Magazine For America’s Municipalities
October 2026
Parks & Environmental Services
INSIDE: Land Pride Asheville launches riverfront recovery Bolingbrook, IL Permit No. 1939
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Community-led parks program
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MOVING FLEETS
The world runs smoother because of what happens in the background. While the neighborhood sleeps, the work begins. The routes are long, the job relentless. Keeping a fleet together takes more than effort. It takes smart maintenance and parts built to perform. That’s WIX Filters.
ENGINEERED FOR EXPERTS. OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 3
Contents
October 2026
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VOL. 17 No. 7
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www.themunicipal.com
24
17 F ocus on Parks & Environmental Services 18 Parks & Environmental
Services: Recovery efforts move toward future mitigation and restoration
20 Parks & Environmental
32
Services: Inclusiveness and innovation at the forefront of today’s parks
24 Parks & Environmental Services: Goldsboro’s pocket park reflects a community-led vision
28 Parks & Environmental
Services: Reimagining how kids experience city parks
38
32 Parks & Environmental
Services: Bradenton’s City Park embraces baseball past while bringing more amenities
36 Crisis Management: Asheville trains residents as responders to emergencies and natural disasters
38 Public Safety: Simulated situations: Bay County Sheriff’s Office runs active shooter drills throughout summer
ON THE COVER When fleet managers prepare a request proposal for a purchasing contract, weeks and months can be consumed in the solicitation, negotiation and execution of a single buying agreement. So how can a buyer shorten the process without running afoul of rules and regulations? With cooperative buying. Learn more about the benefits of using cooperative purchasing on page 10.
Parks & Environmental Services
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Shutterstock photos
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OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 5
Meet our Staff publisher RON BAUMGARTNER rbaumgartner@the-papers.com
editor-in-chief DEB PATTERSON dpatterson@the-papers.com
editor SARAH WRIGHT swright@the-papers.com
publication manager CHRIS SMITH chris@themunicipal.com
account executive SHANNON MORRIS smorris@themunicipal.com
Departments 8 Editor’s Note: Creating special park memories with amenities
10 From the Cover: Land Pride 12 Notable Destinations: Westerly, R.I. 40 Conference Calendar 41 Product Spotlights 44 Top 10: Best states for working from home
45 Advertiser Index
graphic designer MARY LESTER mlester@the-papers.com
business manager ANNETTE WEAVER aweaver@the-papers.com
director of sales and marketing KRISTIN DEVITTORIO kdevittorio@the-papers.com
mail manager KHOEUN KHOEUTH kkhoeuth@the-papers.com
marketing assistant MIRANDA BEVERLY mbeverly@the-papers.com
editorial assistant JODI MARLIN jodimarlin1241@gmail.com Contributing Writers Jennifer Barton, Beth Anne Brink-Cox, Nicholette Stout, Denise Fedorow, Danielle Lund, Teresa Nicomemus, Julie Young
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The Municipal does not knowingly accept false or misleading advertising or editorial content, nor does The Municipal or its staff assume responsibility should such advertising or editorial content appear in any publication. The Municipal reserves the right to determine the suitability of all materials submitted for publication and to edit all submitted materials for clarity and space. The Municipal has not independently tested any services or products advertised herein and has verified no claims made by its advertisers regarding those services or products. The Municipal makes no warranties or representations and assumes no liability for any claims regarding those services or products or claims made by advertisers regarding such products or services. Readers are advised to consult with the advertiser regarding any such claims and regarding the suitability of an advertiser’s products. No reproduction of The Municipal is allowed without express written permission. Copyright © 2026.
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Editor’s Note
Creating special park memories with amenities Sarah Wright | Editor
A
ll work and no play makes for a dull life. Parks and their related amenities truly are the heartbeats of their communities. They not only encourage physical activity among residents and visitors, but also stimulate economic growth and development. According to the National Recreation and Park Association, an estimated 227 million adults, or a household member, visited their local park or recreation facility in 2025. The association recently released its July 2026 Park Pulse survey, detailing visitors’ park preferences.
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NRPA shares, “When asked what amenities or facilities are among the most desired for park visitors, all listed seating and shade among their top three most important park features. Open green space, trails, water features and playgrounds rounded off the top five park amenities considered most important by U.S. adults.” In this issue of The Municipal, our writers spotlight communities that are checking off some of those desires. Most notably, writer Danielle Lund shares Goldsboro, N.C.’s, community-led West Oak Pocket Park. Given its small size, officials had to be strategic. After community conversations, planners chose the most desired amenities: shaded seating areas and play equipment for all abilities. Recreation for all remains at the forefront of many park superintendents’ minds. Writer Denise Fedorow shares how cities are making parks and play structures more inclusive. The market for inclusive play structures has definitely grown over the years and offers some incredible options. In the excitement
of picking options for your community, don’t forget to talk to residents with disabilities. Their input is invaluable in arriving at solutions that work for everyone. Nicholette Carlson is also sharing Asheville, N.C.’s, restoration of its riverfront following Hurricane Helene. The efforts focus not only on restoring and adding amenities but also on creating resiliency for future flood events. Bradenton, Fla., is also hard at work on its City Park, which should spur development around it and the existing LECOM Park. Writer Beth Anne Brink-Cox relays this extensive project that will entice baseball fans and those not so invested in the sport, too. Last but not least, writer Teresa Nicodemus highlights Boulder, Colo.’s, innovative Nature Parks Facilitators Pilot Program. The people who create stellar programs that engage the community and introduce them to the natural world are as important as any amenity. Embrace the cooler autumn temperatures and venture to your local parks. Take the time to uncover what makes them special. M
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From The Cover
Public procurement with cooperative buying
By DEE WARREN, Director | Marketing and Sales Operations for Land Pride and Great Plains
Purchasing fleet equipment through a cooperative may seem like a novel idea, but it’s not. According to the National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO), being good stewards of taxpayer dollars through cooperative buying dates back nearly a century, to a time when state-sponsored central procurement programs got their start. During the 1970s, high inflation drove municipalities to launch formal joint-solicitation procurement programs, where one agency acted as the lead for the benefit of all. In the 1990s, a shift toward the cooperative buying models that we see today started to occur with manufacturers recognizing the benefits of cooperative buying. Today, purchasing cooperatives like Sourcewell, BuyBoard and OMNIA Partners allow members to buy fleet machinery at substantial savings, with sales growth continuing an upward trajectory. Procurement made easy When fleet managers prepare a request proposal for a purchasing contract, weeks and months can be consumed in the solicitation, 10 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
negotiation and execution of a single buying agreement. The time-consuming RFP process erodes valuable time that could have been used to conduct market research, evaluate the fleet needs and choose a reputable supplier that can supply the necessities quickly. So how can a buyer shorten the process without running afoul of rules and regulations? With cooperative buying. The contracts and terms are in place, allowing fleet managers to move the buying process forward in an expeditious manner. Machinery and equipment are obtained quickly and with less hassle, less time and fewer people. When state and municipalities come together on a cooperative contract, they exponentially increase their buying power.
