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In 1999, I had just been appointed as the new executive director of the Quincy Park District. Having grown up in the Chicago suburbs, I thought that the best of the best in park districts could only be found within a stone's throw of the windy city until my family and I moved to beautiful Quincy, Illinois. I was totally impressed with the high quality of the programs and facilities offered by my new park district. Every day brought new challenges and opportunities, and I wanted to learn as much about the agency as I could in the shortest period of time. After reading about the IAPD/IPRA Distinguished Agency program, I became convinced that the Quincy Park District could attain the distinguished status and at the same time get better as a result of the process. But, there was also another reason for my wanting to go through the program. As the new executive director it would "fast forward" my learning curve by giving me a thorough understanding of die strengths and weaknesses of the agency. January/February 2007 - page 29
In the Beginning... Today, a volunteer committee made up of representitives from both the Illinois Association of Park Districts and the Illinois Park and Recreation Association administers the program.
What makes an agency distinguished?
General Management
Finance and Business Operations
Facilities and Parks Some items that fall under the area of physical planning include: adequate facilities to cover the needs of the population served (e.g., proper number of tennis courts, ball diamonds, etc.); accessibility for people with disabilities; the establishment of a land-cash donation ordinance; and proper facility maintenance, to name a few. IAPD and IPRA evaluators will also look over the agency's formal master plan (or other written board policies) to determine how the agency has used the plan to set direction for its operations. Components of a master plan should include: a community survey, goals, plans, recommendation, implementation and periodic updates.
Personnel Evaluators consider whether an agency provides regular training to its staff; the extent to which it encourages staff attendance at workshops and seminars; the accuracy of job descriptions; the commitment to hiring certified professionals; and adherence to minimum salary standards for the chief executive, recreation administrators, recreation supervisors and office managers. January/February 2007 - page 30
Recreation Services Points are also awarded for meeting standards in such areas as keeping statistical information on program use, developing and using recreation services needs assessmei instruments, developing a comprehensive policy on program fees and charges and distributing annual participant evaluations.
Legal An agency will want to be sure that its operations comply with the Open Meetings Act, the Freedom of Information Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and more.
Is Your Agency Ready?
Getting Started This is a large document of approximately 125 pages. Copies should be made for key staff members that will be involved in the process. The agency independently determines if it can comply with a sufficient number of criteria necessary for distinguished agency recognition by completing the self-evaluation found at the back of the manual. After going through the self-evaluation, staff will have a better sense of not only the scope of the process, but also of their agency's ability and readiness to "take the plunge."
You Are Not Alone On the IAPD side, committee co-chair Alvin Griggs (alvingriggs@mcleodusa.net), and on the IPRA side, co-chair Steve Persinger (spersinger@genevaparks.com) can answer any questions you may have as you get started. A mentor will be assigned to your agency if both the JDPRAC and your agency agree that you are eligible to move forward with the process. The mentor has already gone through the process in his or her own agency and likely has assisted several others along the way. The mentor is available for interpretation of the criteria and truly wants you and your agency to be successful. When the agency and the mentor feel that the agency is ready for evaluation, the agency submits a letter requesting the formal evaluation. The evaluation team consists of five members made up of elected park commissioners and professionals.
How Much Does it Cost?
You Might Ask, What Are the Benefits? "Successfully attaining distinguished agency status demonstrates to our community that our park district is among the leaders in the state of Illinois in bringing top-quality services to our residents," says Gary Park District Executive Director Steve Cherveny. "It proves that professional standards have been met, qualified professionals employed and also acknowledges that our elected officials are effective and efficient guardians of public resources." The Gary Park District earned the coveted distinguished agency status in 2001. Agencies that have gone through the program also report increased pride and morale among staff, increased confidence of constituents and users, greater understanding by elected officials of policies, procedures and general operations. January/February 2007 - page 32
Bolingbrook Park District Director of Parks and Recreation Ray Ochromowicz states, "In our case, the process gave us a chance on the internal side to re-examine the way we operate, to take a closer look at our policies and procedures and change them to reflect the way we are actually conducting business. On the external side of things, the process acts like a third party review board that provides outside credibility in determining if the agency has met the standard."
What Are You Waiting For? If you are still not convinced and are not ready to demonstrate how distinguished your agency really is, then I invite you to attend Session #124 of the IAPD/IPRA Annual Conference at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday January 27. Go ahead. Distinguish yourself! John R Hecker, CPRP is the executive director of the Des Plaines Park District, which first achieved its distinguished agency certification in ) 994 and has since been re-certified in 2000 and 2006. Along with eleven other executive directors, he is a member of the Belissimo Golf Jour. January/February 2007 - page 34Illinois Distinguished Park & Recreation Agencies As of January 2006, 33 agencies have earned and retained the coveted Illinois Distinguished Agency status. Is your district ready to meet the challenge? Find out. Download the Distinguished Park and Recreation Agency Standards Manual at www.ILparks.org/programs_dist_agency.htm (TAPD Web site under Programs). After reviewing the standards and completing the self-evaluation, which is good for three years, follow the instructions under "Application and Evaluation Process for Distinguished Recognition" to contact the Joint Distinguished Park and Recreation Agency Committee QDPRAC). A mentor will be assigned to guide your agency through the process. Standards are based on the size of the agency, so whether your agency is large, small or in-between, your goal of achieving distinguished agency status is within reach. There is also a Special Recreation Association (SRA) version of the standards.
Arlington Heights Park District |
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