HomeMy Public PortalAboutParks Dept. Rpt. May 2019Memo /
To: City Council
From: Kurt Wolf, Parks and Recreation Director
CC: Anette Spickard, City Manager
Date: 5/30/2019
Re: Monthly Department Report – May 2019
Spring Rec Programs & Registrations:
Summer program registrations opened Wednesday, May 1. The first registration came through at 12:04a.m. Most programs filled up immediately and the others are filling up quickly, all
mountain bike camps are full and on a waiting list. Programs and trips include zip line and rafting with Tamarack, soccer camps with MUSA, tennis lessons with certified US Tennis Association
instructor, t-ball and wee soccer. Staff is experimenting with 2 free programs for youth including Traveling Playground and Athletic Dry Land Conditioning.
Youth Baseball and Softball practices began May 13th. The program has 97 participants and 12 volunteer coaches. Games will begin May 30th in McCall, Cascade and New Meadows.
Special Events:
Floral Night pop-up program – On Wednesday, May 8th, staff teamed up with Farm to Market Floral and Apothespa for Sweet Spring Bouquet floral event. 25 registered participants attended
the event. It was another successful program with positive feedback and hopes of seeing a similar event hosted this fall.
Rain Garden Project: Staff teamed up with the Payette Children’s Forest to construct a small rain garden off the North West corner of the gravel parking lot at the museum site. Funds
where provided through the Payette Children’s Forest. Event was held on Saturday, May 18.
Pollinator Planting Project: Staff teamed up with local Girl Scouts to help plant pollinator species adjacent to the Wooley Boardwalk. Project kickstarted the mitigation efforts associated
with the boardwalk construction and the Army Corps of Engineers while the scouts earned a merit badge.
Parks Overview and Staffing:
Kacie Bell will once again join us for summer recreation programs, as the recreation aide. Tyler Padgett, the department latest full-time employee, will be helping maintain Gold Glove
fields throughout the ball season. Tara Woods is securing program instructors for tennis and soccer camps; and will be relying on
volunteers for wee soccer and t-ball. Umpires will be hired for youth, adult and tournament softball programs.
Seasonal staffing on the parks side is better than it has been in three years. Seasonal staff have hit the ground running and have been a huge help with spring cleanups and project completions.
New implements purchased through the CIP process have significantly reduced the amount of man hours associated with spring cleanups and raking. The new Landscape Truck arrived at the
end of the month.
Parks staff will be assisting in the Upper Payette Cooperative Weed Management Program again this year. The first co-op work day is scheduled for June 04 in Lowman.
Waterways Committee – Valley County Waterways Ordinance Update:
County Waterways Committee will continue to assist the County Commissioners with the waterway’s ordinance. The Waterways Committee informed Payette Lakes Protective Association they
will be dropping the 2008 ordinance and focusing on the 2017-18 draft ordinance as it relates to the public comments received during the County Commissioners public hearings. A draft
of this work will be available during the July 09 Waterways Meeting which is open to the public.
Capital Projects & Maintenance:
Wooley Boardwalk: The project was completed ahead of schedule and is now open to the public. End connections will be paved in conjunction with future paving projects in the area or as
budgets dictate. Grand opening ribbon cutting is scheduled for Saturday, June 15 from 11:00am – 1:00pm. Celebration will be held on the West end on Denali Court.
Riverfront Park: Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) 319 Work: The efforts to stabilize and reduce bank erosion at Riverfront Park are proving very successful. The bank barbs that
were installed last winter are preforming as designed. Staff was able to secure additional DEQ 319 Grant funds to complete the top of bank work and further reduce erosion impacts from
surface runoff. This work will fully complete the mitigation work required of the site and situation.
Tree Planting Project at Riverfront Park: The remainder of the trees from the Rotary tree planting project arrived on April 30. Staff has planted everything and are working with the
Rotary Club to fully close out the project. This work will consist of composting, tree wells, and staking the trees.
Gold Glove Park Improvements: Contractor completed the ADA improvements around the restroom in early May. Boulder Creek Landscape is scheduled for early June to install the irrigation
system and planter locations. Work is scheduled to be complete by mid-June.