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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAugust Division ReportsHello Swimmers, Summer is quickly winding down. Only one session of swimming lessons at Bogert remains. Bogert’s last day of operation for the summer will be August 14th. The pool will be open from 10 am – 4 pm for recreation swim. We have one scheduled closure at the Swim Center for the month of August. August 14th the pool will be closed while the bulkhead is placed back in the pool. Please anticipate that the Swim Center will be operating on modified hours as we move back into fall. There is still a shortage of staff which limits the hours the facility is able to operate as well as the programming offered. We are also still operating under Phase II guidelines which require additional safety measure that require staff time. However, we are looking forward to being able to offer additional lap swim time in the evenings, as well as getting evening user groups back in the pool! The current Swim Center hours will be in effect until August 21st. A new schedule will begin August 24th. The new schedule will be made available in the next two weeks and will be posted at the facility, online, and sent out in an enotification. Thank you for your continued support. Aquatics Staff Recreation Division Update Jamie Saitta, Recreation Manager 8/5/2020 • We are closing in on the end of our summer camps, with only 3 more weeks to go! All things considered, this has been a very successful and SAFE summer thanks to our thoughtful planning in the spring and our staff’s commitment to keeping program quality high while keeping participant safety as their top priority. There were so many unknowns going into the summer and changes were ongoing throughout, but we remained committed and flexible and are very proud of the service we were able to provide our community during this challenging time. • Over half of our summer staff will be heading back to school early which will have an impact on our final two weeks of summer camps. Unfortunately, due to this shortage of staff, we will not be able to accommodate everyone who is registered for those two weeks of camps. Instead of cancelling, we will be implementing a lottery system in order to fill the spots we are able to accommodate. It is not ideal, but given the situation we are in, we feel it is the best option. • We have decided to push back the print date of our fall and winter program guide to October and will instead release an online version only on September 1st. This will give us an opportunity to respond to any COVID related changes in our community that could impact our programs, make those changes accordingly to the online version of our guide, and have it ready to print when we have a better feel for what the fall will look like this year. It’s a difficult time to plan but we are doing our best and are focusing on how we can help meet the anticipated needs for childcare in our community. • We currently have 3 of our 5 part time recreation leader’s positions vacant so we are actively trying to recruit for these positions that are critical for fall and winter program implementation. • An HVAC system for the Story Mill Community Center was approved in the Recreation Division CIP this fiscal year so we are working closely with the Facilities Division on that project which will likely be slated for completion in the spring! PARK REPORT AUGUST 2020 • Maintenance continues throughout the park system, tasks include but not limited to: garbage collection, dog station maintenance, restroom cleaning, mowing, playground inspections/repairs, irrigation repairs and improvements, fertilization, string trimming and spot spraying for noxious weeds- just a sample of day in day out maintenance. • We (the Parks Division) have experienced a significant uptick in park visits during the pandemic. I am sure all of you have seen it as well. It really drives home how essential we are to a community, especially during these weird times. • The Park and Trails District went live in July, with the Parks Division taking on maintenance responsibilities, in previously HOA maintained parks. Year one mainly is to continue contracting the vendors used by the HOA’s, and gradually increase staff and resources over the next five years, and eventually assume in-house maintenance of the majority of city dedicated parks. Although we will probably never eliminate some contracted services. • The short term staff (all five of them this year!) will be done at the end of the week. It has been a very challenging summer with limited resources and staff, while at the same time, people are flocking to the parks • In the approved budget, we were allocated an assistant park superintendent, to assist in the oversight and implementation of the park and trials district. This position will also provide assistance in day to day supervision, budget development, evaluations and general public communications. • We also have an opening for a parks service worker, as a long time parks worker retired after 25+ years. We are attempting to get that position hired quickly, as the cooler fall weather brings out many students and the grass starts growing again. •