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If you don't believe it's the future, you're missing the boat and sure to be left behind in a wake of missed opportunity. So says everyone I spoke with for this article. So say most who hold leadership positions in all sectors—public, private, nonprofit—and at all levels—national, state and local.

Partnerships are the way of the future.

Park districts have always been catalysts for cooperation in their communities, joining forces with school districts, city governments, nonprofit organizations, neighborhood associations, sports leagues, and the private sector.

This partnering philosophy is at the very core of the park district purpose and mission. Webbs Norman, executive director of the Rockford Park District, agrees. "Park districts serve as a neutral meeting grounds. We bring people together to get acquainted, to discuss mutual needs. Park districts have a great opportunity to utilize this as a great benefit."

What follows are interviews with Webbs Norman—an administrator who incorporates this partnering philosophy in the very mission of his park district, its board members and employees—and representatives from agencies that typically partner with park districts, including a school district, city government, Boys and Girls Club, convention and visitors bureau anda YMCA. They tell us why partnering with their local park district works so well, give advice to others who want to do the same, and explain how they overcame hurdles and turf battles.

I also talked with Daniel Yoder, Ph.D., a leisure studies professor at Western Illinois University, who is conducting are search study on intergovernmental agreements among park districts and their various partners. His initial findings uncover keys to successful cooperation and point to several cautions as well.

We'll begin with Dr. Yoder's global perspective.

Daniel Yoder, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Recreation, Park and Tourism Administration
Western Illinois UNIVERSITY

Illinois Parks & Recreation: Why did you decide to focus on intergovernmental cooperation for your research study?
Yoder: My research came out of my own experience as are creation director for a couple communities in Colorado and the struggles we had in going from an informal system to a much more formal system of partnerships. In the process we found there were disadvantages to formal partnership: we couldn't be as spontaneous; if something came up and we needed a facility, we had a formal contract that limited us. I worked for the city recreation department and we had a wonderful relationship with the schools, just like many park districts. At some point the mayor decided we needed to do an analysis on who was getting what. It soured the whole relationship. The written agreement got much more specific. When we realized that our hours for using a facility might not be equal, we had to even it up with payments. I don't think anyone benefited from this.

IP&R: Through your initial research, have you found commonalities among successful partnerships?
Yoder: If there's one thing that makes a difference in a partnership, it's similarity in mission. Park districts and schools have similar missions and that's why they work so well. However, when we get too similar in mission, then the possibility for partnership may drop off.

For example, oftentimes the missions of YMCAs are too similar and that's why these partnerships are more difficult. Some do work because of the openness to cooperate and partner. In

Illinois Parks & Recreation * March/April 1996 * 27

other cases, agencies may perceive the other as a threat.

Trust that develops over time is another quality. Park districts that are just starting up don't have that track record, so it'sharder for them to develop partnerships.

Image is another factor. Agencies are interested in partnering with a park district or anybody who has a positive community image. That can be a problem, like the chicken and the egg theory, because you develop this positive image through partnerships.

One park district in my study verbally expressed a desire to partner, but they haven't done anything to make it happen.They're a smaller park district, and they don't have the great image that some park districts have. Without that image, they're going to have to go out and initiate the partnerships.

IP&R: Is there anything you would caution park districts about when they begin to form partnerships?
Yoder: One of my concerns is agencies that spread themselves too thin—the possibility of getting lost in partnerships, losing an identity. In one case, the park district had experienced a lot of different partnerships, but they failed to let people know.There was a referendum, it didn't pass, and there was some concern that the people just weren't aware of what the park district did in the community. Yet they were involved in just about everything! The park district failed to make sure they got their name on everything. Communicating with the public is very important.

Also, the formality of an agreement may make it difficult to disengage the partnership. Very few agencies do anything interms of evaluation. How is this partnership working? I'm not talking about counting beans, but finding out whether it's really meeting the needs of the constituents.

IP&R: Do you see partnerships increasing or decreasing in the future?
Yoder: Everyone I've talked to says we will see more and more partnerships. I see them as very positive, but we have to be careful also. Some have just gotten away from the commonsense approach. One agency had a partnership with a school for30 years, but never modified or tried to expand this partnership.Talk about the partnerships. Communicate.

