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PARTNERING FOR BETTER PARKS AND RECREATION by Ann Austin Park and recreation agencies commonly form partnerships with other government agencies, such as schools, cities, townships, or libraries; corporations; or even institutions of higher education. Often times, these partnerships lower the cost of doing business, saving taxpayer dollars, or the partnerships open additional opportunities to park agencies or avoid duplication of services. The partnerships can bring people of all ages and interests together into one central facility. Across Illinois, park and recreation agencies are working hard to capitalize on partnership opportunities. I visited four parks and recreation agencies recently to examine the kinds of partnerships they enjoy. Using SPAs to Fill the Gaps in Morton Grove For the Morton Grove Park District, entering into partnerships is a way of acting responsibly within the community it serves. A statement on the district's Web site explains that Morton Grove holds intergovernmental agreements with all area grade schools and high schools, as well as with the Village of Morton Grove. Tt states: "The agreements are built on the foundation of saving tax dollars and eliminating duplication of services." PARTNERSHIP TIP "Keep an open mind. Be flexible and think about the big picture. Understand and appreciate others' perspectives. If you really believe in something and think it would be valuable, you have to pursue it." Morton Grove Park District Director Jeff Fougerousse, CPRP www.ilparks.org September/October 2005 57

These children enjoy the Morton Grove After School Club, a program that the district put together when a school referendum failed.

Even though Morton Grove is a small community (population 23,000), Jeff Fougerousse, the agency's director, notes that the park district has agreements with five different school districts, four elementary schools and one high school. "All of our agreements are agreements where we share space," says Fougerousse. For example, School District #70 uses a park district park for recess, and the park district uses the school district's music room for jazz band practices.

One of these school/park district agreements, the School Park Agreement (SPA), includes the Skokie Park District, the Lincolnwood Park Department and Niles Township High School District 219. This agreement came about when the high school superintendent saw that coaches were running many recreation programs that he felt park agencies were better suited to administer.

Through the SPA, Morton Grove Park District is able to run a basketball program for 300 youth in only two hours on Saturdays. Prior to the agreement, Morton Grove Park District used four different grade schools for its basketball program. The program had to run all day on Saturdays, and the price tag for custodial and security fees was high. Now the district pays no fees. In return, the high school swim teams are able to use the park district's outdoor pools, and the high school can use the park district gymnasium for summer clinics and camps. Any surplus funds from programming through the SPA are passed on to the high school district.

The Morton Grove Park District also has a shared use agreement with the Village of Morton Grove for a parking lot. In addition, the park district and the public works department share equipment. The public works department helps the park district with tree removal and street repair, and the park district maintains the parkways and garden areas of the village. By including a park district street bid in with the public works' street resurfacing program, the Morton Grove Park District was able to save over $100,000. The Village of Morton Grove Police Department is also available to the park police department for training, back-up and dispatching services.

Morton Grove, along with Niles, Glenview, Park Ridge and unincorporated Des Plaines stepped up to the plate last year when a referendum failed, and School District 63 was going to have to cancel its after-school athletic activities. Fougerousse got the park directors together to discuss a way to keep the 400 kids in this diverse school district (speaking over 70 different languages) occupied after school. Some of the coaches who had worked in the school program volunteered. The park districts helped staff it, and the fees were raised. But, a majority of the young people in the program were taken care of until a subsequent referendum passed, and the school district took the program back over.

At every August board meeting, Fougerousse brings the agreements in which Morton Grove Park District is involved to the commissioners for their review. Fougerousse appreciates being able to have agreements with school districts because he feels that "children feel much more comfortable in their own environment."

WAMAs in the Pontiac High School

While parks and recreation agency and school district agreements may be quite common, the Pontiac Parks and Recreation Department has negotiated a unique agreement with Pontiac Township High School District #90. In November, 2000, the school district and parks department opened a joint community recreation center, shared by the residents of the Pontiac area and students of the school district.

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PARTNERSHIP TIP "There are more pros than cons. Take your time, study the proposal, see what works and what doesn't, and do it right! Include and educate all citizens so that they enjoy a high level of comfort." Pontiac Parks and Recreation Department Director Jerry Hayner, CPRP

Jerry Hayner, director of the Pontiac Parks and Recreation Department, and Butch Cotter, superintendent of Pontiac Township High School District #90, agree that this joint venture is a success. According to both Cotter and Hayner, there were many skeptics when talks to build the center began, and it was a "slow, grueling process." But Hayner attributes much of the success of the recreation center to this careful, deliberative procedure. In planning the facility, says Cotter, they asked the question, "How can we get the most joint usage out of the building?" The school and parks officials visited other facilities and talked to citizens before finalizing plans.

Finally, Pontiac went ahead with building the community recreation center. The school district donated land adjacent to the high school, and the city of Pontiac funded the project with 13-year tax increment financing bonds, as well as an Illinois First grant for some of the building's amenities.

