LPRD EARNS GOLD MEDAL FINALIST AWARDThe City of Lawrence Parks and

Recreation Department missed out on top honors from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association as the 2015 Gold Medal Award recipient selected for the Grand Plaque Award.

Lawrence was one of four finalists for the top prize. The other finalists included: the City of Allen Parks and Recreation, Allen, Texas; Roswell Recreation, Roswell, Ga. and St George Leisure Services, St. George, Utah. St. George Leisure Services was selected as the Grand Plaque Award winner.

Becoming a finalist in 2015 marked the third time Lawrence Parks and Recreation was considered for the

top prize in the award’s Class III catego-ry. Lawrence Parks and Recreation was also a finalist in 1997 and 1998.

Agencies are judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve through the collective energies of citizens, staff and elected officials. A panel of five park and recreation professionals reviews and judges all application materials. Judges are chosen for their considerable experi-ence and knowledge in parks and recreation on both the local and national levels.

In celebration, the department held a staff get-together in early October. The event was held in South Park over the noon hour and a surprise special guest helped in the celebration. Jim O’Heir, who played Jerry Gergich on the show Parks and Recreation, was performing

in a show in Overland Park, Kan., and has friends living in Law-rence, offered to join in the fun and presented Ernie Shaw, inter-im director, with the plaque received for the achievement since many in the department weren’t able to attend the nation-al conference when the award was announced.

As Jerry Gergich from Pawnee, Ind., Parks and Recreation was introduced, O’Heir walked from the shadows as the show’s theme song was played. The majority of staff recognized him and were shocked he was at the event. After the short ceremony, O’Heir graciously posed for selfies, pictures and video messages with staff and officials on hand.

(Left) Parks and Recreation staff pose for a picture with Jim O’Heir after the depart-ment’s celebration for being a Gold Medal finalist. (Above) Jim O’Heir, as Jerry Gergich, presents Ernie Shaw the National Recreation and Park Association’s Gold Medal Finalist Award at an event in October.

2015 YEAR IN REVIEW

The first Kansas Wheelhawks Invitational Wheelchair Basketball Tournament was held at the end of March at Sports Pavilion Lawrence. Four teams participated from the surrounding metropolitan areas. The Wheelhawks swept all five games to become tournament champions. Oklaho-ma City MAPVA Chargers were runners-up, Tulsa Roustabouts were in third, and Columbia Predators were in fourth. The tournament was played as a round robin with a playoff round the following day.

The tournament was a springboard to the development of a new basketball league for youth and adults that began in Novem-ber. While the adult league was the only one to be held due to participation num-bers, the youth leagues continue to show gains for the future.

Many of the participants for the adult league are members of the Kansas Accessi-ble Sports team who will go on to compete in tournaments. Participants are not only from Lawrence but have athletes travelling from Ft. Riley, Ft. Leavenworth, Bonner Springs, Carbondale and Olathe for the opportunity to play.

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL BEGINS

(right) The Outdoor Aquatic Center goes to the dogs after the pool closes for the season. More than 370 dogs (and thier owners) participated in this annual event. Lawrence Parks and Recreation was one of the first agencies in the country to hold an event at an outdoor aquatic facility for dogs. The event has been held since 2003.

(above) KU Basketball Bill Self poses with his team in the Bill Self Golf Classic, which supports LPRD’s Wee Folks Scholarship Fund. In 2015, nearly $25,000 was awarded for youth to take part in LPRD programs.

The citywide FuelGood campaign an initiative of LiveWell Lawerence, the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department, Lawrence Parks and Recreation, Hy-Vee and Bill Self’s Assists Foundation was kicked off at Sports Pavilion Lawrence.

The FuelGood label designates items that are lower in salt, calories, fat and sugar.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital became an entitlement sponsor at Sports Pavilion Lawrence in 2015.

The sponsorship agreement includes allowing LMH signage inside SPL, banners at each of the City’s other three recreation centers, a page in this publi-cation and visibility on the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department’s website and other social media and opportunities to have a presence with Parks and Recreation patrons.

The sponsorship is for five years and $50,000 per year. The money raised from sponsorships will offset operation-al costs of the facility.

LMH also signed a lease agreement to rent an area within Sports Pavilion Lawrence for 10 years to deliver health and wellness services to the public. LMH Performance and Wellness Center opened to the public in early January 2016.