Jim Olson
General Director of Operations
Rockford SCHOOL DISTRICT

IP&R: Have you always had a positive working partnership between the park district and the school district?
Olson: When I came to the district in 1985 the relationship was poor. It seemed to me that we each had our own little fiefdom; they went about their business, we went about ours. People at my level organizationally began to look at things wedid and realized we were probably wasting resources by doing the same thing. Now we're doing joint mowing and grass cutting. Before, the park district would mow their half, we would not do ours and it looked like hell.

IP&R: How did your partnership begin?
Olson: I think partnerships begin below the top administrator level—people out working in the neighborhoods; the design and construction departments of the school district and likewise with the park district. I struck up some working relationships with staffers at my level at the local park district. We began a relationship working together to get some projects done.Now the top administrator at the park district and I have become good friends and it's blossomed. We backtracked someand could point to some successes. Now it's a slam dunk.

IP&R: Why do you think school districts and park districts should work together?
Olson: It's too logical not to do it. We both operate playgrounds, we both have football fields, lots of green grass, swimming pools—all this allows blending to occur. We both have the same kinds of missions.

IP&R: What are some examples of your partnership with the local park district?
Olson: Whenever the park district is acquiring land, they sit down with us and determine how they can set a percentage of acreage for a future school site. In my tenure here I have seen in excess of 25 playgrounds that have been jointly developed. The vast majority have been purchased by the park district, we have done installation and we work together on purchasing.

We have lots of baseball and soccer space that the park district runs in the summer time. They let us use the park district tennis courts for our tournaments.

IP&R: Do you have formal agreements with the park district?
Olson: We have a global agreement that we don't charge each other for these joint uses. This gives the community an understanding that their dollars are spent wisely. The reason tax rates go up are because of stupid things like that. We publicize the fact that the school district and park district are working together.

IP&R: How has the school district benefited from this partnership?
Olson: I'm hopeful it will help our image. The school district is the community bad guy. We are deeply involved in a desegregation lawsuit. Because of that and many other factors our tax rates have skyrocketed. People are distrustful of the school district. On the other hand, the park district has a glowing image. At least at the neighborhood school level, I'm sure our relationship with the park district has gone a long way to help our image.

IP&R: How important do you think recreation and leisure opportunities are to the youth in your community?
Olson: Recreation is critical to the physical, emotional, mental side of a person's development. You put [kids] in a housing complex with no green grass, no place to play, and they wind up

28 * Illinois Parks & Recreation * March/April 1996

doing things they shouldn't be doing. As a school district, we are very appreciative of the work of the park district to assist us—dealing with our community's youth, providing them with experiences.

Al Werner
Director of Public Works
CITY of Rockford

IP&R: How do you partner with your local park district?
Werner: When either one of us has a project that involves the other, we start discussing the possibilities. A good exampleis when the park district was building a recreation path that came to a dead end. We got together and figured out a way to combine the rec path with street improvements. Commonwealth Edison also came to the table. We added street trees and designed it so it all fitted in the right of way. For that we received an award for cooperation from the downtown arts group.

IP&R: Why do partnerships work between the city and the park district?
Werner: The biggest key is that our goals are they same. We serve the same people and we strive to service them the best we can. The park district is even more tuned into this.

Communication is important. We meet periodically with the park district to talk about issues or projects.

IP&R: Who comes to the table when you meet?
Werner: It varies. Public works and the park district are the main two players. Planners in the Community Development Department also come to meetings, and anyone who plans for development in the city.

Jim Flodin
President and CEO
Rockford BOYS & GIRLS CLUB

IP&R: How do you partner with your local park district?
Flodin: They have resources, we have skills to program, and we serve twice as many for equal cost. The park district shares facilities, they give us land to build facilities, we share staff. At one site we planned to build a building next to the park district golf course. We share the golf course parking lot and saved $300,000 by not having to build one.

IP&R: Why does your partnership work?
Flodin: We trust each other. We're willing to give up turff or one another.

IP&R: How do you overcome "turf battles?"
Flodin: By meeting and talking. It even starts at the board level. Everyone has their own world and the thing they're proudof. Move slow, train and educate each other. Try to do things rather than talking yourself out of things. We don't use money as an excuse not to do things. Money is one of the last factors. Most people talk about that up front and the dialogue stops.

