Page 3 - Community Building

Volunteers and outdoor trash receptacles can make a difference in fighting litte

It's a solution as simple as adding more outdoor trash receptacles that can turn a city around. Unfortunately, some people who live in metropolitan areas figure that litter and trash are just an inevitable part of big city living. But the mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, doesn't accept that notion. He's fighting litter and pledged to put 5,000 more outdoor trash cans on the streets in a major push to clean up the city.

Los Angeles, like most cities, has a trash problem. Some citizens believe it is okay to dump their burger wrappers and soft drinks on the ground. When that happens, litter escalates. Studies show that people, even those who use trash receptacles if they are handy, believe that trash on the ground is a green light for them to do the same.

Unlike many other civic challenges, this problem is an easy fix. For one, make sure there are an adequate number of outdoor trash receptacles available.

Park benches have a certain magnetic quality about the

There seems to be a certain charm about a park bench when it comes to bringing folks together. And when checking out park benches for sale, think about the type of bench, but also the people who will be sitting on those planks as well.

Park benches have a magnetic allure that is conducive to one person engaging with another - whether it's in a deep conversation with a friend or an first-time talk with a complete stranger.

This was very evident in a recent project conducted by Neighborhoods Inc., a non-profit organization in Northwest Indiana.

To help foster the interaction of people in their community, the organizers placed a park bench in front of 22 homes in a town of about 30,000 people. They included a sign that read, "Please have a seat."

Their efforts were effective. People now had a reason to stop and chat with the home owner or others in the area.

Neighbors, strollers, joggers, school children, people walking their dogs and

Model "green" bike lane in NYC - Source: NYC.go

May is National Bike Month and a great time to be a bicyclist. Municipals planners are starting to see the light when it comes to providing the infrastructure needed, such as more bike lanes, bike laws and outdoor bike racks, to support an ever-growing community of bike users.

In the past five years, there have been reportedly 3,000 bike -related projects funded with federal dollars across the US. That includes the creation of bike lanes and paths, addition of more outdoor bike racks and generally making it safer for people who prefer to pedal than drive.

"Almost everywhere in the United States there are better places to bike now than there were five or 10 years ago," said Tim Blumenthal, president of Bike Belong.

And why not? Look at the recent trends showing a surge in bike usage in the United States. According to the People for Bikes organization here are the stats:

Spending - Americans spend $81 billion on biking annually. That's a number

Fans sitting on aluminum bleachers that are IBC complian

If you are looking for bleachers for sale, one criterion you must add to your decision-making is to be sure you choose bleachers that meet International Building Code (IBC) standards.

Why? Bleachers are structures that will be used heavily by the public. They might be outdoor bleachers, subject to all types of weather and wear. Bleachers are not the same as church pews. They must be able to withstand lots of movement from ardent fans and spectators. People jump on them. Stomp their feet. Continually walk up and down the stairs. Spill things.  Run. Cheer. Many participants will be students and small children. Some will be older grandparents.

You get the picture, there's always quite a bit of activity taking place on aluminum bleachers.

It's no surprise then, that bleachers can also be dangerous. Some people have died as the result of bleacher falls. Many are injured every year. In fact, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Lifestyle center with outdoor site furnishing

There's a new trend taking place in shopping center design which focuses on "lifestyle centers" - a mix of specialty stores, outdoor site furnishings and other uses. Ironically, all the items you find in a traditional small town.

That's the concept. Giant malls are designed to create a place of community, especially in suburbs, where all the streets look the same and there is no small town to visit.

And malls serve their purpose. You can find nearly anything you need in a mall, you don't have to worry whether it's snowing outside or 100 degrees and many create an exciting "wow" big space feel. A feeling you don't get, by the way, shopping from your computer.

