When the building is done and you need commercial outdoor furniture fast to wrap up the project, check the Park and Facilities Catalog quick ship program

As a construction manager, you are about to put the finishing touches on a project when you notice something missing- the Commercial Outdoor Furniture.

There aren't any outdoor bike racks as required in many cases by city planners.

No metal benches, trash receptacles or large commercial planters are installed on the property.

What do you do?

Call The Park and Facilities Catalog (800-695-3503).

As a manufacturer or Commercial Outdoor Furniture, we stockpile a number of our most popular products in our warehouse.

That means we can get them out the door quickly. Those products include:

Picnic Tables Commercial Benches Outdoor Bike Racks Trash Receptacles Aluminum Bleachers And more...

Many of our competitors can't do this.

ParkExpress quick ship is perfect for the construction industry

What that means for you is that we can get these items

This holiday weekend when everybody gathers at the dining room table for that bountiful meal, many families will also take time to go outside, visit their local park for fresh air, open spaces and to work off that giant meal.

While Americans express their gratitude for a number of blessings this weekend, one benefit to be grateful for is all those awesome local parks that provide a welcome refuge of greenery across America. From the massive urban Central Park in New York City to small parks in Everytown USA.

Here are some interesting statistics from the National Recreation and Parks Association about how much Americans love their parks.  They also appreciate the efforts of parks and recreation departments to make them enjoyable places for our families:

83% of Americans say they benefit from a local park 92% of Americans say local parks are a benefit to the community 4 in 5 Americans say local parks are worth the money spent on them 2/3 of respondents say there is a park or playground

Picnic tables with a waterfront view can certainly mean big savings for a family compared to paying for a water view at a restaurant.

Here's a photo collection of tables facing a liquid landscape. What's your favorite picnic spot with a great location in your town?

Picnic tables on the water

On the coast

On the St. Lucie River in downtown Stuart, Florida

At the beach

In the fall

By a dock

Overlooking the Columbia River in Oregon

By a lake

In the shade

One of the best ways to enhance a community is to offer picnic tables with a waterfront setting. Not many families can afford to dine out at a waterfront restaurant. So providing picnic tables with a view gives them that opportunity - without the expense.

However, when choosing locations near water, it's important to take into consideration the materials used. For site furnishings near a coastal area, picnic tables made with concrete are a smart choice because they resist damage and corrosion caused by salt air. (In addition, cement picnic

Voters are agreeing to more proposals to add bike lanes and other alternative transportation infrastructures such as bike parking racks, pedestrian walkways and connected pathways

One of the true indications of serious support for improving bicycling infrastructure such as adding more protected bike lanes, connected paths to different areas and bike parking racks can be seen by the voter support in this past election.

When a proposition to fund bike infrastructure generates the required number of signatures and is placed on that ballot sheet, then you know there are citizens committed to making their communities better for bicycles.

Several propositions were on state and city ballots this past election day.

Most passed.

That is quite an accomplishment because in many cases, people voted for increases in taxes or diversion of funds from one project to a bicycle and pedestrian project instead.

But that's the key. If communities are going to get serious about encouraging more bicycling and

Some of the common traits of the best dog parks in America

Dog playground equipment, trails, ponds and dedicated volunteers can transform a mediocre dog park into a great one.

One thing is for sure - more and more cities are adding dog parks.

According to the National Recreation and Park Association, more than half of parks departments in the US now manage dog parks.

There are quite a few more dog owners today than ever before. According to the American Pet Products Association, more than 60% of households in the US own a dog.

Those dogs were not created to sleep on the floor all day. They need to get outside and run, jump and play. According to petMD, dogs need from 30 minutes to two hours of exercise EVERY day.

So, how do you make your dog park a success like some of the most popular dog parks in America?

There are several Best Dog Park lists floating around the web. We researched a few of them and came up with our list of some of the top characteristics of an awesome dog park.

We

Bike rooms with vertical bike racks, bike lockers and bike repair stations

Bike rooms providing secure indoor storage are a great way to attract cyclists as future renters or employees.

