Senior Staff Notes: March 14, 2024

Senior Staff Meeting Notes From March 14, 2024

Virtual

Attendees:  Angela Crenshaw, Rachel Temby, Kenneth Miller, Mary Owens, Patrick Bright, Andrew Hangen, Sarah Milbourne, and Dana Paterra

Director Angela Crenshaw opened the meeting at 9:00 am.

Program Planning with Mary Owens

Project Review, Strategic Management Plans, and Master Plans

• 99 projects already submitted for review in 2024
• Wolf Den Run and the Graham property are the Strategic Management Plans that are being worked on 
• Letters of Support must be signed by Secretary Kurtz, please allow adequate time for review and signature
• A new grant agreement with the National Park Service is being worked on, it will likely focus on Holly Beach Farm and funds will be available at the start of their fiscal year

Key Projects

• Notchcliff Road at Gunpowder Falls State Park’s land swap with Baltimore Gas and Electric was discussed
• The itinerary for State Parks Week is being finalized and will be shared next week
• An update on the status of Swallow Falls Bridge was given
• The Solar Installation Project is underway at Assateague, Deep Creek Lake, Fair Hill, Merkle and Sandy Point

Leases

• The Elkridge Furnace Inn at Patapsco Valley State Park was discussed. Staff met with the lessees and will work towards a mitigation agreement
• The least at the Patapsco Horse Center is still being evaluated

Interpretation

• Gearing up for 2024 and the theme is “Stepping Forward into Nature and Back in Time”
• Two training events are planned with the goal of training staff and coordination: 
• Interpretive Summit is scheduled for May 7, 2024 at Seneca Creek State Park. It is imperative that someone from each park attends
• Seasonal Training is scheduled for June 4, 5, and 6 at Sandy Point State Park. Guests can attend each day or individual days 

Historic Sites

• Historic structures survey work is underway, work has begun in Western Maryland.
• A large grant agreement with Preservation Maryland that focuses on the Williams Schoolhouse, Freedman’s State Historical Park, and South Mountain Inn is in process. 

Regional Reports 

Central Region & Conservation Corps Report with Patrick Bright

• North Point State Park’s Crystal Pier - A contractor will start paver repairs next week. It’s estimated that the project will take a week. The Engineering and Construction (E&C) in-house Crew will replace stone and sand/beach.
• The Seneca Creek State Park tire playground closure and options for next steps were discussed. 
• A project information form has been submitted by State Highway Administration (SHA) for the intersection of the Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail and Monkton Road intersection. Last year there was a fatal accident there and SHA intends to install signal lights at the location. 
• Gunpowder Falls State Park’s Springdale/Zinkhan property will require additional coordination with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) regarding ongoing lease violations. The Park Service has set and communicated a deadline for compliance that the OAG will communicate and enforce.
• 2024 is the Maryland Conservation Corps’ (MCC) 40th anniversary and AmeriCorps’ 30th. On March 12th, Sandy Point hosted three MCC Crews, the Veterans Conservation Corps, and dignitaries from AmeriCorps and the Maryland Department of Service and Civic Innovation for an AmeriCorps Week kickoff event and service project. The event went very well and an article about it was published in the Herald Mail. 
• VCC member recruitment is ongoing.
• In Interpreting Difficult Histories news, St. Mary’s College and the MPS coordinated with Duke University’s Marine Robotics and Remote Sensing Lab to conduct LiDAR analysis of an important archeological area at Chapel Point State Park on March 14th. 

