HomeMy Public PortalAbout15-Parks Dept. Rpt. May 2019Monthly Department Report – Parks & Recreation
Memo
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
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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
Monthly Department Report – Parks & Recreation
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.
4. 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.
5. 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.