The season is coming for outdoor Barbeques (BBQ) as we all know. Citizens will be flocking to the Parks with hamburgers and hotdogs in coolers ready to start grilling away. Most likely they will have charcoal and some will use wood. However, with no exception whether it is any type of park they will seek out the park grills.
Several venues are meant to be served with grills like this. One common type is the single pedestal grill for the family to use for their cookout. Here’s the factory description:
"For man years America’s favorite. It is our most vandal-resistant pedestal grill. The 20 W x 15 D x 10 H inch fire box is made of 3/16 inch thick steel with a continuous weld type construction. A formed ash lip provides extra reinforcement and helps retain coals in the box. The 300 sq. in. cooking grill has 1/2 inch steel bars welded on 1 inch centers and adjusts to 4 heights in the anti-theft designed slots. The grill handles have heavy-duty cool spring grips designed for public use. This unit comes standard with rounded corners, drain holes, and 360 degrees rotation on a 41 inch long theft resistant pedestal. The standard finish is non-toxic, heat and rust-resistant black enamel. Two pedestal choices: 2 3/8 inch O.D. or 3 1/2 inch O.D. galvanized."
Different organizations such as Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic, Methodist Christian Church groups, and company group picnics, Kiwanis, Civitan Clubs, Shriners, team gatherings and more need a large grill for their cookout. Group Grills allow cooking on two sides or over a large grilling area. Here’s a factory description:
Group Grills are excellent for large groups grilling in shelters. Among the many features of this huge grill are the adjustable 4-position fire grate and 2 hinged cooking grills. The cooking surface alone is 38 x 36 inch, which gives you 1368 sq. in. of grill area. Chains welded to each cooking grate limit their travel and enhance safety. All grates are made of 1/2 inch bars, welded on 1 inch centers and have heavy duty cool spring handles designed for public use. The fire grate has a formed lip to retain the burning coals. The entire fire box is made of 3/16 inch reinforced welded steel and is mounted on a 6 inch square pedestal with a 12 x 12 x 3/8 inch base mounting plate. Four 1/2 x 6 inch anchor bolts are furnished. A large ash lip helps prevent hot coals from falling out and also reinforces the fire box. A convenient 12 x 36 x 3/16 inch utility shelf is bolted on one side of the fire box. The overall size (including shelf) of this massive grill is 51 x 43 inch. Unit is completely finished in non-toxic heat and rust-resistant black enamel and weighs 460 Ibs.
A 460 pound grill should cook up a lot of hamburgers, ribs, or hot dogs, WOW! Softball and baseball league games many times end in the group barbeque. This describes one of the most popular American past times. Parks and Recreation departments plan these parks and supply them with the correct park grills for public enjoyment. Now, there’s also the covered grill; which promotes fire safety by reducing floating cinders. Another thing that’s ideal for every park is a hot ash receptacle. It provides safety in public parks for disposal of hot coals and ashes after grilling. It also has steel bars on the top of it to prevent people from putting their hands into it while hot coals may be cooling.
Here’s one description of a park in the Chicago area. No wonder we enjoy outdoor barbeques and cook outs.
A CLASSIC
Towering trees form a canopy over the winding road. Dark woods remind you of unspoiled wilderness in New England. At last, the road ends in a spectacular burst of sunlight, glittering on the surface of the steep sand dunes and on the water—a un dream able shade of blue that runs as far as one can see. Oval Beach, you have arrived.
What make this particular beach so popular are its simple antics. Very clean and tidy, the bluff features two large parking lots, and picnic tables for unobstructed views of Lake Michigan. On the backside of the parking lots, wooded dunes, including the famous Mount Baldhead, shimmer in the sunlight. A swing set, concession stand, restrooms, and picnic tables with barbecue grills are on a wooden deck on the south end of the bluff, but the beach below is free of unnecessary adornments. People from around the world come and visit and are amazed by the pristine waters, unspoiled dunes and—surprise—absence of the typical throngs of beachgoers. Through the course of the year, the beach provides ample entertainment for families. In the warmer months, a chain ferry is available to take visitors from downtown Saugatuck to the dunes, and there are opportunities for swimming, boating and jet-skiing. In the winter is when sports take their sleds, snowboards and inner tubes down the dunes’ steep slopes. In the winter months, icebergs form, and the landscape takes on a stark, dramatic look for visitors eager to take it in.
Oval Beach is located on Oval Beach Rd, Saugatuck.