Southern Region Report with Andrew Hangen

• Staffing is critically low at Point Lookout State Park and Southern Maryland Recreational Complex. Vacant positions combined with hiring challenges for seasonal employees has made covering operations difficult.  
• Lifeguard hiring difficulties persist for Point Lookout State Park, to date they have received one applicant. 
• New challenges keep arising with the water and sewer project at Point Lookout State Park.  The soils in the southern end of the park were also deemed unsuitable to support the pipes.  The contractor wants to remove the existing soils.   We are looking into directional boring. 
• Curtis Dale and other Park Service representatives met with Maya Davis from the Maryland-National Capital Parks and Planning Commission.  Ms. Davis manages the Riverdale Plantation for the county.  Both properties were once owned by George Calvert and enslaved/ indentured people were shared between the two properties.  The buildings in Belt Woods Natural Environment Area are in better condition than the ruins at the Riverdale Plantation.  This partnership may help us better share the history of both locations. 
• Sandy Point State Park is working on several special events.  Many thanks to Ken Miller and Talley Kovacs for assisting with the agreements and a future template for all parks. 
• Several new hunting proposals are being submitted for internal review. 

Western Region Report with Sarah Milbourne

• The Chesapeake Bay Commission will meet at Rocky Gap State Park on May 2 and 3rd.  Regional Manager Milbourne will work as liaison between staff and the Department’s planning team, namely Sandi Olek and Scott Stranko. Deputy Secretary Goshorn asked about the possibility of a visit to the Aviary. 
• The Thayerville Tower Memorandum of Understanding is in its final stages. The Department's portion of the road is under construction. Staff are pleased with results and think they’ll wrap up this week after a gate is repaired. 
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture Bird Welfare Act inspections have all been scheduled.  Regional Manager Milbourne will attend the Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area and Cunningham Falls State Park inspections. Teams will be gearing up to make adjustments if needed. 
• The Cunningham Falls State Park’s Maple Syrup Festival and logistics were discussed. 
• Preservation Maryland applied for a National Park Service Semiquincentennial grant to further the preservation of the wall of Fort Frederick. The $750k grant will potentially be matched by Engineering and Construction.  We are waiting to hear back on both.  
• The sewer issue at Cunningham Falls State Park can be fixed by inserting a sleeve into the pipe with less impact than previously thought and therefore should be open by Memorial Day.  Greenbrier State Park staff are grateful for the removed pressure of increased visitation that would have been pushed to their location this summer. 
• Regional Manager Milbourne will assist with food and logistics for the Sideling Hill Creek State Park Departmental Town Hall to alleviate pressure off of Fort Frederick State Park staff who will be working on Market Fair. She will also work with Training Division Director Myers regarding the Park Service Town Hall on April 30th.  
• Allegany Tourism Director Ashli Workman reached out regarding the Maryland Office of Tourism Director’s request to start including state park overnight lodging in their statistics. 

 Eastern Region Report with  Dana Paterra

• Milbourne will check with Thomas to see how to order more copies of the Ranger Pocket Guides. They are helpful and were requested by our team members. 
• The Lateral Transfer Policy was discussed. Park Service Leadership is seeking clarification from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) before proceeding with its implementation.  
• Cannabis use at campsites was discussed. The Natural Resources Police (NRP) are seeking guidance from the Office of the Attorney General.
• The Pocomoke River State Park Pool was discussed. The facility will remain closed for 2024 due to construction delays and staffing shortages.  Currently, there is only one viable lifeguard candidate. 
• The March 9th Tubman event went well.  Over 700 people enjoyed programs at the park and the opening ceremony under the tent was packed.  Many smiles and gracious guests made all of the effort worth it.  A big thank you to all of the staff and MCC crews that helped make it successful.
• Love Point State Park was discussed.  Due to upcoming construction projects and much needed environmental remediation public access is limited at this time.  Paterra will schedule a site visit for Park Service Leadership and park staff.  
• All bilingual translation and services needs survey responses should come from the Regional Managers. They will review and coordinate responses from each region and send them to Human Resources Services.

