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Parks & Rec Business
| Designing Parks Within A Knowledgeable Community By Melanie Minch It was a beautiful day for a haircut. Ruth Tamarin, Chairperson of The Great Neck Park District Board of Commissioners, in Long Island, N.Y., sat still as the scissors snipped her hair. Young Spencer Levine sat in the next chair. “Where do you go to school?” asked his barber. “I’m studying landscape architecture at Cornell.” Not one to miss an opportunity, Tamarin introduced herself to him, and soon Levine was offered a Horticultural/Architectural internship with Great Neck. National Experts Shown The Door Years later, an important meeting was held with all park and city officials of Great Neck to discuss the community’s 40-year-old swimming pool and skating rink at Parkwood that needed refurbishing. Nationally known aquatic and civil engineers entered the room with charts and graphs and volumes of heady research. “Carefully researched demographics prove,” they said, “Parkwood’s swimming pool is oversized for the neighborhood and must go.” But the committee voted to let these experts “go” because they had failed to research the most important fact … the citizens of Great Neck loved their huge swimming pool. Meanwhile, Levine became Project Manager and Director of Landscape Architecture at Creative Design Associates (CDA). He applied for the same Parkwood job the nationally renowned experts had failed to win. Tamarin remembered the haircut introductions of the past. She also knew he had done a good job as an intern. Levine had his interview. He earned the job because he loved Parkwood. Growing up nearby, he had played hockey on the ice-skating rink and swam in the pool. He longed to see it preserved … favorable demographics or not. “As happenstance will have it, home-grown residents of Great Neck were the final answer to our prayers,” says Tamarin. A Unique Place Great Neck is located within the town of North Hempstead on the border of Queens County and Nassau County near New York City. Part of America’s bedrock for several generations, the small town has a fully functioning park district. The citizens of North Hempstead know what they have and know what they want. Aging Infrastructure Neil Marrin, Superintendent of the Great Neck Park District, explains the park’s challenge. “In 2002, the Great Neck Park District first began its project designed to address the problems of the Parkwood Pool/Rink Complex. The complex has served residents year-round for over 40 years. In addition to the aging infrastructure, the park district wished to meet the increased demand for recreation for youth, families and seniors, to accommodate an increasingly diverse community, to comply with present-day code requirements, to replace obsolete and deteriorating mechanical systems for pool and rink, and to provide community center space requested by residents. “ Levine adds, “Something like that, given the demographics and population size, would never ever be built again. There’s close to 21,000 square feet of surface water. Just for the aquatic facility. And then the rink is a full-sized, indoor, standard hockey rink” Originally, the park district considered going in the same direction like most other water parks across the nation. But after listening to the residents, the officials changed their focus. They wanted instead to rebuild what they had and add two swimming lanes for lappers, zero-entrance for families and quiet spots for seniors. They also wanted to add a lazy-river feature and a swimming playground. ”National standards are a great guide,” states Marrin,” but every community has its own needs and desires, and those must be accounted for in the process.” 24 Months Of Community Meetings Pay Off According to Tamarin, “Wishing to have input from the community, the board held a televised ’town hall’ meeting with call-in questions. The responses served as a helpful beginning for exploring the needs and wants of our park residents. Of primary importance was the condition of Parkwood Complex. This led to the formation of a Pool Advisory Committee representing the different types of pool users, which continues to meet on a regular basis, giving valuable input. As the process continued, a Rink Advisory was started to coordinate needs of skating residents, leading to a coordination of the complete renovation of the Complex.” CDA hired on for the project in 2004 and began work first on the ice-skating rink. Levine said that his firm worked with the park district to “come up with some schematics and kind of grander plans; they hadn’t determined what their bonding ability was, and they really were addressing a giant wish list at that point.” The ongoing process involved the distribution and analysis of a survey to all Great Neck Park District residents by an outside company, visits to other pool and rink facilities and obtaining the advice of several consultants to provide a business plan, design plans, a survey of the complex and engineering plans. The commissioners, the park superintendent, local committees, CDA and others worked together until they were able to define what the community wanted in the facility and what the commissioners needed for functionality and operations. The nearly 24 months of community meetings, presentations and design development reached its final stage when it was presented in front of the town board. Then the well-communicated bond needs were placed before the voters. The bond was approved and CDA was contracted to lead the $15.5 million