IP&R: Have you always enjoyed this type of partnership with your park district?
Flodin: No, it hasn't always been that way. The head of the organization and the staff have a lot to do with it. We meet often and talk about the community needs so we're not helter skelter. If we didn't communicate, we may start programs that are very similar. There's a lot of dialogue between staff at all levels. That's where trust builds. It comes with working together and having successes.

Wray Howard
Executive Director
Rockford YMCA

IP&R: What kinds of partnerships have you formed with your local park district?
Howard: One of the challenges that we've identified in our long-range planning is reaching lower income parts of the community, disadvantaged families in neighborhoods where childcare and recreation programs are not as available and affordable. In order to make them available to all, the YMCA has targeted several schools in low income neighborhoods.

The Lewis Lemon School is one example where the park district donated the land to the school district, which also built a community center on the site. The YMCA runs the after-school program, the park district runs the evening programs.

It was the park district that really coordinated the effort with the school. The Y joined the task force; the park district made sure the right players were involved. That's the role cooperation can play—helping our underserved neighbors.

IP&R: You say cooperation works for underserved populations, where programs are provided at low or no cost. What about the more affluent neighborhoods, where fees and charges play a role?
Howard: That is the crux of the problem we may be facing in the future. Those people [in affluent neighborhoods] need services too, and frankly are demanding them. There is less incentive for agencies to come together in these areas because ofthe potential for revenue producing. The tendency might be for staff to look inwardly and protect turf. Personally I believe we need to collaborate in these areas.

IE&R: Why should park districts and YMCAs partner?
Howard: There are missed opportunities if we don't. No

Illinois Parks & Recreation * March/April 1996 * 29

one agency can meet all the needs of the community. In doing joint facilities, by sharing that cost, it costs the Y less and the park district gets a better deal for the citizens and taxpayers. Everyone wins.

The park district is very strong with a tremendous reputation. They bring a lot of credibility to the table. They bring a vision for a broader view.

IP&R: Does your community know who does what?
Howard: Yes and no. I think there is a growing sentiment in our community that the leadership—from governmental to nonprofit board members to public commissioners of park district, the philanthropic community, business leaders, foundation leaders who will ultimately be donating the money—clearly understand the need to cooperate. They want to see efficiencies and avoid duplication.

Also, the taxpayers understand cooperation and ask for that.

The end user, the kid or family, may not be aware of who's doing what. To those at the Lewis Lemon school, it's their school, their neighborhood. The kids don't care, as long as it's fun.

IP&R: Did you have to overcome any hurdles at the start of your partnership?
Howard: There are cultural differences between any two organizations. The way we do things may be different than the park district. It's easy for me and Webbs to get together over lunch and say let's do something. The Y has 500 employees. The park district has 2,000. You have to have meetings, share ideas, give and take. Once you get staff on that wave length—where the ultimate goal is bigger than both organizations and it's a win-win situation—they can see why it's beneficial to partner.

IP&R: What advice would you give other YMCAs that might explore a partnership with a park district?

Howard: My advice is don't try to solve the world's problems at the first meeting. Building those relationships takes time. If you get to know them personally, you can build trust.

You must have the board's support for collaboration, particularly when money is involved. If the board is not willing to do it, it doesn't matter what the staff does. This goes back to planning and vision for the future, seeing the big picture. That's what boards should be looking at.

IP&R: To what extent do other YMCAs across the state partner with their local park districts?
Howard: I am on a statewide public policy committee for YMCAs so I have contact with my counterparts around the state. Some have great relationships with their park districts. There are also cases were YMCAs and park districts never talk; they compete.

We do have programs that, in theory, compete with park districts. For example, we have a 1,200-acre day camp. I think there are enough kids in town, that the need for day camp far exceeds availability. Our staffs talk and try to avoid duplication. We'd love to run a volleyball league, but frankly the park district already has a huge program. Why duplicate that? Why go head to head?

Wendy Fisher
President and CEO
Rockford CONVENTIONAND VISITORS BUREAU

IP&R: What was the impetus for partnering with your local park district?
Fisher: The park district has been the pioneer of partnerships in Rockford.

