Buddy Bench at the Crosspointe Elementary School in Boynton Beach, FL

It's heartening to see how one simple piece of outdoor furniture, a "Buddy Bench," is having such a positive impact on alleviating loneliness and bullying in schools across America.

Crosspointe Elementary School in Boynton Beach, FL is the latest school to add a Buddy Bench supplied by The Park and Facilities Catalog.

"The kids love it," said Courtney Roper, Parent Liaison at Crosspointe, which has 721 students in grades K-5.

She said the bench is very effective because the children know this is the place to go if they feel lonely "without having to verbalize it."

The bench was donated to the school by the Boynton Beach Mental Health Committee with the help of  Brighter Tomorrows. That organization was started to help spread the word about the benefits of "Buddy Benches" and has been involved in helping several schools add them to their locations.

"Through a very large donation from a client of mine, we were able to

Metal picnic tables offer more versatility in terms of design, color, durability and easy maintenance

Advances in the design of Metal Picnic Tables have resulted in many variations that are different than your traditional triangular table designs.

For establishments such as parks, restaurants, malls, coffee shops and businesses, these exciting new configurations of commercial picnic tables are worth exploring.

Here are some metal picnic table options to consider:

Seat backs: Want to make your picnic tables super comfortable for your visitors or customers? How about adding seats with backs?

Take our Metal Picnic Tables with Contoured Seats.

This metal picnic table displays an inviting appearance. For one, the seats are super-simple to get to. There is no frame to step over. The frame that holds the contour seats runs along the ground, allowing easy access.

The seat backs themselves are contoured, with a rolled top edge that is easy on a person's back.

You can order this stylish picnic table

Space-saving wall-mounted bike rack

Wall-mounted bike racks for buildings are unique in that they need to be manufactured with a minimal design to accommodate space constraints.

Square footage is at a premium in apartments buildings, office buildings, hotels, and even parking garages.

When adding indoor bicycle storage, it's smart to use wall space…and go vertical.

Here are some options:

Wall-mounted bike racks take up less space but keep bikes secure

Bike Hook with Loop Lock - This unique commercial bike rack is made with steel with a black powder-coat finish.

The wall-mounted bike rack can easily be installed into a concrete wall, concrete blocks or wood. Use either drop-in anchors, drive-in anchors or lag screws.

Included with the Wall-mounted bike racks is a 48-inch locking cable to keep the bike protected from theft.

The main benefit of the Bike Hook with Loop Lock is space-efficiency.

The piece is only 10 inches deep and 3.5 inches wide. The very small footprint with

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New recycled plastic benches installed on a Madeline Ferry Line boat

You may have noticed that the commercial site furnishings business is seeing a major shift from traditional wooden benches to the use of innovative and environmentally-friendly Recycled Plastic Benches.

This is taking place for a number of reasons.

Here are some of them:

Advancements in Recycling Technology: When manufacturers first started reusing plastic scrap and building products, there were many issues. The plastic sometimes would have a chalky surface. Or, the materials would start to flake and peel. And then there was the issue of durability. Many products made with plastic scrap would not last very long and essentially, deteriorate back into scrap.

That was the old days.

Today, remanufactured products such as recycled plastic benches are phenomenal. Advancements in the manufacturing process using recycled plastic scrap have come a long way. In addition, the manufacturers who tried to get by with inferior mixtures

The organization PeopleForBikes just released its latest list of the Top Places for Bikes and included in the methodology is the availability of bicycle parking determined by the number of spaces and outdoor bike racks.

The top five cities named in the ratings were:

Boulder, CO Fort Collins, CO Eugene, OR Manhattan, NY Arlington, VA Ranking based on factors from bike lanes to safety

To compile the list, the organization used several factors to create a scoring system for ranking cities.

That criteria were broken down into five sections:

Ridership - the number of people who ride bikes in that city or town Safety - if cyclists believe their town is safe for bike riders Network - the number of bike lanes and bike trails that enable people to cycle to different parts of town Acceleration - how fast is the infrastructure growing Reach - does the infrastructure reach all parts of the community

Tim Blumenthal, president of PeopleForBikes said, "Our City Ratings play an important role in furthering

One of two sets of new aluminum bleachers at the Clyman Canners ballfield

Is it time to upgrade your spectator seating with new, safe aluminum bleachers?

