Dog playground equipmen

What do dog owners love? Dog parks and dog amenities where their dogs can burn off steam. There's a list of essential dog playground equipment that will make any dog park a success.

(By the way, here's a free and complete dog park guide on how to create your own popular play space for dogs and their owners).

If you are a park manager or a facility manager here is one number you really need to know - nearly 40% of ALL households in the US own a dog.

Think of the great service you can provide to nearly half the citizens in your area if you add a dog park. Dog parks are a great place where dogs can exercise, socialize with other dogs, learn obedience lessons and just blow off all that pent-up energy.

Research shows that 55% of parks departments now also manage a dog park.

If funds are not available, you can be sure to find thousands of passionate dog lovers in any town who can form a non-profit group to raise money.

Dog playground equipment comes in many forms

Here's

Wed. March 30 is "Take a Walk in a Park Day" and a time to appreciate the value of parks

If you are looking for something to do on Wed., March 30, here's a worthwhile (and free) activity to fill your calendar. That day is national "Take A Walk In A Park Day."

This official designation is meant as a reminder for Americans to set aside time Wednesday or any day for a walk in a park and get yourself a shot of "Vitamin G" (for green).

It's not an endeavor that will cost you any money. You won't need special equipment to participate. You can do it alone or with a friend.

Okay, people might say. I get it. Taking a walk in a park is good for you. Inhale a bit of fresh air, absorb a little sunshine, take a few minutes to relax. And then get out of there. Sure, we're kind of busy but we will keep that take a walk in a park day in mind.

Actually, there's a much bigger picture behind take a walk in a park day.

According to study titled "Parks and Other Green Environments: Essential Components of

Park benches in Central Park - there are 9,000 of the

By Alysa Kleinman

"I love you very much and look forward to marrying you ... but if we have a fight you can always sleep here."

You just read one of around 4,100 personalized messages engraved on park benches in Central Park. The simple inscriptions make these cold benches surprisingly human, with messages from hilarious to heart warming. They add to the unique community feel that you can only find in the most visited urban park in America.

"For C& B- who survived the Holocaust, and began a life in this city. With deep love and abiding memory- from your children and grandchildren."

"Sit. Relax. Take a Deep Breath. Enjoy the day."

"Angie, Have I asked you to marry me yet today? Love, Mike."

"…This is a place to dream things that never were—and ask why not."

"Daydreamers welcome."

For around $10,000 per bench, lovers rich and poor of all ages can adopt a park bench from the Central Park Conservancy. The

Great American Cleanup 2016 is on March 2

By Alysa Kleinman

Tossing some trash out the window may feel like a victimless crime. In reality, the financial implications of litter are devastating on communities. Thousands of car accidents are caused by litter, which increases insurance rates. Picking up litter costs the United States $11 billion annually. Litter also reduces property values and tourism, can spread germs and viruses, and spoils water quality. In short, we are all victims of litter's effects. The Great American Cleanup 2016 reminds us there is a solution.

Even though the negative effects of litter are obvious, it doesn't prevent people from throwing trash on the ground. The Great American Cleanup 2016 (organized by Keep America Beautiful) is working to solve that issue.

You see, if one person tried to pick up every piece of litter across America it would be impossible. But if each of us picks up one piece we can easily solve the problem together.

The Great American Cleanup kicks

Commercial concrete planters also function as traffic barrier

By Alysa Kleinman

Spring is here! With the sun shining and birds chirping, it's a great time to dust off the winter blues and dress up your facility so it looks fantastic all year long. Commercial concrete planters can help you accomplish this task and do so much more.

While flowers may seem like a simple touch, they cultivate a positive and inviting energy. Besides looking nice, commercial concrete planters can be highly functional and add so much to your facility and community as a whole.  These heavier, more solid commercial planters are preferred by many facility managers because they can't be moved, tipped over by the wind, stolen by thieves and they provide a solid traffic and pedestrian barrier.

