Written by Sylvana Niehuser, WRPA Communications Committee Member

Some of the best ideas must ripen on the shelf before they can be enjoyed. Director of Recreation and Facilities at the City of Olympia, Scott River, speaks to how Oly on Ice (a WRPA spotlight award winner in 2019) came about and what makes the seasonal ice rink successful.

The idea for an ice rink first surfaced internally 10 or more years before the doors were opened to the public. At the time, the department shelved the idea due to a lack of resources (recession cuts). Around 2015 or 2016 the idea was brought back into the light on a cold, crisp, and clear day. The vision of ice skating downtown with views of the State Capitol building on one side of you and the Puget Sound on the other side was exhilarating. Over the course of two years of planning, Oly on Ice opened in 2018 at the Isthmus Park in downtown Olympia.

WRPA Agency Member Spotlight

Teens in Auburn, WA were excited to hang out, have fun, and play as Auburn’s REC Teen Center reopened in September after an 18-month closure due to pandemic restrictions.

The Fitness Court® Opens August 11, All Welcome at Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

New, State-of-the-Art Facility Made Possible with Grant from the National Fitness Campaign

In 2020, the City of Enumclaw was awarded a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign (NFC) as part of its annual grant program in the 2020 Healthy Cities Campaign. Additional funding for the project was made possible by the City and local businesses, both financially and in-kind.

Regional Meetings Move Back to In-Person

Current Members Reconnect and Talk Member Benefits with Newcomers

The Northwest Region had a great in-person gathering on Thursday, July 22 at Farmstrong Brewing Co.. Everyone who attended really enjoyed reconnecting! The Northwest Region is looking to continue connecting this fall. Much of the conversation revolved around what WRPA has to offer to members. The Northwest Region hopes to gain some new members following these conversations.

Thank you to all who showed up to connect. Here are a few photos from the event!

Specialized Recreation

A message from the Pierce County Parks

A Successful New Program Delivery

A message from the City of Burien 

Like many parks departments across the state and country, Burien Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (PaRCS) had to dramatically shift its program delivery model in order to help maintain mental and physical health during this stressful time. Staff worked hard to set up and offer virtual classes and, once restrictions were lifted, limited on-site programs with lots of safety precautions, like mask and contact tracing mandates, health, and temperature checks, and routine room and equipment cleaning, in place.

Scavenger Hunt for Fun!

A message from the City of Kirkland

Recreation in Kirkland Parks and Community Services changed after April 1, 2020. We had to put the brakes on traditional programming and pivot to virtual programs and programs that provided social distancing. We excelled in providing physical recreation opportunities and were now challenged to find ways to connect with our community and to keep them engaged and active. 

Adapting & Evolving on the Fly

Testimonials from the City of Olympia's Community Members

The City of Olympia’s Recreation Department has worked hard since spring to adapt and evolve on the fly. By focusing on what we do best and following best practices for the new health and safety guidelines, we've been able to successfully serve our community during a really tough time. Here are just a few customer testimonials:

Adapting Outdoor Recreation

A Message from Ed Bronsdon, Executive Director, Outdoors for All Foundation

In a world turned upside down by the pandemic, many people are struggling to connect with others, get exercise, and find ways to increase their mental and physical fitness. The Outdoors for All Foundation is a Seattle Seahawks Spirit of 12 program charity that continues to help people with disabilities to adapt and enrich their lives despite the pandemic.

Industry Alert!

The Eastern Washington University RCLS Programs (Outdoor Recreation Leadership, Recreation and Tourism Management, and Therapeutic Recreation) are on a list of proposed programs to be cut at the end of this academic year. The University is facing historic budget cuts as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

The EWU Division of Academic Affairs has been asked to cut $16 million dollars from a $55 million dollar budget. As a result, a good number of campus programs are under consideration for discontinuance. The university has already begun the review process that will extend through most of this academic year and expects to make final decisions by June of 2021.

Learn How You Can Benefit from Your WRPA Membership 

A Message from Maryke Burgess, WRPA Sponsorship Co-Chair

Have you found yourself laid off, furloughed, or with reduced hours during this pandemic? Being a member of the WRPA is more important than ever.

