Tool Shed

Our Tool Shed is a resource library designed for professionals working within all aspects of park maintenance.  We continually research best maintenance practices from all industries to gather videos, articles, templates, and websites and store them in one place for our subscribers. We spend the time to sift through the noise and provide you with valuable information when you need it, so you can focus on developing solutions. If there is something you need but cannot find, reach out and share your specific needs.

Stakeholder Management Resource Management Financial Management Benchmarks Playgrounds, Wellness, and Physical Equipment Pools, Boating, and Swimming Areas Trails and Greenways Park Structures Accessibility and Inclusion Custodial and Grounds Infrastructure Greener Approach Athletic Fields and Sport Facilities Natural Landscapes and Open Spaces Invasive Species and Pest Control Irrigation and Nutrition Journeymen's Guide Mechanic's Guide Contractor's Guide Front Office Guide

Madison Square Park Tree Conservation Plan

Madison Square Park Conservancy, 2017

This tree plan, not only comprises a history of trees that once stood in the Park and catalogues the trees currently standing, but also directs the succession and maintenance of the tree canopy that future generations of Park users will enjoy.

SAMPLE - Sustainability Plan 2008 - 2015

City of Sacremento, CA - 2008

Sample sustainability plan from a US city. This plan is broken down into 38 objectives to achieve over 7 years.

SAMPLE - Urban Agriculture Activity Plan

Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, 2014

The Urban Agriculture activity plan is a strategy to further sustainability as a core value and promotethe vision and goals of the MPRB Comprehensive Plan. This plan is to be used as a baseline for theMPRB to increase integration of urban agriculture in the parks and guide the investment necessary tosustainably support related activities.

SAMPLE - Sustainability Report

Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, 2009

"This sustainability report, is intended to serve as 1) a review of the challenges and opportunities with existing resources and personnel

SAMPLE - Certified Green Event Application Form

Minneapolis Park & Recreaion Board, 2022

Sample form to help event coordinators produceenvironmentally sustainable events.

SAMPLE - Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy

City of Minneapolis, MN - 2022

Sample policy language for citywide purchasing procedures / process. The goal of this policy is to encourage and increase purchasing that reflects the City’s commitment to sustainability.

ADA Implications in Facility Layout

Presenter: Kimberly Paarlberg, RA, 2018

This is a slide deck from a presentation focusing on 2017 updates to ICC A117.1 - Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities

Best Cultural Practices for Sports Fields

Boyd Montgomery, CSFM, 2022

This is a slide deck from a presentation at the 2022 PRPS Annual Conference. Boyd covers essential steps to keeping playing surfaces safe and attractive.

7 Things Every Playground Owner Should Know About Accessibility

US Access Board, 2014

The purpose of this guide is to provide practicalinformation that every public playground ownershould know about the accessibility of theirplayground surfaces.

Conserving Wild Bees in Pennsylvania

PSU Extension, 2017

Wild bees, which include native and naturalized bees, pollinate a variety of crops. In areas of Pennsylvania, wild bees already provide the majority of pollination for some summer vegetable crops.

Stormwater BMPs - Calculating Runoff

CCLC Council, 2020

This video breaks explains to calculate stormwater runoff.

Hardscape Technical Resource Center

ICPI, 2022

Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute continues to serve as the growing segmental concrete pavement industry’s information, technical, education, and workforce development resource.

Biota of North America Program

BONAP, 2022

BONAP provides in-depth information on the entire vascular flora of the continent north of Mexico, as well as for Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Municipal Toolkits

NWTAC, 2022

The NWTAC has assembled a number of template toolkits and checklists for communities to adapt to their infrastructure planning needs.

Systemic Insecticides List

Xerces Society, 2022

This tool is an easily accessible reference to the insecticides currently registered in the U.S. that are known to—or possess the potential to—exhibit systemic movement in plants. With this reference, you can retrieve information about these chemicals, such as their toxicity to bees, their persistence, the strength of their systemic activity, and where they can be legally used.