Q & A is a forum where ARPA members can submit questions to the State Office regarding agency operations, policy inquiries, facilities, programs, etc. Responses should be submitted to arpa@knology.net for review and subsequent posting. The questions and any responses received will be archived on this page for future reference by others visiting the website.
Questions
1. School/PARD Collaboration
The City of Heflin Parks and Recreation Department would like examples on how other Alabama Park and Recreation Agencies have collaborated with local schools. They are interested in both facility agreements and joint/shared programs.
2. Background Checks & Certifications
The City of Vestavia Hills is looking into volunteer background checks for all volunteers and also coaches certifications. If anyone is already doing these, please let us know what the process is as well as any costs associated with them.
3. Complex Nets
Prattville Department of Leisure Services
How many departments have nets in complexes to restrain foul balls from hitting spectators? If so, please send a detailed description or picture of how they are constructed/attached.
How long have the nets stayed up?
Do they work properly?
How often do you have to get the nets replaced?
Do you incur damages from the nets to your facility?
How many departments allow advertisement signs in your complexes?
Answers
2. Background Checks & Certifications
Response submitted by the Tuscaloosa County PARA:
We drug screen and sex offender check all volunteers and coaches. The Department of Justice has a free sex offender registry website that we check if they are going to be around kids. The link to the Department of Justice website is www.nsopr.gov.
Submitted by Foley PARD: The City of Foley has just passed an ordinance to cover background checks for recreation and its volunteers. We are going to use the National Center for Safety Initiatives to cover our background checks. They have a red light/green light check that will cover all of the fair credit reporting acts requirements. I cannot remember the costs off the top of my head, but I believe it is around $20 per check, which is extremely affordable.
We are also moving to coaching clinics for all sports. The clinics are currently sport specific and offered by different organizations. For Baseball and Softball, we used Doyle Academy; for Soccer, we used AYSA to certify our coaches. I am currently looking for a basketball clinic.
Submitted by the City of Huntsville Recreation Services: The City of Huntsville conducts background checks in coordination with HPD. We collect forms on all volunteers and submit them for checks done in the state only. No cost is involved at this time. They cannot do a nation-wide search unless a fee is charged.
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3. Complex Nets
Submitted by the Heflin PARD:
We do not have foul nets. We do allow advertisement signs. Our teams wear replica uniforms therefore our sponsors advertise by purchasing signs.
Submitted by Vestavia Hills PARD:
The City of Vestavia Hills has nets at 2 of the athletic field complexes. They are attached to the press box at Wald Park and stretched at different angles to the backstops of the fences. At Cahaba Heights we have them in one are from the press box to areas on the backstops of two different fields. They need repairing prior to the season and every now and then during the season. They have not been replaced in at least 6 years. They will sometimes pull the fascia board from the press box, but that is part of the pre-season repair work.
We do not currently have anything to stop advertising in our facilities.
Submitted by Tuscaloosa County PARA:
In response to the question about advertisement in our ball complexes, Tuscaloosa has an exclusive pouring rights contract with Pepsi. They provided scoreboards for each field and each scoreboard bears a panel with the Pepsi logo. In addition to that, we have outfitted each scoreboard with an additional panel either across the bottom or to the side in which an acrylic or aluminum advertising panel can be placed. Typically, we can accommodate either 1 or 2 advertisers in these sections and sell the spaces accordingly. This is the only advertisement we allow. We do have some fields that we maintain and are in our inventory but are primarily used by other groups and they sell outfield banners to help support their group. Since these groups’ arrangements with us preceded our deal with Pepsi we have allowed them to continue selling the outfield banners, but they take them down at the end of each season.
Submitted by Anniston PARD:
We have one park that has a net behind the baseball backstop. The net is attached to two power poles and has to be replaced every 5 - 8 years. Our public works department provides us a bucket truck and our maintenance staff replaces the nets. All our other ball fields do not have nets. Our new baseball field has higher backstops to keep foul balls away from the spectators. We do have to watch for foul balls in all our ball fields.
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