In Memory of Scott Gallacher

On behalf of the WRPA Board of Directors, we are deeply saddened to have learned of the sudden and unexpected passing of Key Pen Parks Executive Director and long-time WRPA member Scott Gallacher. Scott was an active member of our association who regularly attended regional meetings, legislative events, and state conferences. He will be greatly missed both within the Key Pen Parks community and throughout our state.

A message from his organization related to this sad news is posted on the Key Pen Parks website. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Scott's family during this very difficult time.

A Message from the WRPA President

We know the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting you in a variety of ways, affecting your communities, your families, and your work. With that in mind, we simply wanted to reach out to let you know we are thinking of you. Your own health and wellbeing, and of those you love, should be your top concern right now.

A Message from the WRPA President

We know the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting you in a variety of ways, affecting your communities, your families, and your work. With that in mind, we simply wanted to reach out to let you know we are thinking of you. Your own health and wellbeing, and of those you love, should be your top concern right now.

Stay at Home Order: What You Need to Know

• No more public gatherings – things like basketball games, gatherings on the beach, even weddings, funerals. Emphasized minimizing social and physical interactions.
• If going outside, it should be for “essential activities” like the grocery store, doctor’s office.  Clarified that you can still do a walk, ride your bike, garden at home, etc. – things that are essential for your own health.
• Orders all non-essential businesses to close.  Businesses that will remain open have to fulfill “essential” function that is modeled after federal guidelines. Emergency services; health care; child care; critical manufacturing; grocery stores; food and agriculture; critical local governments; courts; news media.  Even those businesses remaining open must practice and implement social distancing rules.

Learn More About Essential Businesses

• Restaurants can still do takeout as long as practice social distancing.
• Urges people to comply voluntarily – but also stressed will be enforceable by law.
• This is our best tool to hit back at the coronavirus and this ensures we can hit it hard.
• Noted current data of more than 2,000 people have contracted coronavirus and over 100 have died.
• Indicated this brings more family hardships and economic hardships – his office is continuing to search for ways to further mitigate the economic harm.
• Emphasized we WILL get through this – there will be weddings, factories will fire back up, people will be able to celebrate the end of this at a favorite hangout.

View the Press Conference

Mentorship Program - NEW!

The WPRA Student Connections Committee is dedicated to providing engaging professional development opportunities for students and young professionals who are looking to further gain insight into the exciting field of parks and recreation. One way we achieve this is through our mentoring program.

This program pairs distinguished professionals (our mentors) with a student or young professionals (our mentees) who can benefit from have a networking relationship with a current professional in the industry. If you’re interested in participating in this unique mentoring program for the 2020 campaign please fill out the simple form below no later than Feb 15th, 2020.

City of Spokane Aquatics Gains Best of Aquatics Honor

Read the Article from Aquatics International

The City of Spokane Parks and Recreation Aquatics Program recently earned the Aquatics International Magazine's 'Best of 2019 Aquatics Honor' in the Community Outreach category. 

Read Full Article

Metro Parks Tacoma has won the prestigious 2019 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management, the top achievement in the industry.

Shoreline Earns CAPRA Accreditation

The City of Shoreline is celebrating becoming just the third city in Washington State to earn national accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). This esteemed accomplishment places Shoreline in the good company of Tacoma and Bellevue as they join the top 1% of Parks and Recreation agencies across the country.

Agency Member Feature: Pierce County Parks & Recreation

Juvenile Court + Parks & Recreation + Cooperative Extension + Community Partners = No Child Left Inside

The Pierce Outdoor LIFE (Leadership Instruction & Field Experiences) Program is an outdoor adventure intervention offered as a "positive probation" alternative for court-associated youth age 13-17. The program is coordinated by Pierce County Parks & Recreation, Pierce County Juvenile Court, and the Washington State University Cooperative Extension and Community Partners. At-risk youth often struggle with school attendance, unhealthy relationships, crime, and violence due to poor social skills, lack of understanding of their learning style, interpersonal conflict, and unresolved personal issues. This program provides positive risk-taking opportunities for teens, replacing negative risk-taking behaviors and building a healthy connection between the youth, nature and their community.