher seats, food trucks, and bathroom facilities.

Tot Rec Tree Plantings

"Working with the Tot Rec kids was a wonderfully hilarious and heartwarming treat for our whole crew. To be able to educate groups of lively young kids, and to hear how much some of them already knew about the parts of trees, how they grow, and why they're important to us was encouraging and motivating as we care for our city's green spaces. Seeing how engaged the rec leaders were at Palmer, specifically Ed McLaughlin, and how they had prepared for our arrival by beautifully painting stones to place around the tree was the highlight of our Tot Rec plantings this fall. We'll definitely be teaming up with Ed next year as we try and further build upon the planting by clearing some areas of weeds and invasive species and by making plans for new plantings in the spring as well."

- Andrew Emma, TreeKeepers Program Manager

Coherence Model Projects

In order to deepen the merger beyond the initial creation of the mechanics/structure for a new department into the long-term work to create a high-performing organization, the Executive Team has identified seven important projects that will be implemented by cross-departmental teams over the next year.

Through the execution of these projects, called “Coherence Model Projects,” emerging leaders within PPR will work collaboratively both inside and outside the department to advance a number of important strategic objectives.

We will provide updates on the projects as they develop.

View a list of projects and participants

Fox Chase Maple Sugar After School Activities
By Debbie Carr

Maple Sugaring for After Schools

On three sunny, early-dismissal days in February, 255 children from the after school programs at nine PPR recreation centers visited Fox Chase Farm in Northeast Philadelphia for an exciting, hands-on maple sugaring program, taught by PPR’s very own environmental education staff. Surrounded by pastures where cows grazed with their young calves, the children learned how to make maple syrup and maple sugar the old fashioned way. They tapped sugar maple trees, learned how to boil the sap into syrup in a 3-foot pan over an open fire, listened to storytelling in the hay barn of how Native Americans made the first maple syrup and sugar, and even tasted the sap as it flowed from the trees. And what did the sap taste like? “Mostly like water, but with a little sugar in it,” was the comment heard throughout the afternoon from the intrepid, future maple farmers. In addition to the sugaring, the children visited the hens and roosters in the chicken coop, climbed the fence to pet the two working horses at the farm, and topped their day off with warm, freshly cooked maple sugar candy.

Maple Sugar Day for the Whole Family

Bring the whole family out to the Maple Sugar Day festival at Fox Chase Farm on Saturday, March 2, 12-4 p.m. (rain date Sunday, March 3). There will be pancakes to taste, sugar bush tours, storytelling, sap tasting, maple products for sale and more! $3.00 adults & children.

View pictures of the activities

L.L. Bean Donation

Paine’s Park

After many years of advocacy, fundraising and project development, Paine's Park broke ground on October 12, 2012 with an anticipated ribbon cutting date of May 2013.

Since the project was first conceptualized in 2002, it has become a model for a new kind of dialogue between skateboarding, landscape architecture, and city planning, where space is designed to accommodate skateboarding as an important energizing force behind the life and movement of public space. Paine’s Park will be a mixed-use public space, designed with skateboarding in mind, set along the banks of the Schuylkill River adjacent to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Learn more.

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Blue Cross Broad Street Run for Fairmount Park Conservancy

The Fairmount Park Conservancy has secured a limited number of charity bibs from Philadelphia Parks & Recreation for the coveted 2013 Blue Cross Broad Street Run. Runners who sign up for the race through the Conservancy commit to raising a minimum of $500 for the organization, with funds benefiting enhancements to the historic Belmont Plateau cross country course. Charity bibs are available now.

Event Date: May 5, 2013

Deadline to Give: June 1, 2013

Deadline to Register: Mar 15, 2013

Learn more and register

Parks Profile: Dr. Rob Armstrong

Visiting the office of Rob Armstrong, Historic Preservation and Development Specialist for Parks and Recreation, is like stepping into a one-stop peep show for Philadelphia’s museums, arts, culture and mostly history. One cannot ignore the artwork, artifacts, magnets, signs and, dare we even say, bric-a-brac all neatly displayed and organized around his workstation desk. Nothing out of place, like an executive 5-star chef having everything mise en place in front of his chopping board.

What more do you want from a guy who earned his Ph.d in American History from Lehigh University? The guy who works on projects related to trails and active transportation, historic preservation and park improvements is also the guy who wrote his thesis titled: Greenspace in the Gritty City 1854-1929.

