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Editor’s Note: This column, “LBWA” (Leadership By Wandering Around), is based on the premise that, in order to find out what’s going on in the field, a parks and rec leader has to leave his or her desk and “wander around” the area of operations, talk to people, ask questions, and kick around ideas with the individuals in the thick of delivering services to the public. So the author will bring up issues and ask the leaders among the readership to share their knowledge and experiences.
I have been corresponding with a parks professional from a county in a northeastern state where the commission chair is advocating for entirely smoke-free facilities and parks.
I became involved when this professional sent out an e-mail to a long list of fellow recreation practitioners asking for ideas. I admire a professional who’s not afraid to seek input from others to ensure a well-versed decision, so I weighed in with a couple of thoughts, and asked permission to share some of the findings with PRB readers.
The county already has smoke-free indoor facilities. The challenge was to regulate wide-open outdoor venues, such as trails, general-use parks, golf courses, etc., on the 12,000 acres of county park land. Also, this ban would include jurisdictions under other county departments, not just parks and recreation. In addition, there were two distinct categories of people affected--county employees and the public--each bringing its own set of issues to the table.