ABOVE: During the growing months, there are flex wing cutters and flail mowers for the constant need for roadside vegetation control. (Photo provided by Land Pride)
Consider this example: one county in a state may need five tractor-mounted snow blowers, but the total need for every county in the state is one-hundred snow blowers. The added volume allows the group of counties, acting through a cooperative contract, to leverage discounts offered to high-volume customers. This allows the entire group to better manage tight budgets — especially helpful when inflationary pressures are pushing prices higher on everything from energy to excavators. In public procurement — at every level — federal, state and local compliance is a constant requirement. No one wants to spend the time and effort to solicit a proposal and get to the final signatures only to discover that there were rules and regulations missed along the way, requiring the process to begin again. Cooperative contracts are written and executed according to those governing statutes; the compliance is built in. By following
For storm cleanup, grounds maintenance teams can look for grapples which can be purchased on one of Land Pride’s cooperative contracts. (Photo provided by Land Pride)
competitive bidding regulations, cooperative buying groups solicit bids from manufacturers on behalf of all members, creating a competitive, compliant, pre-negotiated contract for use by all eligible entities. How can it work for you? For a public works superintendent looking for equipment to aid in snow management, cooperative buying means that someone else has already spent time soliciting a competitive bid. As outlined above, this type of purchasing model allows manufacturers like Land Pride and Kubota to respond to an RFP that covers a need, such as snow management. The proposal is reviewed, vetted for accuracy, ability and competitive pricing, simplifying the buying process. Let’s look at a municipality that worked with Land Pride and one of our dealers during the last snow season. The street maintenance superintendent called Land Pride in need of a tool to clear snow from their city-managed parking areas. They were looking for a solution that saved time and money, while still purchasing the brand and model that the crew wanted. Land Pride suggested using one of our cooperative-buying contracts. Land Pride’s government sales manager recommended and quoted both a snow blower and a snow pusher that fit the city’s needs while providing substantial discounts as outlined in the cooperative contract. The superintendent reviewed
Cooperative buying can save public works superintendents time and save taxpayers money while still purchasing the specific snow management tools desired. (Photo provided by Land Pride)
the quotes and issued a purchase order the same day. The dealer and Land Pride handled the rest. Within a few weeks, the process was complete — no RFP, no haggling back and forth, just the equipment needed at a savings to local taxpayers. Cooperative contracts supply the goods Land Pride and other implement manufacturers go to great lengths to ensure customers can buy the products they need on a cooperative contract. When companies like Land Pride and Kubota both hold the same cooperative contract, entire equipment packages can be purchased, making it a one-stop shop for fleet and public works superintendents. Looking toward the upcoming snowremoval season, a manufacturer like Land Pride can offer a wide range of snow management solutions that can be purchased at substantial discounts. Blades, snow pushers and snow blowers — both front and rear mount — can simplify snow removal from common areas like sidewalks and parking areas that are often overlooked during the critical road clearing tasks that must occur after a snow event. After the snow is gone, Land Pride’s cooperative contracts can be used to purchase planting implements like overseeders for refreshing the lawns on fields or in parks. Drills or all-purpose seeders can help with spring roadside reclamation projects. During the growing months, there
are flex-wing cutters and flail mowers for the constant need for roadside vegetation control. Open areas like parks and sports fields require an all-flex mower that will leave a great cut in turf grasses and lawn alternatives, like clover. Non-seasonal tools, like tillers for landscaping and planting projects, are high on the cooperative buying list. Tools like a grading scraper or an arena grader can be put to work maintaining gravel drives, small dirt and gravel lots, or horse and rodeo arenas. For storm cleanup, grounds maintenance teams can look for grapples, chippers and pallet forks. All of these and more can be purchased on one of Land Pride’s cooperative contracts. Cooperative Buying has Options Memberships in a cooperative buying group are generally available at no cost to states, counties and municipalities. Land Pride holds contracts with several; Sourcewell, BuyBoard and OMNIA Partners are just a few of many. Organizations like these ensure everything is transparent. As the contract issuers, they maintain all the paperwork, and the contracts are competitively solicited, evaluated and awarded by a public agency that is bound by laws regulating the process. In short, cooperative contracts are compliant and transparent, allowing fleet managers to benefit from the time- and money-saving processes that cooperative contracts provide. M OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 11
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Notable Destinations
A ‘Swift’ trip: Watch Hill neighborhood has an historic ‘reputation’
By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal
Located in the coastal community of Westerly, R.I., Watch Hill is a village with a neighborhood feel — filled with boutiques, restaurants, quaint architecture, and the oldest operating carousel in the United States. Although there are only about 212 permanent residents in the enclave, it has a reputation as an exclusive summer resort for the affluent. Then Taylor Swift moved in, and now her fans can’t get enough of the community. Holiday House Taylor Swift tourism is big in Watch Hill. For anyone looking to follow in the steps of the pop star, it’s best to start with Holiday House. Swift’s connection to the neighborhood began in 2013, when she purchased an 11,000-square-foot mansion on 5 acres that features a private beach. The dramatic estate at 16 Bluff Ave. was constructed in 1929 for the Snowden family of Philadelphia, who gave the house its name. In 1954, the eccentric Standard Oil heiress Rebekah Harkness acquired the house after the death of her husband and threw several lavish parties 12 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
on the property. Guests included Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol and Gene Kelly, along with an assortment of psychics, mystics and spiritualists. After buying the house for a reported $17.75 million, Swift continued Harkness’s tradition of hosting legendary parties and even captured the home’s history in the lyrics of “The Last Great American Dynasty” on her 2020 album, “Folklore.” While it is impossible to see Holiday House from the street, visitors can catch a glimpse of it from several nearby locations. One of the easiest, according to Rhode Island native
ABOVE: Holiday House has gone by several names over the years, including the Harkness House and High Watch, but today, most people know it as Taylor Swift’s house. Located high atop the bluffs on the Rhode Island peninsula, the 11,000-square-foot white colonial mansion sits on a 5-acre property that features a private beach. Although fans can’t see it from the street, it’s easy to spot from the Watch Hill Lighthouse property and Ocean House and East Beach. (JJBers via English Wikimedia Commons; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/) Melissa Cooney, is to stop by the Ocean House seaside resort. Not only is the hotel a great place to have a top-notch meal, Swift’s house can be seen from many places on the grounds. “Ocean House also has an art gallery from the creator of ‘Madeline,’ which is really cool too,” she said. Additionally, Holiday House can be seen from East Beach, which can be accessed just past Swift’s property via a public walking path.
Watch Hill, R.I., is a quaint community of 212 that enjoys robust tourism in the summer and has been inundated by “Swifties” — fans of Taylor Swift — who want to visit the neighborhood where her famed Holiday House is located. The property inspired the song “The Last American Dynasty” on her 2020 album “Folklore.” (Shutterstock.com)
One of the best places to see Taylor Swift’s house is the Ocean House resort. This luxury five-star seaside resort is located at 1 Bluff Ave. in Watch Hill, R.I., and was constructed in 1868. The resort offers sweeping views, fabulous accommodations and some of the best culinary experiences in the area. (Shutterstock.com)
Once on the beach, it is easy to snap a selfie with the house in the background, and because it is a public space, there is no chance of being run off for trespassing or loitering. Finally, the grounds of the Watch Hill Lighthouse at 14 Lighthouse Road offers another chance to see the massive estate. Although the lighthouse is not open for climbing to the top for a bird’s-eye view, Holiday House is still impossible to miss because it sits on the highest point of the peninsula. Other Swift spots After seeing the pop star’s home, why not dine like a diva at the 110-year-old Olympia Tea Room? This family-owned and operated establishment at 72 Bay Street boasts incredible food, excellent service and fantastic views of the Rhode Island sunset if a person happens to be dining outdoors. Don’t forget to order the Avondale swan pastry with whipped cream and fudge. “Where else can you have great food, fabulous drinks and enjoy the ambiance of 1916 knowing that Clark Gable and Albert Einstein did the same thing?” said Liz Monanhan, who has been a patron of the business for over 50 years. Looking for something lighter? Swift has also been known to stop by the St. Clair Annex for ice cream now and again. This family-ownedand-operated ice cream and sandwich shop has been located at 141 Bay St. since 1887 and still makes all of its ice cream in house, by hand. Visitors planning to pack a picnic and head for Napatree Beach or Goddard Park should be sure to stop by McQuade’s Marketplace for provisions. Swift has been known to stock up on groceries at this market when she is in town, so one never knows who could be seen in the snack aisle. Of course, no trip to Watch Hill would be complete without a side quest to Tides, a curated coastal gift shop that stocks apparel, seaside finds and even some Taylor Swift-inspired merchandise. They also have gifts for favorite four-legged friends.
