Join ESA in April

GOTOMEETING

by Todd Brown

Division Director, Park Operations

Fairfax County Park Authority

VRPS Northern Service Area 2016 Chair

Oh great.  Another meeting.  I have to get all my stuff together, find a county vehicle, and look up the directions to the place the meeting is this time.  Let me check my calendar one last time to make sure the meeting is at 10 and not 9:30.  

Wait ... what?  The meeting is at my desk?  I don’t have to leave my office?  How can this be (over-exaggerating for affect)?

VRPS Central Office helped the Northern Service Area Board setup a virtual "GoToMeeting" on October 12 and it was great!

Now if this sounds like at commercial for GoToMeeting, well it kind of is, but it is more of a thank you to VRPS for supporting us once again in our efforts in improving communication among different agencies over different counties.  Virtual meetings don't replace the great face-to-face interaction you get in the traditional meeting atmosphere.  However, you also don’t see the frustrated faces when traffic delays prompt start and, maybe more importantly, end times.

A few more benefits of our electronic meeting was that we didn’t need to worry about forgetting a needed document, as we simply had to search our desk or computers.  Now, that efficiency or lack thereof is based on one’s personal filing system or non-system.  The best thing was that during our meeting we found ourselves repeating “we need to ask VRPS for that information” or “we need to find out from VRPS when that is due”.  At the end of our meeting, Nancy Turnage from the VRPS office popped back up on our screen and asked if she could answer any questions.  Now, I am not saying I was as excited to see her as a kid is to see Santa Claus, but it sure was very timely and helpful.

The meeting concluded in under an hour and clear assignments were handed out, notes taken, and decisions made, one of which is that the Northern Service Area will make GoToMeeting available for our upcoming NSA meetings.

Please make sure you give it a try on October 26th at 10am.  Even if you have never attend an NSA meeting before, please join us at our year-ending-and-next-year-planning meeting.  Of course, we would love to see your smiling faces at the Stacy Sherwood Center in Fairfax on October 26th at 10am as well!

And, consider making a day of it by attending "Training to Evaluate:  Improve your Evaluation Skills" at the same location, 1-3:30pm, .2 CEUs eligible.

NSA Bi-Monthly Meeting 
Wed, Oct 26, 2016 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time 

Please join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone. 
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/533956093 

You can also dial in using your phone. 
United States +1 (571) 317-3122 

Access Code: 533-956-093 


First GoToMeeting? Try a test session:   http://help.citrix.com/getready 

Everybody's Irish on March 17th

The VRPS Executive Committee is comprised of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Lay Member, and Executive Director.  This subset of the VRPS Board of Directors meets three times each year (March, June, October), in between the four full Board meetings (January, April, July, November) in order to:

1. set the agenda for Board meetings,
2. make operational and management recommendations to the Board,
3. provide general supervision of Society affairs between Board meetings, and
4. serve as the Personnel Committee.

VRPS Members can view previous VRPS Board meeting minutes and packets on the VRPS website after logging-in.

Your VRPS Executive Committee held their first meeting of the year on St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2016.  Without pre-planning, the entire crew showed up in green!

The 2016 Executive Committee members, from left-to-right in the photo, are:

• Treasurer Kirk Kincannon, CPRP (Fairfax County Park Authority)
• Guest and 2015 VRPS President Marcy Durrer, CPRP (Hanover County)
• President, Margaret Thorne (City of Portsmouth)
• Lay Member Rita Miller (Virginia Department of Health, Richmond)
• Executive Director Jim Stutts, CPRP, CAE (VRPS Central Office)
• Vice President, LaTanya Turner, CPRP (Isle of Wight County)

Wherever you go and whatever you do,
May the luck of the Irish be there with you!

Conference Time!

by Jim Stutts, VRPS Executive Director, Central Office

As you know, a great deal of time and effort goes into planning the VRPS Annual Conference.  The process takes approximately 12 – 18 months, and involves dozens of very talented and committed individuals.  With the next conference planning team getting organized prior to the existing planning team’s actual event, the conference planning literally never ends.  Nor should it.  Each year new and fresh ideas emerge, exciting new venues are unveiled, interesting speakers and fascinating exhibits are discovered, and lots of members take advantage of this exceptional training and networking opportunity.

Wintergreen Resort - Stoney Creek Golf Course

I know you’ve heard this before, but it’s worth repeating.  This year’s conference at Wintergreen, September 8 – 11, will be spectacular.  The planning team is in the final phase of confirming educational sessions (approximately 75), sponsors and exhibitors, really fun entertainment…can you ride a bull, climb a wall, identify stars or slide down a mountain.  All of this and great food and much, much more is awaiting you at Wintergreen.  If you have not been to a VRPS Conference in a few years, I assure you, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Now thinking ahead.  The 2013 Conference Team met last week at James City County’s newest park, Freedom Park.  First of all, the new team has vetted over 47 different theme ideas, and is very close to unveiling the 2013 Conference official conference title, theme and logo.  Scheduled for September 7 – 10, 2013 at the Williamsburg Hotel and Conference Center (formally the Williamsburg Marriott), the conference is going to be special.

"Go Ape" Treetop Adventure Course

If we are lucky, we may get a chance to visit FreedomPark!  What a neat space.  It is a 601 acre forested retreat with 30 miles of hiking trails, Go Ape Treetop Adventure Course, Revolutionary Way Battle Site, a Free Black settlement, a 17^th century homestead, botanical garden and Interpretative Center.  It’s a fascinating park.  In fact, you may want to visit it before 2013!

Freedom Park Cabins

VRPS continues to benefit from scores of talented and committed members that are passionate about our profession.  They also are very generous in sharing time and expertise to make VRPS a better and relevant organization.  There is pride among us and for that we are extremely fortunate.