Monday, August 18, 2008
From Animal Advocates to Allies
By Clare Leschin-Hoar
If you’ve ever been lobbied directly by a dog park advocacy group, then you know first hand that tenaciousness is a trait that doesn’t belong only to terriers. If you take the time to study this group, you will pick up that you learned you’ve created a powerful and loyal park supporter.
The first time director of parks and recreation for Iowa City Terry Trueblood was approached by a resident about an off-leash area that was almost eight years ago. The outlandish petition of the resident was boldly asking for an existing 185-acre park to be declared a leash-free zone.
“He wanted the entire park!” says Trueblood. “To just let the dogs run amuck.”
As we all knew, the city’s commission said no, and the resident never returned for good.
After all the antics from the outraged resident, Trueblood continued to get calls occasionally from residents wanting to know about a potential dog park in the community, but a few years later is when Iowa City resident Beth Shields formed Johnson County Dog PAC (Dog Park Action Committee), that a true dialogue about the up rise of a dog park began to take full effect.
“This was not the first time that Iowa City tried to get a dog park, and all the other efforts had failed,” says Shields. “We knew that in our minds we needed to have a good strong relationship with Terry, our city council and city manager.”
Shields came prepared with a 40-page proposal and showed Trueblood and city officials that her group; of nearly 250 members were willing to do the work. They formed a 501(c)(3), They showed how serious they were about their fundraising efforts, bringing in almost right at $200,000 in funding. The residents made a pack on keeping the park clean and also offered feedback on park design as well as up keep.
“Each of the residents carried their very own weight,” explains Trueblood. “If you can find a few good people that have love for this one project, they can do a lot of the work for you. I’ve learned a great deal from this experience, than they have from me in my thoughts to dog parks.”
Dialogue and communication between the two groups can foster good relations that last beyond park design and launch too.
Randle Harwood, acting director of Parks & Community Service in Fort Worth, Texas, says his experience with the dog park group in his community brought lots of great benefits.
“Now we have a great political ally in the Fort Worth Dog Association. They think highly of us now but in the beginning, they didn’t because we said, ‘No, we can’t help you. It’s outside of our range and we couldn’t justify the funding,’” says Harwood.
But with the undisputed success of Fort Woof, the city’s nearly five-acre dog park, the relationship between the park and recreation department and dog park group grew a lot stronger.
“If there’s anything we need or ask for they’re right there with us. The city gave us awards and also a $6,000 check, and the mayor thinks we can do no harm. That’s how we survive as a park and community service group is by the groups that support what we do, and we just added dog parks to the list,” says Harwood.
Moderator of Dog Park National News William Zardus, , an Internet newsgroup, says it’s a smart thing to reach out to your local dog park group, and will also help you avoid costly mistakes if you’re in the park design stage, and will help decrease any incidents once the park is opened.
Wide known user groups, also provide valuable, real-use input.
“If you’re only hearing from people who have complaints, [without a dog park group] you don’t have any way to determine if their complaints are legitimate, especially if the person doesn’t even go to the park on a regular everyday basis,” explains Zardus. “It’s good to have a liaison ...a person that knows what’s going on there.”
So far, a liaison model is also working well for a park in San Diego.
Although Robin Kaufman isn’t part of a traditional dog park group, she’s been instrumental in launching a new two-acre off-leash park in the Rancho Bernardo section of San Diego, Calif., and almost took 6years to bring forth, and cost more than $700,000, that was raised through federal and state park bonds and also private funds.
July 2005 when opened, Rancho Bernardo doesn’t have your average dog park user group to call on, but Kaufman, a volunteer with the Rancho Bernardo Recreation Council, holds the title as the official dog park liaison, and works closely with the city’s park and recreation department to keep the off leash area running smoothly.
“I’m the one who’s deep into the public, and uses the dog park, and the recreation council. I answer questions and concerns that the public and residents might have, and if needed, I’ll bring these issues up forth to the staff for discussion,” says Kaufman, who spends time at the dog park daily.
City officials and user groups often become more strained in urban areas where land is at a premium and options for designated space for dog runs far more limited, there’s still room for cooperation between the two groups.
Cambridge, Mass. This is highly populated user groups and city officials have come up with a more combined space solution, while the city works excessively to locate possible future designated off-leash areas. As of right now, Cambridge offers off-leash areas during designated hours—mostly early morning and evening—in already existing parks.
“It’s challenging,” says Stuart Dash, director of community planning for Cambridge. “We often converse with the dog owners about what they’re interested in, and in turn, they’re informed by looking at other cities and what others have done to be creative. They know that along with dog parks are a lot of responsibilities. Because you have to purchase many trash receptacles as well as dogipots.