Located on a peninsula in southwestern Rhode Island, the Watch Hill Lighthouse was constructed in 1855-56 and measures 45-feet in height. Although visitors cannot ascend the tower, they can visit the lighthouse museum on the property to learn more about the lamp and the keepers who have maintained it over the years. (Shutterstock.com)
While it’s unlikely that a visitor would actually run into the famous singer while in the area, Watch Hill isn’t “Only for the Young.” It is a great place to visit for anyone who appreciates classic New England charm, vibrant beaches, and great food. Whether stopping by Swift’s local hangouts or making one’s own memories, Watch Hill is a “Timeless” piece of Americana. M OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 13
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$25 million Hurricane Helene left more than $25 million in damage to Asheville, N.C.’s, waterfront.
focus on: Parks & Environmental Services
Read how Asheville is restoring its riverfront on page 18.
$130 million Bradenton, Fla.’s, City Park project aims to spark surrounding development, with an economic impact analysis projecting almost $10 million annually and expected revenue of $130 million from those new developments and more visitors to LECOM Park.
5 The number of proposals that Boulder, Colo., received for its Nature Park Facilitators Pilot Program.
Learn about the City Park project on page 32. Find out more about this innovative pilot program on page 28.
6
$2 million
Texarkana, Texas, spent $2 million to upgrade the infrastructure of the city’s premier soccer complex and enhance its quality, functionality and longterm sustainability, which cemented its viability in the sports destination economy. Read about the improvements at https://parksandrecmag.mydigitalpublication. com/august-2026/page-38.
Find out how public parks can support that growth at https://parksandrecmag.mydigitalpublication.com/august-2026/page-30.
100%
60 In the run-up to July 4, around 60 Huntsville, Utah, fire hydrants were repainted in patriotic colors to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. The city had engaged in a similar effort during America’s Bicentennial.
Years of consecutive growth in the number of tennis players in the U.S. The sport is experiencing renewed interest of late: Since 2019, participation has grown 54% to 27.3 million players.
1776-2026
See the patriotic works of art at https://www.standard.net/entertainment/arts/2026/jul/10/ huntsville-fire-hydrants-get-a-patriotic-makeover-for-america250/.
The approximately 700 residents of the town of Man, W.Va., all responded to a survey asking for ideas to turn a disused riverfront pool into an engaging public park. The first phase of the truly community-led project was completed in July. Learn about the process and its funding. Source: https://www.loganbanner.com/news/man-opens-courts-breaks-ground-onsplash-pad-at-riverfront-park/article_4ddcc60a-50ae-424d-aa0d-e3417e14323b.html.
OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 17
M Focus on: Parks & Environmental Services By NICHOLETTE STOUT | The Municipal
Hurricane Helene brought devastating flooding and damage to the eastern coast in 2024, and many cities are still recovering. While working through the damage and losses has been tough on many cities, Asheville, N.C., is also making the best of the disaster with new improvements.
Recovery efforts move toward future mitigation and restoration
“When tropical storm Helene swept through western North Carolina in September 2024, the rising waters of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers inundated more than 200 acres of public parks, greenways and essential infrastructure,” Kim Miller, Asheville communication specialist, shared. “The damage along Asheville’s waterfront exceeded $25 million, temporarily stripping the city of some of its most cherished outdoor spaces. Today, the city of Asheville is turning a catastrophic event into an opportunity for resilient design. Through two major initiatives, the French Broad Riverfront Parks Recovery and Azalea Parks and Infrastructure Recovery projects, the city team and expert consultants are working alongside residents to reimagine how Asheville interacts with its waterways.” The French Broad riverfront spans five miles along both sides of the river and includes outdoor areas such as Carrier Park, French Broad River Park, Jean Webb Park and Wilma Dykeman Greenway. After six months of extensive research, including surveys, town hall meetings and focus groups in order to gather the community’s input, the city officially unveiled its design concept for the French Broad riverfront. “Moving forward from three initial preliminary frameworks presented earlier in the year, this unified plan combines community priorities into a cohesive layout focusing on environmental restoration, flood mitigation and accessible recreational amenities,” Miller described. This design concept has been released to the public via online video presentations, prints at a local community center and informational banners around greenway sites. The city is holding follow-up sessions with the community in September to focus on any concerns regarding specific park features. The design phase
LEFT ABOVE: The property along the Swannanoa River corridor and Azalea Road was heavily damaged during Hurricane Helene, including the damage or loss of important infrastructures such as the public swimming pool, Recreation Park, the John B. Lewis soccer complex and Gashes Creek Bridge. (Photo provided by the city of Asheville, N.C.) LEFT BELOW: Azalea Parks suffered a great deal of damage during Hurricane Helene, including to Gashes Creek Bridge. Currently, there are two project design frameworks by the city open to the community for feedback. (Photo provided by the city of Asheville, N.C.)
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When it comes to rebuilding, the city has valued community input with town hall meetings, focus groups and open houses. These recovery initiatives aim to make the areas even better than before with community input and additional flood mitigation. (Photo provided by the city of Asheville, N.C.)
and detailed engineering will continue through early 2027. Construction is planned to begin in 2027 and be completed by 2030. Work is also underway on the Azalea Parks project for the cityowned property along the Swannanoa River corridor and Azalea Road. This area is home to key facilities for both recreational and municipal use. These include the Recreation Park, public swimming pool, bathhouse, John B. Lewis soccer complex, Azalea dog park, and outdoor facilities and transportation structure, including Gashes Creek Bridge. This area has historically been referred to as “Asheville’s playground.” So far, two initial frameworks have been presented by the city for the project. One framework focuses on repairing the resources that are already in place through federal funds while also working to fortify riverbanks and build stronger structures, hoping they will better withstand future similar events. The other framework is more transformative and includes the possibility of moving key structures to higher ground, such as the public pool, to reduce damage during flooding as well as expanding the natural floodplain zones. While gathering community feedback regarding both frameworks, the city’s goal is to have shared a unified concept with the public by August. The city has also partnered with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to build a temporary bridge near the former Gashes Creek Bridge. The NCDOT opened bids for the project until mid-July and hoped to finalize the contractor soon. Both projects require a great deal of funding. The majority is planning on cost recovery through the FEMA public assistance program, community development block grant disaster relief funds, hazard mitigation grants and capital investment from the city and locals. It also involves a great deal of coordination between agencies.
The city is working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to build a temporary bridge near the former Gashes Creek Bridge while it works on a design concept to present to residents. (Photo provided by the city of Asheville, N.C.)
When Hurricane Helene made landfall in Asheville, N.C., the waters of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers flooded and caused damage to over 200 acres of public park, greenways and city infrastructure. (Photo provided by the city of Asheville, N.C.) “Rather than simply restoring what was lost, Asheville’s riverfront recovery initiatives aim to construct infrastructure capable of weathering the storms of tomorrow,” Miller stressed. “By pairing flood-resilient design with community-driven spaces, Asheville is laying the groundwork for a riverfront that is safer, more accessible and built to last for generations.” M
Read about more of Asheville’s recovery efforts on page 36.
OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 19
M Focus on: Parks & Environmental Services
Inclusiveness and innovation at the forefront of today’s parks By DENISE FEDOROW | The Municipal
Today’s city parks have come a long way from the playgrounds of my youth, which mainly consisted of a set of swings, basketball hoops, a metal slide that burned your legs on a hot sunny day and metal monkey bars all on concrete. Many municipalities are creating inclusive playgrounds, which have also come a long way since the Americans with Disabilities Act set guidelines for playgrounds in 2000. Jill Moore, inclusive play specialist for Landscape Structures, is herself a wheelchair user since she was a child and said the guidelines haven’t been touched since 2010. Moore said that while they started with making playgrounds accessible for wheelchair users, there are many other disabilities like autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, sensory issues and more.
