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HomeMy Public PortalAbout15-ParksRec Dept. Rpt. June 2020Memo To: City Council From: Kurt Wolf, Parks and Recreation Director CC: Anette Spickard, City Manager Date: 6/30/2020 Re: Monthly Department Report — June 2020 City of McCa11 1. Rec Program Updates & Registrations Program descriptions, free events and local resource guide are available on www.mccallrec.com. Parents and participants can `register' for programs; however, they will be put on a waitlist and no money will be collected until the program is 100% a go. Participants will be required to pay the program fee, or fill out a scholarship form before participating, failure to do so will result in a balance owing on their account. Soccer Skills program has started with a great success. McCall United Soccer Association and the Recreation department teamed up to offer a free soccer skills -based program twice a week until July 16. Large registration numbers forced us to divide the group into 2 smaller groups. Staff painted four 30x35 size fields, which further divide the groups into small teams. Coaches practice socially distant drills to the best of their ability. Note: What we have learned in the past with free programs is that registration is often high, but turnout is relatively low which has worked well to feel out program numbers and how we adjust the way we run programs during these times. Events Update: The M-D School District approved outdoor facility usages. Programs such as wee soccer and t-ball are still put on hold until August. The Mile -High Mile has received enough registrations to make the event worth hosting. The event will be modified. Last year, there were 60 participants; this year there are 18 registered and anticipate more. Modifications to the event will include a larger start area with staggered rows of participants. There will be no awards ceremony at the finish and participants will be required to finish and limit time at the park following the event. Tournament Update: Light Up the Night on July 4th weekend has been cancelled; Mountain Madness Youth Softball is on July 17-19 with 14 teams playing at Gold Glove throughout the weekend (Note: ASA Softball Association is carefully monitoring teams and the status of the pandemic and event organizers have submitted a detailed and thorough plan to manage the tournament under CDC and ASA guidelines; Senior Softball Wood Bat Tournament- Sept. 11-13 currently 7 teams registered, 8 team maximum.) Monthly Department Report — Parks & Recreation 2. Coronavirus Recreation Updates Staff have been working on a variety of responses to address recreational offerings and future strategies as it relates to pandemic updates as listed below: • Online Recreation Center: Virtual recreation and educational opportunities are still running live and have been well received. Please visit www.mccallrec.com and view the drop -down menu at the top of the page to view activities and ideas associated with the virtual recreation center. • Professional and educational trainings: Staff have been utilizing the time to keep up with training opportunities and research new ideas and what other communities are doing during these times to get through this and provide offerings for the community in conjunction with change and restrictions. • Recreation Bus Design: The bus is currently being cleaned and detailed. Afterwards, it will be moved to Rocky Mountain Sign Shop for decal placement. • Outreach: Tara Woods is working with local resources to help advertise and provide links to organizational efforts; such as University of Idaho Extension courses and classes, Payette Children's Forest online educational videos and events and Forest Service Agents of Discovery app. • Summer staffing needs and schedule: Tara Woods will continue with behind the scenes organization efforts for all recreation programs and leagues. TJ Brady will be stepping in to help run programs, maintain equipment and communicating with program participants and parents. Other staffing needs will be pieced together with current parks and recreation staff. No part-time or full-time seasonal recreation aid will be hired this summer. • Weekly National Leadership Calls: Kurt Wolf and Tara Woods have been attending bi-weekly, online video meetings with parks and recreation professionals nationwide. This has been a great recourse to network with communities that are further along in the pandemic and discuss challenges and solutions. 