8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Check In, Registration, Breakfast & Coffee

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM

Converting Lawns to Pollinator Meadows: What, When, Where, How, and Why

Playground Inspection and Maintenance: Preserving the Play Environment, Promoting the Value of Play, and Protecting Children

Tree Planting in Parks: Benefits and Strategies

Managing Risks of Special Events

10:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Transitioning from Field Staff to Management: Preparing for and Succeeding in Parks Maintenance Leadership

Strong Foundations: Planning, Purchasing, & Protecting Play and Recreational Surfacing

Tree Planting in Parks: Successful Practice

Parks Risk Management Roundtable: Hot Topics and Cool Trends. Best Practices for Limiting Your Organization’s Liability

11:45 AM – 1:15 PM

Lunch & Networking

1:15 PM –2:30 PM

Data You Can Take to Council: Using Asset‑Based Modeling & Power BI to Build Defensible Budget Requests

Irrigation Troubleshooting

Evaluating Tree Risk

Occupational Burnout: The Science Behind Stress in the Workplace 

2:45 PM – 4:00 PM

Plant Problem Insights - Looking Back on a Quarter of a Century of Trying to Provide Practical Options for Managing Landscape Problems 

Making the Repairs in an Irrigation System

Arboriculture Session

(Info Coming Soon)

Managing Challenging Conversations 

Time

Sessions

Location

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Check In & Registration

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Breakfast & Coffee

Pacific, Grays Harbor & Thurston

9:00 AM – 10:15 AM

Jodie Galvan, Parks Operations Supervisor, City of Kirkland

Converting underutilized lawn spaces into dynamic pollinator meadows isn’t easy, but in the right place it can definitely be worth the time and effort and can reduce maintenance time and expenses in the long run. Learn about what it takes to convert existing lawn space into a native wildflower meadow from a project at Juanita Bay Park in Kirkland where Park staff are transforming 10 acres of historic golf course into the community’s favorite place to take graduation photos.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand what a pollinator meadow is (including what it looks like and what it can be used for)

• Learn when, where, and how to convert existing lawns into a pollinator meadow

• Understand why it is valuable (to people and pollinators) to convert existing lawns into pollinator meadows

Chehalis A

David Bryan Hill, Regional and International Sales Manager, GameTime/PlayCore

For a playground to thrive, good maintenance is essential. Learn how to maximize your agency or school’s playground maintenance efforts by properly identifying and correcting potentially hazardous conditions on the playground. This session will help you define your maintenance plan as a key to protecting your investment, managing risk, improving children’s play experiences, promoting community values, and controlling expenses. This session will allow you to identify procedures for correcting hazardous conditions and to develop inspection protocols and procedures for a sustainable playground maintenance program.

Learning Objectives:

• Define the importance of maintenance as a key to maximizing the recreation and play value and managing risk.

• Generate high and low frequency inspection protocols and procedures for a sustainable maintenance program.

• Identify potentially hazardous conditions in the recreation and play environment and define proper maintenance practices for playground equipment and surfacing.

Chehalis B

Philip Bennett, Deputy Director of Parks & Public Works, City of Snoqualmie

This session will make the case for trees in parks, focused on the public health benefits of trees, and other ecosystem services such as stormwater retention benefits.  The session will also cover how to plant trees with clear objectives in mind, and strategies for successful installation.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the ecosystem service benefits of trees.

• Recognize the public health aspect of individual trees and tree canopy.

• Identify objectives, strategies and site/tree species considerations for installation in Parks.

Lewis

WCIA Risk Services Staff

Special events attract more visitors to parks and can increase liability exposure. This session will help participants analyze and evaluate events for potential risk factors and review key risk management considerations, including event types, vendors, planning and preparation, permitting, and insurance requirements.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize loss prevention and control measures that help mitigate potential loss in special event programs and activities.

• Apply risk management tools to support planning and oversight of special event activities.

Mason

10:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Ryan Fowler, Streets and Grounds Manager, City of Kirkland

Whether you're preparing for your next career opportunity or have recently been promoted, the transition from field staff to management requires new skills, a different mindset, and an understanding of your role within municipal government. This session is designed specifically for parks maintenance professionals who aspire to lead or are navigating their first supervisory role. Participants will explore how to demonstrate leadership while still in the field, build the knowledge and relationships that prepare them for advancement, and successfully navigate the critical first months after promotion and beyond. Practical strategies will address leading former peers, establishing credibility, communicating expectations, understanding municipal government structures, and balancing operational responsibilities with people leadership.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify proactive ways to develop leadership skills, build credibility and prepare for a management position while serving in a field staff role. 

• Implement strategies for a successful transition into supervision, including leading former peers, establishing expectations, communicating effectively and building trust during the first 90 days. 

• Understand how municipal government structures, organizational culture and administrative responsibilities influence the role of a parks maintenance supervisor or manager and apply this knowledge to lead more effectively.

Chehalis A

David Bryan Hill, Regional and International Sales Manager, GameTime/PlayCore

Choosing an appropriate playground surfacing is one of the most important factors in developing a safe outdoor play environment. This useful resource was created to raise awareness about some considerations to make when planning, purchasing, and protecting your playground surfacing investment. Case examples are highlighted to provide a comprehensive overview on the features and benefits of the variety of types of safety surfaces available. Considerations are also explored that can further enhance play value at your parks and playgrounds. The guide offers planning checklists, resources, and inspection tools to help assist in simplifying the selection, installation, and maintenance process to ensure the safety and enjoyment of users.