While many towns across the country host baseball leagues that have been at play for decades, it does not mean seating for your fans can last that long as well.

Take the folks who run the baseball organization Clyman Canners of the Rock River League.

By the way, this baseball league in the small town of Clyman, WI, has the very unique honor of being the Second Oldest Adult Amateur League in the country.

Amazingly, the league was established more than a century ago in 1910. That's quite a distinction.

And that's in a town of 330 residents!

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"The compliments that we have received already from them is great and we are very proud to add these to our park..."

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Aluminum bleachers replace 50-year-old bleachers

According to spokesman Kyle Krueger, the organizers recently realized it was time to add new aluminum bleachers to their

Shopping Centers are undergoing a transformation just like everything else in this digital age.

Many people keep predicting the death of the mall and shopping centers.

But don't think for a second that shopping centers and physical stores are going to give up and go away.

Shopping centers are about to take a digital leap and undergo a major transformation that will breathe new life into old-fashioned stores.

And they will be incorporating all the newest technology, such as Artificial Intelligence and Augmented Reality, to make this happen.

Instead of focusing on a shopping destination, retailers will now refocus on a shopping experience.

A shopping experience that is better at meeting the precise needs of shoppers, and also gets them excited about visiting a store.

After all. As we have seen over the years, people like to get out of the house and go shopping, either downtown or at a mall.

But relying on the old bricks and mortar model has taken a beating.

So to get competitive, shopping

Indiana Dunes National Park. Credit: National Park Service, M. Woodbridge William

There is a new trend taking place in the National Park Service of renaming some protected areas that are designated as a "Monument" to the more prestigious title of "National Park."

This may seem like a minor case of semantics.

But the economic implications are major.

Two parks have recently received the "national park" designation.

That would be Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore which was changed to Indiana Dunes National Park and became our 61st national park.

The other is Gateway Arch National Park, where the famous arch in St. Louis was renamed from Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. (Which by the way, is now our smallest national park covering 192 acres. The largest? Wrangell-St. Elias in Alaska with more than 8 million acres).

Becoming a national park increases economic value

As you can imagine, renaming an area as a "National Park" carries considerable weight.

For one, an upgraded park joins an

The Park and Facilities Catalog DoubleUp Vertical Bike Rack

To illustrate the importance of Vertical Bike Racks and indoor bicycle storage as a new trend in multi-family housing, just look at a luxury apartment complex in downtown Los Angeles.

The building has incredible architecture, floor to ceiling rooms with amazing views and a long list of amenities.

Those amenities include a sun deck, lap pool, fitness center, cycling room, indoor-outdoor lounges and bar with views, dog parks, yoga areas, pet grooming area and pool tables.

And one of those amenities includes five Vertical Bike Racks from The Park and Facilities Catalog.

Vertical Bike Racks maximize indoor space

Freestanding bike rack

Indoor and safe bicycle storage is an appealing feature with today's renters, especially Millennials who prefer to bicycle than drive.

The vertical bike racks were placed in two areas - a handy, fenced space at ground level and an interior room for public storage.

John Fan is with AECOM, the billion-dollar

Commercial park benches are now reaching the market in new contemporary designs, such as this Pasadena Bench

Commercial Park Benches are pushing new boundaries when it comes to innovative designs for outdoor environments.

Now might be a good time for landscape architects, designers and facility managers to take a look at some of the options available to them.

Let's start with design. A park bench doesn't have to look like an old-fashioned park bench. One example of the classic look is the Art Deco World's Fair park bench you might find in Central Park. Those benches display a more traditional Victorian appearance with wooden slats and iron hoop armrests.

Commercial park benches with contemporary designs

Augusta Benc

Try something new. Check out our Augusta Commercial Park Bench (Model No. 398-9000) - this sleek metal bench has a contemporary, triangle design you don't see in traditional park benches. That's what sets it apart.  It comes with options for armrests and backless bench.

