NC State University

RRS Library

The RRS Library is your source for information and topics covered by previous RRS sponsored educational opportunities and studies.

e-Learning
Conferences
Services Studies
Teleconferences

e-Learning

August 17, 2011 Handguns in Parks...
NC Session Law 2011-268 House Bill 650. What it means in your community.

Session Presentations:

Ordinances Regulating Guns in Parks

June 16, 2011 - Lightning and Severe Weather...Is Your Department Prepared?
Making sure your department is prepared when severe weather strikes. A team of presenters will share their expertise about severe weather facts and myths, high school athletic policies, planning for severe weather in outdoor recreation settings and provide weather forecasting resources to assist your department in developing a plan.

January 12, 2011 - A Look at the New Political Landscape on Local, State and Federal Levels.
RRS is teaming up with The Ferguson Group, NRPA and the NC Recreation and Park Association to offer this free webinar to discuss the new political landscape and what we must do as parks and recreation professionals to be a part of that new landscape!!  Mike Waters, along with NRPA reps and staff from the Ferguson Group will be presenting. 

May 10, 2011: "Evaluating Technology for the Workplace"
On a daily basis we hear about new technologies like Blogs, Twitter, Facebook,
podcasting and many others. Technologies like these can be great tools for your
organization, but they can also be a waste of time or worse. In this workshop
we'll highlight strategies to help make informed decisions.

Session Presentations:
Evaluating Technology for the Workplace

February 9, 2011 Managing Stormwater Webinar Regulations and Treatement Practies.
Topics covered: Why be concerned about stormwater, Stormwater regulations overview, Stormwater treatement practices, Low Impact Development

Session Presentations:

Intro to LID and LEED
DWQ's STormwater Programs: Overview and Recent Changes
Why Be concerned about stormwater

December 15, 2009: 2010 State Adopt-A-Trail & 2010 Federal Recreational Trails
Money may be tight but people still need a place to walk and enjoy nature. Find out how the Adopt-A-Trail and Recreational Trails Program grants can help your department make your community more walkable.

Session Handouts:

Trails Grant Programs Overview

Watch the recording of the session. (May require Java updates to view)

 

Plugged-in-Parks (series of three e-Learning sessions)
For some parks and recreation professionals, technology is a four letter word that is keeping people away recreation programs and facilities. This three part series will explain how the opposite is possible, as we explore how departments can use various technologies to better connect and engage with their communties

September 16, 2009 Social Media & Networking- Facebook, Twitter & other Resources (1 of 3)

Session Presentations:

Plugged-in-Parks I

Watch the recording of the session. (May require Java updates to view)

September 30, 2009: The GeoWeb-Connecting Parks to the People through the Internet (2 of 3)

 Session Presentations:

Plugged-in-Parks II

Watch the recording of the session. (May require Java updates to view)

October 14, 2009 Interactive Gaming- Movement for a Sedentary Society (3 of 3)

Session Presentations:

Plugged-in-Parks III

Watch the recording of the session. (May require Java updates to view)

 

May 6, 2010 (9:30-11:30 AM) Fire ants, ticks & mosquitoes...dealing with your favorite pests
Parks and recreation maintenance staff continue to be challenged by infestations of fire ants, ticks and mosquitoes in parks and other recreation areas. The rules and regulations regarding the treatment of the pests as well as new treatment methods continue to evolve, particularly where children are involved. Agencies are also faced with a new liability in terms of these pests. How is you agency responding to these issues?

Session Presentations:

Watch the recording of the session   (May require Java updates to view)

October 1, 2009: Preparing parks for the H1N1 flu virus
The H1N1 flu virus has the compacity to reach every person in North Carolina and beyond. This session examines what parks and recreation departments across the state can do to prepare and spread information and not the flu to their participants.

Session Presentations:

Pandemic Influenza H1N1:What it means for Parks and Recreation Departments!

Watch the recording of the session. (May require Java updates to view)

 

May 5, 2009: Budget Concerns Seem To Grow Daily  What are Parks and Recreation Departments across the nation doing to address these concerns?  We had a unique opportunity to hear what parks and recreation professionals in other states are doing!  William C. Beckner from Bethesda, Maryland; Dale Larsen from Phoenix, Arizona; and John Lawrence, Livermore, Ca.. joined us from across the country. Rounding out the panel was Chris Wicker from Roanoke Rapids, NC. An opportunity was be given for participants to talk about what is doing in there department!