20 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
Moore said, “All good design starts with knowing who you’re designing for — what your community has and what the needs are.” She said communities like Queen Creek, Ariz., “did a tremendous job of designing for all different types of disabilities,” but Moore recognized “some towns don’t have the budget to do that, so the best thing they can do is educate themselves to what is the greatest need.” She suggested that parks directors start with schools to determine what needs they’re seeing. Maybe they don’t have wheelchair users but have a lot of children with autism,
ABOVE: A variety of climbers at Frontier Family Park in Queen Creek offer different levels of challenge while connecting to the Weevos play structure designed for children ages 2-5. (Photo provided by Landscape Structures)
Down’s syndrome or ADHD. If the budget only allows for adding a few pieces, concentrate on the biggest needs in their particular community. As far as the products, Moore said, “There’s so much cool stuff!” However, she recommended that when creating an inclusive space, keep in mind: “Choice, independence and autonomy.” She shared an example she had encountered. She could roll onto an inground merry-go-round but couldn’t move it herself, so a little girl spun her, and it was not pleasant.
Jill Moore, Inclusive Play Specialist for Landscape Structures
Queen Creek, Ariz., Director of Parks and Recreation Adam Robinson
The biggest thing that gives lots of options is towers. “The name of the game is height,” she said. “Everyone is making towers, and we can do a lot to create comfortable slopes, different ways to access the top, netting, ways one can crawl to the top, add cozy spaces to take a breather and also ways in which a caregiver can quickly reach a child.” The biggest thing, according to Moore, that will bring success is to remember: “Nothing about us, without us — include those with disabilities in the process.” She said the city of Mansfield, Texas, invited children with disabilities to hear directly from them what they loved about playgrounds versus what they hated. “That ‘nothing about us, without us’ mindset led to really intentional choices and makes the most incredible spaces out there,” she said. Moore also pointed out that inclusive doesn’t mean for people with disabilities to have things set off to the side for them — that’s not inclusive — inclusive means for everyone. “Creating a just-right fit for everyone that allows us to connect and play together.”
spent a couple of years on the design, mainly because the community added a recreation center and an aquatic center. Following the design and construction process, the city opened the park in June 2024. The estimated cost of just the playground, which includes not only the play equipment but also the surfacing, fencing and seating, was about $2 million. Parks in Queen Creek are funded by a combination of impact fees — paid by new homes and businesses — and general funds. Robinson said that before designing the project, the city got many people involved. “It started with Mansel Carter Oasis Park. We included residents directly in the design process, and that really opened our eyes to the difference between a play experience and a truly inclusive play experience.” He said that for Frontier Family Park, officials brought in local residents and spent a couple of years focused on inclusive design with consultants, design companies, equipment companies and construction representatives. “We had everybody involved to get as many perspectives as possible to ensure play for everyone,” he said.
Queen Creek, Ariz. Queen Creek is about 25 miles from Phoenix and has four city parks. Director of Parks and Recreation Adam Robinson said all the parks fall into the category of inclusive as far as ADA standards. Even the older parks have added newer, inclusive play equipment. “With the newer parks, we’ve focused on a more holistic, inclusive play experience that goes beyond ADA standards,” he said. Frontier Family Park is an example of that. He started designing the park in 2021 and
New and exciting When asked about new and exciting things in parks, Robinson said, “The biggest change I’ve seen in the last bunch of years is that we went from creating inclusive pieces for playgrounds set up separately for ‘all you people play over there’ to designing inclusivity into the play experience so everybody plays together. No one is separated; everybody uses all the pieces.”
He used an example of a ramp up to a high point that somebody with mobility issues can go up and down; someone in a wheelchair can access that, grandparents can use it. “The most important part of integrating is that everybody plays together — all types of mobility issues, sensory issues and ages, parents and grandparents.” He said playgrounds with wood chips or sand bases — while ADA compliant — don’t allow people in wheelchairs, whether that be a child or adult caregiver, to maneuver quickly through them. “So, that’s not truly inclusive.” The other “new cool thing” is a sign called a communication board, which has pictures and letters on it, allowing non-verbal or non-speaking individuals, because of age or language barriers, to point to things in order to communicate. “We’ve been so focused on physical barriers and sensory issues that opened my eyes to a whole different set of things. That’s something you can integrate into a playground with little cost and effort and make a big difference,” he said. Robinson said even park departments with small budgets can make a playground inclusive. “If you have a small budget, the focus becomes how the pieces you do choose interact.” He advised putting yourself in the mindset of children of all ages and how it looks to them. He acknowledged that while surfacing is very important, it is also the most expensive. “For every dollar in surfacing, a dollar comes out of play pieces.” He said, “No matter the budget, create a play experience that’s fun, and fun for everyone.” Robinson advised when creating an inclusive playground, “Number one: get others involved. Talk to the people most affected by inclusive play.” He also advised when at conferences to talk to all the people involved, including designers, equipment manufacturers and trainers, and you’ll learn from all the different discussions. Floating boardwalks and trails For parks departments with water features or nature trails with wetlands, marshy areas or foliage that’s hard to get through, modular floating systems might be the solution that’s perfect for you. Ryan Moats, vice president of marketing for EZ Docks, explained that EZ Trail is a OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 21
continued from page 21 modular floating walkway system that locks together like Legos and floats on the water instead of pile-driving into lake beds or wetlands. It’s made from molded plastic material, so it won’t rot or splinter and will hold up better than a wooden boardwalk or dock. Moats said the core of their customer base is primarily municipal parks and recreation departments that either have a water feature, a boat launch or fishing pier. Other uses are in wetlands or marshy areas or thick foliage where they wanted to provide a pathway for easy hiking and biking trails. “They can help get people to areas that haven’t been accessible before,” he said. Weatherford, Texas’s, parks department built a trail along Lake Weatherford — over 4,300 feet long. Moats said, “It’s documented as the longest floating trail in the U.S.” The water level in Lake Weatherford fluctuates between 2 to 8 feet over the course of a year, with Moats noting, “So a fixed boardwalk or trail system wasn’t an option. Our system floats on the surface of the water and is able to adjust to the water levels.” Marlborough, Mass., near Boston, built a 3,000 long trail on Lake William, which, Moats said, had been “coined the Chocolate Trail because of its chocolate brown color.” It connects to an existing nature trail. According to a news report, the city used $1.7 million of stimulus funds to build the boardwalk that gives residents and visitors the ability to “walk on water.” Moats said it took over 500 dock sections to build. Moats also mentioned a 700-meter trail in a dune area on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
An overview of Frontier Family Park in Queen Creek, Ariz., highlights multiple accessible levels that invite kids of varying abilities to explore, including slides, spinners and more. (Photo provided by Landscape Structures)
He added that the system has an environmental benefit as they’re not pile-driving into lake beds or clearing brush to install it. “It offers a lighter touch in an area that needs to be protected,” he said. If you’re looking to upgrade your parks, there’s some exciting options available. M
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M Focus on: Parks & Environmental Services
Goldsboro’s pocket park reflects a community-led vision By DANIELLE LUND | The Municipal
When residents of Goldsboro, N.C.’s, West Oak neighborhood were asked what they wanted to see in their community, the answer helped shape an early step in a much larger vision for the area. The result is the new West Oak Pocket Park, a small but accessible gathering space located near the West Haven community and within walking distance of Goldsboro’s downtown area. With a few play features for children and space for residents to sit, gather or simply take a break, the park is designed less as a traditional park and more as a neighborhood amenity built around everyday use. The Goldsboro Housing Authority received a $500,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, with the city of Goldsboro serving as a partner and 24 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
ABOVE: Officials in Goldsboro, N.C., gather to cut the ribbon at West Oak Pocket Park. (Photo provided by Goldsboro Housing Authority)
The park was never intended to be the co-applicant. As the housing authority and kind of sprawling recreational space filled its partners began planning for the future of with large playground equipment. Instead, West Oak, they also looked for opportunities the idea was something smaller and more to demonstrate progress through what are closely tied to the rhythms of everyday life: known as early action projects. a place where a grandparent could bring a To determine what those projects should child, where someone near the bus depot look like, the housing authority went directly could stop and rest, or where neighbors to the people who lived in the community. could simply spend time outdoors. “We went door to door and did surveys in “It had to be small,” Razzak-Ellis said. the community,” said Ayisha Razzak-Ellis, “We landed on a pocket park, a small area director of resident services for the Housing where people can gather, play, take lunch Authority of the City of Goldsboro. “Through or rest.” talking to members in the community, it The pocket park includes a limited number of features for children because came down to them wanting a park.”