Continue reading about Rob Armstrong

Wister Chess Team Meets the Mayor

On Saturday, February 2 the Wister Recreation Center chess team met Mayor Michael Nutter when he visited the Checkmate Violence Chess Marathon at Temple University for a pep rally and to play some chess.

15,000 Bulbs Planted in the Concourse Lake Native Plant Park

Children and parents from the Discovery School, friends, members of the State Representative's office of Philadelphia and members of the 10 gardens clubs comprising the Philadelphia Committee of the Garden Club of America planted more than 15,000 daffodil and scilla bulbs in two hours all around Concourse Lake. The bulbs were given in the memory of Helen Edwards by her family.

See photos of the planting

Save The Date! The Senior Strut: A Health Event in the Park

Tuesday, June 18 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

• One mile walk along Kelly Drive, Boathouse Row


• Includes a Health Fair: Free screenings, fitness activities and demonstration stage, healthy snacks, door prizes and more!


• Check out the Milestones May issue for more information or www.pcaCares.org
  
  

Download the Senior Strut flyer

Emerald Ash Borer Management Plan and Parkland Forest Management Framework

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation has recently developed two management plans for our park system. The first is a plan to address the arrival of the Emerald Ash Borer, an insect pest that is expected to be in Philadelphia County in the very near future. The second, "Parkland Forest Management Framework," is a broad-level plan that provides the framework to protect, maintain and restore forests (upland and riparian), shrublands, meadows and forested wetlands in PPR parks.

Learn more about these management plans

Featured PaRC Member: Carol Rice

Carol Rice has served on the Parks and Recreation Commission since its formation in 2009. She began her career with the City of Philadelphia three days after graduating from Penn State University and retired from the Department of Recreation in 1999, after 35 years of service.

We asked Carol to speak to us about her professional work, as well as her role on the Commission.

Tell us a bit about your career at the Recreation Department.

When I first came to Recreation, I was working with the poverty programs, training kids in job placements and using rec centers as places of work. I then went on to do all of the community outreach with day camps and similar programs. In 1994, I was appointed deputy commissioner under Michael DiBerardinis. That’s when I became responsible for the Program division--all rec centers, playgrounds, and the Dell—until I left in 1999.

What role do you play on the Commission?

I like to think I have a real understanding of the Department. Even though I was primarily involved with the rec side, we did have parks and we did communicate with Fairmount Park. My background allows me to speak knowledgably about the different areas of the city and different problems (and resources) those areas may have.

Read our entire interview with Carol Rice

“How Do You Park and Recreate?” with Debbie Carr

Philadelphia as a ski destination? When snow falls in Philly, Debbie Carr, PPR’s Director of Environmental Education and avid cross-country skier, grabs her skis and heads to the Wissahickon. So what’s the skiing like? “You have to get there early,” she says, “before the snow has time to melt. When you do, it’s beautiful, like you’re in Vermont… but without the 8-hour drive!” Skiing along the creek, surrounded by snow-covered trees, and views of the covered bridge, we totally get that.

Part-time Job Opportunity: Youth Educator, Urban Agriculture

The Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department's Youth Urban Agriculture Program will provide garden-based education programs to Philadelphia youth at 13 participating city-wide recreation facilities for the summer of 2013. This program is in collaboration with the Penn State Cooperative Extension whose master gardeners' and support staff's expertise enriches the program. At each site youth ages 6-12 years old will be growing vegetables in raised beds, as well as learning about garden critters, composting, stewardship, healthy eating and the natural world. During after school and summer camp programs, the youth will be engaged in fun garden activities and encouraged to become advocates for the environment. The program aims to connect youth to the wonders of the natural world and discover the joys of eating food they have grown. The youth will share their bounty with their families and community. Looks to be an exciting summer!

We are currently looking to hire 3 Seasonal Garden Educators. Please review and circulate the posting.

Full-time Job Opportunity: Community Organizer (Cobbs Creek and Tacony Parks)

The Deputy Mayor seeks a Community Organizer who will report to the Special Assistant to the Deputy Mayor as well as having a formal relationship to the Director of Stewardship. The position requires an energetic, hardworking, and organized person to help build community capacity and support for Parks & Recreation facilities system wide.

Download the Community Organizer job description