“We work at a slow pace with great methods to walk through the issues, trying to precisely consider what the options are, and to try and resolve them; each open space has its own characteristics and unique qualities. It’s hard to do an across-the-board solution.”
In other communities, it’s the funding rather than space that can put a hawk on park openings, and sometimes even putting a damper on relationships, but its also a great opportunity for two groups to work together.
Four years of fundraising, officials in Arlington, Texas, are anticipating on opening their city’s first dog park in the fall of 2006.
“The group we work with has had our ups and downs. They aren’t too happy with the amount of time it has taking,” says Gordon Robertson, parks planning manager for the City of Arlington. “They’ve been on the right path all along to root for a dog park, but it’s taken awhile to educate politicians and even our own department.”
Since 2003, Robertson’s department has been working closely with the local dog park group, RUFF (Responsible Unleashed Fun for Fido) jointly working on fundraising efforts, and came out to be a harder than expected.
While small amounts of donations ($25, $50 and $100) flowed in, there was not a single source for a large donation, which was not a good asset to the park’s construction because it slowed it down a lot. But despite the slight strain the delay put on the relationship between the two groups, there was a surprise benefit to having a close relationship with RUFF.
A dog park would be welcomed, as City officials made it very clear, as well as tax dollars were not to be used, rather, it should be funded privately. But what Robertson says he didn’t realize was that having a citizen’s group advocate caught the ear of the park board and the city council.
“The parks department advocating for a dog park is much more of an uphill battle than if you have a long list of citizens that show up at meetings and will call board members,” says Robertson. “That’s much more effective. They very much well schooled the council on dog parks, and the much need of them.”
Work with the next dog park group instead of turning them away to create a viable solution. Your park and recreation department will do better to have a pit bull on its side, rather than a terrier against it.
If you’ve ever been lobbied directly by a dog park advocacy group, then you know first hand that tenaciousness is a trait that doesn’t belong only to terriers. If you take the time to study this group, you will pick up that you learned you’ve created a powerful and loyal park supporter.
The first time director of parks and recreation for Iowa City Terry Trueblood was approached by a resident about an off-leash area that was almost eight years ago. The outlandish petition of the resident was boldly asking for an existing 185-acre park to be declared a leash-free zone.
“He wanted the entire park!” says Trueblood. “To just let the dogs run amuck.”
As we all knew, the city’s commission said no, and the resident never returned for good.
After all the antics from the outraged resident, Trueblood continued to get calls occasionally from residents wanting to know about a potential dog park in the community, but a few years later is when Iowa City resident Beth Shields formed Johnson County Dog PAC (Dog Park Action Committee), that a true dialogue about the up rise of a dog park began to take full effect.
“This was not the first time that Iowa City tried to get a dog park, and all the other efforts had failed,” says Shields. “We knew that in our minds we needed to have a good strong relationship with Terry, our city council and city manager.”
Shields came prepared with a 40-page proposal and showed Trueblood and city officials that her group; of nearly 250 members were willing to do the work. They formed a 501(c)(3), They showed how serious they were about their fundraising efforts, bringing in almost right at $200,000 in funding. The residents made a pack on keeping the park clean and also offered feedback on park design as well as up keep.
“Each of the residents carried their very own weight,” explains Trueblood. “If you can find a few good people that have love for this one project, they can do a lot of the work for you. I’ve learned a great deal from this experience, than they have from me in my thoughts to dog parks.”
Dialogue and communication between the two groups can foster good relations that last beyond park design and launch too.
Randle Harwood, acting director of Parks & Community Service in Fort Worth, Texas, says his experience with the dog park group in his community brought lots of great benefits.
“Now we have a great political ally in the Fort Worth Dog Association. They think highly of us now but in the beginning, they didn’t because we said, ‘No, we can’t help you. It’s outside of our range and we couldn’t justify the funding,’” says Harwood.
But with the undisputed success of Fort Woof, the city’s nearly five-acre dog park, the relationship between the park and recreation department and dog park group grew a lot stronger.
“If there’s anything we need or ask for they’re right there with us. The city gave us awards and also a $6,000 check, and the mayor thinks we can do no harm. That’s how we survive as a park and community service group is by the groups that support what we do, and we just added dog parks to the list,” says Harwood.
