I forgot to add in the original question, please let me know what state you are in with your response. Missouri Park and Recreation Association offers a week long design course and we are polling to see what states are "hot and heavy" with recreation facility building/improving. Thanks Gary G. www.mopark.org

We are getting ready to open a $3 million dollar sports complex this month. I am in South Carolina.

MPRA is looking to re-energize the Facility Design and Management School. What are some things that you would be looking for in a national program like this one? How important is LEED/Green design? Are you looking to build new or renovate? What are some issues that you are facing? Funding? This is a brainstorming session! Storm those brains! Thanks

I think there should be two different schools all of which should have a green focus because the current admin. is putting a big focus on this more funding maybe available. One of the focuses should be on new construction and the other be on rehab of an existing structure, I think this is what our focus will become more. I have noticed in some cities they are being asked to make an old warehouse, hospital, or schools into civic or recreation centers.

In our city we do not have a "new" recreation center we have an old power plant which is our recreation center, an old civic building which is now a meeting facility, and an old school which is our senior center. Which we make the best out of what we have and it is pretty great.

My suggestion would be to have a focus on what innovative updates and trends we can do to existing buildings. I am concerned that sales taxes and new funding options will not pass for while due to the state of the economy and this will be the only option for most departments (I really hope that this will not be the cause). How to make your dollar go further.

Gary,
Are you writing about the recreation facilities design and mgt school that was run through CPRA in Denver and that Ruby Newell-Legner facilitated?

We in W. NY. are looking at renovations. My town just voted down leasing a facility because (small vocal group)voters were very against leasing. In this morning's paper it was reported that it might take $3m. to renovate the current senior center (a 50 yr old elementary school). And,yet the very same voters see the renovation as an "investment". For $3m we could more than a basic senior center. Currently we have no facility for the rest of us to use.

Arthur Graham...

Authur,

Your story reminds me of the episode of Parks and Recreation last week. They are wanting to build a park in an abandoned lot and the only people that showed up to the town hall meeting are the people opposed to the idea! funny.

Our program is similar to CPRA but is in Missouri. Unfortunatly, the committee over our design school read the writing on the wall and decided to cancel the school this year. They are currently looking to see what the needs are for communities. Is the building boom over and people are looking to renovate? We are tweeking the school to the needs of you all! Please let me know what your input is so we can make the school applicable to more people.

Thanks

Gary,
Sorry I have not responded sooner, I just returned from our state society's annual conference.

I think here in NY what is needed right now is not so much new design ideas, as you mention the growth & build era may be over, but a new generation of professionals to provide fresh thinking and leadership.

If appropriate planning had been performed five years ago we may have been able to benefit from some of the stimulus $$$'s. But, relying on a slumping economy is not a way to run a ship either.

What we need is the political will to change state and local government. We have that vehicle here in NYS. Every 20 years a referendum is held to ask the electorate if a Constitutional Convention should be convened. The tax burden is so great that everything is basically voted down.

But, I got off track and on my pullpit. Renovation issues need to addressed. We have many LWCF facilities that need renovation, and as we know those facilities need to be maintained in perpetuity.

Arthur Graham...

Gary,
I think you already know this but on Monday's News hour with Jim Lehrer there was a piece that highlighted St. Louis and the Dperession era $'s spent by the WPA and how the projects have yielded great dividends.

The narrator then compared current stimulus $'s to the past. Everything was parks and rec. oriented. A suggestion might be to direct your design school away from "design" per se but toward how we can assist in revitilizing our communities.

I am developing a new undergrad course which will be a required course for our rec. mgt. majors. It is titled Recreation Economics and Community Development.

Arthur Graham...

I am in the process of beginning construction of a new 2.5 million dollar aquatics facility. I have actually written grants to fund 2.3 million dollars of the project, therefore able to complete the project at little to no cost to the taxpayers of my district. Without needing to bond for the project we also are going to save a considerable amount of money in interest on the bonds that would have been necessary without securing the funding sources I was able to find.