Enhancing Columbia's Quality of Life Footprint

Columbia has achieved a great deal of public acknowledgement in terms of quality of life. In 2011, Columbia received recognition as the second most livable community in the United States by Money Magazine.

There are many different elements involved in a community earning such a high rating. Public safety, transportation, good retail, housing, excellent schools and many other basic factors are critical to a community receiving the accolades that Columbia has achieved. Other elements such as quality of life functions including recreational facilities, the physical condition of the people in a community, and the old basic, “something to do” venues are also critical to a community being great, but more importantly staying great.

The video in this post highlights how CA facilities and programs provide key elements in making Columbia the second most livable community in America.

CA provides 23 outdoor swimming pools, three fitness centers, two golf courses, four tennis complexes, a sport and skate-park, summer camp programs, school age services, and many, many more elements that assist in making Columbia a highly livable community.



Primary Focus Points:

• Monitor facility usages
• Prepare plans that help CA and potential users to understand changes in demographics and lifestyles that could impact CA facilities and programs
• Develop partnerships with public and private agencies to develop planning philosophies that focus on what’s needed and what could make Columbia even more attractive in the future
• Develop venues that capture community experience and knowledge to help create the future for Columbia

Workforce Satisfaction

One of the most overlooked factors in considering quality of life is the satisfaction of CA’s workforce. Over the course of the year, CA can employ as many as 1,500 full and part-time and seasonal team members. Many of these team members are the first point of contact for program and facility users and have the responsibility of providing a good experience for CA’s customers.

In order to ensure that our Team Members make a good first impression, CA is investing a great deal of energy into development of CA’s Team Members. Many different training and educational programs have been developed to show our team members how they fit into the organization and how they play a huge role in helping staff meet the goals of the Board as well as meeting the expectations of the community.

The video in this post provides a brief explanation of some team member training programs and the Service Bureau work team process.
The organization has also moved to the Service Bureau concept where team members from each of the Service Bureaus are asked to participate in work team settings to provide as much varied input into reaching solutions as is possible. Additionally, residents are also asked to participate on work teams so when the Board makes a final decision, there will be more of a sense of community ownership in the decision making process.



Primary Focus Points:

• Continued customer service training and education
• Continued inclusion of residents in the work team process

Social Interaction Facilitation

Columbia was built on the basic premise of providing a better quality of life. One of the tenets of that philosophy is to provide community places where people can meet and talk, opine on community and other issues, and share feelings.

Over the course of the years, many things have changed. Some of the Villages are seeing significant changes in the business makeup of their centers. With the introduction of big box centers located on the edge of the community, people need to drive to reach those big box areas and fewer people are using the Village Centers to meet their shopping needs. The redevelopment of Town Center will bring about more mixed uses of land including a planned one million square feet of retail, five million square feet of office, and about 5,500 new high density dwelling units. A 640 room hotel is also planned for the revitalized Town Center.

The video in this post describes how CA will develop more dynamic avenues for two-way public communication.

Based on the adopted General Plan Amendment for the Town Center area, CA is likely to be the primary provider of open space and social gathering places. The CA Board of Directors has made the development of Symphony Woods Park, and the Lakefront and plaza areas on Lake Kittamaqundi high priorities. Both projects will be in the category 1 classification of Capital Improvement Projects over the next five years.

The coming years will see a greater needs for community input as the face of Columbia and the Columbia Association will no doubt change very significantly. Columbia will continue to age, household size and makeup will continue to decrease, and the number of households with children will diminish rather drastically. The Census Bureau has indicated that by 2035, about 86% of all households will be childless.

Electric connectivity has now taken a greater role in how people interact. Many people now use social media to communicate, stay in touch with friends, and to voice opinions on public matters. CA joined the Facebook rush and maintains an active page giving people a platform for comments and input on CA programs. CA has also entered the world of Twitter, and has launched a television network on YouTube.

With these rather drastic changes on the near-time horizon, CA needs to expand the avenues for two-way communication. While there is a need to provide program, facility and some community information to our residents and facility/program users, there is an even greater responsibility to facilitate two-way communication with our community and those who use our facilities and programs.



Primary Focus Points:

• Focus groups
• Public work team involvement
• Working with Villages to recreate people places
• Master planning for people venues in new development areas
• Continuing to provide focus and resources for Symphony Woods and the lakefront/plaza area

Community Building Programs

2011 saw the advent of a Speaker’s Bureau Series through the Community Building/Sustainability Service Bureau. The Speaker’s Series featured experts on retail/commercial development, increasing usage of bicycles and pedestrian ways, and walkable communities. All of the speakers were well received and provided a great deal of food for thought about different types of land uses and moving from fossil fuel based travel to alternative means of transport such as walking or biking.