Session Presentations:

Budget Concerns

 

March 12, 2009 Viginia Graeme Baker: Pool and Spa Safety Act

RRS presented our first e-learning session, an online educational workshop that permits users to participate from their desktop computer. Over 80 participants joined us to learn the latest information about the Virginia Graeme Baker: Pool and Spa Safety Act from the NC Division of Environmental Health Services.

Session Presentations:

Suction Hazard Law

Watch the recording of the session (May require Java updates to view)

 

Conferences

NC Coastal Reserve Coastal Training Program - January 31, 2012
Managing Recreational Use of Publicly Accessible Protected Lands Workshop - more info on workshop

Charlynne Smith, Trends in Mobile Technology: Communicating with Social Media and Mobile Apps -

Click to see information and three hour presentation from October 2011 video teleconference

Pete Armstrong - Common Ground between Local Parks Departments & Land Resource Managers
Presentation (PDF) handout of slides with hyperlinks included for resources discussed


Services Study

Fiscal Year 2012-13 Executive Report--Focus on Trends--Coming Soon!!

Fiscal Year 2011-12 Executive Report - Focus on Salaries

Fiscal Year 2010-11 Executive Report - Focus on Fees and Charges

Fiscal Year 2009-10 Executive Report - Focus on Facilities Inventory

Fiscal Year 2008-09 Executive Report Focus on Salaries
Fiscal Year 2007-08 Executive Report - Focus on Fees and Charges
Fiscal Year 2006-07 Executive Report - Focus on Facilities Inventory
Fiscal Year 2005-06 Executive Report - Focus on Salaries
Fiscal Year 2004-05 Executive Report- Focus on Fees and Charges
Fiscal Year 2003-04 Executive Report - Focus on Facilities Inventory


Teleconferences

Handouts and related information from previous teleconferences are available below.

Spring 2013 Teleconferences

Access to video recordings of any Spring 2013 Teleconference is available for $10.

Please email or call Jenn Beedle to purchase access to the recordings.

February 6, 2013 - Park Maintenance

RRS' annual Park Maintenance teleconference was presented this year in three parts.

  1. Zach Manor, Urban Forester with the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department discussed the maintenance of trees in a park setting to include planting, pruning, mulching, and an overview of the Urban Forestry Program in Raleigh.
  2. Tim Johnson, Western Trails Specialist with the North Carolina State Trails Program shared methods of maintaining natural surface trails in parks, and on trails like the Mountains-to-Sea Trail and the Appalachian Trail. Specific areas of discussion include stabilizing, drainage repair, and clearing.
  3. David Griffin, Park Maintenance Supervisor in Rocky Mount, and Steve Warren, Rocky Mount Parks and Recreation Interim Director discussed maintenance of picnic shelters, rest rooms, benches, playground equipment, fences, signs, and bridges

Session Handouts:

 

 

March 6, 2013 - Summer Camp

Katie Johnson, Southeastern Field Office Executive Director with the American Camp Association presented from the University of Georgia to discuss camp scenarios to assist parks and recreation departments in preparing for "this could never happen in my youth program."

 The US Tennis Association has partnered with North Carolina Center for Afterschool Programs for a multi-year effort to provide tennis training to afterschool programs across the state. Kelly Gaines, Executive Director for USTA North Carolina, and Jamie Knowles-Griffiths, Director of NCCAP talked about the collaborative and how this can be used as an opportunity to better your summer camp with improved, enriched and unique programs.

Session Handouts:

ACA Case Scenarios

Session Presentation Slides:

 

 

 

 

Session Links:

North Carolina’s Raise the Net: http://nctennis.com/node/341

USTA Facility Assistance: http://www.usta.com/facilities/?intloc=headernav

 

April 3, 2013 - Emergency Preparedness

Doug Robinson of the North Carolina Justice Academy shared information how to assess parks and recreation facilities in terms of safety across a variety of different potential emergency scenarios.

Alan Gill, Director for Henderson-Vance Recreation and Parks joined RRS to share how his department responded to a shooting incident at their community center.

Kathy Capps, Grants and Risk Manager for the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation department discussed her department's effort to compile a comprehensive list of emergency readiness resources and shared with the audience the resulting compilation of active shooter threat resources.

