Parks and Rec

There are 153 posts filed in Parks and Rec (this is page 10 of 16).

About those solar panels

Raleigh's going solar

I spent some time Friday at a dedication ceremony for the City of Raleigh Parks Department’s new greenhouse. One might think that a greenhouse wouldn’t be exciting but this is no ordinary greenhouse. It’s got energy-efficient features, it’s fully automated, and for the first time it provides the City the ability to grow any type of plant during any season. Raleigh’s parks, streets, and highways look so sharp because of the work of the Parks and Recreation Department’s horticulture and landscaping teams, who keep Raleigh looking beautiful through the careful stewardship of our trees, plants, and flowers.
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Un-CERT-ain future

Remember that great, free, emergency training I received earlier this summer? It’s now an endangered species. The Raleigh-Wake CERT team is imploding, with the organization’s officers resigning left and right due to lack of funding. It’s a real shame for a program that could provide so much good in the event of a disaster (and did provide so much good in my neighborhood following the April 16th tornado).

From an announcement on their website:

Our organization is all-volunteer and has been sponsored by Raleigh Department of Emergency Management. Unfortunately, we have not had access to ANY funds for about a year now and our volunteers have provided all materials at their own expense. In addition, we were informed recently that our sponsor at Raleigh EM is now providing advisory support only.

Consequently, the President, Secretary/PIO, and Logistics officer of Raleigh-Wake CERT have resigned and as of September 26, 2011, the only standing officer will be the Planning Section Chief.

I’m trying to get some time together with Fin Cert, RWCERT’s former PIO, to find out what happened and see if I can help the org get back on its feet.

Parks Board chair

Tonight my fellow boardmembers elected me chair of Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation, and Greenway Advisory Board. It’s an honor and a privilege to serve in this capacity. I am indebted to outgoing chair Jimmy Thiem for his leadership and mentoring. He’s a hard act to follow but I’m looking forward to the challenge.

The grand conspiracy

I suppose it was inevitable, with as many Parks board meetings we’ve had in the city council chambers, that eventually we’d attract some … ah, “unique” individuals during our public comments phase. That’s what happened during our last meeting.

One gentleman stood up and began to discuss the Walnut Creek greenway in Southeast Raleigh. His concern seemed to be that the water from the nearby wastewater plant would pose a health hazard to walkers on the greenway. Then he seemed to veer off into some crazy talk about the city purposefully pumping reuse water to the homes of Southeast Raleigh residents. Oh, and the “Freemasons” were in on it, too. No kidding, he actually said that. A conspiracy wouldn’t be complete without the Freemasons, you know.
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Mordecai and CAP

A neighbor on the Historic Oakwood email list said this today about Mordecai Historic Park:

One of the problems attached to matter relating to the Mordecai Plantation House and grounds has been that buildings not associated with the Mordecais are in the Park. And the Park is not under the management of historical preservationists or historians, but of the Parks and Recreation Department. That Department is actually a fine administrator of Parks, but strictly speaking, the Mordecai House should not be part of a Park, but an independent House Museum, managed by historians and preservationists.

Well, let’s take a look at that for a moment. The city of Raleigh bought the Mordecai property in 1969 to preserve it. In 1972, the predecessor of Capital Area Preservation, Moore Square Historical Society, was formed to manage the park, with the city paying them $150,000 yearly to do so. It was in the 1970s (during CAP’s management) that many of these buildings unrelated to the Mordecais were placed on the property. The good news is that the buildings were saved from destruction, but the bad news is … well, they were plopped down next to the Mordecai House. I’m not sure what the city had to say about that decision at the time – I’m still researching it – but I certainly hope the decision wasn’t made simply for the convenience of CAP.
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The Mordecai Interpretive Center

Mordecai House


Thursday evening, some of the neighborhood email lists lit up with discussion of the planned Interpretive Center at Mordecai Historic Park. The center is going through the planning stages and the proposed location has been selected by staff, with the Mordecai Historic Park (MHP) board and the Raleigh Historic Districts Commission both offering their approvals. Three public meetings have addressed the center and public feedback up until now has been overwhelmingly positive, with the project receiving a standing ovation at its public hearing in the Mordecai neighborhood in November.