1. Boost the Mood - Nothing boosts the mood quite like flowers, and there's even science to prove it. Researchers at Harvard University, working with Massachusetts General Hospital, discovered that participants felt happier

Baseball fans enjoy the game from their aluminum bleacher

By Gerald Dlubala

This spring, when the umpire yells out the familiar, "Play ball!" it will mean opening day for many youth baseball programs with kids on the field and parents filling aluminum bleachers. It will also mean the opening of many new, exciting, all-inclusive sports complexes.

Popping up everywhere, these new mega-complexes are no longer related to the days of the old baseball diamond laid out in a local park or field that just happened to have enough room.

And the term "youth sports" has slickly been transformed into "youth sports tourism", the fastest growing segment in the travel industry.

With sports complexes being built and furnished costing millions of dollars, these venues are not only built for the kids, but they are being designed with the parents and any other travelers in mind as well.

They are now considered destination venues, not just a place to go for your child's next tournament baseball games.

These

Topeka Metro Bikes - part of the "social bicycle" movement where a shared bicycle can be locked to any bike parking rack (Source: Topeka Metro Bikes)

Most people enjoy cycling, but have a hard time accessing a bike or transporting one to a busy city. SoBi, or Social Bicycles, is a growing smart bike sharing system looking to solve that problem as their bicycles can be locked to ANY bike parking rack.

Social Bicycles are connected to the Internet so you can easily book them from your smart phone and pick one up at the nearest bicycle rack. If you're ready to pick up a bicycle with your phone, here are the simple steps to follow:

Open up the SoBi application in your phone. This will show you where nearby social bicycles are parked on bike parking racks nearby. Select the bike that you want to checkout. Follow the on screen instructions to pay the hourly rental fee. For your initial check out, it might be easier to register online at home first. (There are also monthly and annual fee packages).

Custom bike rack in Laramie Wyo. designed by artist Meg Thompson (Source: Laramie Main Street Alliance

It's a very simple formula for towns to attract business and add a little zest to the landscape - install artistic custom bike racks.

With today's advances in bicycle parking manufacturing, more and more municipalities and downtown development associations are discovering that they can easily feature a bunch of artistic bike racks on their sidewalks.

This immediately creates a buzz that brings in shoppers and creates a newfound sense of pride from residents.

The manufacturing of bike racks has made incredible advances in the past few decades. Rather than ordering a plain old grid-style bike rack, towns can now liven up their streets with butterflies, flowers, dinosaurs, fish, rabbits, mountain ranges, you name it.

In essence, an artsy outdoor bike rack can literally be created for whatever image you can imagine.

Think of the many benefits:

Instant Street Art - years ago, local towns might

Brett Grey, general manager of the Shake Shack in Boca Raton, Fla., with recycled plastic picnic table

When you visit the Shake Shack in Boca Raton, Fla., and view the cool architecture, the welcome open space inside and the recycled plastic picnic tables on the patio, you quickly realize this is not your ordinary burger joint.

Not at all. Just look at the hamburger menu for example. The first thing they tell you is that these burgers are made with 100% all natural Angus beef. There are no hormones, antibiotics and the bread is not made from any Frankensteinish genetically-modified wheat. Everything is made with real ingredients.

Secondly, if you look further down the menu, even though this is an international food chain, there are locally-named frozen custards called Glades Donuts and Mizner's Muse. Names that only local residents will recognize. Not only do these frozen custards have neighborhood references, but 5% from the sale of Glades Donuts supports the local Gumbo Limbo Nature Center.

Tips on the placement of park benches - great scenery demands great seatin

Park benches can turn any spot into a gathering place for relaxation and play. Whether you are people-watching, reading a book, relaxing outdoors, or enjoying your lunch, the placement of a bench in the right spot is critical to optimize the use of outdoor site furnishings.

Most people aren't aware of the planning and strategy that goes into placing a park bench, but bench placement can certainly cause controversy. For example, in one town, the city placed new benches away from the road and facing downtown businesses instead. The reason for this placement was to improve safety and encourage interaction with businesses.

Many local residents were unhappy with the park bench placement, arguing that it wasn't conducive to parade-watching. Since parts of the downtown were still developing, some of the commercial park benches faced empty lots or fences, which isn't exactly the most luxurious view.