Session Presentation Slides:

 

Session Handouts

 

 

May 1, 2013 -Economic Impact of Parks and Recreation

Dr. Erick Byrd, Associate Professor in the Departement of Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Hospitaltiy and Tourism in the UNCG Bryan School of Business; and Catrina Alexander, Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Mount Airy, NC discussed the challenge of showing the economic impact of their facilities, services, and events.

Many complex and expensive methods exist that can give economic impact numbers, however many park and recreation departments do not have the finical resources to pay for these studies. This session provided information for the recreation professional to be better equipped to develop, manage, analyze, and report direct spending from visitors who use their services or attend an event. Specific topics included survey development, methodology, data entry, data analysis, and reporting results. With slight modifications in methodology, these types of studies can be done for facilities, services and attractions.

Mark Holland, of  Transportation Equipment and Services, Inc., who has worked closely with Catrina and Mt. Airy provided an overview of why pedestrian and bicycle count data is needed, benefits of accurate count data, and Eco-counter technology for count solutions

Session Presentation Slides:

Economic Impact of Parks and Recreation

Session Links:

The Need for Pedestrian and Bicycle Count Data

 

Fall 2012 Teleconferences

Video recordings of Fall 2012 Teleconferences are available free of charge and are linked below

October 3, 2012 - Youth Sports - Dealing with Difficult Situations

Mark Dreibelbis, Assistant Commissioner with the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, presented information and provided resources to help parks and recreation agency staff best work with difficult people and situations on and off the field. Participants discussed listenting skills, the power of positive thinking, communication with coaches and officials and basics for conflict resolution in sports.

Session Handouts:

 

Session Recording: Youth Sports - Dealing with Difficult Situations

 

November 7, 2012 - Special Facilities in the Park and Recreation System

This teleconference covered popular and emerging facilities for parks and recreation managers and staff. The first session took a look at the design and management of dog parks in our communities. The second session provided information on splash pads and miniature trains. Information presented included risk management for these facilities and staffing policies. The teleconference concluded with information for incorporating community gardens into park systems. Emphasis was placed on the benefits of these gardens for educational purposes and promoting healthy eating habits to children and their families.

Session Presentation Slides:

 

Session Handouts:

 

 

 

 

Session Recording: Special Facilies in the Park and Recreation System

 

December 5, 2012 - Lightning Talk: Policy Update

Our December teleconference, culminating the 2012 series, featured expert advice and "how-to" from leading park and recreation practitioners and collaboraters. These field leaders disussed their department's experience with changing laws and ordinances. Topics included gang activity in parks, smoking ordinances, concealed weapons in parks, accessibility, and concluded with a talk from NCRPA on how we can work together to provide advocacy and influence policy making.

Session Presentation Slides

 

Session Handouts

 

 

 

 

Session Links

 

 

 

Session Recording: Lightning Talk: Policy Update (coming soon)

 

Spring 2012 Teleconferences

May 2, 2012 - Defining and Branding Your Parks and Recreation Department

Come learn about making your "mark" on the community. We'll explore the benefits and importance of creating your department's brand and how to market it in a world of growing private recreation opportunities. Our speakers will share case studies as you learn about getting the word out with social media, defining who you are and what you look like.

 

      Session Handouts:

April 4, 2012 - Volunteer Management

  • Learn the core components of volunteer recruitment, managment and recognition.
  • Find out how best to use teens as volunteers.
  • Explore strategies for engaging volunteers in trail planning, development and maintenance.

 

 

 

Session Handouts:

 

March 7, 2012 - Professional Development & Training for Summer Camp Staff

Join our speakers, Barry A. Garst, Director of Program Development & Research with the American Camping Association (ACA) and Katie Johnson of the ACA Southeastern Field Office discuss professional development, training and related resources for summer camp staff. Workshop Handouts below:

 

February 1, 2012 - Parks Maintenance

Join experts from NC State University Crop Science and Horticulture Science Departments as they cover three very important topics for park maintenance managers and staff:

 

Fall 2011 Teleconferences

December 7: Youth Sports: Creating the Best Possible Environment!

We are fortunate to have Dr. Greg Dale, Professor of Sport Psychology and Sport Ethics at Duke University to talk about creating the best environment on the playing field for youth sport participants. You will not want to miss his suggestions for teaching coaches and dealing with parents...issues that everyone in parks and recreation faces when providing you sport programs. 