revitalization of the 7-acre Parkwood Sports Complex. One Grows To Four A haircut got an introduction, then an internship. An internship and hometown loyalty helped win one project. Then, that project led to three more. Today Levine is developing four different projects in Great Neck. Each unique design will incorporate green architecture and a green landscape architecture agenda, similar to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Project #1 The Sports Complex In Parkwood In the rebuilding, refurbishing and expansion of Parkwood Sports Complex, Levine explains: “The bond may seem huge, but given the construction climate in New York, everything costs so much. There is a limited budget, although anywhere else in the country that would buy a completely brand-new amazing facility. Working through the whole facility, we wanted to incorporate as much green architecture and efficiency in both design and operation as we could. We didn’t have the budget to achieve a LEED certification, because typically in New York we assume that, to go for a LEED certificate, is on average at least 20% over cost. There are definitely benefits in operating, and we would have loved to do it, but we hit a threshold with the community, and we really worked with them a lot to understand what their needs and desires were. There were other things that needed to be incorporated before that. Throughout all of our design, we are really trying to incorporate whatever we can. So we are encouraging the use of recycled materials. We are actually discussing with the contractors now the possibility of reusing and crushing a lot of the concrete that is being pulled up for the decks around the pool and actually hoping to crush it and use it as aggregate on the project. And we’re working with a mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer, the company Energy Concepts. It is very much in tune with LEED, that’s the primary business, and the company is doing a lot with the engineering of all these facilities to increase energy efficiency and efficiency in operations. We’re setting up the building so that in the future, if the incentives from the power companies and others pay off; we can actually put solar panels on the roof of the rink. So we’re setting up a lot of things for the future, hopefully soon. While we can’t afford them right now because of the upfront cost, it would be amazing to see it happen in the future.” Reusable Hot And Cold Levine added, “As part of the overall Parkwood project, the mechanical engineer that we’re working with now has just completed with the park district the conversion of the rink to a ’cogeneration system.’ Basically, in order to make ice for the rink you need chillers. The chillers burn some form of fuel in order to freeze the rink. As part of that process, it also puts off heat. So the idea of the cogeneration plant is actually not only to utilize what its main goal is but also to use the byproducts of the system. The chillers put off heat and energy, which is then used for heating spaces. It’s used in the snow melt pit for the Zamboni, which dumps the snow in a pit, which is then melted, and the cold air is recaptured and put back through the loop. A really amazing system and the park district has realized a lot of savings in the short time that it’s been operating in maybe a year and a half. There was a huge drop in energy consumption. They are also now firing these chillers with natural gas rather than electric because it’s a much cleaner system.” The Parkwood Sports complex is almost a resort, even though it is not exclusive. It’s a public park for residents of Great Neck. The facility is built on a grand scale for a district of people. Levine says, “You really feel like you are going some place special when you go there.“ Project #2 An Innovative “Sensory” Garden Great Neck also wants to repair and refurbish its village green, which will include a “sensory play garden.” The total village green area is 7 or 8 acres. This second phase of the park district’s plan involves what the commissioners envision as a playground for all abilities. The park district board formed a community advisory committee for the different projects, and CDA works closely with the community. Great Neck volunteers have stepped forward again. The garden club has agreed to maintain the future park. But first, this play garden will require a substantial fundraising effort. Residents wanted a play space put into a garden in the setting of a traditional village green. This “sensory garden“ enables visitors to use all their senses. Even though Great Neck is a suburb, many children still don’t get out and experience nature. Climbing toys will still be available but will be set into a garden-like atmosphere. So perhaps while one child is climbing on the play structure, another child is listening to a water feature. Project #3 First Female Landscape Architect Plans Rediscovered The Village Green Project is very much a history lesson. The village green was built in the early 1900s and designed by Beatrix Farrand, the first female landscape architect. Scheduled for completion in several phases, the first stage of the project began last year. For close to 30 years the paths and lighting have been increasingly in need of repairs. To solve the problems and re-create its original glory, CDA went on a treasure hunt and uncovered the original Farrand designs. The hope is to restore the original grace of the design, but if that is not possible, they plan to follow the designer’s intent. Also included in this project