Sue Landes founded Recreation and Parks Solutions to pursue her goal of making public parks and recreation an essential service in Pennsylvania. She has a proven track record as a progressive and innovative thinker who gets things accomplished. Her past experiences working in local government have fueled her passion to help communities provide the best parks and recreation services possible.
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As the former executive director, Sue managed the operation of the Lancaster Recreation Commission, serving a multi-cultural city/township population of 75,000 with a focus on social equity and health. In 2018, under Sue’s leadership, her organization won the coveted Pennsylvania Parks and Recreation Agency of the Year Award.
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Sue has significant expertise in recreation programming, youth sports, personnel administration, board development, recreation facility operation and maintenance, public relations and marketing, volunteer management, special event planning, revenue generation, and strategic planning. She specializes in multi-municipal planning and has helped to form 16 regional parks and recreation agencies in Pennsylvania, including recruiting their parks and recreation directors.
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Sue has authored six municipal technical assistance publications for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS), managed the preparation of the first strategic plan for PRPS, created the RecTAP program, and is a founding member of the Pennsylvania Urban Parks and Recreation Alliance and the PA Parks and Recreation Good for You Campaign.
Steve Landes is a recreation planner specializing in park, open space, trail, and greenway acquisition, development, and maintenance. He is a people person who loves engaging with the public and is an experienced public meeting facilitator with strong skills in negotiation and conflict management.
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As the former parks and recreation director for Muhlenberg Township, Berks County, Steve negotiated the purchase and coordinated the design and development of 10 neighborhood parks, two large community parks, and a two-mile rail-trail that spanned the center of the township. The completed trail connects the school campus, three neighborhood parks, the public library, a youth sports facility, homes, and businesses. Working with a parks and recreation board and arts board, he organized and conducted recreation and cultural arts programs and special events for the community. Over the years, Steve garnered millions of dollars in grant funding and received numerous awards for innovation in parks and recreation services for the township.
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Steve is well-versed in all aspects of local government management. For 20 years of his 47-year career, he served as a township manager. Steve has significant expertise in parks and recreation operation, maintenance, and development; park and trail project funding, site design, recreation programming, public works, personnel administration, public safety services including police and fire, labor union bargaining, engineering, finance and budgeting, code enforcement, and municipal planning.
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Steve led numerous park master plan, trail feasibility, economic development, and comprehensive recreation, park, and open space plan projects while at Muhlenberg Township. As township manager, Steve guided Honey Brook Township, a rural community of 7,600 residents, to complete its first-ever comprehensive recreation, park, and open space plan and revived the township’s parks and recreation board.