Administration with Kenneth Miller

• There are two Park Service Town Halls remaining, April 18th and 30th.  If you have not attended a session, please sign up for one of these two remaining times.
• Each park should review their pet policy.  Please send any needed updates to your regional managers by March 20th.  
• When needing a large procurement ($100,000 plus), you should allow at least four months for a contract to be signed.  Parks should begin sooner if the procurement will be controversial or the contractor will need time to prepare before the start date.
• Miller and StClair continue to work with Fiscal and Administrative Services to get budget reduction numbers for parks.  Everyone should continue to reduce spending.  We hope to have these numbers soon.  Please note that any funds saved this year will be used by the Park Service in the next fiscal year to maintain our operations.
• Beginning this fiscal year and moving forward, parks and programs must stay within their allotted budget and may not go over.  Any overspending must be known and approved by Crenshaw, Temby, or Miller. 

Deputy Director Update with Rachel Temby

• Coordination with NRP was discussed along with ongoing support needs, facility security enhancements, NRP review of E&C plans for major park office renovations, ‘MPS Hot Spots’ for 2024 season. Officer of the Year nominations are due March 15th. 
• Emergency Medical Responder (EMR)/ Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services (MIEMSS) implementation was discussed. We are working to clarify details of the transition and impacts on EMRs and EMTs, training standards, agency expectations, report requirements, and specific questions from field staff.  Coordination among the Park Service Training Division, Senior Staff, and the Office of the Attorney General will continue. 
• Coordination with the Maintenance Committee continues. Progress made includes: 
• Submission of maintenance series for Annual Salary Review (ASR) through DBM
• Excellent ongoing coordination with the Training Division. They will hold off on full-time Maintenance School for this year and focus on specific training opportunities including heavy equipment, rigging, sign machine use, computer skills, etc.
• The elevation of several Park Maintenance Program Supervisors (PMPS) to Assistant Manager positions. 
• Next steps include: 
• Support ASR efforts
• Recognition of maintenance needs in PIN allocation
• Inclusion of PMPS in park management discussions and facilitation of strike teams for regional projects
• Work towards a full Maintenance School similar to the Ranger School model.
• Policy work is ongoing, policy review and procedures are drafted at the Departmental level.  Framework drafted to identify, develop, review, and approve policies with step-by step procedures for policy implementation moving forward.

Director Update with Angela Crenshaw

• Office of Fair Practice complaints should go through Regional Managers, then be sent to both Office of Fair Practice (Joanne Grant) and Human Resources (Brighid Tracy, Robyn Lawler, Caroline Asher). An employee who feels he or she has been the victim of bullying because of the individual’s age, ancestry, color, creed, gender identity and expression, genetic information, marital status, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religious affiliation, belief or opinion, sex, sexual orientation or any other protected status should file a complaint with the Office of Fair Practice through the process listed above. 
• Interview panelists for both seasonal or permanent positions should not communicate with candidates before or after the interview. Human Resources Services will contact them with the appropriate information. 
• The Department is hosting four Town Hall meetings, please coordinate your attendance with your supervisor. These Town Halls will be about two hours, except the Western Maryland event which will be longer for a DNR All Spring Gathering, please see Secretary Kurtz’s email from March 14th. These are different from the seven Park Service Town Halls. 
• Great Maryland Outdoors Act PIN allocations will begin and progress as follows. This plan has been reviewed and approved by Departmental Leadership and implementation will occur shortly:
• We will hire from the top down. The Central Region will be broken up and a new Regional Manager will be hired, giving the Park Service a total of five Regional Managers. There will also be additional positions hired at the Senior Staff level. 
• Four complexes will be broken up (Gunpowder Falls, Seneca Creek, Southern Maryland Recreational Complex and Tuckahoe State Parks). We plan to hire new managers and keep the complex together. Once the managers develop a plan to best divide the complex, we will implement the plan. 
• As staff members transfer, positions will move locations and recruitments may change.
• Boots on the ground positions will be hired to provide some relief for overburdened field staff. 
• Housing Policy Update: Terms and Conditions requests will be forthcoming from the Housing Review Committee. They will be sent to Departmental Directors, then shared with Senior Staff to share with their teams. 
• The new Organizational Development Unit will provide trainings on management, leadership, PEPs, and differences across generations.
• The Bilingual Facilitation Division was discussed further.  

Meeting was adjourned at 12:23pm.