LMH BECOMES SPONOR AT SPL

In early June, Lawrence Parks and Recreation staff participated in a briefing regarding the Summer Meals Act and the Child Nutrition Reauthorization on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Roger Stein-brock, marketing supervisor, testified to members of Congress and Congressional staffers about the critical role LPRD and parks and recreation agencies across the country play in keeping kids healthy and fed during the summer months and throughout the year when they aren’t in school. The breifing, Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation Policy

Briefing was sponsored by Sen. Kristen Gillbrand (D-NY); Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Don Young (R-AK) with partner organizations the Afterschool Alliance, Boys and Girls Club of America, Food Research and Action Center, National Summer Learning Assoiciation, the YMCA of the USA and the National Recreation and Park Association. The trip was funded through the NRPA.

The visit led to an onsite visit from Senator Pat Roberts’ staff to see the summer feeding program in Lawrence.

LPRD JOINS PANEL FOR BRIEFING ON THE HILL

During the World Series as staff were putting up holiday lights, a “KC” was added to the train in Watson Park to celebrate the Kansas City Royals. LPRD park staff hang hunderds of thounsands of holiday lights every year in Downtown Lawrence in other high traffic areas.

More than 240 hours were put in by 54 volunteers to plant more than 10,400 flowers in Lawrence’s parks and Downtown areas in 2015.

1963821302

2211721509

2192721247

2087221989

23965

27468

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

30000

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Enrollment Comparison

Enrollment Comparison

A new record was set for enrollment in 2015. Enrollment in Lawrence Parks and Recre-ation activities, programs and classes reached an all-time high of 27,468 for the year, which was more than 3,500 enroll-ments over the record for enrollments set last year.

Enrollment for 2015 was also an increase of more than 15 percent over 2014 final enroll-ment numbers. Since 2006, nearly 27,500 enrollments have occured with LPRD.

RECORD-SETTING YEAR

On Oct. 5, 2105, exactly one year after opening to the public, Sports Pavilion Lawrence, presented by Lawrence Memorial Hospital, has become a true jewel of the community. Over the first year nearly 570,000 people walked through the doors to help develop a healthy, active lifestyle.

Whether it for a program, a workout, a pickup game or a tournament, people have been impressed with the facility and what it offers the community.

In an article for the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department’s 2015 Summer/Fall Activities Guide, citizens who use the weight and cardio areas and walking track see the facility more than just a place to work out; it’s a community gathering place.

“… it has become a part of my routine,” Stacy Schletzbaum, a Lawrence 46-year-old mother, said. “I enjoy seeing all the people and the friendly staff. It’s a wonderful facility and there is some-thing for everyone to enjoy.”

Sharon Condon, a recent retiree, began using the sports pavilion after telling a friend she wanted to become more physically fit. Her friend took her to walk the track at Sports Pavilion

Lawrence and it became part of her every day routine. Condon believes it’s a true community asset.

“I feel SPL is an asset to the community because it provides a facility for local sports teams to compete, for friends and family to enjoy time together on the free courts and for a diverse population to exercise,” Condon said. “I love the fact that it has such a variety of opportuni-ties for fitness.”

Ernie Shaw of Parks and Recreation agrees.

“We are very pleased with how well Sports Pavilion Lawrence has been received by the public,” Shaw said. “We do our best to bring quality program-ming to the citizens of Lawrence and Sports Pavilion Lawrence provides us a first-rate facility to implement them. Plus, Sports Pavilion Lawrence has become the economic driver we wanted it to be through the many tournaments hosted throughout the year.”

In the first year, 31 tournaments were held at Sports Pavilion Lawrence. This included a regional two-day volleyball tournament that had 98 teams involved; a four-day AAU event which featured 80 basketball teams. At the AAU tourna-

ment, there were also more than 60 college coaches in attendance to evalu-ate talent. Coach Bill Self hosted his basketball camp for two weeks in June at Sports Pavilion Lawrence, as well as the camps of former KU players Mario Chalmers and Ben McLemore.

The facility received rave reviews from attendees of the tournaments. For instance while attending the Sunflower Showcase, the Southeast Elite basketball team from Alabama Twitter account tweeted: “There is not a better facility that I have ever been in than here in Lawrence, Kansas …”

It was echoed by John D. Stephen, a father of a basketball player from Edwardsville, Ill. He tweeted: “Hands down the best facility we’ve played at … #impressive …”

The tournaments held at Sports Pavilion Lawrence account for an estimated $4.7M in impact to the local economy.

Lawrence Parks and Recreation has also been able to expand its offerings in youth and adult sports, fitness, and gymnastics, providing more opportuni-ties for the public to live healthy, active lifestyles for many, many years to come.