Learning Objectives:

• Outline best practices, considerations, and strategies when planning, purchasing, and protecting your surfacing investment.

• Summarize how surfacing can be utilized to increase the overall play value and experiences for children, families, and communities in local parks.

• Utilize standards, criteria, inspection tools, and other resources to assist with the evaluation, selection, and other processes involved in safety surfacing.

Chehalis B

Philip Bennett, Deputy Director of Parks & Public Works, City of Snoqualmie

This session will cover lessons learned on installing and maintaining trees in Parks with a practical focus.  How do we get it right?

Learning Objectives:

• Understand ANSI A300 standards and Best Management practices for tree installation

• Learn from examples of success and failure in tree planting/maintenance

• Understand maintenance practices that lead to successful long-term outcomes for trees

Lewis

WCIA Risk Services Staff

Join WCIA Risk Management staff for an interactive, moderator-led discussion exploring current risk management issues, emerging trends, and practical strategies affecting parks, recreation, and maintenance operations. Participants will have the opportunity to share experiences, discuss challenges, and learn from peers while examining real-world liability exposures and effective risk control measures. Topics may include: Trees, Trails, and Athletic Fields; Aquatics Operations; Playgrounds and Recreational Facilities; Transportation Programs; Volunteer Management; Emerging Risks and Future Challenges; and Resources and Tools for Managing Risk. This collaborative session will focus on identifying common risk exposures, reviewing recent claims trends, and discussing best practices that help organizations proactively reduce liability and protect public assets. Whether you oversee parks, recreation programs, or maintenance operations, you'll leave with practical ideas and resources to strengthen your risk management efforts.

Learning Objectives:

• Evaluate emerging trends and liability concerns impacting parks and recreation agencies using practical risk management tools, resources, and best practices to reduce organizational liability and improve operational safety.

• Exchange ideas and solutions with peers facing similar risk management challenges.

Mason

11:45 AM – 1:15 PM

Lunch

Pacific, Grays Harbor & Thurston

1:15 – 2:30 PM

Paul Israel, Senior Business Analyst, King County Parks; Rich Cook, Performance Data Analytics Analyst, King County Parks

Learn how King County Parks transformed raw asset and maintenance data into a powerful staffing and budget justification engine. This session reveals how an asset‑based Resource Management framework, paired with a transparent, scalable Power BI dashboard, allows agencies to quantify labor needs, validate service expectations, and confidently defend budget requests to leadership, finance offices, and elected officials. We’ll walk through the methodology behind calculating direct labor hours, adjusting for real‑world factors, and converting the results into clear, defensible FTE needs. If your agency is looking to strengthen its financial storytelling with objective data, this session offers a practical blueprint.

Learning Objectives:

• Designing an asset database to align with maintenance needs.

• Using PowerBI to create a modern, scalable, Resource Management Plan.

Chehalis A

Gordon Kunkle, Regional Trainer, SiteOne Landscape Supply

This training will work through a systematic approach to isolating the problem through analysis of the electrical and hydraulic systems that comprise the irrigation system. 

Learning Objectives:

• Understanding of a step-by-step process to diagnose the symptom(s).

• How to determine whether it is an electrical issue or hydraulic.

• Introduction to the use of diagnostic tools.

Chehalis B

Charlie Vogelheim, Arborist, Tree Solutions Inc

This class presents hazard tree assessment using the Tree Risk Assessment Qualification (TRAQ) method in an abbreviated, practical format, with an emphasis on visual tree assessment and visual diagnostic tools. This training will help improve the working knowledge and hands-on experience to manage trees for risk. Arborists are welcome to attend this class, but we know that not everyone that needs to understand risk from trees has an arborist certification, and this class will be structured with that in mind.

Lewis

Janelle Tarasewicz, Principal Consultant, Aperture EQ

Whether it’s facing reductions in staffing, dealing with increasingly challenging customer issues, the stress of home life, or facing the daily depressing headlines. In this training, we will debunk the myths of stress and burnout. While not all stress is “bad” it’s important to recognize that when we reach a certain point the overwhelming nature of occupational stressors can take a cognitive, physical, and organizational toll. By recognizing the warning signs of burnout, we can better alleviate the consequences of occupational stress and put measures in place to help avoid it in the first place. 

Mason

2:45 – 4:00 PM

Jenny Glass, Extension Coordinator, WSU Puyallup Plant & Insect Diagnostic Lab

Chehalis A

Gordon Kunkle, Regional Trainer, SiteOne Landscape Supply

Both piping and wiring repairs will be discussed; ranging from laterals to mainlines, small pipe to large as well as conventional wiring and 2-wire systems. A few tricks of the trade and exposure to  new repair components will be presented.

Learning Objectives:

• Gain insights into various repair options available.

• Be able to weigh time vs. cost  in completing the repair. 

• Being efficient and thorough along with proper safety considerations. 

Chehalis B

Charlie Vogelheim, Arborist, Tree Solutions Inc

Lewis

Janelle Tarasewicz, Principal Consultant, Aperture EQ

We've all been there before - a conversation needs to occur but we keep pushing it off because we're dreading the discussion. These conversations are difficult because they are awkward; but with the right approach they become manageable. With training and practice, supervisors and employees can hone their communication techniques and use these crucial skills to navigate the challenging process of having a difficult conversation.

Mason