(FYI: The expert planners at Park and Facilities Catalog offer free bike room layouts and diagrams to help maximize bike storage).

That's why the number of indoor bike storage areas are trending up and are becoming more and more prevalent around the US.

There are several reasons for this.

First of all, people invest some serious time and money in bicycles today. The days of the clunky old boneshakers are over.

Today bicyclists are riding bikes made with aerodynamic lightweight carbon frames, disc brakes, automatic shifting systems and all sorts of high-tech gadgetry.

It's not uncommon for someone to plunk down from $500 to $1,500 and thousands more for a bicycle.

As you can imagine, someone with an $11,000 Pinarello Dogma bike does not want to leave their precious possession out in the elements for several

Bike repair stations are being added to more colleges, such as Oakland University in Michigan, to encourage students to ride rather than drive. The stations help with minor adjustments and repairs to keep bicycles safe and in good working condition

Bike Repair Stations are a simple yet very effective convenience you can add to a location if you want to promote bicycle commuting instead of driving.

These bike tune-up stations send a strong message that your college, apartment building, office or store or even entire town caters to cyclists.

This is one strategy used by Oakland, University in Rochester, Michigan. The school enrolls 20,012 students and as you can imagine, that would be a large amount of vehicular traffic to accommodate if they all drove to class.

----- "We decided on putting these Bike Repair Stations on campus to encourage bike use across campus as well as provide extra spots for our bike loan users to do small fixes on the bike they have checked out," said Bill Singleton,

Concrete bench in a park

When it comes to stopping the theft of outdoor benches, a concrete bench is the heavy alternative of choice.

Recent news reports indicate a trend in stealing park benches or old, wooden benches used in railroad stations or other historic places.

Who steals benches?

Apparently, some people think there is a market for them.

For example, in Springfield, Mass., more than 30 of the town's historic wooden benches were stolen from an old railroad station undergoing renovations.

Hundreds of thousands of people once sat on those old wooden benches in Union Station after it opened in 1926. At one time, it was considered one of the most modern train stations in the US. The station closed in 1973.

However, now the building is being restored as a historic landmark. The organizers plan to feature a restored barber's chair and an antique clock. They even have the old chalkboard where the incoming and outgoing train times were posted. But the historians won't have the original

Portable bleachers at the Moultrie-Douglas County Fair in Arthur, Illinois

Portable bleachers are a great solution for one of the most popular events held every year across America - county fairs.

Because there are such of variety of events held at different locations on a fairgrounds, at different times, these transportable aluminum bleachers can be very handy.

Just ask the folks who run the Moultrie-Douglas County Fair and Agricultural Exposition in Arthur, Illinois. This year their event was held from July 8-14.

The fair board purchased two 10-row, 24-foot long Portable Bleachers from the Park and Facilities Catalog.

According to spokesperson Sandy Hoke, the bleachers were used for a number of events: pageants, church services and to watch performers on the stage.

"We loved them. Everybody loved them," she said. "We're actually thinking about ordering more."

"We were glad to be able to provide this type of spectator seating for the fair to meet their unique needs," said David Kennis,

Research shows that homes near a park have an 8% to 20% higher valuation than other properties

Want to know the impact on home values after carving out some green space in an area, adding park benches and perhaps a playground with grass and shrubbery?

It's major.

Anyone interested in parks or real estate would be smart to pay attention to these statistics.

Because here's the big benefit of this research. If you need to get approval for new parkland or to upgrade a park, be sure to show these statistics to homeowners in the area. And be sure to get them to turn out at city budget meetings to support expenditures for more parks.

Several studies have found that living in close proximity to a park will generally boost home prices by 8% to 20%.

On a $500,000 property or any home for that matter, a 10% boost in value means tens of thousands of extra dollars in the owner's pocket.

Proximity to a park adds a significant increase in home prices

Here are some other facts about property values and

Outdoor ashtrays at parks and beaches are one way to alleviate the debate on smoking bans

Outdoor ashtrays are a smart strategy to consider in the debate on banning smoking from state and city parks and beaches.