is a veterans memorial. First, the existing platform memorial will be made more accessible. Second, a memorial area will be created within the village green. All six of the armed services will be honored with a brick pillar within a small plaza. There is a vast army of volunteers anxious to help this fortunate park system. Levine praises both the community and the committed park district officials. In fact, he says, “They’re not out to just do standard stuff. They really like to push the envelope. They’re the ultimate clients.” His staff at CDA is up to the task. “We really do put our heart and soul in every project, no matter who the client is. I must say I think everyone is enjoying the parks and recreation work more than anything else that we’re doing in the whole office. It’s nice to work for people who care so much.” Project #4 Building A Better Park Office The park administration offices, currently spread over several different buildings, need consolidation. CDA’s plan to increase the Parkwood office by 3,000 square feet will allow all park services to be located under one roof. This will free up office space at other locations, and the office spaces will be given back to the community. Four Little Words To Success According to Marrin, “This came together as a result of a true partnership, a partnership between the Board of Commissioners, who are our elected officials, the staff, the experts and, most of all, the residents.” Tamarin summarizes the projects’ success with four little words: "patience, research, planning and involvement.” Sidebar #1 What Is A “Sensory Garden”? “A sensory garden is a 'garden' or other plot specifically created to be accessible and enjoyable to visitors, both disabled and non-disabled. The purpose is to provide individual and combined sensory opportunities for the user such that they may not normally experience. A sensory garden, for example, may contain features accessible to the disabled individual such as: scented and edible plants, sculptures and sculpted handrails, water features designed to make sound and play over the hands, textured touch-pads, magnifying-glass screens, braille and audio induction loop descriptions. Depending on the user group, other provisions may integrate sound and music more centrally to combine the play needs of younger users with their sensory needs. Sensory gardens usually have an enhanced infrastructure to permit wheelchair access and meet other accessibility concerns; the design and layout provide a stimulating journey through the senses, heightening awareness and bringing positive learning experiences. Sensory PlayGarden is an innovative playground design using traditional playground equipment and landscape features to create a sensory play experience for children and adults.” (Wikipedia) Sidebar #2 LEED® Defined The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System was created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to establish a "common standard of measurement" for "green" buildings. LEED® attempts to define a term that is often considered indefinable—sustainability. USGBC members determine those elements that contribute to the sustainability of a building and promote LEED® products and resources as a path to meet sustainable building goals. Established in 1993, membership in USGBC has grown tremendously following the release of its LEED® pilot in 1999—from around 300 members in 2000 to almost 4,000 members in the first quarter of 2004. For more information on the USGBC and its members go to www.usgbc.org. The LEED® Rating System LEED® certification is based on a point system. The amount of points achieved will determine which level of LEED® certification the project is awarded. There are 69 possible points and four certification levels. Basic LEED® Certification requires 26 to 32 points; LEED® Certified Silver Level requires 33 to 38 points; LEED® Certified Gold Level requires 39 to 51 points; and LEED® Certified Platinum Level requires 52 to 69 points. Detailed information on the various points and categories in LEED® for New Construction and Major Renovations (Version 2.1) is available on the USGBC website at http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/LEEDdocs/LEED_RS_v2-1.pdf. The Market for LEED® LEED® was first piloted in 1999, and as seen with USGBC's membership, the number of registered projects continues to rise. Currently, there are more than 100 projects certified, and approximately 1200 awaiting review and certification. This is up from around 500 projects in 2002. To date, LEED® buildings represent a conservative estimate of 4 percent of the new construction market. However, because the rate of new buildings seeking certification increases rapidly, these figures will soon be out–of–date. Seven agencies, making up much of the federal government, already are requiring the use of LEED® for new projects: General Services Administration, Army, Navy, Air Force, Environmental Protection Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Park Service (see related article in AGC's Environmental Observer, Issue No. 6–03, p. 5). In addition to these federal agencies, several state and local governments are requiring the use of LEED® on all new public building projects. In fact, public owners account for approximately 50 percent of all registered projects (as of March 2004). http://www.agc.org/page.ww?section=Green+Construction&name=LEED+Green+Building+Rating+System http://www.agc.org/galleries/enviro/followingtheLEED.pdf |
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