Moderator of Dog Park National News William Zardus, , an Internet newsgroup, says it’s a smart thing to reach out to your local dog park group, and will also help you avoid costly mistakes if you’re in the park design stage, and will help decrease any incidents once the park is opened.
Wide known user groups, also provide valuable, real-use input.
“If you’re only hearing from people who have complaints, [without a dog park group] you don’t have any way to determine if their complaints are legitimate, especially if the person doesn’t even go to the park on a regular everyday basis,” explains Zardus. “It’s good to have a liaison ...a person that knows what’s going on there.”
So far, a liaison model is also working well for a park in San Diego.
Although Robin Kaufman isn’t part of a traditional dog park group, she’s been instrumental in launching a new two-acre off-leash park in the Rancho Bernardo section of San Diego, Calif., and almost took 6years to bring forth, and cost more than $700,000, that was raised through federal and state park bonds and also private funds.
July 2005 when opened, Rancho Bernardo doesn’t have your average dog park user group to call on, but Kaufman, a volunteer with the Rancho Bernardo Recreation Council, holds the title as the official dog park liaison, and works closely with the city’s park and recreation department to keep the off leash area running smoothly.
“I’m the one who’s deep into the public, and uses the dog park, and the recreation council. I answer questions and concerns that the public and residents might have, and if needed, I’ll bring these issues up forth to the staff for discussion,” says Kaufman, who spends time at the dog park daily.
City officials and user groups often become more strained in urban areas where land is at a premium and options for designated space for dog runs far more limited, there’s still room for cooperation between the two groups.
Cambridge, Mass. This is highly populated user groups and city officials have come up with a more combined space solution, while the city works excessively to locate possible future designated off-leash areas. As of right now, Cambridge offers off-leash areas during designated hours—mostly early morning and evening—in already existing parks.
“It’s challenging,” says Stuart Dash, director of community planning for Cambridge. “We often converse with the dog owners about what they’re interested in, and in turn, they’re informed by looking at other cities and what others have done to be creative. They know that along with dog parks are a lot of responsibilities. Because you have to purchase many trash receptacles as well as dogipots.
“We work at a slow pace with great methods to walk through the issues, trying to precisely consider what the options are, and to try and resolve them; each open space has its own characteristics and unique qualities. It’s hard to do an across-the-board solution.”
In other communities, it’s the funding rather than space that can put a hawk on park openings, and sometimes even putting a damper on relationships, but its also a great opportunity for two groups to work together.
Four years of fundraising, officials in Arlington, Texas, are anticipating on opening their city’s first dog park in the fall of 2006.
“The group we work with has had our ups and downs. They aren’t too happy with the amount of time it has taking,” says Gordon Robertson, parks planning manager for the City of Arlington. “They’ve been on the right path all along to root for a dog park, but it’s taken awhile to educate politicians and even our own department.”
Since 2003, Robertson’s department has been working closely with the local dog park group, RUFF (Responsible Unleashed Fun for Fido) jointly working on fundraising efforts, and came out to be a harder than expected.
While small amounts of donations ($25, $50 and $100) flowed in, there was not a single source for a large donation, which was not a good asset to the park’s construction because it slowed it down a lot. But despite the slight strain the delay put on the relationship between the two groups, there was a surprise benefit to having a close relationship with RUFF.
A dog park would be welcomed, as City officials made it very clear, as well as tax dollars were not to be used, rather, it should be funded privately. But what Robertson says he didn’t realize was that having a citizen’s group advocate caught the ear of the park board and the city council.
“The parks department advocating for a dog park is much more of an uphill battle than if you have a long list of citizens that show up at meetings and will call board members,” says Robertson. “That’s much more effective. They very much well schooled the council on dog parks, and the much need of them.”
Work with the next dog park group instead of turning them away to create a viable solution. Your park and recreation department will do better to have a pit bull on its side, rather than a terrier against it.
Outdoor Trash Receptacles
Trash receptacles are one of the most abundant amenities for cities, parks, industrial buildings, office buildings and more places where garbage can accumulate. Outdoor trash bins come in many different shapes and sizes, and the awesome thing about them is that you can even get them personalized. You can get your trash can to best suite you, if you like steel I recommend the steel mesh trash basket, or you can choose from wood, plastisol, recycled plastic, and even stone.
If you visit an industrial building like Wal-Mart, General Electric, AT&T, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Boeing or Northrop Grumman you can find concrete, steel, plastic, recycled plastic, wood or stone clad trash cans. The sizes range from 22 to 55 gallons. Generally the size depends on what type of trash is expected to be thrown in. Industrial trash and garbage will vary depending on the level and type product manufactured. Also, most industrial facilities have eating areas and even restaurants. These areas require trash cans that can hold garbage without spilling as well as contaminating clean areas.