The idea to outlaw smoking at parks and beaches continues to surface in different states around the US.

Gov. Jerry Brown of California recently vetoed, for the third time, a bill in his state that would have enacted such a ban.

The governor reportedly felt the bill amounted to overreaching by the government.

There are several issues involved.

Proponents of these bans argue about the dangers of secondhand smoke. Opponents say there are plenty of places in parks and beaches where people can avoid the smoke if they are concerned.

Another dispute is the possibility of forest fires caused by discarded cigarettes, which is major worry in a state such as California where thousands of acres and numerous homes have been destroyed by fires.

Outdoor ashtrays are a deterrent to cigarette litter

A Buddy Bench from The Park and Facilities Catalog was recently featured on the national "Steve" show on NBC. Host Steve Harvey discussed the concept behind the bench and how it helps children socialize in a schoolyard

A Buddy Bench donated to a school by The Park and Facilities Catalog was recently featured on the nationally televised "Steve" show starring popular comedian Steve Harvey.

The show centered on a young man named Alex, who was recently the subject of an article on our website.

Producers at the "Steve" show heard about the story and contacted Alex and his mother Dottie.

The episode mentioning Alex and the Buddy Bench aired Sept. 14 on NBC in the "Before We Go" segment, the final part of the show.

Mr. Harvey recounted the story about how one day when Alex was 10 years old he "noticed a couple of kids including himself were sitting by themselves at recess" at Windy Creek Elementary School in Stafford, VA.

"So he decided to do something about it," the host explained.

Buddy Bench

The patent drawing for the first known picnic table submitted by Charles H. Nielsen

Back in 1903, a man named Charles H. Nielsen of Kreischerville, NY filed a patent for the design and production of simple picnic tables.

Little did he know that more than 100 years later, his simple yet brilliant invention would still be used today in thousands of locations around the world.

Ironically, back in those days, picnics were kind of random. People just drove up to a field or a park and parked wherever they wanted. At some locations, a roughly carved wooden plank would be placed on tree stumps dug into the ground.

Although according to Victorian-era standards, to experience the true feel of nature, a picnic was meant to be enjoyed sitting on a blanket on a field of grass. Tell that to the ants. Or the people who prefer to sit upright. Plus, sometimes the ground would be wet and mess up those fancy dresses and suits.

So there became a need for an outdoor table with a handy way to transport it.

Coil Bike Parking Rack recently installed by the Parks and Recreation Department in Columbus, GA adds a unique outdoor bike rack to the area that has generated positive comments by the public

Want to provide outdoor bike racks that catch people's attention in your town or business?

Gets people talking.

Attracts bicyclists.

Makes bike parking downtown more effective and stops people from locking their bikes to signs, railings or trees.

Of course.

There is a big trend taking place across this country where some municipalities and businesses are deciding they want to install outdoor bike racks with a little pizzazz.

In Columbus, GA, the Parks and Recreation Department added a very unique "coil" outdoor bike rack.

"We thought it was cool and a fun design that allowed us to have a nice functional bike rack but not the same old traditional look and feel," said Holli Browder, Parks and Recreation Department Director, "We like the new bike rack very much and have had nice comments by citizens who

The new aluminum bleachers at Davis and Elkins College display their powder-coated red colors

Davis and Elkins College has some of the most eye-catching aluminum bleachers in the country and its simply because they decided to add red seat planks to liven up the spectator experience.

D&E is a small private liberal arts college located in Elkins, WV. The school was founded in 1904 and named for Henry G. Davis and his son-in-law Stephen B. Elkins.

Both were members of the US Senate.

Hence, the nickname for the sports teams is the "Senators." Very catchy and unique.

The school replaced their aging bleachers at the athletic field with aluminum bleachers supplied by The Park and Facilities Catalog.

But rather than order just regular sports bleachers, the school decided to spruce up the seats with the team's bright red coloring.

What a difference the color makes. The bleachers really stand out on the green grass surrounding them.

College decides to add color to aluminum bleachers

"The colors were