An art exhibit in City Hall honors the hard-working and passionate men and women who care for our city's trees and forests.

The exhibit, titled "The Arborists of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation: Growing and Caring for Our Urban Forest,” can be found on the second floor of City Hall, outside the mayor's office. 

The primary focus of the exhibit is a collection of portraits of Parks & Rec’s Urban Forestry Unit and Ecosystem Management Unit staff. Photographer Sabina Louise Pierce captured the special relationship between Philadelphia Parks & Recreation arborists, the trees they care for, and the tools of their trade.

In addition to the portraits, the exhibit includes:

a display case with information about the team’s work

examples of a custom soil mix from Greenland Nursery

lumber milled from trees felled by our staff in the park system.

The arborists of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation are charged with the growth and care of the city’s urban forest. This includes 10,250 acres of park land and 117,000 trees along the city streets. 

Their work includes:

growing trees at Greenland Nursery in Fairmount Park

planting and caring for our young forest

removing dead and hazardous trees

These men and women are passionate, hardworking, and proud of the work they do to keep Philadelphia’s trees healthy and its citizens safe. Please visit City Hall before May 10th to see the portraits that honor these dedicated civil servants. 

The arborists honored include (click on name to see portrait):

Lori Hayes

Max Blaustein

Joe Toohey

Dave Cupps

Ben Stanko

Erica Smith Fichman

Curtis Helm (retired)

Chris Johnson

Anthony Holiday

Sean Hubbard

Jose Melendez

Jose G. Melendez

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation’s Joshua Bell recently completed the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society's (PRPS) inaugural Leadership Development Academy. One of his class assignments has provided a valuable new resource for Pennsylvania parks and recreation staff: a Facebook page.

Josh, Park Manager 2 in Parks & Rec’s Operations & Landscape Management unit, is active in PRPS. This nonprofit organization brings together Pennsylvania parks and recreation professionals and advances the profession through legislative lobbying.

PRPS’s Leadership Academy debuted this year. It was created for PRPS members identified as emerging leaders. Josh was joined by seven other municipal employees from across Pennsylvania. 

During the 13-week certificate program participants:

completed self-guided lessons.

attended a 2-day in-person workshop at PRPS headquarters.

read John C. Maxwell’s book, The Five Levels of Leadership.

Josh found the experience valuable. “I have been able to utilize concepts learned from the lessons in my day-to-day work. I was able to network with other professionals, learn from other’s experiences, and personally grow my professional skills.”

One of Josh’s final class assignment’s was to review PRPS’s strategic plan and implement an aspect of their marketing strategy. Josh focused creating a forum where Pennsylvania park and recreation staff could “safely share work-related stories, ask relevant questions, seek assistance, and work through any difficulties they may be experiencing.”

The result is a Facebook page titled “What’s Up P + R?!” The closed group (you must request to join) welcomes parks and recreation staff to “share the good, the bad, and the helpful in a safe space for like-minded professionals!”

All Pennsylvania parks and recreation professionals are welcome. After joining, members are encouraged to post “comments, questions, or stories that celebrate your professional prowess!”

Check it out today! Request to join the group (requires Facebook account).

___________________

Break out of your silo

The text below is excerpted from one of Josh Bell’s assignments for PRPS’s Leadership Academy, described above.

By Joshua Bell, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation

Each year, the Philadelphia International Unity Cup tournament brings together many different cultures around the common language of soccer. Last year was my first time working the Unity Cup tournament, and it was an absolute joy. Not only could I gain comp time to watch a soccer tournament, but more importantly, I got to socialize with peers from other divisions. 

In a large department like Parks & Recreation, with 4 major divisions and 700 employees, the event allowed me to gain a greater perspective of what “the other side” deals with.

It is so refreshing to see and hear all of the different cultures throughout the tournament. My involvement with the Unity Cup has gone beyond just simply a worker, and transformed me into an observer, absorber, and socializer of working culture. 

I highly suggest if you have multiple divisions in your township/municipality/ organization that you break out of that silo as often as possible. Go talk to someone in another department, 'that guy/gal from public works' could become Joe/Jill Doe who happens to work for Public Works. 

Congratulations to Parks & Rec’s Steve Schmidt for winning the National Recreation and Park Association Annual Conference #BMore Social Media Contest! 

