Washington County Parks have been recognized by the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association and the National Association of Counties for their lifejacket loaner station and multilingual signage in parks programs.

The awards were presented to the County Board Nov. 3.

The Minnesota Recreation and Park Association (MRPA), Awards of Excellence Program, is an annual program that recognizes agencies or organizations in Minnesota for outstanding achievements in parks, recreation, and leisure service. The awards recognize programs, projects, or initiatives that were implemented or received substantial revisions in 2019.

Washington County received an award in the Sponsorships and Partnerships Category for its Lifejacket Loaner Station, and an award in the Marketing and Communication Category for Multilingual Signage in Parks.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office was approached by the Safe Kids Council-Greater East Metro/ St Croix Valley in 2018 regarding partnering for a lifejacket loaner station somewhere in Washington County. The original purpose was to begin a community collaboration to help reduce the number of youth drownings in Washington County. Lake Elmo Park Reserve was selected due to heavy use throughout the summer and the desire to provide additional amenities and safety features to the manmade swim pond. Washington County Parks agreed to manage the program within Lake Elmo Park Reserve, while the Sheriff’s Office took on the task to build and place the loaner station. A trial lifejacket loaner station was piloted at Lake Elmo Park Reserve in August 2018. The pilot loaner station immediately saw heavy use, with 15 of the 24 initial life jackets being used in the first day, During spring 2019, Washington County, as part of a larger community partnership, expanded the lifejacket loaner program and installed fully stocked and equipped Lifejacket Loaner Stations at the Lake Elmo Park Reserve swim pond and the Big Marine Park Reserve swimming beach. The stations are made up of weather resistant storage containers and are stocked with an inventory of personal flotation devices, all Coast Guard approved.

Lifeguards on duty at these locations monitor the loaner stations and help ensure swimmers are selecting appropriate sizes and wearing the lifejackets properly. Lifeguards on duty are also responsible to ensure all lifejackets are collected and returned to the storage bins at the end of the day so they can be secured overnight.

In 2019, Washington County Parks started a new equity initiative creating welcoming experiences for non-English speaking visitors to the parks. The initiatives included creating multi-lingual announcements at the Lake Elmo Swim Pond and multi-lingual signage at Lake Elmo Park Reserve and St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park. Staff worked with local school districts in Washington County to identify the highest populations of non-English speaking residents. English, Spanish, and Hmong are the top three common languages spoken in Washington County schools. Once languages were identified, Quality Interpretations, a local interpretation company, assisted in the development of the messaging for both announcements and signage.

To implement the new multi-lingual announcements, staff upgraded the outdoor speaker system at the Lake Elmo Swim Pond to accommodate recorded announcements. The new system allows staff to make announcements up to two miles from the receiver station. With the system in place and messages interpreted, staff started making multi-lingual announcements in June 2019, including information on safety breaks, opening and closing of the pond, and rules to follow. The system can also be expanded to create additional announcements throughout the park for instances of severe weather or a missing child.

Washington County Parks also received awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) under the Parks and Recreation category for the same projects.