Recreation Facility Management : Design, Development, Operations and Utilization

Recreation facility management is a complex responsibility. Professionals in this field are responsible for various types of facilities—recreation centers, water parks and pools, playgrounds, parks, fitness centers, sport complexes, and resorts—each with its own set of goals and challenges. Recreation Facility Management: Design, Development, Operations, and Utilization provides students and new professionals with a basic understanding of recreation facilities and prepares them to perform the duties required of a recreation facility manager.

Part I of Recreation Facility Management offers a detailed look at the foundations of the profession, including the defining characteristics of recreation facility management and descriptions of the duties of a recreation facility manager and the areas within the facilities. Also featured are descriptions of the common indoor and outdoor elements of facilities, including sites, spaces, lighting, surfaces, utilities, landscaping, walkways, and parking areas.

The remaining parts of the book detail the practical knowledge and skills as well as tasks and processes required for managing various types of recreation facilities. Readers will find these features:

• A thorough discussion of the facility design and development process, including needs assessment, planning, reading blueprints, funding, the bid process, and construction
• Information on managing facility resources, including equipment; financial issues, such as budgeting, taxes, fees and charges, and donations; and human resources, including hiring, training, and evaluating employees
• A detailed examination of facility utilization, including safety and security, scheduling, maintenance, and emergencies and emergency response
• A review of parks, playgrounds, aquatic facilities, and ancillary spaces, including parking areas, showers and restrooms, and child care areas
• Coverage of national industry standards and guidelines for various types of facilities

Throughout the book readers will find examples from settings in recreation, leisure, parks, and tourism that will help them apply their knowledge to various types of recreation facilities. Recreation Facility Management also includes access to an online student resource (OSR) that will help students tie the information in the book to practical matters on the job. The OSR contains learning activities, forms from the files of actual facility managers, worksheets, and Web links to help students further explore the ideas found in the book.

Recreation Facility Management offers a practical introduction to facility design, management, and maintenance for practicing or future recreation professionals. This resource provides the knowledge and skills necessary for becoming a successful facility manager in any recreation setting.

Richard F. Mull, MS, was an assistant professor in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) at Indiana University in Bloomington from 1972 to 2006. He has also served as the director of the Center for Student Leadership Development, director of Indiana University's tennis center and outdoor pool, and special assistant to the dean for the auxiliary unit of the school of HPER. From 1972 to 1992, he served as the director of campus recreational sports at Indiana University.

Mull brings the practical experience of over 40 years spent managing recreational sports to his work with students and his writing of numerous publications and books. His professional contributions to the field led to his receipt of the 1989 Honor Award from the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA). In 1994, he was inducted into the Professional Hall of Fame in the School of Physical Education at West Virginia University.

For more than 35 years, Mull has served as a consultant and advisor in the field of recreational sports. He also served as chairperson of the NIRSA's Professional Development Committee, assistant chairperson of the NIRSA Standards Committee, and vice president of NIRSA. Throughout his career, Mull's special interests have included professional preparation, student development, management, and leadership.

Mull resides in Bloomington, Indiana. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf, cycling, and reading.

Brent A. Beggs, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Kinesiology and Recreation at Illinois State University in Normal, where he teaches facility planning and design. He also consults for various leisure service agencies in the planning and design of playgrounds and recreation centers. As a practitioner, Beggs was involved in the planning, design, and operation of park expansions, community centers, water parks, and multiple sport complexes.

A certified park and recreation professional, Beggs is a member of the National Recreation and Parks Association, National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA), North American Society of Sport Management, and the Society of Parks and Recreation Educators.

Beggs received his doctorate in leisure behavior from Indiana University in 2002. In 2006 and 2008 he was awarded NIRSA's President's Award for Outstanding Writing in the Recreational Sports Journal.

Beggs and his wife, Jeri, reside in Bloomington, Illinois, where he enjoys playing golf, coaching youth basketball and baseball, and participating in fantasy sports.

Mick Renneisen, MS, is director of the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department in Bloomington, Indiana. He is also an adjunct instructor at Indiana University teaching courses in recreation facility management for the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.

Renneisen has more than 25 years of experience in managing and developing a variety of recreation facilities. In 2007, his department received the Gold Medal Award from the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA), an award given for excellence in management of resources for a parks and recreation agency. He also received the Willard W. Patty Distinguished Alumni Award for outstanding personal and professional achievement from Indiana University in 2008. He was responsible for the design and management of the award-winning Twin Lakes Sports Park, which received the Daniel Flaherty Best Facility Award (Great Lakes Region) in 1993 and the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Complex of the Year Award in 1994.

Renneisen is a member of NRPA and the Indiana Parks and Recreation Association. He serves on the Indiana University School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation Alumni Board; the Bloomington/Monroe County Convention and Visitors Bureau Board; and the YMCA of Monroe County Board. He was also a member of the Schoool of Sports Management Board of Regents.

Renneisen and his wife, Brenda, reside in Bloomington, Indiana. He enjoys traveling, cycling, and playing golf.