Intergovernmental Parks Work Group Agenda 10-13-21

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• Parks are essential infrastructure. They offer access to programs and services, provide gathering spaces, exposure to nature, physical activity, and safe social distancing during the pandemic which provided healthy resilience. • People have placed an increased value on outdoor recreation. Outdoor programming is as popular as ever and use of local parks has increased. • Virtual platforms have presented new opportunities to increase engagement, hold meetings, and supplement traditional programming moving forward. Also an opportunity to reach new audiences is not limited by geography. We have seen participation from all over the country, as well as from outside of the US (England, Australia, Brazil, etc.) with some of our online events such as the Carrboro Music Festival, Carrboro Film Festival, and the Freight Train Blues Concert Series. • Park and recreation agencies have continued to deliver vital services and programs to the community throughout the pandemic. • Messaging via online postings, signage, flyers, other newsflashes, alerts, other means become vital to educate the public and share opportunities. • Technology allowed us a smoother transition to remote work. • Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and WebEx meetings seem to replace conference calls and in-person meetings. Zoom Meetings have been an extremely effective and efficient means of communicating with staff and other colleagues. They eliminate travel time, and tend to focus attention on important agenda items. • Electronic signatures for many documents expedited faster, easier workflows. • An opportunity to cross-train staff to better support our Front Office operation where most incoming inquiries regarding the department programs and facilities are handled. • Staff has demonstrated remarkable dedication during these uncertain times, and adapted well to the changing work environment. We also learned that our agency can adapt quickly and effectively to the new reality. • Once approval was given to limited programming, some small tweaks was all that was needed for some events, for example, we held the outdoor Kite Fly event, utilizing three fields instead of one. Some Summer Camps were held successfully last summer outdoors using smaller groups, social distancing measures, etc. without major changes to program content. • While we have adapted many programs to a virtual or socially distanced environment, there is no true replacement for in-person engaging events. Example: Many of our seniors, fitness class participants, etc. are eager to return to in-person programming and be with their peers. • Susan (Carrboro) - Anita, Wendell and Charles have been a savings grace for the community. They have risen up to provide the recreational opportunities both thru outdoor space and virtual platforms at a time when there has been so much anxiety because of the pandemic. • Stephanie (Hillsborough)—So much of what Anita and Phil said hold true for Hillsborough. The town works on an accelerated budget then COVID hit and she lost everything. There are so many delays and so much need. While trying to serve the public from home what became clear was the outdoor spaces in Orange County are vital to mental health. Eno River Confluence property Brumley; Sevenemile Creek provide such important places to go. And this group continues to celebrate that. When their budget got slashed the years became a year of planning and responding. As a result they initiated a new Strategic Plan for the town board. The identified on community connectivity; racial equity; public safety and sustainability main objectives. At the same time working on the COVID recovery plan and the Racial Equity Plan. She suggested Anita could report to the group on this important work at a future meeting. The town is also working on a new comprehensive sustainability plan. Parks and outdoor and public spaces community and equity and connectivity are embedded in all of these plans it is important in all of these plans. There has been so much work to protect these spaces we need to continue that effort. All this is difficult to do virtually so not to miss groups. As we move forward to try to do planning better and involve more people. We have learned that whatever is going on socially plays itself out in our parks. To figure out how to open spaces without having a police ability. She highly praised the Orange County Health Department. And wants to encourage recognition for them. She said could not have done it with them. She is also hoping there will be some stimulus funding to help support projects. She appreciates her colleges. • Dave—Said he would like to echo so many of the things that have already been said. But particularly the praises for the Orange County Health Department they have worked tirelessly and always have been there for us. To him the last 14 months have been in three stages. The first stage or the beginning of the initial lockdown was how to close things? And...how to get supplies like PPE. Sometimes even though a park maybe closed it could be in a neighborhood where it's impossible to