But lifestyle centers take a different approach. Because in many suburbs people are also unable to experience that small town feel. A lifestyle center looks to recreate a "Main Street America" atmosphere with brownstone type facades and plenty of outdoor site furnishings such as benches

Christopher George (right) meets with David Kuhlman of Habitat for Humanity with metal bench and commercial bicycle rack

The Park Catalog recently donated site furnishings such as a metal bench and commercial bicycle rack to the Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County and we are certainly proud to be involved with this organization.

What's impressive about this country is that with all the news going on, you don't see enough coverage of the tremendous accomplishments by non-profit organizations and volunteers who constantly strive every day to improve our communities.

One reason is that there is so much community work taking place every day around this country, this effort is not considered unique enough to be considered a news item. Because it is so prevalent, we tend to take it for granted.

But these people do deserve recognition because their labor exemplifies the American ideal of giving people a boost to achieve a better life. Certainly owning a home is one important milestone

Beach promotion in bus shelter (Photo by Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitor's Bureau

Talk about a gutsy move involving bus shelters. As if this winter wasn't rough enough for many northern cities, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitor's Bureau recently ran a promotion inside bus shelters in Chicago and Boston enticing frozen residents to leave the cold and visit the beach instead.

Can you imagine what that was like? Here you are standing in a bus shelter, bundled up against minus double-digit temperatures, waiting for your bus which is probably late given the latest blizzard, and some town in the south has the nerve to display a digital monitor streaming a live feed showing their sandy white beaches.

Yes, at that moment any sane person would prefer to be on a beach in Florida. Everybody shivering in bus shelters in the northern two-thirds of the entire US would probably like to be on a beach in Florida.

Beach promotion in Chicago bus shelte

The Greater Fort Lauderdale

Recovered bicycles waiting for owners (Source: Santa Cruz Police Department)

If your city has quite a few "sucker poles" where bicycles are stolen, adding commercial bike racks could make your business a hero to bicyclists.

What is a "sucker pole?" It's a name given to sign posts and other objects that at first appear to be a safe place to park a bike. However, these poles are generally not as secure as they look and can easily be unscrewed from their mountings or even just yanked out of the ground.

Many a disgruntled bicycle owner has returned to where they thought they parked their bike securely, only to find out, the item they hooked the bike to was not secure at all. Certainly not as anchored as a bona fide bike rack.

And with the high price of many bicycles today, the incentive for thievery is certainly there.

In fact, some bike theft rings (yes, just like organized auto theft rings) know exactly where these "sucker poles" are located and frequently drive around town in a van, ready

A bike parking rack map created by the city of Bosto

There's nothing more frustrating than planning a bike trip in a city for a day, finding some great locations to stop and then not finding a bike parking rack to secure your bike.

There's a solution for this - a bike map.

More and more American cities and towns are working hard to become more bicycle friendly. They are creating bike lanes, adding a bike parking rack to more locations and educating their citizens on everything from how to ride safely to how to lock their bikes correctly.

One very smart strategy is to create a bike map for a city or town. This gives bicyclists a clear path to a bike friendly day or commute.

For politicians and public officials, adopting a more bike friendly stance is smart. According to Statista, in the spring of 2014 there were 67.33 million Americans who reported they rode their bicycle in the past 12 months. That's nearly a quarter of the population - almost one out of four people.

That trend continues

Speed bumps and other parking lot supplies are essential to keep control of parking lots

Studies show parking areas can be dangerous places. But the right combination of speed bumps, traffic control devices, signs and other parking lot supplies can put a dent in potential injuries and crashes.

The statistics are scary. According to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, they found that 14% of all car crashes occurred in parking lots. That's nearly two crashes out of ten in a place where people are supposed to be safe and cars crawl by at low speeds.

What's even more frightening is the injuries to pedestrians. In research conducted by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, they estimate about 9,000 people are either injured or killed walking through parking lots every year. It doesn't have to be a store, work or school parking lot. The same danger is present in parking areas for apartment complexes or residential side streets.

Here's one problem.