it was designed with a broader audience in mind. Accessibility was a central consideration, Razzak-Ellis said, with the space intended to serve children, older adults, people using wheelchairs and other residents who may not always have easy access to traditional recreational amenities. Situated near the West Haven community and within walking distance of downtown, the park is positioned in an area residents can access without having to travel across the city. Its location near the bus depot also makes it a space that can easily become part of residents’ everyday routines. In a neighborhood where residents had identified a need for green space, recreation and places to gather, the pocket park offered an opportunity to address several needs at once. And because the idea had come directly from conversations with residents, the project represented more than a new amenity. It was an early sign that the larger plans being developed for West Oak could begin with the people who already called the neighborhood home. The Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant brought together the housing authority and the city of Goldsboro to examine the future of West Oak and develop a plan for improving the area. While long-term redevelopment can take years to complete, the pocket park provided an opportunity to make an earlier, visible investment in the neighborhood. “It was an early action project,” Razzak-Ellis said. The effort allowed the partners to “show our seriousness” while the broader planning process continued. The response following the park’s ribbon-cutting suggested that residents were already beginning to make the space their own. Razzak-Ellis said several people reached out through Facebook to share positive feedback. Among them were residents who talked about bringing their grandchildren to the park and appreciated having a safe, enjoyable place to sit and spend time together. For a project that began with the simple act of asking residents what they wanted, those early responses offered a glimpse of what the park was intended to become: not just a new feature in the neighborhood, but a space woven into the everyday lives of the people who live there. But the pocket park was never meant to be the end of the story. The Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant has now concluded, and the housing authority’s next step is to pursue an implementation grant that could support the larger redevelopment of West Oak. The park is only one piece of that broader vision. “Part of that plan is to start small and work up to bigger parks,” Razzak-Ellis said. In that way, the pocket park represents both an accomplishment and a beginning. It gave residents an early, visible example of the kind of investment being envisioned for their neighborhood while the larger plans for West Oak continue to take shape. For the residents who opened their doors, answered surveys and shared what they wanted to see in West Oak, the result is now something they can walk to, sit in and share with their families. The West Oak Pocket Park may occupy only a small piece of the neighborhood, but it represents something larger: a community that was asked what it needed and a plan that began, at least in part, by listening to the answer. M
Residents provided feedback for the pocket park through conversations held with officials. The space is now a safe, relaxing area where people can gather, play or take lunch. (Photo provided by Goldsboro Housing Authority)
Residents enjoy one of the play features at West Oak Pocket Park. The park was built with all ages in mind. (Photo provided by Goldsboro Housing Authority)
OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 25
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M Focus on: Parks & Environmental Services
Reimagining how kids experience city parks By TERESA NICODEMUS | The Municipal
Boulder, Colo., is partnering with community groups to bring nature-based play and learning into urban parks through its innovative Nature Park Facilitators Pilot Program. What if a neighborhood park could be more than a playground or a patch of grass? In a new effort designed to help children and families connect with nature in parks close to home, city leaders are exploring unique, community-led nature programming through the Nature Park Facilitators Pilot Program. The program grew out of Boulder’s participation in Nature Everywhere, a national initiative focused on making sure children have more access to nature in everyday life. The city began asking how green spaces throughout the community can become places for discovery, play and learning for local youth.
28 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
“We are passionate about getting kids outdoors,” said Matt Pilger, project lead for the pilot program. Local parks become places for discovery In January 2026, Boulder invited community organizations, educators and neighbors with a passion for nature and youth development to submit nature programming ideas. The application window closed on Feb. 1, and while the timeline was short, the city still received five proposals. The community organizations selected from the pilot will receive commercial authorization to host hands-on, nature-focused programs in local neighborhood and community parks.
ABOVE: Students sit on tree stumps at The Habitat and The Nest Naturehood Play Areas in Crest View Park. (Photo provided by Boulder, Colo.)
What mattered most was not the number of applications, but the variety. The city heard from a local community organization, a daycare center focused on nature play, an individual interested in interpretive dance, neighbors who care deeply about their local park, and others with creative ideas for helping children interact outdoors. The city intentionally kept the call broad. Rather than dictating one format for programming, Boulder stayed open to different kinds of proposals, from onetime events to recurring programs. “We wanted to identify people and groups already doing good work and create opportunities for them to expand. In that sense, the pilot became as much about partnership as programming,” explained Pilger.
A wide-open approach to nature play That flexibility was a key aspect of the program. City staff did not want to rule out good ideas because they did not fit a traditional recreation model. According to Pilger, one proposal involved a one-day environmental writing or drawing session, while another explored the option of nature activity boxes placed in parks and filled with materials that encourage creative nature play. One of the strongest fits for a potential longer-term partnership came from a program serving children up to five years old and their caregivers. That group focused on helping very young children discover nature through guided outdoor experiences. The city sees a strong alignment with the program and is considering a fuller partnership in 2027. However, the city is not limiting the idea of nature discovery to one age group. The broader goal of the pilot project is to engage all age groups in outdoor experiences, including families. Making parks inviting and accessible “The number one thing this program does is give youth permission to play,” Pilger said. “In many outdoor spaces, children hear messages about what not to do, like ‘stay on the trail,’ ‘do not touch,’ ‘be careful.’ This pilot invites kids of all ages and families to explore, use natural materials and feel welcome in the outdoor environment around them.” Kate Hernandez, communications program manager, agreed. “Those experiences can be especially valuable for families who may not have regular access to nature or be familiar with interacting outdoors. A neighborhood park can offer a more immediate, approachable connection to nature.” Pilger and Hernandez described many kinds of play that natural settings can support, including creative play, collaborative play, sensory exploration and quiet, contemplative play. Learning what works Because the 2026 effort is a pilot, the city is also using it to gather information. City staff are surveying both participants and facilitators to learn what worked and what did not. That feedback will shape future decisions regarding programming and partnerships. The city is also discerning practical lessons about the administration of the
The Wild Woods Discovery Area Nature Pop-Up structure was created from recycled materials from Boulder Forestry. (Photo provided by Boulder, Colo.)
Children interact with water, natural materials and learn about the Primos Park during a Primos Park Nature Playdate. This program is held with community youth engagement partners, Growing Up Boulder. (Photo provided by Boulder, Colo.)
program. Supporting community-led park programs takes staff time, coordination and clear points of contact. Pilger said one major takeaway is that the city needs dedicated capacity to build programming and partnerships successfully. Discussions around the cost of the programs are still being worked out on a case-by-case basis. Some programs may be free, while others may charge a fee but offer scholarships to avoid creating any barriers.