3. Special Events Mile High Mile Open Water Swim: more info to come Brainstorming Virtual Recreation Event Ideas: Virtual 5K 4. Parks Overview and Staffing: General Staff Update: > Parks staff are in full swing and making additional efforts to service facilities in conjunction with best practices as it relates to COVID-19. > Sidewalk summer maintenance program: Staff made repairs to ADA curb cuts in early June and initiated a new pressure washing program to keep sidewalks clean with focus in the areas around the businesses selling ice cream. > Keeping staff informed on the continuously changing environment, addressing staff safety needs and protocols, and adjusting schedules as needed to ensure a safe working environment for those employees needing to report to work. > Summer maintenance schedules and construction projects are in full swing. Staff have been assisting regularly with projects associated with streets capital projects. > New Parks staff continue to adjust well to their respective positions and have brought great strengths and skill sets to the department. I compliment their efforts and performance as it relates to the aggressive workload and schedule associated with snow removal and now the COVID-19 status. Attitudes remain positive and energetic. Monthly Department Report — Parks & Recreation Bunkhouse/garage at the SITPA site: Currently getting a new metal roof put on. The contractor is currently working around the weather and plans to continue until the job is complete. This project was funded through ITD mitigation funds associated with the Lardo Bridge construction in 2015. The balance of those funds will be used to repair decay in the log walls. Downtown Core project: The Parks department assisted in re -locating the backup generator for City Hall including: trenching new power, prepping the pad for concrete, re -building the access for Washington Federal, hauling materials, disposing of the old concrete pad, digging and backfilling the hole for the propane tank and clean up. The department also cut and removed all the trees behind the Parks shop to make way for the new pressure sewer main. Downtown Sidewalk Maintenance Program: Staff continue to work with the Public Works Streets operators and local businesses on the coordination of downtown Sidewalk Maintenance. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive as it related to the snow conditions. Staff are scheduled to make repairs to truncated domes which is normal and expected following snow removal. The program will continue to be analyzed and adjusted to provide the best possible results as we better understand the operation and challenges. Staff have been documenting man hours and equipment hours since January 01 to fully assess cost and time come spring. Brown Park and Shoreline Restoration Update: Kurt Wolf is working with staff and the engineering team on design work for both the playground replacement, shoreline restoration and repair, and facility improvements at Brown Park. Design work and drawings will be done in-house with engineering contracted out through Horrocks Engineering in conjunction with MURA. Phase I (Playground Replacement) is scheduled for construction in fall of 2020. Shoreline restoration work in conjunction with MURA funding will also be done in fall of 2020 with remainder of work scheduled throughout spring and summer of 2021. 5. Miscellaneous • Note on Garbage: Parks staff have seen a significant increase in garbage this year due to more people getting takeout from restaurants instead of dining in. An extra dumpster has been placed at Gold Glove Park to accommodate. • Aside from regular maintenance, Parks staff placed the downtown flowers and hung banners to celebrate Independence Day. • Stefanie Bork has done a fantastic job designing interpretive panels associated with the Wooley Boardwalk. This project was funding through a grant and will fulfill our wetland mitigation requirements with the Army Corps of Engineers. • Kurt Wolf continues to work with two local landscape designers (Pavia Clouser & Gusty Laidlaw who are donating their time to the project) to develop landscape concepts for the plaza interface between the proposed Library and City Hall. Conceptual plans are complete for cost estimating and revisions will be made as building design is revised. • 2nd Street Landscape Donation: Pavla Clouser & Gusty Laidlaw recently made a generous donation to increase the plantings in the 7 planters along 2nd street. Donation include material, design time, and installation. Staff are working on a press release in the Star News to thank them and recognize their contribution. • Kurt Wolf is looking into the possibility of implementing portions of the proposed non -motorized waterfront improvement project slated for the area north of the marina at Rotary Park while Monthly Department Report — Parks & Recreation continuing to work with Idaho Department of Lands (IDL) on the encroachment permits north of the marina. The City has an existing encroachment permit at Rotary and staff just received the ok from IDL to temporarily install the swim platforms and swim lane lines at Rotary while working towards securing encroachment permits north of the marina. 