SPL ASSISTS IN LIVING HEALTHY, ACTIVE LIFESTYLES

Nearly 27,250 key cards have been issued for using SPL to the public56 percent of key card holders are female44 percent of key card holders are male

Average age of key card holders is 40 years-old

Eagle Bend hosted several Kansas Golf Association events in 2015.

Eagle Bend played host to two of tournaments in June. First the Kansas Junior Northeast Section Tourna-ment was held with sixty-two juniors participating, including 11 golfers from Lawrence. The tournament was followed by the Kansas Amateur Qualifier, which had 80 golfers participate.

In August, 62 golfers took part in the Senior Series held at Eagle Bend.

Then in September, the Kansas Cup Semifinals and Finals were held at Eagle Bend. The semifinals had 64 golfers participate, while the finals saw the field trimmed to 32 golfers.

Eagle Bend also hosted 38 other tournaments. Thirty of the tournaments were held by outside organizations and 8 tournaments developed by Eagle Bend staff. All Tournaments totaled 2,050 rounds for the year.

Eagle Bend hosted five different leagues (Men’s , Senior Men’s, Women’s, Couple’s and the Junior League, as well as specific leagues for the Lawrence Firefighters and U.S. Foods. more than 3,300 rounds were generated by golfers in league play.

Group clinics and instructional classes were also offered. In 2015, Eagle Bend saw a 66.67 percent increase in particiaption in its offerings.

EAGLE BEND PROGRAMS SOAR

Lawrence Parks and Recreation received a grant from the National Football League Foundation for a flag football starter kit. The starter kit contained 10 footballs, 50 sets of flag belts with flags and curricu-lum materials to develop programming. The kit is valued at $1500.

The grant was part of the NFL Play 60 PLAY 60 campaign, which is designed to encourage children to be active for 60 minutes a day in order to reverse the trend of childhood obesity.

Parks and Recreation started a fall flag football league for second through fifth graders more than 75 youth participated in the first year leagues.

NFL GRANT HELPS START PROGRAM

SPL OFFERS CHANCE FOR GYMNASTICS TO FLOURISHWith the addition of the gymnastics

room at Sports Pavilion Lawrence, presented by Lawrence Memorial Hospital, the program has more than doubled its space for programming. Now classes are available at both Sports Pavilion Lawrence and in the East Lawrence Recreation Center gymnastics room, which has beenthe headquarters for the program since it was relocated from the University of Kansas Campus in 2005.

Parks and Recreation offers programming for those as young as 18 months-old to competitive team gymnastics for high schoolers. Class-es are offered in the morning, after-noon and evening.

In November 2015, a new program was added to allow parents a night to themselves, while thier children were in a safe, structured program as

an alternative to hiring a babysitter. Holiday camps were also created for times when kids were out of school during holiday breaks. Birthday party packages using the gymnastics rooms have also been developed on Satur-days and Sundays and is open for those children 3 years-old and older.

For a nominal fee, Gymnastics Open Gym has also been established for those who may not be able to commit to an eight-week program or for those who want to perfect their skills. The department also has developed programs for groups like homeschool-ers, mom groups, scout troops and preschools for moring and early after-noon private events.

To faclitate the expanded offerings, the department hired an additional staff member to coordinate, develop and maintain high-quality programs.

(above) A Parks and Recreation staff memeber instructs a the Girls Gymnastics class on the proper technique and form in sticking a landing. (right) A young participant practices her form on the balance beam during her class.

Eagle Scout Calvin DeWitt built and installed five trail map signs for the trails at Rock Chalk Park. Parks and Recreation furnished the maps and Calvin acquired the materials needed to make the signs through donations.

Calvin is a member of Troop 53. He had eight other scouts and two adults help with the building and installation of the signs.

WAY SIGNS ADDED TO TRAIL

QUICK FACTSWork on the Carnegie Building was completed after several years of restoration. $554,530 was spent in 2015 and $1.2 million on the entire project that included wall reconstruc-tion and roof replacement.

The arts and crafts fairs, Holiday Bazaar the Holiday Extravagan-za, both sold out of vendor space. Combined 217 vendors displayed their arts and crafts for the public.

The trail running through Burcham Park, connecting the Outside for a Better Inside Trail in the Sandra J. Shaw Commu-nity Health Park to the trail in Constant Park, was nearing completion at the close of the year. The trail was a 50/50 grant through the Sunflower Foundation.

A Eagle Scout project by Daniel Murray and Troop 55 re-estab-lished a monarch butterfly way station in South Park.

Work continued on the Baldwin Creek Trail. When complete it will connect the Trails at Rock Chalk Park to Queens Road. The trail is being funded through an 80/20 grant from Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism.