When first presented with this plan at the Mordecai board meeting, I was concerned that the board was not given time to properly vet this plan. I needed time to study it and get my questions addressed. I recognize the historical importance of the park and wanted to make sure we did this right. It remains the only time I voted in the minority as a Mordecai boardmember.
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Parks getting more attention

I was happy to see that a tenacious N&O reporter, Matt Garfield, went the distance in our recent 4-hour Parks and Rec Board meeting. The quote he printed came near the end of that way-too-long meeting.

I wrote before of my disappointment with how the news media covers parks issues. The coverage of Thursday’s meeting is a big improvement and hopefully part of a larger trend to better cover the parks that the people of Raleigh love.

Moore Square Master Plan

I was quoted again in the N&O, this time during Thursday’s marathon Parks and Rec Board meeting. We were debating the Moore Square Master Plan and discussed a letter presented by the State Property Office [PDF] objecting to including restrooms and a kiosk on the square. I thought it was ridiculous not to add restrooms to a park anticipated to attract young families:

“I find it a little surprising that the state prefers a line of Porta-Johns,” said Mark Turner. “I don’t know if I could support this [plan] without the structures.”

I’m still mystified at how the state could object to this. The letter signed by Moses Carey, Jr. states that there are public restrooms at the Moore Square Transfer Station and at Marbles Kids Museum. That may be true for the bus station but if Marbles’s restrooms are public it is certainly news to them.

The state cites the historic nature of the square in their objection to structures, yet for over 70 years there were structures on the square: a school and a church. The facilities in the plan are minor by comparison and in the case of the restrooms, tucked underneath the proposed slope. What’s even more ironic is that the state itself obliterated the other two original public squares, building the State Capitol and the Executive Mansion on them.

I think the state should either go along with the proposed plan or put forth one of its own. Better yet, perhaps the city should outright purchase Moore Square from the state. For the last century, the City of Raleigh has been a faithful steward of the square for the state. The city has earned the right to have a greater say in its use!

Moore Square could be such a wonderful gathering place for the folks who visit downtown. It could be a delightful escape from the skyscrapers and asphalt. The Moore Square Master Plan respects the history of the square and adds to it, bringing it into the 21st century. It’s time the state got on board with this centerpiece component of Raleigh’s downtown revitalization.

Kids and coaches

I had a up-and-down day yesterday. I was feeling bummed about politics and ran into snafus during my work day that dragged me down. All that changed, though, after 5 PM when I took our kids to Hallie’s soccer practice.

After dropping Hallie off at the practice field, Travis and I went over to the basketball court, where I worked with him on shooting. While we were there, a half-dozen boys Travis’s age wandered up and asked if they could join in. These were immigrant kids, poor and mostly Hispanic, and they looked like they could really use a break. After checking with Travis to see how he felt about it, I agreed to let them join in. I then taught them the game of Pig and we all spent the next hour playing it.
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Smoking Ban Approved for New York Parks

On the heels of Raleigh restricting smoking in its parks, New York City has banned smoking in its parks and beaches. Times Square is even included.

New York now joins Raleigh, Los Angeles, and Chicago in restricting smoking in its parks.

After a bitter debate over individual liberties and the role of government, the City Council on Wednesday handily approved a bill to ban smoking in 1,700 city parks and along 14 miles of city beaches.By a 36-to-12 vote, the Council passed the most significant expansion of antismoking laws since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg pushed to prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars in 2002.

By a 36-to-12 vote, the Council passed the most significant expansion of antismoking laws since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg pushed to prohibit smoking in restaurants and bars in 2002.

The Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn, said the ban was an affirmation of the rights of nonsmokers. “Their health and their lives should not be negatively impacted because other people have decided to smoke,” Ms. Quinn said at a news conference.

via Smoking Ban Approved for New York Parks and Beaches – NYTimes.com.