The NRPA conference is a special opportunity for parks and recreation staff from across the country to connect and interact. Over 8,000 people annually attend to learn and discuss how they can make their parks and rec centers better. This year’s conference took place in Baltimore, MD.

This was the first time that Steve, Recreation Leader 2 at Towey Playground, attended the conference. To win the prize, Steve shared social media posts about:

a new friend

a video in the exhibit hall

a cool thing he found in the city

the NRPA Membership Booth

something that inspired him that week

the Closing Session and his favorite lesson learned

On July 29, Patrick R. Heron, South East Representative for the Pennsylvania Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR-PA), visited the department to present the Seven Seals Award. The award recognizes organizations that support the men and women who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.  

ESGR-PA’s Patrick R. Heron presents the award to Parks & Rec’s Human Resources Professional Job Alexis (left) and Deputy Commissioner Marissa Washington (right). Job is a member of the 201st RED HORSE Squadron Det. 1 at the Horsham Air Guard Station.

The award’s name derives from the the seals of America’s seven National Guard and Reserves.

The Community Apprenticeship Program (CAP) is a workforce development program. CAP helps Parks & Rec's seasonal staff find careers in the parks and recreation field. The program focuses on technical and workplace readiness training.

The program assesses organizational and individual needs to:

identify gaps in knowledge, skills, and abilities.

address gaps through targeted training and development.

provide opportunities for full-time civil service employment.

On June 4, 13 CAP members graduated and received completion certificates. 10 graduates will work for Philadelphia Parks & Recreation in these roles:

1 departmental aide

2 tree maintenance helpers

7 outreach workers

The CAP leadership team is proud of the accomplishments of all the CAP members. The second cohort of CAP will begin in September 2019.

On May 11, two Parks & Rec employees were honored by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Soccer Hall of Fame. Steve Schmidt and Bill Salvatore were recognized for their contributions to the game.

Steve Schmidt, Rec Leader 2, was honored with the Chick Fallon Service to Soccer Award for his 38 years of dedication to the game. Steve is a 24-year employee of the department and currently the supervisor at Towey Playground.

He started playing at Olney Recreation Center at age eight. His coaching career began at 14. At 15, he was the youngest person to receive a USSF coaches license. Steve coached at three different high schools and has started soccer programs at ten Parks & Rec facilities across the city. He is currently a member of the Indoor Soccer Committee and the Executive Committee of the Philadelphia International Unity Cup.

Steve recently started the non-profit Cardinal Dougherty Soccer Alumni. The group raised over $30,000, which it has awarded as scholarships to high school soccer players and local soccer clubs. For the past two years, the group has also served as the main sponsor of Parks & Rec’s Outdoor All-Star Game. 

Bill Salvatore, Unity Cup Director, was awarded the Paul Stilley/Little Club Award as the Administrator of the Year. Bill has single-handedly put this tournament on the map. The Philadelphia International Unity Cup is a World Cup-style tournament held over several months. It unites the city’s neighborhoods and celebrates its diverse immigrant communities through soccer. 

On Saturday, May 11, Parks & Rec’s tree crew briefly hosted a new member. The Philly Phanatic stopped by to assist the crew as they were doing tree trimming and clearing along Forbidden Drive in Wissahickon Valley Park.

Although the Phanatic proved a bit green in terms of tree knowledge, he was energetic and eager to embrace his new team members.

Tree Maintenance Worker Kenny Palmer greets the Phanatic. 

By Beth Perkowski, Program Manager 

District 6 and the Hank Gathers Recreation Center community extend our deepest gratitude and best wishes to Cheryl Hardy, who has retired after having been the backbone of Gathers for the past 40 years.  

Miss Cheryl served as a Recreational Specialty Instructor and volunteered many additional hours at the center. She has been a tremendous guide to the youth in this North Philadelphia community. She has offered many programs to help build character and teach good citizenship through problem solving and teamwork. 

Miss Cheryl shared her coaching skills both on the courts and in the playgrounds. Thousands of kids have gone through her day camps and played for her many teams. She was a great many things to a great many people. 

The biggest gift Miss Cheryl has left us with is her love. For anyone of us who has had the privilege of working alongside Miss Cheryl, we will always remember her dedication and love for the people in the Hank Gathers community. She is truly “one in a million” and will be deeply missed. 

In 2018, Miss Cheryl was honored to be named a Health Hero Challenge semifinalist. Read her health and wellness advice.