The city’s goal is equitable access, while also recognizing that partner organizations may have operating expenses. Staff plan to evaluate this year’s results to determine whether to issue another open call for programming next year or wait for 2028. The pilot program was a clear indicator of the creativity and interest that exists in the community to make parks more welcoming and connected to youth and family life. M OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 29
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M Focus on: Parks & Environmental Services
Bradenton’s City Park embraces baseball past while bringing more amenities By BETH ANNE BRINK-COX | The Municipal
If you only know Bradenton, Fla., because of LECOM Park — home of the minor league home ballpark for the Pittsburgh Pirates — take another look! A new project — City Park — began in May, and its vision is to bring new baseball fields, a football field, a “Miracle Field” and a community resource center. The hope was to inspire surrounding development — including hotels, restaurants and retail — after an economic impact analysis projected almost $10 million annually, and expected revenue of $130 million in those new developments and more visitors to LECOM Park. 32 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
Tiffany Shadik is the public information manager for Bradenton, and she was happy to explain in great detail. “We’re very proud of this project and excited to have the opportunity to share what we’re doing here in Bradenton with communities across the country. The City Park project builds on more than a century of baseball history in Bradenton while creating a new hub for recreation, education and community activity. The
ABOVE: The Bradenton, Fla., officials and the public are very enthused to see City Park completed. The community broke ground on June 9. (Photo provided by Bradenton, Fla.) name itself is a nod to City Park Field, where baseball was played more than 100 years ago. City Park grew out of an opportunity to build on that history and Bradenton’s longstanding relationship with the Pittsburgh Pirates while creating a park that serves the community year-round and better connects the area with surrounding neighborhoods and our downtown urban core.” But, Shadik said, “The vision extends well beyond baseball and sports tourism. Plans
include youth programming, educational initiatives, workforce development, family services and community events, along with new recreational facilities. By bringing those uses together in one place, the goal is to make the LECOM Park area a year-round community destination that serves residents while also supporting tourism and economic activity.” As expected, a lot of money was involved. Shadik noted, “The broader project is a collaborative effort involving public agencies, community organizations and other partners, with funding varying by phase and component. The project has received support from federal and state appropriations, Manatee County, the city of Bradenton Community Redevelopment Agency and other public and community partners, with funding sources varying by phase and component.” Shadik explained, “While initial site work began in May, the city officially broke ground on the first phase on June 9, 2026. Phase 1 includes the construction of an additional baseball field adjacent to LECOM Park that is being designed to replicate the dimensions and characteristics of PNC Park, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates. That field is expected to be completed before spring training begins in 2027. City Park is a multiphase project, however; and the additional components will be developed in later phases, with the overall project currently anticipated to be completed in 2028.” The sheer size of the City Park project is staggering, and while Because the first phase is still under construction, Shadik said, it this phase may look like it’s all over the place, every detail has its is too early to measure the broader economic impact of City Park. reason and its goal. (Photo provided by Bradenton, Fla.) “Once the new baseball field is complete, Pirates/Marauders staff will manage year-round rentals and work to attract travel baseball, tournaments and other events to the area. Later phases are intended to broaden the park’s impact beyond baseball by adding recreational involved in bringing City Park to life, and there is a tremendous and community resources that bring people to the area throughout amount of passion behind this project. While baseball is an importhe year.” tant part of its history and its future, the vision for City Park goes Some aspects cannot be fully known until the park is completed. well beyond baseball. We believe it will be a wonderful addition to The impact analysis projected $10 million annually, and Shadik said, Bradenton and something that will have a meaningful impact on the “The projected annual $10 million impact is based on the completed surrounding neighborhoods and our community as a whole.” City Park and its ability to host additional tournaments, events and How big does a town have to be for this to be a feasible project? year-round activities. With the first phase under construction, the “There isn’t a particular population threshold that makes a project city does not yet have operating data that can be compared with that like this possible. What’s more important is understanding your comprojection. Because City Park is still under development, we don’t munity’s needs, identifying the assets you already have and building yet have visitation data that would allow us to attribute an increase the right partnerships. For Bradenton, no single organization could in visitors to the project. LECOM Park continues to draw visitors for bring the entire vision for City Park to life. It has taken collaboration spring training, Marauders baseball and other activities.” among local, state and federal governments, community organizaA special addition of inclusion will be The Miracle Field. “It is an tions, sports partners, and others, each bringing different resources, important part of the broader vision for City Park because it expands expertise and support to the project.” who is able to participate. The goal is to create an accessible space Shadlik concluded, “Another community considering something where children and adults with disabilities can experience baseball similar should start with what makes their community unique and and recreation in an environment designed for their needs. It also how they can build upon that in a way that serves residents and supreflects what we want City Park to become overall: a place that offers ports the surrounding area. An existing asset or idea can become a opportunities for people of different ages and abilities and serves catalyst for something much larger when the right partners and a more than one segment of the community.” shared vision come together. The scale and components may look The first Miracle League field opened in Conyers, Ga., in April very different from one community to another, and that’s okay. The 2000. Word spread, and by 2002, fields opened in South Carolina, project should ultimately reflect the place and the people it’s intended Alabama, West Virginia, Illinois and California. There are presently to serve.” Bradenton has more plans for the future beyond City Park. “We’ve 350-plus Miracle League Organizations across the country and continent, including Puerto Rico and Canada. These organizations serve secured more than $160 million in grants and appropriations in recent 450,000-plus children and adults. years to address aging infrastructure, particularly our wastewater sysAs for community response, Shadik enthused, “The response has tems. It’s been a major undertaking for the city and one we’re very been very positive. There are so many people and organizations proud of as well,” said Shadlik. M OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 33
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Crisis Management
Asheville trains residents as responders to emergencies and natural disasters By NICHOLETTE STOUT | The Municipal
While the city of Asheville, N.C., has always made plans to prepare for emergencies, particularly related to hurricanes and flooding, some areas of improvement were identified following 2024’s Hurricane Helene. An after-action review was completed last year on the city’s emergency operations plan following Helene, with improvements suggested to optimize emergency response. Some of the high-value infrastructures prior to Helene and improvements afterward included the Emergency Operations Center, the emergency operations plan, the North Fork Reservoir Auxiliary spillway and the public safety radio system. The Asheville Fire Department has also invested time, training and equipment to set up two swift-water boat teams. The city follows an incident command system for the assessment and management of emergencies. That system helps Asheville appropriately calculate the risks and threat of incidents and prepare the proper resources to address them. “If the incident, planned or otherwise, is beyond the capacity of our normal emergency response, a complexity analysis is completed to gauge the level of response required to mitigate the incident,” Chief Jeremy Knighton said. “The process yields a tiered Emergency Operations Center response level that, in turn, activates personnel to manage the incident. This ranges from a monitoring posture by emergency management staff all the way to a full activation, which includes the full cooperative response of all city departments and strategic partners.” Disaster preparation is a year-round process for Asheville because the strategies can be utilized for various hazards and crises, not just hurricane season. “We strongly advocate for the implementation of PACE modeling,” Knighton explained. “Originally designed for military communications, the Primary, Alternate, Contingent, Emergency framework creates a structured hierarchy of four separate tools or approaches to maintain uninterrupted contact or operations during system failures or degradations. Families, businesses and other groups can utilize this method of planning to develop actionable strategies for managing major disasters as well as minor infrastructure disruptions.” Leading up to Hurricane Helene, Asheville’s Emergency Operations Center was at full activation. Preparations were underway days before Helene made landfall and included call-up of the two swift-water boat 36 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
Asheville has put together a Community Emergency Response Team to help first responders in times of emergency and natural disasters. They can help with damage assessments, distributing supplies, traffic or pedestrian management, staffing information or resources centers or supporting shelter operations. There are currently 12 residents who have completed training and 115 more working on the online portion before beginning hands-on training. (Photo provided by the city of Asheville, N.C.)