Watch a video recording of the teleconference

November 2, 2011: Customer Service: A key to success or failure of your department

Plan for your front line staff to participate in this teleconference aimed to help you meet your customer service needs. Our speakers, Dr. Wanda Sykes and Joel Benson will teach you how to assess your customer service focus, understand how to internalize the cost of poor customer service and provide strategies to become a practicioner of the 12 principles of customer service excellence.

Session Presentations:

Customer Service: Key to Success

Session Handouts:

Customer Service - Self-Test
Excellent Customer Service: A Dozen Best Practices

 

October 5, 2011: Do I Need a Mobile App for That?

Learn about enhancing your parks, recreation and tourism services through the use of mobile applications on smartphone devices or tablets. Understand trends in marketing, use of mobile devices and how your agency may be able to use existing applications or consider developing your own specialized application.

Session Presentations:

Overview, Terminology & Mobile Device Stats - Charlynne Smith

Custom Mobile Applications at the NCSU Libraries - Cory Lown

Do I Need an App for That...and other social media essentials - Neha Shah

More Examples of Applications & Wrap Up - Charlynne Smith

Session Handouts:

Social Media Terminology from Hubspot.com

Mobile App Planning Worksheet - map our your plan

Watch a video recording of the teleconference

 

Spring 2011 Teleconferences

February 2,  2011: What's New in Pest Control and Pesticide Safety for Athletic Fields and Park Facilities

Our annual Park Maintenance focused teleconference features Matt Martin, Extension Associate - Turfgrass with NC State University Crop Science Department. Learn new innovations in pest control and pesticide safety for your park and athletic facilities.

March 2, 2011: Reinventing Your Summer Camp in Tough Economic Times

A Chase Card Services survey noted that 70% of Americans will not cut back on summer activities like summer camp or Little League. We must adapt and find new ways to enhance out camper's experience without breaking the budget. Join us on this teleconference to find out how!

Session Presentations:

1. Reinventing Your Summer Camp In tough Economic Times (Voska)
2. Enriching Your Camp Without Expanding Your Budget (Shirilla & Patterson)

April 6, 2011: Effective Lifeguards: The Key to Successful Aquatic Facilities

Join us as we welcome Roy Fielding, the “Pool Professor” as he is known across the southeastern US, to learn more about keeping your aquatic facility successful.  Come and learn what training and skills your lifeguards must have in order to perform their duties to keep your participants safe.  In-service training will be explained, with specific reasons why and how to conduct in-service training.   If you have an aquatic facility, do not miss this training.

Session Presentations:
Effective Lifeguarding and CYA (Fielding)

Session Handouts:

The UNC Charlotte Swimming Pool Operations Manual

 

Fall 2010 Teleconferences

October 6, 2010: All About Trails & Greenways

  • sustainable building methods
  • grant opportunities
  • creating successful trails
  • developing effective regional trail plans

Teleconference Handouts:

1. Morganton's Greenway System
2. Regional Trail Plans
3. Sustainable Trails
4. Concord Greenway Loop

 

November 3, 2010: Customer Service 101 for Front Line Supervisors

Intensified competition in the marketplace is just one condition forcing many parks and recreation agencies to strategize how to keep and grow their customer base. As a service business, agencies must find ways to create better value for their offerings without cutting prices. Offering superior service is a successful strategy to differentiate one agency from the competition.

Session Presentations:

Front Line Supervisors

December 1: Connecting Parks and Recreation Departments with Toursim.

Crack a good travel book and you won’t hear a peep about the local recreation department. But what you will find are pages of information on parks, events, beautiful landmarks and a myriad of other tourism draws which your department likely has a hand in. Impress your local government by increasing your role in your local tourism development and increasing the revenue that tourism brings with it.

Session Presentations:
1. Destination Management (Byrd)
2. Opportunities for Collaboration (Rich)
3. Marketing Sports from a CVB Perspective (Perez)
4. Documenting Your Tourism Contribution (Tomas)
5. Thriving Partnership: Rocky Mount P&R and Nash Co. Travel and Tourism (Smith and Lamm)
6. North Carolina Division of Tourism (Nabors) Request this presentation from RRS

 

Spring 2010 Teleconferences

May 5, 2010: North Carolina Building Codes and the "Americans with Disabilities" Act.

Building Codes and Accessibility are key concerns as Parks and Recreation Departments plan now facilities and renovate old ones. RRS is pleased to host Ms. Laurel W. Wright, the Chief Accessibility Code Consultant for the North Carolina Office of State Fire Marshal, a division of the North Carolina Department of Insurance.