Office buildings for instance the Sears tower, Empire State Building, City Hall USA will usually generate a lot of paper trash and refuge that are usually dry but bulky. Paper shredders have created a new trash product that must be collected. Large steel, concrete or decorative plastic containers are used in most common areas. The larger size reduces the number of collection, which saves a lot of time as well as money. Liners are put in the receptacles to keep them cleaner and smelling a whole lot more fresh. The Liners are lighter inserts and are most likely made of plastic. Every so often galvanize steel is used for damp or heavy duty collection areas.
Fast food restaurants have their own special needs; McDonalds, Burger King, Checkers, and Wendy’s. The Cheesecake Factory, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabbas Grill, Chili’s, Applebee’s or Disney Restaurants have their own needs for garbage disposal. When entering any public place it is most likely to always find a receptacle to dispose trash people bring with them. In cooking areas there are usually trash cans for unused food and soiled paper products. Here the aesthetics are not as important as the function. In public restrooms, lids are mostly used to guide the trash into the can instead of on the floor. Other style lids have doors to keep insects from flying in and out.
Ball parks, arenas, and stadiums are also areas that trash has disposal needs. The parking lot trash cans may even advertise and carry a logo for a team or just ad space. Throughout the facility there are receptacles of all types for discarded paper, food and waste.
All parks, whether it’s National, Public Municipal, and County need trash cans that can keep out the animals and the trash in the cans. Trash cans in parks are most likely to have some sort of lid. It’s good to mention that all commercial trash receptacles must consider flame resistant properties as people negligently throw cigarettes that may cause fire into trash cans. But ultimately that’s where snuffers come in handy so you don’t have to worry about any fire. Then there’s us, the public. People are extremely destructive so garbage cans must be tough and heavy duty for public use. These are just a few of the Outdoor Trash Can needs. And why it’s important for you to purchase the one that’s best for its location.
If you visit an industrial building like Wal-Mart, General Electric, AT&T, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Boeing or Northrop Grumman you can find concrete, steel, plastic, recycled plastic, wood or stone clad trash cans. The sizes range from 22 to 55 gallons. Generally the size depends on what type of trash is expected to be thrown in. Industrial trash and garbage will vary depending on the level and type product manufactured. Also, most industrial facilities have eating areas and even restaurants. These areas require trash cans that can hold garbage without spilling as well as contaminating clean areas.
Office buildings for instance the Sears tower, Empire State Building, City Hall USA will usually generate a lot of paper trash and refuge that are usually dry but bulky. Paper shredders have created a new trash product that must be collected. Large steel, concrete or decorative plastic containers are used in most common areas. The larger size reduces the number of collection, which saves a lot of time as well as money. Liners are put in the receptacles to keep them cleaner and smelling a whole lot more fresh. The Liners are lighter inserts and are most likely made of plastic. Every so often galvanize steel is used for damp or heavy duty collection areas.
Fast food restaurants have their own special needs; McDonalds, Burger King, Checkers, and Wendy’s. The Cheesecake Factory, Outback Steakhouse, Carrabbas Grill, Chili’s, Applebee’s or Disney Restaurants have their own needs for garbage disposal. When entering any public place it is most likely to always find a receptacle to dispose trash people bring with them. In cooking areas there are usually trash cans for unused food and soiled paper products. Here the aesthetics are not as important as the function. In public restrooms, lids are mostly used to guide the trash into the can instead of on the floor. Other style lids have doors to keep insects from flying in and out.
Ball parks, arenas, and stadiums are also areas that trash has disposal needs. The parking lot trash cans may even advertise and carry a logo for a team or just ad space. Throughout the facility there are receptacles of all types for discarded paper, food and waste.
All parks, whether it’s National, Public Municipal, and County need trash cans that can keep out the animals and the trash in the cans. Trash cans in parks are most likely to have some sort of lid. It’s good to mention that all commercial trash receptacles must consider flame resistant properties as people negligently throw cigarettes that may cause fire into trash cans. But ultimately that’s where snuffers come in handy so you don’t have to worry about any fire. Then there’s us, the public. People are extremely destructive so garbage cans must be tough and heavy duty for public use. These are just a few of the Outdoor Trash Can needs. And why it’s important for you to purchase the one that’s best for its location.
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