teams; two evacuation and saw teams; four transit buses placed strategically to assist with emergency evacuation; upstaffing in operational departments such as police, fire, public works and water; pre-deployment on the New Jersey Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1; and pre-deployment of North Carolina National Guard high-water vehicle assets. Immediately after the hurricane made landfall, response efforts were focused on life-saving search and rescue operations in the areas most affected by flooding. That included over 1,000 evacuations from the floodway, over 200 swift-water rescues and many roads cleared by emergency response teams. After the direct life-saving efforts, Asheville responded to other issues affecting the city. This meant the Emergency Operations Center was activated for 156 days for storm response. The city managed over 400 outside agency resources, including a Type 3 Incident Management Team from
New York state and a Type 1 incident management team from the New York Fire Department. Five points of distribution were established to provide for human needs such as food and water. Almost 4 million water bottles distributed while restoration to the domestic water supply via the city’s water system was completed, as residents wound up having to go 52 days without city water. Search and rescue operations spanned over 1,000 miles on foot or in boats. The security operations included over 400 law enforcement personnel from outside agencies. Hazardous material mitigation identified 723 hazardous materials disrupted by the storm, and over 1,500 damaged structures were inspected. Almost one million cubic yards of debris were managed. Asheville also managed unmanned aerial reconnaissance; post-incident canvassing operations; missing persons tracking and investigation; medical airlift support; volunteers and donations; fire protection; cleaning, inspecting and rebuilding roads and bridges; and the city focused area targeting 48 high-need communities for direct comThe city’s CERT training involves a hybrid model, including an modity delivery. 18.5-hour online training followed by eight to 10 hours of hands“The Urban Land Institute Advisory Services panel brought together on training with instructors from the Asheville Fire Department. experts in land use, infrastructure, economics, design and disaster resilParticipants are asked to put their knowledge to the test in ience to evaluate Asheville’s post-Helene recovery and recommend ways realistic scenarios, including light search and rescue, fire safety, to rebuild more strategically,” Knighton shared. “The panel emphasized disaster medical operations and team organization. (Photo proregional stormwater planning, resilient and redundant water infrastrucvided by the city of Asheville, N.C.) ture, floodplain-based development standards, green infrastructure and coordinated the use of recovery funding. These recommendations would help Asheville reduce future flood damage, protect critical services, guide After completion, the resident graduates and is encouraged to particisafer redevelopment and move us from reacting to disaster toward longterm preparedness and resilience.” pate in continuing education, community outreach, emergency response Asheville also put together a Community Emergency Response Team activities and disaster preparedness initiatives. whose goal is to strengthen the partnership between the fire department Currently, 12 residents have completed the training. Another in-person and the community and help to give citizens the confidence and knowl- training session for 20 participants is planned for the fall. There are 115 edge to help themselves, family and neighbors in an emergency. residents signed up and working on completion of the online training. “The idea for our Community Emergency Response Team grew out “Our goal is to make CERT accessible while ensuring every graduate of a simple realization: During emergencies, our community is stron- receives both the foundational knowledge and the practical, hands-on gest when residents are prepared and know how to help safely,” Jeremy experience needed to serve safely and effectively,” Brooks said. “This Brooks, fire life safety educator, stated. “As Asheville has experienced hybrid approach allows us to train more community members withnatural disasters, severe weather and other emergencies, we recognized out sacrificing the quality of the instruction or the confidence they gain the importance of building resilience beyond our first responders. before joining the team.” “Rather than replacing emergency services, the CERT serves as a force In the event of an emergency, CERT members will help strengthen the multiplier by creating trained volunteers who understand disaster pre- city’s response by safely assisting neighbors until first responders arrive. paredness, basic fire safety, light search and rescue, medical operations The volunteers can help with damage assessments, staffing information and effective communication during emergencies. By investing in citi- or resource centers, supporting shelter operations, distributing supplies, zen education and preparedness, we’re creating a safer, more resilient helping with traffic or pedestrian management, conducting wellness city where residents become active participants in emergency readiness checks and providing public information to other residents. They can also instead of simply waiting for help,” she elaborated. “That’s a win for every- conduct neighborhood outreach, document damage and help connect residents with available resources and services following an emergency. one — citizens, our first responders and our community as a whole.” In order to become a member of the CERT team, an adult must fill “By being prepared to care for themselves, their families and their out an application and wait to be enrolled via email. The program uses neighbors, CERT members help build a more resilient community a hybrid training model, and no previous emergency services experi- while allowing firefighters, law enforcement officers and EMS personence is required. Students are able to complete an 18.5-hour online CERT nel to focus on the most critical life-safety incidents,” Brooks stressed. basic training course online at their own pace. After that is complete, stu- “Ultimately, CERT is about neighbors helping neighbors. By extending dents must then attend an eight- to 10-hour, hands-on training session the reach of the city’s emergency response through trained volunteers, held by instructors from the Asheville Fire Department. They use their Asheville is better prepared to respond to disasters, recover more quickly knowledge in realistic scenarios and on stations covering topics such as and strengthen the partnership between the community and its public fire safety, disaster medical operations, light search and rescue, disaster safety agencies.” M psychology and team organization. OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 37
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Public Safety
Simulated situations: Bay County Sheriff’s Office runs active shooter drills throughout summer By JULIE YOUNG | The Municipal
As emergency calls flooded dispatch with reports of an active shooter on school grounds, first responders across multiple agencies descended on campus with two objectives — eliminate the threat and treat the wounded. Thankfully, the calls weren’t real. There was no shooter, and no students were in harm’s way. It was July, and school was out for the summer in Florida. This was a training drill that Captain Jason Daffin of Bay County Sheriff’s Office hopes he never has to face in real life. “It is unfortunately becoming more common for these types of events to occur, so we are getting out ahead of it and make sure we are prepared if that day comes,” he said. 38 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
A progressive practice Bay County Sheriff ’s deputies began to develop their active shooter strategies 16 years ago after a University of Alabama Huntsville shooting killed three faculty members and wounded three others. The team used to practice dynamic entries into a school building in order to eliminate the threat. However, as the methodology of mass shootings has progressed, so too have the department’s training practices.
ABOVE: To keep students safe from an armed threat, the Bay County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office conducted active shooter drills in conjunction with other local agencies over the summer. These role-playing drills were conducted at area schools using nonlethal munitions and props to reflect actual injuries. The drills not only familiarized law enforcement with the layout of the school but will help them stay calm in a tense situation. (Photo provided by Bay County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office)
Today, they create elaborate role-playing scenarios with other agencies that involve props and “simmunitions” — simulated ammunition that leaves a mark on
its target like that of a paintball pellet. “You don’t want to get hit with one of those,” Daffin said. To create their scenarios, Daffin and his team review raw footage from known school shooting events and look for ways in which to work more efficiently, tighten gaps and get help to those in need. Daffin pointed out that in many cases, victims do not die from the gunshot wounds themselves, but by losing too much blood while waiting for help. For the past two years, they have been working alongside agencies from the surrounding communities so that, should an incident occur, they can work as a team to address the threat, plan for staging and get medical treatment to those in need. “It’s going to be all of us who respond, so it’s important that we all have the same training,” he said. The drill scenarios unfold at various schools throughout the county, which include 48 district and charter facilities. According to Daffin, the scenarios are intense. As responders run through the first drills and familiarize themselves with the building layout, he can hear the anxiety in the team’s voices as they communicate over the radio. However, the more they run through it and work out the various bugs, the calmer they become. “Our hope is that by putting people through this training and consistently teaching different aspects of the scenario, they will remember what to do in the heat of the moment,” he said. Additional support The Bay County Sheriff ’s Office and other municipal agencies are not schools’ only line of defense when the unthinkable occurs. While each school has resource officers, as well as policies and procedures for locking down the building in the event that a shooting occurs, the Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis and Coach Scott Beigel Guardian Program allows for highly trained school personnel to also carry a concealed firearm and step up in the event of a school shooting. The “Guardian Program,” as it is commonly called, was established in 2018 after the Majorie Stoneman Douglas High School shooting on Feb. 14, 2018. Daffin said although the identity of the guardians is a closely guarded secret, they train throughout the summer to be certified for the following school year. “I don’t know the statistic, but I think they shoot about double the amount of rounds that law enforcement officers do,” Daffin said. There is also BayROC, the county’s Real-Time Operations Center, which consist of multiple cameras posted throughout Bay County, along with various other high-tech tools. “With BayROC, we can get eyes on a school campus quickly so that we can get updates and know what we are dealing with,” Daffin said. “A few years ago, we heard that there was potentially someone heading to Bay High with a gun: As soon as that came out on the radio, we pulled up the cameras so that we could see what was happening.” The school was already on lockdown. But as deputies reviewed the data, they noticed that there was a kid hiding outside the school because the lockdown had prevented him from sheltering inside the building. “Thankfully, it was a false alarm, but we were able to get in touch with the school, tell them about the kid and get that student to safety,” Daffin said.
