HomeMy Public PortalAbout8. