PRPS Weekly News

Join us next Wednesday, November 18 at the Fall Membership Meeting

Co-Sponsored by George Ely Associates Inc., and Mid-Atlantic Products, Inc.

The fall meeting will be held Wednesday, November 18 at PSECU Headquarters in Harrisburg. We will begin with a business meeting followed by the general session with SWELL - Making "Good for You, Good for All" Work for You. Join us after lunch to learn more about financial literacy with PSECU.

Click here to register! For the flyer, click here.

If you are interested in sponsoring the meeting, please contact Nicole Lynd at nlynd@prps.org.

Update on LWCF & Active Transportation

It was busy on Capitol Hill last week for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Reform Act (STRR). As expected, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop released his draft LWCF bill. National Recreation & Park Association is very pleased with the State Assistance and "urban" portions of the bill, but is deeply concerned to see additional programs included which are not consistent with the stated purposes of outdoor recreation and conservation, the basic tenants of the original Act. On the transportation front, there is some very good news. The House approved a six-year, $325 billion transportation bill that did not include three proposed amendments that targeted Transportation Alternatives and the Recreational Trails Program. This is in large part due to the rapid advocacy efforts of NRPA members and partners! To find out details of the LWCF bill and what's ahead for active transportation, read more on Open Space.

Click here to get the details on LWCF and active transportation legislation.

Grant Workshops...last two are next week

There are only two workshops left and they are both next week. The first one will be held on November 17 at the Heritage Conservancy Office in Doylestown and the second will be on November 18 at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College.

Register today! These workshops will include important information on BRC's new selection criteria/ranking guidelines, grant program eligibility requirements, and how to file competitive applications for the 2016 grant program, which opens January 20, 2016.

District News

Distict 1 Challenge Fundraiser

This fundraiser will be held at the PRPS Conference. For more details on this fundraiser, click here.

District 2 Winter Workshop

January 27th, 2016

York College of Pennsylvania

8:30 am - 2:30 pm

Agenda:

9am-9:45:District 2 Business Meeting
10-12 Session 1: Employee Handbooks, I9's and Personnel Files
12-1pm Lunch: Networking Opportunity with Students
1-2:30pm Session 2: Social Media Roundtable

District 3 Ski & Snowboarding Socials/Meeting

January 13, 2016 - Shawnee Mountain

January 27, 2016 - Blue Mountain

February 9, 2016 - Jack Frost Mountain

Click here for more details and to register.

Park Bench Productions - Live from Florida

That's right! Mr. Chris Lessig will once again be producing the annual slide show for our Monday night dinner entertainment. Please consider sharing any pictures or videos of your organization's activities and achievements throughout the year. The next time you're on your phone at work (checking your stocks), scroll back to March 2015. We know there's lots of good stuff to share from the 2015 conference in Lancaster as well! Building on the conference theme, Chris is interested in any survivor type photos like mud runs/adventure races, outdoors like camping, etc. Pictures and/or videos can be sent to Chris at c.lessig62@gmail.com or 144 W. Fiesta Key Loop DeLand, Fl 32720.

Reminder! Share your photos for promotion on GoodForPA.com

We are quickly preparing our next Good for You, Good for All newsletter, as well as seasonal updates to the homepage of GoodForPA.com. We're looking to collect and feature as winter and/or holiday-themed photos from local parks and recreation facilities across the state. We are most interested in receiving photos that show community members gathering in parks for winter and/or holiday events. If you have these types of photos to share, please send JPEG versions to GoodForPA@gmail.com this week. We'll be sure to add the location of the photo so people know from what park or recreation facility it originated.

Conference News

Online registration will be open soon!

Here are a few Session Highlights:

Emerging Leaders: Put the POW! in Powerhouse
Safe, Healthy & Effective Pest Management for Landscapes
Adapted Sports & Games Panel
Trips That Include People with Disabilities
Planning Connecting Urban Trails
Swimming Pool Chemistry for Dummies

Citizens & Friends Day

Citizens and Friends Day on the Mountain is designed to focus on the needs and interests of Park and Recreation Board Committee members and other interested volunteers. This one-day event will be held Sunday, March 13. The registration fee is $20 and includes admission to our Exhibit Hall. Click here for more details.

Conference Registration Fees

For conference registration fees, click here.

Vendor Opportunities

Reserve your space early! If you are interested in being a vendor, sponsor or advertiser at the 2016 Conference click here for details.

Recognition & Awards Program Coming Soon

Watch for details on the awards criteria and nomination form. Premiering this year: Agency of the Year, which will recognize one outstanding operation. Will it be yours?

Are You a Get Outdoors PA Community Partner? A second Mini-Grant will be available soon!

The second Get Outdoors PA Mini-Grant Program will open in early 2016. Grants of $1,500-$3,000 will fund equipment and training related to outdoor programming. Some match is required. Applicants must be Get Outdoors PA Community Partners approved in 2015 or earlier and be a local government entity or 501c-3 non-profit. The program is supported by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. If you're not currently a Community Partner, apply online today!

COSTARS Update

Finally, some news you can "build" upon! COSTARS is currently in the process of amending the appropriate member-exclusive contracts to permit assembly/installation/construction activities in conjunction with the purchase of products when applicable.

Be on the lookout next week for more detailed information regarding the amended contracts, guidelines for the changes and other pertinent information.

COSTARS is the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's cooperative purchasing program administered by the Department of General Services (DGS) Bureau of Procurement. The COSTARS Program provides registered local public procurement units as well as state affiliated entities (together "members") and suppliers a tool to find and do business with each other effectively through the use of a contract established by DGS.

Therapeutic Recreation Institute Call for Proposals

The 2016 TRI session proposal form is available. The proposal submission deadline is January 31, 2016.

The Therapeutic Recreation Institute will be held on May 31-June 3, 2016 at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel in Lancaster, PA. The theme is "The VOICE of YOUR Future."

Upcoming PRPS/PTRS Trainings

Online Registration is available! Register here!