Challenge fulfilled.

When does a long-range goal become a short-range plan? That transition is happening now for NRPA, but it began at the 1993 Congress for Recreation and Parks. Claude Ahrens, an Iowa businessman and philanthropist, pledged to donate $1 million with the stipulation that NRPA raise a matching amount. A steering committee was appointed by Chairman Beverly Brandes, a fund raising consultant was retained and the Fulfilling the Challenge campaign was launched. Response from the membership was quick and enthusiastic.

The dream moved even closer to reality when then Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority (NVRPA) Executive Director Darrell Winslow approached NRPA Executive Director Dean Tice about locating the Institute on NVRPA land. NVRPA was given the deed to a 120-acre tract of land near the site of a newly planned housing development. The developer, Brambleton Land Corporation (BLC), had earmarked the land for park development by Loudoun County, which, in turn, relinquished the title and allowed it to be transferred instead to NVRPA for the creation of a model regional park.

This past February, the plan was solidified as NRPA and NVRPA signed a lease agreement allowing NRPA use of three to five acres on the grounds of the future model park. An earlier memorandum of understanding had arranged for NVRPA to provide temporary water and sewer services pending construction of permanent facilities.

The Challenge Fulfilled

The Fulfilling the Challenge campaign leaders led by Anne Close worked quickly and effectively. Reaching into every segment of parks and recreation, the campaign drew support from professionals, citizens, and corporations. "In the Ahrens drive," commented Fund Raising Vice Chair Earl Groves, "NRPA has tackled a huge project and is making a great success of it." By the 1994 Congress for Recreation and Parks, NRPA had met Claude Ahrens' challenge.

In addition to Mr. Ahrens' contribution, approximately $1.72 million in pledges and gifts have been raised to date, towards our goal of $1.75 million. The $2.85 million state-of-the-art facility will serve as a national focal point for parks and recreation as well as house NRPA's National Headquarters. "It is important to secure these funds, not only for the construction of the Institute, but to create a stronger future for NRPA as well," said. NRPA Executive Director Dean Tice. "By owning its headquarters, NRPA can save on the cost of leasing office space, allowing us to use these funds for new or expanded programs."

Model Facility

The Ahrens NRPA Institute will embody parks and recreation - past and future. In its planning and construction, NRPA hopes to preserve the proud history of the profession and its advocates, as well as set the stage for the future. In addition to putting the Association on strong economic footing, the 24,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility will help propel the parks and recreation movement into the next century. The Recreation and Parks Hall of Fame and Joseph Lee Memorial Library will be housed there. So will the Association's archives, publications center, and information resource center. Four conference rooms and an auditorium will allow the Association to host workshops, seminars, and meetings. In addition, the NRPA National Headquarters will be housed there with the flexibility to expand its facilities for future growth.

A building committee, chaired by Richard Johns and Perry Segura, was appointed immediately following Claude Ahrens' initial pledge. Committee members and NRPA leaders carefully examined their goals and objectives and future needs of the Association. "We are currently in the design phase and, if we stay on schedule, will move into the new facility by the spring of 1997," says Elaine Lynch, NRPA's Director of Operations who oversees the Ahrens Institute project. "We have the utmost confidence in our architects," says Lynch, speaking of the Hughes Group Architects, the group that has been contracted to design and oversee the construction. "They are well respected in this area and have designed many park and recreation facilities as well as association offices. They bring the best of both worlds to the design process." Some proposed amenities to the building itself include windows that open and close, exterior layering that will retain natural warming from the sun, environmentally sound waste systems and energy efficient heating and cooling systems.

Model Park

Surrounding the state-of-the-art facility, the remaining 117 acres of NVRPA land will be transformed into an equally progressive model park with innovative park facilities and open space design. The park is still in the planning stages, but NVRPA envisions it as a showcase for new and innovative equipment and approaches to offering and managing park and recreation services. Included in the design are recreational facilities such as trails, tennis courts, playgrounds, ball fields, and lakeside amenities. "This should be one of America's finest parks," said Winslow as he discussed the planning process. David C. Hobson, NVRPA Executive Director of Capital Programs and Administration, recruited and assembled a local planning team, made up of NVRPA, NRPA, and BLC officials who then engaged noted landscape architect Mark Gionet to work on the master planning.

The planning process will continue into the upcoming October Congress in San Antonio, where NVRPA will host a planning session and invite key park planners, equipment suppliers, and other professionals from across the country to participate in developing nationally recognized concepts," said David C. Hobson, NVRPA's Executive Director for Capital Programs and Admistration. "This is an exciting opportunity for us, and we are honored to be a part of the evolution of this nationally significant park and recreation complex, with the NRPA headquarters as the centerpiece." The presentation in San Antonio will be coordinated by NVRPA's Executive team of David Hobson and David V. Brown, Executive Director of Operations and Finance.

Setting for Success

In addition to its park-like setting, the Brambleton site has many advantages, including plans for further park development in the surrounding area. The 120-acre model park site is adjacent to the 247-acre, 18-hole Brambleton Regional Golf Course and just south of the Beaverdam Creek Reservoir. In a separate venture, Loudoun County plans to develop a neighboring 21-acre community park that will include many outdoor recreation opportunities as well as lake-side facilities.

"One exciting aspect of this area is its growth potential," said Dean Tice. "We are truly getting in on the ground floor of what will prove to be a progressive park and residential area." In fact, big plans are in store for the entire Brambleton area. The surrounding community to be developed by Brambleton Land Corporation will be a modern, suburban, residential community with new shopping centers, schools, and public facilities. A new section of the Dulles Toll Road, which carries traffic from Washington, DC, to the westerly Dulles Airport, will extend from the airport into the area and offer streamlined access to the new community and the Institute. The Institute will be strategically located 10 minutes from a major international airport and 30 minutes from the nation's capital. "The entire project should be an economic asset to the county," said Terry Holzheimer, Loudoun's Director of Economic Development.

United We Build

Claude Ahrens generated a great deal of excitement among parks and recreation professionals, citizen advocates, and related corporations when he announced his pledge almost two years ago. Since then, the excitement has grown into a positive force with considerable momentum. The entire parks and recreation family has come together to turn dream into reality and make the plan that seemed like a long-range goal into a short-range project. Every person, corporation, professional group, and citizen group involved in parks and recreation has demonstrated its support. The result will be a tribute to parks and recreation that captures the spirit and knowledge of the past while creating a proud future.

Fulfilling the Challenge

Campaign Leaders

Anne Close, Chair Bob Toalson, Vice Chair, Professionals Katie Porter, Vice Chair, Citizens Eric O'Brien, Vice Chair, Corporations Earl Groves, Vice Chair, Advance Gifts

Building Committee Members

Richard Johns, Co-Chair Perry Segura, Co-Chair Donald Bresnan Alice Conkey Douglas Gaynor Charles Hartsoe David Hobson Christopher Jarvi Edward Koenemann Fran Mainella P. Martin Nohe