Is the Downturn Helping Spur Play?

While the economic downturn is bad in many ways, it may be making play--at least in local venues--more popular and even less expensive.

The Chicago Tribune reports that municipal parks and other attractions are attracting booming crowds eager to find an inexpensive place close to home for relaxation. "This is good news for scores of Chicago-area municipal parks, which have attracted visitors like ants to egg salad during this coolish summer," the Tribune opines.

Many parks are hosting larger than normal turnouts, officials say. Evanston and Des Plaines report surges in picnic-area rentals. Naperville is adding new programs for budget-conscious locals, while Aurora is seeing big crowds at a popular--and free--tram ride. Low fees for daily use of pavilions and nearby basketball, baseball and beach-volleyball courts, plus a playground for the youngsters amount to a "reasonably priced" day out for many. Naperville park officials aren't shy about catering to the new austerity and promote "staycations" on the City website.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that some governments in the area are experiencing an upside to the economic downturn in the form of cheaper parkland. In Maryland, Montgomery County officials last month decided to buy a 53-acre ecological refuge at a deep discount from a developer who had long turned away government suitors. They are paying $8.75 million, roughly half of the $16.35 million price appraised in December. In Virginia, officials "were able to knock $2 million off what they paid for 1,100 acres of forested waterfront land in Stafford County, believed to be near the spot where Pocahontas was said to have been abducted by Jamestown settlers.

According to Judy Pedersen of the Fairfax County, VA, park authority, "We're finding people coming to us, particularly lending institutions, that are anxious for us to look at their properties...for us, it's a good time to buy." The Post notes that Fairfax officials sell long-term bonds to buy parkland, making parks less vulnerable during budget debates.