MPS Leadership Notes: November 13, 2024

 Maryland Park Service Leadership Meeting Notes

November 13, 2024

Virtual

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

Director Angela Crenshaw opened the meeting at 2:01 pm.

Director Update - Crenshaw

●       The agenda for the Fall Managers Meeting was discussed and finalized. We discussed our trip to Port of Deposit State Historical Park, icebreakers, office hours with Crenshaw, responsibilities, activities and free time, meals, and the goals of the meeting.

●       Crenshaw discussed hiring, current vacancies and upcoming vacancies. We also discussed lateral transfers and the use of acting roles. Acting roles will only be used in extenuating circumstances such as double-digit vacancies.

●       Crenshaw discussed the regional budget conversations that are now complete and the plans for moving forward in this difficult fiscal time. Thank you to Miller and his team for assisting with this process.

Regional Reports

●       Paterra provided an update on the sharepoint solution to help streamline capacity closure notifications.  Anthony Burrows and Tim Hamilton will provide a brief presentation with time for questions and discussion at the January 2025 leadership meeting.  Next steps will include extensive vetting and field testing prior to any level of implementation at the field level. 

●       E-bikes were discussed at the request of Milbourne. The Office of Outdoor Recreation is the lead on this topic. E-bikes and violations should be evaluated on a case by case basis with Park Management and the Maryland Natural Resources Police.

●       The potential use of AllTrails for First Day Hikes was discussed as a supplementary tool to enhance the current program, without replacing the existing self-led and staff-led hikes. Leadership raised additional questions regarding any hidden costs after the one-month free trial for users, as well as the possibility of exploring alternative trail apps, such as Avenza. Ranger Acuti will follow up with AllTrails to gather more details. If approved, up to three to four AllTrails-guided hikes may be implemented per region.

●       Miller asked about delinquent tax bills in Maryland State Parks.

Meeting was adjourned at 3:50 pm.