Partnership brewing for Fort Riley and regional recreation organizations

FORT RILEY, Kan. -- Manhattan Parks and Recreation visited Fort Riley Aug. 16 as part of an Army initiative called the Army Community Partnership Program.

Fort Riley was one of four Army installations selected in fiscal year 2017 to host a series of program workshops facilitated by Army-funded partnership experts. The partnership workshops were strongly supported by community partners to include the City of Manhattan.

The Garrison Plans, Analysis and Integration Office has been working on formalizing partnerships in the Flint Hills area as part of this program. The vision is to initiate and develop mutually beneficial partnerships between local commands and their communities, improve mission readiness, enhance community partnerships and reduce operating costs.

Michelle Durgin, Child and Youth Services coordinator, said they previously had an established partnership with Manhattan Parks and Recreation, but this initiative pushed them toward growing that partnership.

"It pushed us a little more to really try to think outside the box about what we could be doing more of," she said. "As we were going through partnership opportunities, the issue is one-third of our population live on post, so two-thirds of service members and their families live off post. We're trying to find ways we can help them build a sense of community in the communities they live in without losing sight of the fact that they are military families."

Durgin said this was a targeted attempt to show staff from Manhattan's recreation division what facilities and programs are available at Fort Riley.

"They are very interested in partnership opportunities," she said. "They have a different perspective and they needed to understand that there are ways to facilitate on-post access without sacrificing security as long as it was coordinated."

During the visit, the staff members saw the Forsyth East Child Development Center, Whitside Fitness Center, Auto Skill Center, Eyster Pool, Custer Hill Aquatic Park and received a tour of the Adventure Park.

Matt Enoch, acting chief of the community recreation division of the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, said he hopes Manhattan's staff walked away with a different view of military installations because of the programs they saw being offered. The partnership opportunity allows DFMWR to improve existing programs.

"The most important thing is that it expands the scope of what you are able to provide," he said. "If partnering with Manhattan helps us get one more military kid involved in sports, then it is worth it … It's all about improving programs you have."

Randi Clifford, director of recreation at Manhattan Parks and Recreation, said the visit was very helpful in trying to partner with CYS and DFMWR for future events.

"I really enjoyed every aspect of it," he said "I liked the opportunity to see the facilities that are available on post because I wasn't aware of a lot of those and what kinds of programs and services were offered at those facilities ... I think it helped me get a better understanding of what the services are that are provided by MWR and CYS … It was enlightening to see how programs are set up there, what kinds of services are offered and how they are delivered to the patrons they serve."

For him, the highlights of the visit included seeing Whitside Fitness Center and the Outdoor Adventure Park, which is set to open Aug. 25.

"Those were some impressive facilities," he said.