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Yet Again, People-Powered Parks Measures Pass!
Tuesday’s elections saw the House of Representatives flip to Democratic control, while Republicans solidified their hold on the U.S. Senate. A record number of women and people of color were elected to national office, and the new governor of Kansas, Laura Kelly, has a strong park and rec background! My colleague, Kyle Simpson, provided a nice summary of the national results on Wednesday — you can read that
here.
Like many election days of the recent past, voters in their infinite wisdom approved 84 percent of the park related ballot measures on Tuesday, generating $2.8 billion dollars for parks, trails, park maintenance and more. (data courtesy of our friends at the Trust for Public Land). Here are just a few examples.
Tucson-area voters support spending on parks, reject county road repairs
Tucson.com — Proposition 407, a city-backed plan to spend $225 million on parks and trails over the next 10 years, was prevailing Tuesday night, with 55 percent of the vote. The bond package won’t fix the entire city’s parks and recreation system, but because of its limited size, it also won’t raise taxes. More
Brookhaven voters approve $40 million parks bond
Reporter Newspapers — “The residents of Brookhaven have delivered a clear mandate for us to follow through with our city founders’ vision of a top-notch park system that can be enjoyed in the near-term,” Mayor John Ernst said in a written statement. “With the funding in place, we can now make it happen.” More
South Florida cities green-light bonds for green spaces
WJCT — A half dozen municipalities across South Florida asked voters to weigh in on bond items that would help pay for parks and recreation initiatives. The projects involved everything from improving lighting and walkways to creating entirely new parks. With little exception, the cities that asked for bonds to fund parks and rec, got them. More
Denver ballot issues: Voters approve new taxes for mental health, parks and more
The Denver Post — Among the winning measures was an initiative to raise money for parks. The measure passed 61.32 percent to 38.68 percent. The measure proposed increasing the cost of goods and services by 0.25 percent, or the equivalent of 25 cents per $100. It will provide more than $45 million per year for parks construction and maintenance. More
R.I. voters approve $47.3-million environmental bond
Providence Journal — Rhode Island voters approved by a wide margin a $47.3-million bond that will fund a variety of environmental initiatives that range from enhancing protections from the impacts of climate change to preserving farms and open space. More
From coast to coast, voters see the essentiality of your work, even if those they elect may not. The lesson to me is pretty clear. Let’s not stand on the sidelines and hope that even our best and brightest elected officials will properly value our work because we know our neighbors do and will. I know there are many of you out there who are mulling over ballot measures. Let’s use the successes of Tuesday to catalyze even greater returns in the future. Let’s roll up our sleeves, put a pot of coffee on, bring in our partners and politically connected allies, and start plotting to make 2020 the biggest park ballot year in history!
What are you waiting for?
Kevin O'Hara
Vice President of Urban and Government Affairs
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God, it gets dark early now. Those of us in northern climes are starting the long, slow, dark march into winter. For my fellow seasonal affective depressives there is a balm for what ails you, it’s some some vitamin D, sea air and thoughtful conversation with your fellow park and rec leaders in beautiful Miami, Florida.
Join us in Miami next January 16-18 for an NRPA Innovation Lab hosted alongside our partners at Miami-Dade County Parks Recreational and Open Space Department. While the weather will be warm, the topic is hot. What are we doing as an industry and as individual park and recreation agencies to combat the effects of climate change?
Resilience may be viewed in some corners as a buzzword, the new “sustainability,” but resilience is going to have to be a way of life. How will we respond to future sea level rise, increases in storm occurrence and intensity, longer droughts, extreme heat and regular flood events? How will we help our communities bounce back after a disaster strikes, and how can we create community ties and bonds to make recovery more effective?
This is the new normal, so instead of burying our head in the sand, let’s roll up our sleeves and figure out now how we can work to mitigate the effects of an extremely volatile climate future.
And, if you need even more reasons to attend the Innovation Lab, watch the preview video to find out exactly what will be happening!
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Now that the midterm elections are over, NRPA’s Public Policy Team is in constant need of coffee and as we crunch the numbers. As you have likely seen on the news over the past 24 hours or so, there were some major shakeups in Congress. Our team wanted to give everyone a quick update on the election results and what it means for NRPA members. We will also dive into what will happen between now and the end of the year in our latest blog.
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Stories That Matter
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Route Fifty
Minimum wage increases … firefighter pay parity … transgender protections … and school vouchers.
Voters in 37 states made decisions on a total of 157 statewide ballot measures, to say nothing of the city-level ballot measures many voters decided on.
Next City
Chicago has provided design plans for the parklets so other community groups can replicate them.
The waning interest in golf among millennials is leading to the sale of often valuable urban land.
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Houston's experience shows it's time to rethink how we assess damage from natural disasters.
Next City
Charlotte doesn’t pass a lot of environmental regulations because state lawmakers could swoop in and overturn, so the city is looking for other ways to achieve zero-waste goals.
Meeting of the Minds
Urban forests are integral to ensuring and enhancing the quality of life in densely populated areas.
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Next City
A new tax incentive to invest in economically distressed areas is already drawing significant interest, with Opportunity Funds already forming.
The Architects Newspaper
New York City Parks and Recreation Commissioner Mitchell Silver will discuss New York’s Parks Without Borders initiative to make parks and open space more accessible.
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Open Space Radio
Aaron Hipp, an Associate Professor of Community Health and Sustainability at NC State University, talks about how our public built environments impact health behaviors such as physical activity and recreation.
The Dirt
Research proves that access to nature improves our health and well-being.
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National Recreation and Park Association
NRPA is partnering with the Water Environment Federation to adapt and deliver the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program (NGICP) curriculum to professionals responsible for the land management, maintenance and operations of municipal parks throughout the country. We are awarding 25 applicants with scholarships to attend a 2.5-day NGICP training in May 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The deadline for applications is December 17.
The Digital Harbor Foundation
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Because Everyone Deserves a Great Park
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© 2018 National Recreation and Park Association, All Rights Reserved
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