Visioning/Leadership Session - July 9, 2008

SHORT TERM VISION AND PRIORITIES

Funding

1. Pursue a portion of Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

2. Differential Pricing/Fees

off-season vs. on-season
in-state vs. out-of-state
lakeside campsites vs. interior sites
different shelter events, etc.

3. Donations Strategy

Donation brochure/Web site tab
List 45 SMR and Small CI projects (under $25,000) to solicit donations
Donation boxes more prominently displayed
State income tax check box
Adopt Katy model for donations

4. Adopt Carry-In, Carry-Out system-wide or provide $1 trash bags to help offset cost of trash disposal.

5. Adaptive re-use (ie., creative leasing) of historic structures, group camps, CCC cabins,

i.e. with one project identified within 6 months – while maintaining mission, initiate public/private partnerships for rehabilitation/maintenance, etc., for leased space.

6. Begin charging sales tax rather than including it in the price of the service or product.

i.e. charging tax on wood sales, campsites, etc.

Marketing and Promotions

1. Obtain authority for DSP to upload to the web rather than having to use OA.

This will improve the division’s ability to communicate to visitors in a timely manner. (See Technology discussion below).

2. Develop a program to give visitors towing campers a short-to-mid term storage option.

Such a program would facilitate return visits to DSP properties by reducing transportation energy costs for travelers.
This could be done at no charge or for a nominal fee.
Issues to resolve include: identifying storage locations, security & safety, insurance & indemnification, and abandon property.
Concessionaire participation might be able to alleviate some of these issues.

3. Offer free SHS tours to school groups to boost visitation rates. (See Curriculum discussion below).

4. Encourage facility managers to nurture community relationships.

Increasing local attendance and strengthening ties to local communities will build support and advocacy for the immediate facility, in particular, and the DSP mission, in general. (See Marketing Plan discussion below).

5. Solicit volunteer help by posting a sign-up sheet at facilities with a list of future maintenance/repair projects and the anticipated work date. (See Volunteers discussion below).

Diversity -- Sites, users and staff

1. Ten FAM tours within major metropolitan areas within one year – include minority civic leaders, church leaders, etc.

2. Every staffed facility challenged to research diversity history to include in IRMP (by end of calendar year. Possibly incorporate in interpretive programs and exhibits.

3. Set aside a diversity fund for special diversity events that may fall outside individual facilities’ missions.

4. Partner with other agencies sponsoring diversity events within our facilities or in local areas.

5. Funding allocated for seasonals/interns from minority groups.

6. Hire bilingual employees.

7. Establish ten focus groups within major metropolitan areas within next year.

8. District offices responsible for implementing two focus groups each.

Staff Expansion and Training

1. Staff Education – ALL

Educate staff on the big picture of the division and the department, and local area.
Explain the specifics about their facility, the natural and/or cultural resource. Try to ensure that all employees grasp this knowledge – do hands-on training.
How and why their facility fits into the mission and its connection to the surrounding area.
Be able to effectively communicate information regarding the resource to the public.

2. Understand the goals and objectives of their jobs

What is the employee’s responsibility as it relates to resource stewardship and the interpretation of the resource?
This can be built into the employee’s performance plan.

3. Job Applicants

Posting of division job opportunities at colleges, universities, trade schools, etc. in an effort to recruit interns and permanent employees. Let them know what is available and what to look for when going to the merit system.
Develop a DSP recruiting team (have a small team in each district) made up of people that are knowledgeable about all aspects of the division and discuss the various jobs opportunities with interested individuals.
DSP representatives at job fairs – have a central location for information to come in and have DSP reps in the area attend and be able to intelligently talk to perspective applicants about qualifications, testing, and job requirements.
Work with the department recruiter – how can we help her help us
Ensure that applicant can meet the minimum requirements of the job. Do we need to do testing prior to brining them in for an interview similar to what the rangers do?
Follow-up on “Sorry” letters. We have had reports that some applicants did not receive notification for over a month. (suggested that we talk to Lori Hogue)

4. Dedicating Staff to cyclical (preventative) maintenance of facilities

Educate staff why this is so critical
Go through LABS system and the building journals in detail with staff and assist them with learning how to work with and understand the importance of this communication tool
Make this a priority so to reduce the number of large dollar projects which come about due to lack of attention to the small things.

5. Identify, assess and evaluate all current public presentations and special events

This includes all interpretive programs, presentations made to non-profit org, etc.
Do as much hands-on presentation as possible.
Make sure presentations are tied directly to the division mission.

ie – instead of having the group inside watching a video on Lewis and Clark on a really nice spring day when they are far removed from the L/C trail – the interpreter should have the group involved in explaining the particular specific resources at the facility.
ie – when an employee is giving a presentation to a civic group, make sure the information is current, concise and correct and always keep the mission as the main focus.

Revise interpreters training to include a major component on resource stewardship. Currently it is all about developing and giving programs.

Programs and Events Expansion

1. Explore the “How To’s”

Expand WOW and do some of the individual programs that are introduced at this venue and offer them to workable groups

2. Outreach

Go into the communities, schools, community groups to get our message to folks.
Compile a list of in-house (div and dept) subject experts who are good speakers who would be willing to go into the community, or DSP facility, and make presentations.
Offer a bound journal at each visitor center, lodge, cabin – somewhere in the park – where people can write a short memoir of the good experience they had the location. Another possibility would be to have a location on the parks’ website where the journal and anyone could read it.

3. Cooperation from the Department and other Agencies

Sharing of resources and trying to duplicate services.

New or Expanded Facilities

(Preface: Maintain and Care for what we have. Focus on quality, not quantity.)

1. Concentrate more on cyclic maintenance as this is critical to preservation of the structures. Take a common sense approach to maintenance needs by choosing appropriate/proper materials.

2. Develop an assessment and priority list of all structures in the system to determine need, preservation of, removal etc. Make a decision on the future of every structure we own and have a plan for it. Be more proactive in our decisions. Start with an assessment of group camps, swimming pools, and cabins.

3. Finish Missing Masterpieces and develop an Implementation Plan

4. Conduct an Energy Assessment/Audit of all buildings in the system starting with the highest energy using buildings.

5. Identify alternative uses for some facilities. Eg., group camps

Miscellaneous

1. Work with FIRM to develop building supply contracts for the purchase of items not included in the MRO.

Construction crews purchase materials from local building supply vendors, while working in a particular park or site on an assigned project, and end up depleting the park's or site's spending limit for the fiscal year

2. Having building supply contracts bid and awarded to serve parks or sites in specific areas.

Would have the convenience of time savings and the added benefit of being able to purchase items as quickly as possible when needed for the purpose of providing uninterrupted services to the public.

3. Provide specialized training for maintenance staff related to cyclic maintenance, historic structures, etc.

4. Begin an Invasive Species Control Program

Include as part of the Volunteer program discussed above.
Notify special interest groups of dates and activities.

5. Publish guidelines for cash and cash-equivalent donations.

The public needs to be educated about the difficulties DSP has in receiving such gifts.
Develop a vehicle to funnel gifts to friends groups, MPA, and the State Park Foundation and providing links to those organizations. Publishing a wish list of needed items may spur donations (ex. park benches, picnic tables, lawn mowers, etc.).

6. Develop vacation packages to target corporate consumption.

Investigate all-inclusive fly-fishing instruction and lodging trips at Bennett Spring SP or sailing instruction and lodging trips at Stockton SP.

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