How many times have

 

Adding more commercial bike racks will alleviate situations like thi

It's getting ugly out there. There are just not enough commercial bike racks on streets today to accommodate the growing surge in bicyclists. So defenseless trees are picking up the slack.

Be a hero. Give a bicyclist a place to park. Give a tree a break.

According to Statista, the number of Americans who biked in the past 12 months grew from 47 million in Spring 2008 to a whopping 66.7 million in the Spring of last year.

That's nearly 20 million more people who now ride a bicycle.

This type of behavior should be rewarded.

After all, bicyclists are doing their part. They are making your community a better place to live.

More of them are riding their bicycles downtown to work than driving. That frees up city streets. Cuts down on congestion. Makes it easier for others to park.

More people are also riding their bicycles to run to town or do errands.

All of this bicycle riding has a major impact on air quality, just like

Commercial construction forecast for 2016 predicts strong activity which also means more need for commercial site furnishings

If you are a builder you should start 2016 with a smile on your face because the commercial construction forecast for 2016 looks very, very strong.

After reviewing several articles on the commercial outlook for the year, here is what we consider to be a general consensus:

- Dodge Data and Analytics say US construction starts for this year will grow by 6% to $712 billion. That's fantastic news. You could essentially stop reading right there.

More buildings creates demand for more commercial site furnishings

- Commercial building is expected to grow by more than 11%, compared to 4% last year. Dodge predicts office construction will be very active, with starts as high as 17%, primarily from demand by tech and finance clients. For example, Apple just started a 2.8 million sq. ft. project for their new headquarters. When you sell a ton of products such as iPhones or

Potato Chip Rock - a great place to go on First Hike Da

Here's a choice for the New Year. Rather than wake up with a hangover, wake up and put on a pair of hiking boots for a First Day Hike. Thousands of Americans will be doing the same on Jan. 1 as well.

First Day Hikes are becoming more and more popular around the country. They are promoted by the National Association of State Park Directors as a way to start the new year right, out in the fresh air, absorbing sunlight and moving those muscles.

"Last year, we hosted a record-breaking 41,000 people who hiked 74,442 miles in our state parks across the country when we launched America's State Parks First Day Hikes," said Priscilla Geigis, president of the NASPD. "Think of it as the start of a new and healthy lifestyle, for the whole family. Whether you're staying close to home or traveling, join us at one of America's State Parks on New Year's Day."

You see promotions for First Day Hikes at parks in every corner of the country. Park directors

Child on a park bench enjoys a day outside with a friend

The holidays are a time of celebration, gift giving and spending way too much time indoors. Here are several holiday tips for the season on why you might want to get your family out of the house, off the couches and hanging out on park benches instead.

First of all, the average American spends waaaaay too much time indoors. It is estimated that we occupy 93% of our time inside something- whether it's a home, an office or a car.

That's not good.

For one, time sitting on a park bench and under the sun will increase your levels of Vitamin D. This vitamin is crucial for fighting infections, flus, colds and bad germs in general. Sunlight has incredible powers.

For example, one study reported that people in hospitals who were exposed to sunlight in their rooms used 22% less pain medication than other patients. That's while they were still inside.

Secondly, children need to be outdoors to increase their overall levels of activity. Sure,

NRPA study reveals that the economic impact of parks is tremendous

When you hear people talk about the economy, you always hear them refer to manufacturing or service businesses or finance. But you rarely hear people mention the economic impact of parks.

According to a study by the National Recreation and Park Association, the revenue from regional and local parks is worth paying attention to! We're talking about a figure of $140 billion in economic activity. All that spending also supports one million jobs in the US.

That's one heck of an impact.

Think about it. Every county, city and town in the US has a bunch of parks. Dozens of them. After all, people recognize that the number of quality parks in a town is one measure of the quality of life overall in that community.

Now think about what happens at those parks. Every day, especially on weekends, individuals and families trek to their favorite local or regional park. To get there, they buy gas. If they plan to hold a picnic, they buy