Speaking

Bike repair station in use at the Brooklyn Public Library, Mill Basin Branch

The Brooklyn Public Library in New York went a step further for their patrons when they added a brand-new Bike Repair Station to their facility.

What a great amenity! And an amenity that serves several purposes.

"The library staff is super excited about our new bike repair stand," said Margaret Day, adult librarian, at the Mill Basin Branch. "It's a lovely bright yellow color that has attracted attention to the library and seems very sturdy thus far."

She added, "We've received lots of compliments! The community thinks it is a great idea to make basic bike maintenance and repairs easier, and encourage bicycle riding."

The first purpose of the bike repair stand is to obviously repair bicycles.

Fixing a bicycle, making necessary adjustments to parts like brake pads or even cleaning out the derailleurs can make for a safe and enjoyable ride.

Bike repair stations provide an array of handy tools

With all their equipment,

Victoria Cates and Robyn James of the Broadway Gymnastic School on the facility's new Portable Aluminum Bleachers

Portable Aluminum Bleachers were found to be a great solution for seating at the Broadway Gymnastic School in Los Angeles.

After all, a gymnastics school is a very busy place. There are young people doing cartwheels, flips and back handsprings. Parents come in and out.  And staff members keep it all organized.

Plus, mats and pieces of apparatus need to be moved from time to time for different events and competitions.

That's why the staff purchased two sets of 3-row Tip and Roll Aluminum Bleachers from The Park and Facilities Catalog.

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"We choose to add in the bleachers behind the plain seats to effectively seat more people and organize our parent observation area," said Victoria Cates, School Groups and Special Events Director. "Parents have mentioned that with the addition of the bleachers, it has added more comfort and space while their student is in class. In addition,

Our bear-proof trash receptacles were tested at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center near Yellowstone National Park by some very qualified testers. The receptacles were also certified by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee as a safe and effective deterrent for bears

When it comes to adding or replacing trash receptacles this season, don't forget about our furry friends.

That's why it's smart for many facilities to add animal and bear-proof trash receptacles.

These animal-resistant trash receptacles are perfect for campgrounds, restaurants, apartment complexes, and residential neighborhoods.

There are quite a few creatures out there. And they all like to find an easy place to eat.

In fact, bears are plentiful. It is estimated 39,000 to 465,000 black bears exist in the United States. They are found in 40 of the 50 states, including Florida.

If you don't have bears in your neighborhood, chances are you have some other foraging creatures such as raccoons.

Now some people might think it

Custom outdoor bike racks in Palm Springs, CA

Outdoor bike racks with a custom motif can add panache to any town.

Take Palm Springs, CA, for example.

This city of 45,000 is not only a physical oasis in the middle of the desert but a cultural one as well.

For that reason, when city officials decided to add outdoor bike racks, they choose a design that was a little different, yet very obvious at the same time.

They installed custom bike racks, in the shape of, well, bicycles.

These artsy sidewalk bike racks are perfect for this artistic town.

Located about 100 miles east of Los Angeles, Palm Springs is a winter retreat featuring a variety of fun things to do. Those activities range from visiting several museums, shopping downtown at antique shops, checking out the Walk of Stars, hanging out at numerous resorts, riding on the longest rotating aerial tram in the world to playing at any one of their 130 golf courses.

It's an exciting place.

So exciting in fact, that it has a history of attracting

Buddy bench donated by Ariana. Sitting alongside her on the bench is her school principal

Adding a Buddy Bench to a school might be a goal for children and parents to consider if they are looking for a project that will have a positive impact with young students.

That's exactly what 9-year-old Ariana from California accomplished recently as a member of the Girl Scouts.

She sold a bunch of Girl Scout cookies and raised enough to purchase a Buddy Bench from The Park and Facilities Catalog.

Ariana then donated the bench to her school.

Buddy Bench encourages inclusion among students

If you are not familiar with the concept behind this magic bench, here's how it works.

The school adds this unique bench to their play or break area. The bench, like the one supplied by The Park and Facilities Catalog to hundreds of schools around the country, is designated by large letters that read "Buddy Bench."

Teachers at the school then instruct students that if they feel alone or bullied, they have the option