Park Maintenance Shop Talk

Sharing questions helps to find answers, and leads toward building a  stronger professional community. Our second Park Maintenance Roundtable created an opportunity for participants to generate collaborative solutions for our  industry. Recorded: August 20, 2020

Topics of discussion will include: 

• Operation updates and current COVID protocols 

• Managing impacts from increased usage 

• Managing youth sport teams (and their families) during COVID 

• Managing facility rentals (or challenges related to NOT allowing  rentals) 

• Budgeting and inventory concerns for the future 

COVID-19 has changed our park landscapes.  Overcrowding in urban parks  has driven people outside their communities into surrounding  municipalities, state parks, and state forests for recreation activity.  Increased traffic in smaller communities, on trails, and public open  spaces demonstrates the importance of our industry. However, not all  municipalities are prepared for increased demands on their systems.   As more people continue to utilize services and amenities,  infrastructure and logistical challenges may occur. More people generate  more waste to manage. How can we best prepare our facilities to manage  waste from unexpected crowds? What steps can we take in our  infrastructure and operations planning to adjust? What resources are  available out there to help?  The topic of discussion in our next Shop Talk panel is waste management  best practices and illegal dumping mitigation. Recorded: July 23, 2020

We have invited a group  of industry experts to share insights and answer questions:  

Marci Mowery, President, Pennsylvania Parks & Forests Foundation 

Laura Henry, Environmental Group Manager, Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Management 

Heidi Pedicone, Director of Programs, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful

Join us for our first open discussion surrounding challenges in  maintenance operations created by COVID protocol changes.  We gathered a group of maintenance  professionals from multiple industries around the world, and found we  all have similar concerns and solutions to share. Recorded: June 4, 2020

Have you considered converting open space to meadows in an effort to  reduce maintenance costs?  Does starting a meadow simply mean stop  mowing?  Topic of discussion in this Shop Talk panel will surround open  space management and important considerations for low mow / no mow  operations.  Recorded: May 21, 2020 

We invited a group of industry experts and experienced  park maintenance professionals to share insights and answer questions: 

Kate Ebel, Senior Environmental Scientist, Wildlands Conservancy  

Gary Gimbert, Regional Director of Land Stewardship, Natural Lands 

Derek Dureka, Director of Parks & Recreation, Upper Dublin Township 

Brendan Lederer, Assistant Director, Berks County Parks and Recreation  Department

COVID created many challenges they may have caught us off-guard. For our first Shop Talk event, we invited a panel of athletic field  management experts to discuss minimum requirements for maintaining  healthy athletic turf.  Recorded: April 24, 2020

From our sponsor Toro: 

Boyd Montgomery, CSFM - Regional Business Manager Sports Fields &  Grounds, North America 

Matt Anderson, CSFM - District Sales Manager - Sports Fields &  Grounds  

From the Pennsylvania Park Maintenance Institute Advisory Board: 

Rebecca Auchter, CSFM - Sports Turf Sales Representative at Advanced  Turf Solutions 

Jeff Fowler - Sr. Extension Educator-Horticulture at Penn State  Extension

For  this session of Shop Talk, we invited Kevin Umbreit, VP and District  Sales Representative from Recreation Resource USA, to share his  expertise regarding important maintenance checks and preventative  efforts we should all consider for our playgrounds before we get into  the winter season. Recorded: November 16, 2020

Participants will: 

1. Learn about regular playground  maintenance tasks they should consider every fall 

2. Learn about  important safety precautions that should be taken each season 

3. Be  provided with useful checklists and maintenance templates to utilize in  their own operations

This session of Shop Talk will highlight discussions with a panel of seasoned maintenance professionals from park departments across the nation. Our discussion will highlight each of their operation plans for the 2020 holiday season, investigate their seasonal efforts for remainder of the 4th quarter, and outline their operational plans for 2021. Recorded: November 17, 2020

Thank you to our recent Shop Talk with panelists:

In this edition of Shop Talk, Jeff Fowler, Sr. Extension Educator of Horticulture specializing in turf management for Penn State Extension, will cover steps to help your athletic fields thrive in the spring after being put to bed properly this fall.  Recorded: October 8, 2020

Participants will: 

1. Gain a better perspective from the end-users of the fields / facilities 

2. Learn methods to improve field usage and potentially increase revenue from field / facility usage 

3. Be introduced to alternative products / procedures that increase efficiency and safety for field use

In  this edition of Shop Talk, Todd Roth, Aquatics Supervisor for Centre  Region Parks & Recreation, will discuss best practices for closing  down pools for the winter season.  Recorded: October 6, 2020

Listeners will: 

1. Learn proper  winterization processes for outdoor pools 

2. Learn proper seasonal  maintenance techniques 

3. Learn important preparations to ensure  efficient re-opening next season

Drew Jackson, inventor of the Base Buddy X1 Underground Anchor System,  will share his years of experience on the diamond as a player who  reached Division 1 baseball, and eventually transitioned roles to youth  baseball as a coach. As a player he never appreciated the amount of work  that went into setting up fields for the hundreds of baseball games he  had played in his life. As a youth baseball coach, he gained a better  understanding of the time investment and potential challenges involved  with improperly managed fields.   Recorded: September 24, 2020

Participants will: 

1. Gain a better perspective from the end-users of the fields /  facilities 

2. Learn methods to improve field usage and potentially increase revenue  from field / facility usage 

3. Be introduced to alternative products / procedures that increase  efficiency and safety for field use