Summertime Means Vacation Time

Got plans to travel this summer? AFSCME workers in Miami and Rhode Island are waiting for you.

Summer is here and you’re preparing for that long-yearned-for annual pilgrimage: summer vacation. Pick any state in the union, and you can usually turn up a place to provide a stimulating respite from the daily grind.

Since school’s out, we’ve done the homework for you on a couple of spots — Miami and Rhode Island — where AFSCME members are hard at work serving up safe, fun and tranquil getaways.

Turtles and tenors. Just the mention of Miami conjures up certain images: sandy beaches with cool ocean currents rushing to the shore under sunny blue Florida skies.

Francisco De Pinedo, a Miami-area lifeguard represented by AFSCME Local 1363 (Council 79), says tourists should come prepared for a diverse vacation experience.

De Pinedo works as a lifeguard at Crandon Park Beach in Key Biscayne, Fla., five miles from Miami. He says he encourages tourists to get involved in all the available activities.

The Historical Museum of Southern Florida, one of the country’s largest regional history museums, takes visitors back 10,000 years when early settlers began trekking onto South Florida soil. The Bass Museum of Art displays a permanent collection of 14th to 20th century paintings, sculptures and contemporary and architectural arts. The Miami Seaquarium presents killer whale and dolphin shows. Visitors can also see sea lions, manatees, sea turtles and moray eels at the Seaquarium.

Tourists can spend evenings at the newly opened Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts, which offers Broadway shows, ballet and concerts by some of the world’s leading orchestras.

A performance last summer by opera singer Luciano Pavarotti on the shores of Miami Beach was a spectacle, De Pinedo recalls, as hundreds of boats set anchor just offshore to view the show.

Fun in the sun. Don’t forget about the beaches in the Miami area. De Pinedo notes that there’s a host of water activities at Crandon Park: swimming in its lagoons, jet skiing, windsurfing and riding catamarans. De Pinedo says Crandon Park also maintains playgrounds, picnic areas, baseball and softball fields and a soccer field.

On the other side of Key Biscayne island — about one mile from Crandon Park Beach — is the Crandon Park Marina where De Pinedo says tourists can get sailing lessons and rent a vessel to hone their skills with the aid of an onboard coach. Near the marina is a golf course and the Crandon Park Tennis Center, home of the Lipton Championships.

“I think Crandon Park is one of the best in Miami,” says De Pinedo. “It’s a safe place. We don’t have any problems with crime. In my six years at the park, we haven’t had any accidents or anything else adverse that I’ve heard of.”

Little state, big options. In the world of tourism, you might not think of Rhode Island as a household word.

But with its multitude of state-run parks, it may be one of the best-kept secrets for tourism in the United States. That’s according to Lou Rocabello, AFSCME Local 2881 (Council 94) chief implementation aide for the state’s Department of Environmental Management, Division of Parks and Recreation.

Geographically the smallest state, Rhode Island is marked by 400 miles of coastline, hence its moniker, the Ocean State.

Rocabello says the state’s parks have improved dramatically in the last decade. Once a state that struggled to attract tourists, Rhode Island now averages 6 million annually. “You’d be amazed at some of the work going on right now and the amount of tourism,” he boasts. “The beaches and parks draw huge crowds.”

He says the state has spent millions of dollars renovating all 14 of its parks in the last 10 years. AFSCME members play a huge role in the day-to-day operations of the parks, as regional park managers, caretakers, laborers, semi-skilled laborers and heavy equipment operators.

Rhode Island has only 1,214 square miles of territory. The fact that it’s only 48 miles across at its widest point makes it easier for tourists to see a lot of the state. Hiking and camping areas — tops on the state’s tourism list — are located on terrain that is flat in the south and the east, and rising uphill through dense woodlands in the north and west.

The great outdoors. Rhode Island has 34 state, municipal and private campsites. AFSCME members can be found maintaining sites at the Fishermen’s State Park and Campground in Narragansett on the coast, and Burlingame State Park in Charlestown, next to the Connecticut border.

Hikers can make tracks in AFSCME-run state parks such as Beavertail in coastal Jamestown; Fort Wetherill, also in Jamestown, which sits atop 100-foot high granite cliffs; Lincoln Woods in northeast Rhode Island near Providence; and Newport’s Brenton Point, located at the point where the Narragansett Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Fort Adams State Park in Newport sponsors jazz and blues festivals, which are world-renowned.

Rocabello says AFSCME members care for the only state-run golf course at Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick. Cyclists can cruise an 8-mile route at Goddard and a 3.2-mile route at Colt State Park along the Narragansett Bay shoreline. AFSCME also manages three of Rhode Island’s more popular beaches: Scarborough, Roger Wheeler and Salty Brine.

Tourists in Rhode Island get a break for their vacation dollars: State parks charge no entrance fees.

“From camping to golfing to swimming, we do everything in Rhode Island,” boasts Rocabello. “We’re so diversified for a small state.”

For more information on tourism in Miami, call 1-800-933-8448; for Rhode Island, call 1-800-556-2484.

By Jimmie Turner

Beach Safety Tips

Swimming in a peaceful lagoon sounds like an idyllic pastime, but swimmers should be cautious, De Pinedo warns. Unlike your neighborhood swimming pool, ocean swimming can present unexpected hazards for the inexperienced. Tides change every six hours; if swimmers aren’t careful, they can be in chest-high water 300 to 400 yards out one minute, and with the change of tide, in water over their head the next. Lagoons such as those De Pinedo patrols also have a lot of holes in the ground beneath the surface of the water, and swimmers should use caution when treading in these areas.

Swimmers should also take note of the following precautions offered by the American Red Cross:

• Always swim with a buddy;
• Swim in supervised areas only;
• Don’t chew gum or eat while swimming because you could easily choke;
• Don’t drink alcohol and swim;
• Know your swimming limitations and stay within them; and
• Don’t leave children unattended.

Hiking, Camping Safety Tips

Rocabello offers a few safety tips for hikers and campers at Rhode Island sites.

Hiking

• Carry a first aid kit, matches and a flare or other signaling device.
• If you’re hiking as part of a crew, make sure each member is carrying some type of distress signal such as a whistle.
• Travel light, carrying the bare necessities.
• If lost, stay in an open area where you can be easily found.
• Stay on marked trails and hike with a buddy.
• Wear the proper clothing for the season, including safe footwear.

Camping

• Camp in designated areas.
• Burn campfires only in designated areas; never leave fires unattended, and make sure they are properly extinguished before leaving a campsite.
• Don’t cook, burn candles or use fuel-burning lanterns inside a tent.
• Don’t leave food in tents or sleeping bags; store it in containers with air-tight lids.
• Don’t feed wild animals.
• Dispose of garbage in trash receptacles.