A Bay County Sheriff’s deputy triages a student during an active shooter drill conducted in July. Captain Jason Daffin said many school shooting victims do not perish from the gunshot wounds themselves, but by losing too much blood while waiting for help to arrive. (Photo provided by Bay County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office)
A role-playing victim is removed from the scene during an active shooter drill in July. Captain Jason Daffin says although he hopes his department never has to face an active shooter threat in real life, local law enforcement agencies and first responders are ready should a school shooting happen in their community. (Photo provided by Bay County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office)
When it comes to school shootings, Daffin said it is important that parents talk to their children about how to protect themselves and for law enforcement personnel to share as much data with other agencies as they can, so that they can learn from past incidents and adopt best practices going forward. “Anytime another agency wants to collaborate or learn about what we are doing, we are happy to help,” he said. “You can’t do enough when it comes to this type of thing. Our kids are worth it.” M OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 39
M
Conference Calendar
5
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OCTOBER Oct. 1 Government Innovation Arizona Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix, Ariz. https://publicsectornetwork. com/events/ Oct. 5-8 Fire Department Training Network Fire Combat Indianapolis, Ind. https://fdtraining.com/training/ courses#Camp Oct. 6 Indiana Digital Government Summit 2026 Embassy Suites by Hilton, Noblesville, Ind. https://events.govtech.com/ Indiana-Digital-GovernmentSummit Oct. 6-8 SFPE Annual Conference & Expo Atlanta, Ga. https://www.sfpe.org/ annual26/home Oct. 6-9 FEMSA FAMA Fall Conference Louisville, Ky. https://www. femsafamafallconference.org/ Oct. 6-9 South Dakota Municipal League Annual Conference Ramkota Hotel, Pierre, S.D. https://www. sdmunicipalleague.org/events Oct. 7 Vermont League of Cities & Towns Town Fair 2026 DoubleTree by Hilton, Burlington, Vt. https://www.vlct.org/town-fair
Oct. 7 & 8 AWC’s Member Expo Campbell’s Resort, Chelan, Wash. https://wacities.org/eventseducation/conferences Oct. 7-9 League of Wisconsin Municipalities Annual Fall Conference Hilton Appleton Paper Valley, Appleton, Wis. https://www.lwm-info.org/731/ Annual-Conference Oct. 7-9 Montana League of Cities & Towns 95th Annual Conference Helena, Mont. https://mtleague.org/ events/95th-annual-leagueconference Oct. 7-10 Municipal Leadership Summit Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey, Pa. https://www.pml.org/ event/2026-municipalleadership-summit/ Oct. 8 California Cybersecurity Education Summit 2026 Sheraton Grand Sacramento, Sacramento, Calif. https://events.govtech.com/ California-CybersecurityEducation-Summit.html Oct. 8-10 League of Kansas Municipalities Annual Conference Wichita, Kan. https://www.lkm.org/page/ AnnualConference
Oct. 10-13 Virginia Municipal League Mayors Institute & Annual Conference Norfolk Waterside Marriott, Norfolk, Va. www.vml.org Oct. 15 Small Business Expo – New York City (Fall) Javits Convention Center, New York City, N.Y. https://www. thesmallbusinessexpo.com/ attend/ Oct. 15-17 League of Oregon Cities 101st Annual Conference Salem, Ore. https://www.orcities.org/ resources/communications/ bulletin/loc-now-acceptingsession-ideas-101st-annualconference Oct. 15-17 NAHRO National Conference & Exhibition Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo. https://www.nahro.org/events/ future-conferences/ Oct. 15-18 Montana Fire Service Convention Delta Hotel, Helena, Mont. https://montanafirechiefs.com/ fireserviceconvention/ Oct. 17-21 ICMA Annual Conference Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, Los Angeles County, Calif. https://conference.icma.org/
Oct. 19-20 ASES National Solar Conference Palmer Events Center, Austin, Texas https://ases.org/conference/ Oct. 20-23 Equip Expo Louisville, Ky. https://www.equipexposition. com/ Oct. 21-23 WaterSmart Inovations Portland, Ore. https://www.awwa.org/event/ watersmart-innovations/ Oct. 22 New York Cybersecurity Education Summit 2026 New York City, N.Y. https://events.govtech.com/ Oct. 22-24 EMS & FIRE EXPO Mohegan Sun, Uncasville, Conn. https://emspro.org/expo-info/ Oct. 24-27 IACP 2026 Conference Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. https://www.theiacpconference. org/ Oct. 25-28 IEDC Annual Conference New Orleans, La. https://www.iedconline.org/ pages/conferences/
To list your upcoming conference or seminar in The Municipal at no charge, call (800) 733-4111, ext. 2307, or email the information to swright@the-papers.com.
40 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
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TOP 10 Best states for working from home Working from home has become more common than most employees, and many of their employers, could have ever imagined. The work-from-home trend exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, when private businesses were forced into the option so that they could survive the stay-at-home and social distancing requirements. It turned out, though, that not only did many employees enjoy working from home, but the business owners who once thought the strategy was not feasible or desirable had changed their minds. Hybrid in-office and remote situations also began to flourish. WalletHub, the financial advice website, looked at what an ideal work-from-home setup requires. This spring, its analysts polled remote workers in all states to determine how living costs and the home environment, among other factors, played into making the arrangement work for both employee and employer. They evaluated each state on the basis of the percentage of people working remotely, internet costs and cybersecurity, as well as home size and household crowding — all of which impacted employees’ savings and productivity. The result? The states with the most favorable conditions for a work-from-home situation were determined to be:
1. Utah 2. Delaware 3. Connecticut 4. Maryland 5. Massachusetts 6. New Jersey 7. Rhode Island 8. Washington 9. Virginia 10. North Carolina Source: https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-for-working-from-home/72801
44 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
M
Advertiser Index
Supporting municipal operations, coast to coast A
L
Applied Concepts, Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Land Pride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover, 10-11, 41 Liberty Art Works, Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
B BendPak Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Lift-A-Loft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Bonnell Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Bucher Municipal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Buyers Products Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
N National Construction Rentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
R
C
Rapid View LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BACK
Clearspan Fabric Structures. . . . . . . . . . . 15 Central Life Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Magazine For America’s Municipalities
E
S
October 2026
Parks & Environmental Services
Sensible Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Sign Guardian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Edinburg Auctions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Stan Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Everblades Incorporated. . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Stern Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
F
Strongwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Fluid Control Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 FPZ Incorporated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
G
Asheville launches riverfront recovery
Greystone Construction. . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
U
INSIDE: Land Pride
www.themunicipal.com
J
Uline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Community-led parks program
V Valtir LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
John Blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
VMAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
K
W
Kay Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Wisconsin Surplus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
KM International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Wix Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Thank you to our advertisers for being a part of our October 2026 issue This index is provided courtesy of the publisher, who assumes no liability for errors or omissions. OCTOBER 2026 | THE MUNICIPAL 45
MOSQUITO CONTROL
E L E VAT E D B Y I N S I G H T Mosquito Control Evolved means more than delivering industry-leading products— it means advancing the industry through idea sharing and thought leadership. In that spirit, we are proud to launch two new informational series:
VECTOR VISION
A Deeper View of Mosquito Control
MAD HACKS
Tips and Tricks from Across the Country
Our new quarterly newsletter provides an in-depth view of the industry. You'll find features from leading experts, a detailed look at Integrated Pest Management (IPM), the latest on UAS technology, valuable regional reports from our dedicated team and more.
This social media series showcases the most inventive solutions from Mosquito Abatement Districts (MADs) across the country. Discover custom-engineered vehicles, automated spray systems, and other resourceful innovations that are driving efficiency and success in the field.
Explore all of our educational resources and learn more about our line of mosquito control solutions at www.CentralMosquitoControl.com.
Altosid, Duovex, Aqua Zenivex, Zenivex and Zoecon with design are trademarks of Wellmark International. FourStar is a registered trademark of B2E Microbials LLC. ©2026 Wellmark International.
46 THE MUNICIPAL | OCTOBER 2026
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