As stated many times, the physical face of Columbia along with normal population and demographic characteristics in Columbia will change significantly. Change is hard to accept for a great many people even in the most subtle of forms. Therefore, it is important that CA continue to offer community building functions that provide information and the basis for the beginning of change in the community.

The video in this post provides information concerning the need to expand community-building programs.
CA partnered with the Howard Hughes Corporation and the Villages to bring speakers to the community who could speak of change and the need to plan. These partnerships should continue so that the residents of Columbia can better understand how their lives might change with the future.



Primary Focus Points:

• Continue expert speakers series
• Community input
• Continuing research on area demographics
• Monitoring various change factors

“A scholar who loves comfort is not fit to be called a scholar”.
- Confucius, Analects

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

While Columbia is a small spot on the environmental footprint of the region and nation, Columbia is still responsible for a share of impacts on the environment.

Over the course of the year, through its maintenance and operational functions it is estimated that CA emits as much as 18 million pounds of carbon dioxide into the environment. Runoff from paved parking and open space areas places sediment and certain chemicals into waterways in the watershed. Sale of products with packaging, and typical office wastes create raw products that either goes to recycling centers or to landfills.

Mowing and trimming in CA’s 3,500 acres of open space creates other impacts on the environment. Forty-two community buildings also utilize a great deal of energy and roof runoff goes to the storm sewer system or open drainage areas that eventually go to streams lakes and ponds, and then to the Chesapeake Bay.

Energy Master Plan

In light of the impact of CA on the environment, new emphasis is being placed on how CA can reduce the many elements that make up CA’s carbon footprint.

Over the coming budget cycle, Open Space Management staff will be looking at ways that open space areas can be better used, especially ways that will reduce maintenance costs and environmental liabilities. Ideas such as reducing maintenance in more remote areas, utilizing natural drainage areas as rain gardens, partnering with the County on a community garden concept and many other ideas are being explored. The primary result will be a reduction in fossil fuel to power maintenance equipment and other benefits such as slowing the flow of stormwater, thereby reducing the amount and velocity of sediment moving to streams and lakes.

The video in this post introduces possible programs that would help to reduce CA’s carbon footprint.


Staff proposes to add the position of Energy Manager to the staffing table. Proposed cost of the position, including fringe benefits is estimated at $100,000. The Energy Manager would be responsible for monitoring CA’s energy usage; finding ways that CA can reduce its carbon footprint; developing and implementing the goals of the energy master plan; finding viable renewable energy sources; overseeing CA’s going green efforts, and retrofits of existing buildings to be more energy conscious; and, preparing CA for the future in terms of energy planning, energy usage and implementing new energy related strategies.

CA has very few opportunities to make significant reductions to overall budget line items other than facility or program elimination. By becoming more conscious of energy uses and developing energy options, CA could make substantial headway in not only reducing expenditures, but also in reducing its Carbon Footprint.

New Budget Proposal:

“30%...The reduction in utility costs over four years that a school district in New York has seen since appointing an official energy manager. At one school, the assistant principal roams the hallways and classrooms to root out energy waste.”
- Governing Magazine

If the position helps to reduce CA’s energy consumption by 7.5% the first year, the rate of return on investment could generate about $205,000 in savings.



Primary Focus Points:

• Reduction of the use of fossil fuels
• Options for uses of CA owned land that will reduce the carbon footprint or that could be beneficial to the organization and/or community
• Retrofitting CA owned facilities with energy efficient options

Recycling

CA has worked over the last few years to implement a more comprehensive recycling program. Over the past 12 months, CA has recycled over 2,010 tons of various materials—but, CA can do better.

As part of the organizational development program, all team members will be educated on the value of recycling and what it can mean to the environment, and how natural resources can be preserved.

The video in this post provides a general idea of CA’s recycling efforts.
All CA facilities have been equipped with various types and ample numbers of recycling receptacles and staff will be well trained regarding the placement and availability of recycling bins. Additionally, a part of staff’s individual performance evaluation will be based on their adherence to the recycling program.

Through purchasing policies, CA will concentrate on buying products that can be recycled, and will conduct research on vendors to ensure that vendors are environmentally conscious. Additionally, new hires, no matter what the status of the position will be asked their feelings on recycling and environmental conservation in general as part of the interview process.

CA will also focus public communications on recycling information, and CA will do more communications using electronic media rather than paper or other materials that reduce natural resources.



Primary Focus Points:

• Recycling education for CA team members
• Community educational programs
• Walking the walk in use of paper products and other natural resources
• Make recycling and energy conservation a part of the organizational development and hiring practices of CA