Session Presentations:

Site Access Interior + Exterior

Session Handouts:

Trails

 

April 13, 2010: What Makes An Effective Advisory Board?

3rd Annual CBM Teleconference: 6 - 8 p.m. RRS and NCRPA announce the 3rd annual CBM teleconference workshop. The date for our evening teleconference for Citizen Advisory Board Members is set, Discuss attending with your board members now. Check back for details on our workshop agenda and site locations, coming soon! (COST: $10 per person, $30 max per agency).

No handouts:


February 3, 2010: Controlling Difficult Turf Insects and Weeds in Parks on a Tight Budget And Sprayer and Spreader Calibration for Turf Managers The impact of tight budgets affect every aspect of the Parks and Recreation Department, including maintenance operations. In this session you will learn economical methods to prevent those difficult-to-control turf insects and weeds in your municipal landscapes, parks and athletic fields.

No handouts:

 

March 3, 2010: Training the Next-Generation of Summer Camp Counselors

The second largest generation in American history is making its way into the workforce as your summer camp couselors. Join us for this workshop and learn more about the charactersitics of working with Millennials as counselors, discover tools to manage staff and camper behavior (including the "bully") and find out more about training materials to help prepare and motivate your summer staff.

Session Presentations:

Addressing the Needs of All Campers, Including Bullies, PowerPoint (Dr. Kimberly Allen)
Supporting teachers and students, schools against bullying behavior. (Dr. Kimberly Allen)

Session Handouts:

Worksheet [handout 3] (Vonda Martin)

Session Links:

www.CampLeadership.org
www.ctcampguys.com
www.teamworkandteamplay.com
www.ultimatecampresource.com
www.personalbrandingblog.wordpress.com

2007-2009 Teleconferences

Please contact RRS for DVDs and presentations from past teleconferences.

Conservation & Recreation: Working with Land Conservancies

You will learn about tools available to enhance green infrastructure & plan for sustainable communities while examining examples of successful collaboration in North Carolina.

Lean and Green: Educating Communities through Parks and Programs

A "lean and green" educational transition has begun nationwide! With the downturn in the economy, how does one spend more money on the front end to save money and the environment for the for the future?

Creative Programming & Financing for Special Population Recreation Activities: With or without a Therapeutic Recreation Division!
Learn the basics of "special needs programming”.  For departments familiar with the basics, discover the importance of relationships with other groups and organizations in serving special needs populations. 

Identifying and Controlling Athletic Field Pests
Best Management Practices (BMPs) are implemented at many levels across our agencies. As we seek to improve environmental quality and provide the best playing surface for athletic fields, we must address the reality of reducing cost.

Children, Nature & Summer Camps

Discover new resources to understand the potential and benefits of the outdoors to our children's programs.

Smart Practices for Recreation Access and Inclusion

Join nationally known authority on ADA and Accessibility Guidelines, John McGovern, J.D. as he provides insight for providing services and programs to everyone you serve. This year is an important year as many of the guidelines are becoming requirements under the law.

Stepping Up to the Plate for Parks & Recreation - Citizen Advisory Boards

May's teleconference focuses on Citizen Boards and is a must for your board members to attend.

The Fun to Come! Trends Impacting Parks & Recreation Changing culture, extreme sports, outdated facilities, pressure for revenue production? What are the trends impacting the services our profession provides today and in the future? Join us as we bring professionals from North Carolina and Michigan for an interactive presentation to help you better understand trends and their impact on park, recreation and leisure services. Featured Speakers: Erik Rabinowitz, Ph.D., Appalachian State University and Pamela Kirbach, CPRP, Kirbach consultancy, Michigan.

Legal Issues: "It's All About the Kids"

Grainger Barrett, Cumberland County Attorney, addresses a variety of legal issues connected to the delivery of every day park & leisure services. From the release of personal information about minors participating in our programs to banning convicted sex offenders from our parks, learn about safeguards, protections and legal obligations. Be prepared to discuss laws, policies and procedures impacting departmental operations.

Taking the Fear out of Grant Writing

Learn "grantsmanship" basics that will help you prepare for and write any grant. Successful grant acquisition begins with setting goals and objectives. Discover new resources to assist in preparing grants as well as methods to search for funding opportunities appropriate for your project.