6. Professional Development Arborist Certification Training: (Postponed) Kurt Wolf will be teaching three modules during a regional ISA Certified Arborist Training course when it is re -scheduled. Eddie Heider will be attending the State sponsored course and then sitting for the International Society of Arboriculture Certified Arborist Exam following that training. Idaho Recreation and Parks Association State Conference Speaker- Conference is postponed until October 13-15, 2020 in Post Falls, ID. Wooley Boardwalk Nomination: Staff have nominated the Wooley Boardwalk for the outstanding Park or Facility Award with the Idaho Recreation and Park Association. WELCOME TO WOOLEY BOARDWALK City of '..oCal "o rkE cnc tecreaticn "Bee Inspired Native plants and poi/Inators go hand -in - hand. 13r.Her1lie5, beet, hummingbirds, meths, end other animals visit Rowers in scorch of food such as nectar and pollen, transferring pollen between flowers of the same plant species. These pollinated Flowers then produce fertile suede. Pollinators help feed the world by transferring pollen. They're needed for the reproduction of 1 /3 of the about 1,330 humors Food crops and 90 °f. of all flowering plants. But pollinators need your help because they face threats. from Insecticides and non-native species. "Go Wild" Landscape with Native Plants- Ws easy Ia help pollinators. The Flowers and plants here era all native to Idaho. Con you heats the different species shown on thin sign? If you want native wildlife, you need local native plants. Often, non-native plants lack the nectar and pollen necessary For pa r:natant to thrive. Addli:ernnlly,nen-native plonk con escape gardens and often compete with native plants. Local native plants support wildlife year-round and are Friendly to our landscapes. Once oete6lished, native plants require lees maintenance. Less ma interne nor means re time far you to rclas and enjoy fk.c gardcnl Help native pollinators and enrich wildlife. Use local native plants in your landscape. WELCOME TO WOOLEY BOARDWALK City o= 1,4,Coll I'orkn and Recreation Several Meonurea were token to preserve the wetlands and the Cttywes required re obtain a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Canetmation challenge. Included dealing with signiHoontwctla nd arca which intern lad to the concept of an elevated boardwalk utilizing hclica I pier cons:in.. i on to limit impacts to the wetland area. To minimize construction impacts In the wetland'* eenerructien began in lute winter of 2019 utilizing the snow as u bridge Far equl lament tenet and drive the helical piers. Once the piers where set the contractor was able to limit the use of heavy equipment and start Framing the boardwalk maroon the pier. ao the snow continued to recede+with eo impacts ro *he wetland. ., LOW IMPACT CONSTRUCTION The boardwalk spans 10, 362 sq. feat (244 rem) of wetlende. The Ci5y wait required to mitigate the shading impacts on the wetland of a 1:1 ratio or area to be treated and planted with pollinator epochal. j.eee odd Ikr..nol pone?) It is our seal that these efforts will Lola mitigate the eigniticant declines in pollinator specie. (bees and burter411ve} and educate users en these issues. These effort. are one step towards the national goal to crontc more habitat for those species. In nummmy, the mitigation plop Includes the establishment of a seetelnable population of native pollinator friendly plants, shrubs, grasser, ferbe, end insure which can be ..-:patted to bloom throughout the growing neason from Tate spring and into early fall incrreeing the ecological dhrerelty and provide baiter wildlife habitat. Girl scout troop 255 partnered with the department for tint pollinator planting project and ossloted the Parks Deportment with planting In fell 2019. IvlcCall Creating a unique user experience with Fun interpretive opportunities year-round. !McCa11 Patna PLUMP, RECREATE RESPONSIBLY IF YOU ARE SICK COHOME I DAHO FOLLOW SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDELINES AVOID GROUP GATHERINGS WASH P SANITIZE OFTEN Failure to adhere to these guidelines and over-crowding_of parks could lead to closure of City of McCall Parks & Facilities FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT h l Lpsc f/ www. ma c all. i d.n s f s o f e ty l lr s t Monthly Department Report — Parks & Recreation