The League's E-Muni is the electronic supplement to the League's print magazine, the Municipality . 
It provides you with additional resources & quick links that you can use in your municipality. 

All Things Park & Recreation
March, the Municipality , pg. 6

Thanks to Craig Hoeppner for the cover photo of the Rotary Splash Pad at Regner Park in West Bend.
Thanks to the Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association (WPRA) for their contribution to the March the Municipality. 

" Parks and recreation have three values that make them essential services to communities:  Economic value,  Health and Environmental benefits and  Social importance."  


In his cover article, WPRA Chief Executive Officer Steve Thompson details 10 reasons why parks and recreation are essential to the fabric of our communities. In the second article, many members of the WPRA Board, all Wisconsin Park and Recreation professionals, take it one step further and respond to four fundamental questions about park and recreation activities in their own cities and villages.  Overwhelmingly the answer to "what is your favorite part of the job" is the people that benefit from the wide variety of programs that are offered. Read both articles here...

Trending > Pickleball: 
Yes, there is a USA Pickleball Association with court construction and maintenance guidelines, rules and a map of places to play including many courts in Wisconsin. See their website here.... 

Check out the National Recreation and Park Association Top 5 Predictions for Parks and Recreation in 2017 on their website here... 

What about:  
  • The value of trees and a legal note on dog parks?  Read about both in the March, 2016 issue of the Municipality magazine here...
  • Biking in Wisconsin?
    • The Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office has a link to almost every Wisconsin bike map available here...
    • Travel Wisconsin has a list of paved bike trails here...
  • The Monarch Challenge? Read about the National Wildlife Federation's Monarch challenge in the November, 2016 the Municipality magazine or on the NWF website here...
Trends, Opportunities & Challenges of a Village Parks & Recreation Program
March, the League's Local Perspective

Village of Rothschild President George Peterson is our guest for this month's Local Perspective.  George and Jerry talk about the challenges and trends that contribute to a successful Parks and Recreation program.  

Thanks to Sun Prairie Media Center for producing the show.  You can watch it here.  
Innovative Pedlets Invented by West Allis Mayor Devine
March, the Municipality, pg. 12

Thanks to creative thinking by West Allis Mayor Dan Devine, the Pedlet was born to allow for sidewalk dining on a busy street. 

And the idea has spread:  
Pedlet coming to downtown Great Falls, Montana  " The Great Falls groups are modeling their downtown pedlet after West Allis, Wisconsin, which is currently the only city nationwide to have pedlets."  Read the article in the Great Falls Tribune here... 
"Cost of Clean" Report Reveals 20 Years of Sewer User Charge Trends
March, the Municpality, pg. 13
By Tom Fitzwilliams, MSA Professional Services

MSA Professional Services just released the results of its  8th Wisconsin Cost of Clean Report,  the most comprehensive information available on sanitary sewer services in the state. It gives communities the information they need to compare their current and proposed sewer rates with those of communities of a similar size. Read the full report here... 
ADA, Parks Board and more on Parks & Rec Legal
March, the Municipality, pg. 16 (ADA), pg. 24 (Parks Board) 

Title II of the ADA: Ensuring Services and Programs are Accessible to Those with Disabilities,  by Claire Silverman, Legal Counsel, League of Wisconsin Municipalities

       * The United States Dept of Justice's Title II Technical Assistance Manual
provides good examples to illustrate the various points of the law.

* DOJ's Civil Rights Division has prepared an ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and   Local Governments.

Wisconsin's Recreational Immunity Statute: How Much Protection Does It Offer?  By: Claire Silverman, Legal Counsel, League of Wisconsin Municipalities from the May, 2016, the Municipality.  Read the full article... 
No Parks & Rec issue would be complete without  one of our favorite Leslie Knope memes. 
Additional resources & articles:

"State Parks for Wisconsin," by John Nolen (State Park Board, 1909)  "The value of parks in general is being better and better understood and as a result we have a steadily increasing acreage in National, City and State Parks." Read his plan for the establishment of parks thanks to the Wis. Historical Society here...  

The Wis. State Parks System on the DNR website here... 

2018 Wis. State Park Sticker Design Contest entries due April 14, 2017. Details here...  

Can We Bring Back Riskier Playgrounds?  Read the article in Atlantic magazine's CityLab   here... 

National Recreation and Park Association. More on their website here...  

Recreation Management magazine. Read it online here... 

Playground Professionals. See their website here... 
Act 211 Electronic Building Permit System

The Wis. Dept. of Safety & Professional Services (DSPS) is administering the new requirement that municipalities submit electronic copies of their new one- and two-family building permits to the DSPS by January 2. 2018. 

Do you have questions about this requirement?  DSPS has a comprehensive website here... 

The DSPS will also be presenting at the League's Building Inspectors Institute  April 19-21 at the Tundra Lodge in Green Bay.  Details and registration here... 

League of Wisconsin Municipalities E-Muni
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