Four-time Playful City USA city.

2015 RECREATION FACILITY USAGE & ATTENDANCE

RECREATION DIVISION REVENUEREVENUE 2014 $4,540,183REVENUE 2015 $4,981,417% CHANGE +8.86%

LOCATION ATTENDANCE % CHANGE VS. 2013Aquatic FacilitiesIndoor Aquatic Center 124,610 +2.48%Outdoor Aquatic Center 65,569 -14.38%South Park Wading Pool 6,178 -25.35%Carl Knox Natatorium 1,142 -27.14%TOTAL 197,499 -3.89%

Recreation FacilitiesSports Pavilion Lawrence 501,034 ----Community Building 83,685 -27.70%Holcom Park Recreation Center 130,561 -11.29%East Lawrence Recreation Center 85,813 -24.61%Carnegie Building 19,296 -44.79%Union Pacific Depot 15,329 +7.85%TOTAL 835,718 +30.32%

Prairie Park Nature Center 60,955 +14.31%

Eagle Bend Golf Course & Learning Center * 24,967 -3.11%TOTAL ATTENDANCE (DEPT) 1,119,139 +23.31%

* rounds were used as an indicator

Tournaments held at Sports Pavil-ion Lawrence had an economic impact of $5,471,508 on the local economy.

Playground surfaces at Watson and Edgewood parks were changed to a “pour in place” surface, meeting ADA and playground safety require-ments.

Designated as a Tree City USA City for 37th consecutive year.

Community Building gymnasium floor was refinished after it was stripped down to the wood.

Prairie Park Nature Center staff continued designing and develop-ing the solar energy educational display funded by the Westar Energy’s Solar Photovoltaic Project.

662 trees planted; 321 trees removed; 721 trees pruned.

The gymnastics room at East Law-rence Recreation Center was refur-bished and reopened with a National Gymnastics Day celebra-tion, which hosted more than 300 participants.

Debut of Granny Basketball in an exhibition game, which resulted in two teams with weekly practices for regional play.

Special Populations Acting 101 class performed “The Little Mer-maid” and teamed with Theatre Lawrence to use their sets, props and costumes.

Two Bocce Ball courts created at Holcom Park.

QUICK FACTS

Citizens take to walking the 1/8-mile track at SPL during its first year of opperation. Citizens were eager to live healthy, active lifestyles.

The City of Lawrence in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association has been awarded a $24,500 grant to support its out-of-school time healthy food access and nutritional literacy programs. The gift is part of a $2.3 million grant NRPA received from the Walmart Foundation to support out-of-school programs in 75 parks and recreation agencies.

The grant is aimed at assisting in increasing awareness, as well as the number of healthy meals children in low-income communities receive through the summer food service program. It will help provide evidence-based, age-appropriate nutrition literacy to children that create behavior change by teaching the importance of healthy eating. It will also implement nutrition and physical activity standards, increasing opportunity for physical activity.

The department will also receive more than $6,900 in educational materials to be used in its programming and

GRANT FUNDS NUTRITION EDUCATION, PARTNERS WITH BOYS & GIRLS CLUB the department looks to partner with the Boys and Girls Club in bringing nutrition education to its after-school program this fall.

The grant supports NRPA’s campaign – Commit to Health – which encourages the implementation and evaluation of healthy eating, physical activity standards in parks and recreation sites across the country. NRPA’s goal is to have at least 2,000 participating sites in five years. Within the first year of the program 486 sites have pledged to Commit to Health and 51,382 children now have improved access to healthy food and increased opportunities for physical activities.

The city had received a $50,000 summer feeding program grant in 2012 to support the feeding program held in city parks and to develop its nutrtion education program for its programming. The program was expand-ed as an out-reach program for area preschools and other programming.

Adult Sports started offering soccer leagues with the edition of the turf area at Sports Pavilion Lawrence. League play consisted of co-ed teams playing with a minimum of seven player rosters.

Longtime Fitness Instructor Vicki Lysen, hired in 1986 as a part-time instructor, retired after 29 years of service. Over the years, Lysen developed a loyal following of students because of her knowledge, teaching style and compassion. On her last day of instruction last May, Lysen was surprised during her last class during the cool down by a rush of former students, fellow instructors and other Parks and Recreation staff to honor her for her commitment to help citizens live healthy, active lifestyles, as well as to wish her well in her retirement.

LPRD staff talks about nutrition education with children in line for the free lunch program. The Wheel-O-Health was used to keep kids active while they waited or when they finished their meal.