The community recreation center includes an air-conditioned gymnasium with three full-sized basketball courts, also striped for volleyball and badminton; a track; a racquetball court; an activities room for aerobics, dance and tumbling; a seniors/community room; two classrooms; a multi-purpose room; and access to the existing high school swimming pool. The high school is responsible for running the pool, while the parks department runs the facility. A kitchen doubles as a community kitchen and concession stand, with a window opening onto the track and the football field, and fans have access to recreation center restrooms for high school events.

By 5:30 in the morning, the parking lot is full, and the building is busy all day. During the day, high school classes use one of the two classrooms, as well as two of the three gymnasiums for physical education classes. Athletic teams use the facility for practices before and after school. Cotter says, "The school gets to use certain parts of the facility at certain times. Students appreciate it and know how they are supposed to act. It's good for the community to see our students." Residents can walk around the elevated track and watch the students practice. As a result, the community residents get to know the coaches and players on the athletic teams, and, Hayner says, residents attend high school athletic events in increased numbers and with increased interest.

The Pontiac recreation center has a very active group of seniors who prefer to be called "Wise and Mature Adults" (WAMAs) and who clearly appreciate having the center available to them. Some of their comments include: "It gives me a place to go so I don't stay home all day;" "They choose their employees carefully. They are all very friendly;" "The time goes faster when you watch the high school kids. This is a great place for all ages."

Cotter says that the secret of the success of the facility is that he and Hayner communicate well. He says, "We don't play administrative ping pong." Hayner and Cotter both stress that people feel safe and comfortable in the facility. Cotter adds, "It's amazing how much can be accomplished when we don't care who gets the credit."

Letting the Community Win in Waukegan

Waukegan Park District is engaged in a variety of partnerships with the school district and the township, but Executive Director Greg Petty reports that one of the most successful partnerships is with

Pontiac built the community recreation center adjacent to the high school on land donated by the school district. The city funded the project with 13-year tax increment financing bonds, as well as on Illinois First grant. High school sports teams use the center, as do PE classes.

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The Waukegan Park District stepped in to provide a new site for a local BMX track.

the local Boys & Girls Club.

Petry explains that Waukegan is a diverse community with a need for after-school care for children. The Boys & Girls Club was trying to meet this need, serving 200 children a day in a church hall. But it quickly outgrew the facility, and, when faced with the immanent loss of its lease, the club came to the park district for help. The Waukegan Park District came through and turned a recreation center over to the Boys & Girls Club. (This building was one that the Waukegan Park District had originally built in partnership with the YMCA. The YMCA had pulled out of the agreement, leaving a void in the programming of the facility.)

The Boys & Girls Club now owns the building and pays the utilities. The park district maintains the exterior of the building and grounds. An advantage to this arrangement is that the Boys & Girls Club has staff and access to grants and contributions with their not-for-profit status. The program is currently serving 300 children after school, providing them with a safe haven. "We don't need to be the primary giver of services," Petry says of this partnership. "We clearly saw the Boys and Girls Club could facilitate the programming of this facility more effectively and efficiently, so we pulled out and the community ultimately won."

Another partnership is one between the Waukegan Public Library and the Waukegan Park District. The library wanted a branch on the west side of Waukegan, and the park district was planning to build a new field house. Petry says he doesn't really know who came up with the idea for this agreement; it just evolved naturally. Construction on this field house/library began in July 2005, with the opening scheduled for fall of 2006. Inside the facility, the park district will provide a 600-square-foot space for a branch library. The library will pay the utilities for their space and will program, furnish and staff the library. There will be a drop-off box outside the field house for returning library materials. Besides the library, the field house will contain offices for staff, six basketball/volleyball courts, a child care center, a fitness facility, a climbing wall, a concession stand with healthy choices, meeting rooms, locker rooms, an aerobics room and a running track. Petry's attitude is, "It's the taxpayers' money anyway, because they're a part of the city. Don't worry about who pays for what; just do it—it's good for the community."

One more unique partnership the Waukegan Park District enjoys is with the Waukegan BMX Association. The association was losing its BMX track due to developments at the Lake County Fairgrounds. The association approached the Waukegan Park District about a site for a new BMX track. Petry suggested Callahan Park, a landfill that had been cleaned up, as a possible site. The park district built the track, and the Waukegan BMX Association is responsible for programming, maintenance and future improvements. According to Petry, the BMX track has been a "great addition to the community." This is a case, says Petry, where listening to residents added a unique program for the citizens of Waukegan.

The Waukegan Park District is one of many community groups in Waukegan that get together every other month to make certain they are not duplicating services or compromising resources. Involved in this meeting are representatives from the city, schools, library, township, park district, the port district, the YMCA, YWCA and the Boys & Girls Club, as well as other not-for-profit organizations in Waukegan. They discuss and create a yearly calendar of events and promote each others' activities. Petry notes that the back page of the Waukegan Park District brochure is dedicated to advertising not only its own events, but also the events of other organizations and government agencies in Waukegan.