Strategically it works better to put our resources together. We choose partners who can best help us achieve the objectives in our strategic plan.

IP&R: How do you join your resources with the park district?
Fisher: We partner on an ongoing basis. We market the facilities the park district has to non-residents and work together on very specific capital development or local programming projects. We also partner for community programs like "Rockford Day in Springfield," and we have cooperative marketing projects such as the "Splash and Lodge" package for Magic Waters and "Play and Stay" package for Aldine Golf Course.

IP&R: Why do you think it works?
Fisher: Staff people in both agencies—from receptionist to CEOs—feel as though we work as one team.

We've worked hard to create that relationship. To do this, we've held a variety of workshops and training sessions between staffs. Leadership from both agencies reinforce the partnership. Both sides want it to happen.

Recently we held a workshop for our front desk personnel and their front desk personnel on how to better serve the customer. It was the first time they met one another. Too bad it took us 10 years to do it!

IP&R: What advice would you give others considering a partnership with a convention and visitors bureau?
Fisher: I think it's important to define your objective. Why do you want to do it? There has to be gain from both sides. It doesn't have to be a big project, maybe just changing a brochure.

IP&R: Is there ever any concern about marketing the public park and recreation facilities to non-residents?
Fisher: The facilities are built for local use, but you need to maximize it. Without non-local use, we couldn't afford certain facilities. Local sports teams have the opportunity to play in national and international tournaments. The challenge is to make full use of facilities. By inviting visitors, it keeps the cost of operation and maintenance down.

(Interviews continue on page 58.)

30 * Illinois Parks & Recreation * March/April 1996

IP&R: How important are the park and recreation opportunities in your community?
Fisher: It is crucial to the economic success and growth of our community. The [park district's] Sports Core alone brings in 45,000 sleeping room nights each year. Times that by $100—a low room rate—and you have a major economic impact for the community.

Webbs Norman
Executive Director
Rockford PARK DISTRICT

IP&R: How many partnerships do you have?
Norman: At any given time we probably work with 250 to 300 groups in our community. It's a normal part of staff responsibilities. Virtually everyone on our staff is involved in external relationships and there's a strong commitment from the top.

IP&R: What is your partnership philosophy?
Norman: Our business of providing parks and recreation services to citizens is driven by relationships and needs. A partnership philosophy is how those relationships work best and fill the needs most efficiently and effectively.

IP&R: How did you develop this philosophy?
Norman: I achieved this philosophy as a young boy on the farm, where we helped people in a very informal manner. When our neighbors had a problem, my dad took his four boys and helped them. It became part of my value system.

My mentors during my studies at the University of Illinois—Charles K. Brightbill and Allan V. Sapora, the founders of the Leisure Studies program—provided that philosophy in their teaching. They developed interdisciplinary partnerships among the architecture, psychology, finance and sociology departments to enrich our study. The partnership nature of parks and recreation is what attracted me to the field.

IP&R: What's the key to building successful partnerships?
Norman: Listening, interacting, sharing values, exploring opportunities, expanding relationships. Regardless of what governmental unit we work for, essentially we are there to help people and solve their problems. We can simply do this better by cooperating.

IP&R: How have you benefited from partnering with others?
Norman: By and large it has helped us to establish a good reputation. The level of confidence and support has been outstanding. It has contributed greatly to the morale of all of our team members.

About every two years we do a comprehensive survey to our employees. For many years 100% have said they are proud to work for the park district.

IP&R: Because you partner so much, do you have identity problems in your community?
Norman: Identity is another way of saying reputation. Whatis it we want to be known for? We want to be known as people who are trustworthy, who earn their confidence and support. The better we have gotten at clarifying our values, the better our identity.

IP&R: Is the partnership philosophy here to stay or just the latest buzzword?
Norman: The cooperative, partnering philosophy is relatively new. It's growing and expanding as we realize that we can do more by working together. As far as I can see it is the future.

Serving a population of 207,693, the mission of the Rockford Park District is to help people enjoy life. Established in 1909, the district won the 1995 National Gold Medal award for excellence in special recreation services in 1995. 

58 * Illinois Parks & Recreation * March/April 1996