"Park Bench" show features Steve Buscemi interviewing Rosie Pere

There's something about sitting on a park bench that is conducive to starting a conversation. Maybe it's the wide open spaces. Perhaps it's the fresh air. Or maybe it's just the relaxing environment of a vibrant green park on a bright sunny day that helps people let their guard down and participate in an engaging dialogue.

Who knows exactly what it is.

But one person who recognizes this power in a park bench is the famous actor Steve Buscemi. "Park Bench" is the title of the sort-of-talk show he started and eventually sold to AOL for its "Original" video channel.

The idea for the series is simple. Buscemi gets involved in an intimate conversation with people from all walks of life while sitting on a park bench. Those subjects include not just fellow actors and politicians as expected, but also regular people from regular walks of life.

He got the idea for the series one day when he shot a sketch on a park bench for a show

Paley Park in NYC is one of the best "pocket parks" around - Photo by Aleksandr Zykov (Flickr

Take a vacant lot and fill it with park benches, a few shade trees and some bright flowers and what do you have? A pocket park!

What is a pocket park? Generally it's any park that is about a quarter of an acre in size. They are typically located in urban areas where open spaces are tight. Sometimes they are referred to as "vest pocket parks."

These small, mini-parks are a perfect solution for any budget-strapped parks and recreation department or to attract customers to a savvy local business.

The concept is catching on and when you think about it, it's a perfect way to expand any park system without a huge expense. Many cities already have plenty of vacant lots. The city of Baltimore, for example, reportedly has 12,000 vacant houses and 14,000 vacant lots. That's quite a bit of wasted space.

Perhaps there is a metro downtown area or local town with properties that are too small for a commercial

High Trestle Trail covering 25 miles is very popular with bicyclists. Photo by Iowa Natural Heritage Foundatio

Which of these items create more long-term jobs, bike racks or bridges? The answer seems obvious, doesn't it? Or does it?

According to a recent study by the National Recreation and Parks Association, you might be surprised the economic impact that can result from improvements in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

Cities across the country are finding this out. Why add more roads and bridges? When you think about it, adding more highways also creates more ways for people to pass through a city.

But when you fix up an area by adding more bike racks, bike paths, pedestrian walkways, pedestrian malls, etc., you are actually creating a way for people to spend more time in a city. You create a destination.

The NRPA facts bear this out. They determined:

Bicycle Infrastructure Only projects generate 11.4 permanent jobs per $1 million spent. Pedestrian Infrastructure Only projects

Smoking shelters built to last

Smoking shelters offer a number of solutions for a business or organization with a large number of smokers. This solution can actually meet the needs of non-smokers and maintenance crews alike and make all groups happy. Which is not something easily accomplished in today's society.

First of all, it's inevitable that a certain percentage of employees or customers will enjoy smoking. Experts estimate about 20% of the adult population in the US are regular smokers.

The big question is, where are these people going to go? They certainly can't smoke in an office, store, bar or restaurant. If they are going to be forced outside in the wind, sleet, rain and snow, wouldn't it be nice if they had a protected place to go?

The answer?  A smoking shelter - a simple enclosed structure with a roof and glass or Plexiglas sides. Providing any hideaway from the elements will certainly be welcomed by smokers. (These structures can also be used for bus shelters).

Bus shelters

Aluminum bleachers are frequently targeted by metal thieve

Because the price of metal has risen over the years, some individuals seem to think they can make a windfall by stealing a set of aluminum bleachers from local ball fields.

There's only one thing wrong with this scenario (as many of the crooks get to contemplate while in jail).

How do you sell them? A 10-row aluminum bleacher is not something you can pawn off in an alley like a watch or a bicycle.

The only place to try to sell the scrap from aluminum bleachers is at a metal recycling center. Well guess what? The police know that too.

The country has been plagued over the past few years with ambitious yet wisdom-deficient crooks who think it's clever to steal aluminum bleachers. They spend a tremendous amount of effort removing them, hours upon hours chopping them up, and then wasting more time hauling the scrap to a recycling center.

Someone stole 40 sections of aluminum bleachers from the Oregon State University softball field.