Doing the DISC in Decatur

William Clevenger, executive director of the Decatur Park District, is extremely proud of the partnership the park district has formed with Millikin University. Together with the university, the park

PARTNERSHIP TIP "Be open minded and listen when people approach you. You have to have the pulse of the community, know your long-range plans and when something is a 'fit/ and capitalize on that." Waukegan Park District Executive Director Greg Petry, CPRP

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PARTNERSHIP TIP "It is important not to just rest where you are; you should constantly work with partners to meet everyone's needs and create better opportunities. Develop relationships with individuals in the private sector based on mutual trust to create win-win situations." Decatur Park District Executive Director William Clevenger, CPRP

district has constructed an 87,000-square-foot indoor sports center, located on the campus of Millikin University. It came about when the park district was going to build a smaller facility, and Millikin had a need for a student recreation center. In a number of conversations over the course of a year or two, the idea of a joint venture began to take shape, and, Clevenger says, "It made sense that two could do it better than one."

The Decatur Indoor Sports Center (DISC) is in its fourth year of operation. The park district owns and operates the building, and any profit or loss is shared equally between the park district and university. Nathan Wilks, assistant manager of the facility, says that all full-time students pay an activity fee to the university and are entitled to use the indoor sports center. Millikin students use the DISC for classes, athletic practices and intramurals. Residents can use the facility with a full facility annual pass, daily pass or specific user fees. Decatur Park District employees hold most of the jobs at the DISC. The building houses a fitness center; a four-lane track; a soccer field; five basketball/volleyball courts; two dance studios; two golf simulators; chipping and putting greens; a climbing wall; batting and throwing cages; and locker rooms. Wilks says that schedules are posted so people know who has priority

Together with Millikin University, the Decatur Park District built an 87,000-square-foot indoor sports center located on the campus. The district enhances its income by selling advertising space at strategic locations at the center.

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The Decatur Park Singers' equipment truck now sports a colorful banner recognizing the sponsorship of Ameren.

on the different areas of the DISC. Clevenger notes that administrators from Millikin and the park district have quarterly to semi-annual meetings to deal with the "constant balancing act." The key, according to Clevenger, is "to continually talk and keep everyone on the same page."

Clevenger says that the Decatur Park District has partnerships with many businesses in the area. For example, the park district sells advertising on the dasher boards for the indoor soccer fields at the DISC. They also have an agreement with a soft drink company. With the help of a consultant, the Decatur Park District determined what value it could offer to a corporation, so the district "Isn't just asking for money," says Clevenger. The district researches the value of teaming up with a corporation and quantifies its value to each potential sponsor.

One big success has been the Staley Striders, a summer track program, sponsored by Tate & Lyle (formerly Staley). This program serves many at-risk youth and has been quite well received. An exciting new partnership in the community of Decatur is a $10,000 donation to the Decatur Park Singers by the Ameren Corporation. At the urging of a friend, Chris Riley, president of the Decatur Park District Board of Commissioners, talked to Donna Martin, senior vice president and chief human resources officer of Ameren Corporation, about a possible sponsorship. Martin and Riley continued talks for about a year, and, according to Riley, Martin "sold it further up the chain." This partnership benefits both organizations, Riley says. Of course there's the benefit to the singers, not only in the obvious additional funding. Ameren is also providing the Decatur Park Singers with additional venues, which Riley says has been phenomenal. For example, Ameren sponsored two community concerts this summer, one in Peoria and one in Springfield, both of which featured the Decatur Park Singers as the opening act. The Decatur Park Singers have been in existence 33 years, and this was their first performance in Peoria. Riley notes that Ameren is focused on the communities it serves, and it can bring the singers into these communities as a way to give back to customers. In addition, the Decatur Park Singers' equipment truck now sports a colorful banner recognizing the sponsorship of Ameren. Riley says, "It gets the Ameren name rolling down the highways of Illinois." Both parties hope this partnership will be a long-term commitment.

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Just Keep Talking

According to the collective wisdom of park agency directors who are involved in a variety of successful partnerships, partnerships can offer tremendous advantages but can also pose challenges. One of the challenges in working with other agencies involves changes in their administration. Another is to maintain fairness; balance is necessary in an agreement so one party doesn't feel it is giving more than it is getting. Partnerships can also pose challenges in working through the bureaucratic process, and they can be time consuming. Scheduling and space can also be difficult at times.

On top of that, there appears to be no single recipe that will yield a batch of successful partnerships for your agency. In the June 2005 issue of Parks & Recreation magazine, Dr. Kim Uhlik points out that after twenty years of study, academics have not been able to "connect the sizable literature [on partnerships] in a way that will reveal the general wisdom or theory that should be gained from each individual case." But Dr. Uhlik does offer a broad 6-step process "already known to many park and recreation professionals as the planning model":

1. Know your organizational philosophy
2. Assess your needs and your partners' needs
3. Design a framework for the partnership
4. Evaluate the relationship
5. Fix any part of the partnership that isn't working, and
6. Repeat the process

All park directors interviewed for this article have either formally or informally run through that process for all of their partnerships and collaborations. But each new project presents its own set of challenges based, in part, on the desired outcomes and the capacities and limitations of the agencies involved. Given that each partnership comes with its unique set of circumstances, the directors interviewed agree that communication — and plenty of it - is the key to any successful partnership.

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