At the beginning of July 2021, nearly 40% of the United States was experiencing drought, with extreme or exceptional drought conditions plaguing much of the country west of the Rocky Mountains, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

While visiting a park might be free, many of the programs people love the most, from fitness classes and kids' sports teams to aquatic exercise and more, require payment. You need a system in place to help you process those payments simply and securely.

When it's time to find and purchase new equipment to outfit or update your facility, it can be difficult to know where to begin. Luckily, you can make the process easier by working with service providers whose goal is to help streamline the procurement process for you.

Aquatic facilities offer unique benefits to those with disabilities, providing a way to improve physical and mental health. While meeting ADA requirements for swimming pools is important, you should take your programming one step further, to be sure you are providing as many ways for people of varying abilities to get involved as you can.

Many pools deteriorate over time and now require infrastructure upgrades to meet code requirements and the public's expectations. Although no worthwhile renovation is inexpensive, rethinking how you approach the project can save 50% to 75%, compared to a new pool—while resulting in a superior end product.

In a post-pandemic world, physical distancing may become the new norm. When you host events, from parades to sporting events, you want to be sure spectators have a great view and room to spread out. Finding a spot for every spectator in this new normal might require expanding your seating capabilities. For flexibility and the ability to provide seating in different locations and at different events, transportable bleachers are a smart choice.

When you need to run power to your site, whether for sports lighting or providing power for events and festivals, safety should be a top priority. You need solutions that enable you to provide power and controls while protecting the public and your equipment.

Shelters, gazebos and shade structures can be a simple way to provide visitors to your site with a location for picnics, family gatherings and more. But you can go one step further with your shade solutions, adding artistic and aesthetically pleasing elements to create a beautiful and artistic focal point that will make your park stand out.

Many people turn to online reviews before they visit a location, and that goes for parks and public facilities too. What's more, people are more likely to write reviews after negative experiences than positive experiences. To ensure your site is earning top ratings from visitors, it's important to pay close attention to the details.

There's no doubt that we've learned a lot over the past year about how to protect people from contagion. Social distancing measures, masks and more have been useful in preventing the spread of respiratory illness, especially in public places. There's a lot we can continue to do over the long term to help protect visitors to parks and other public places.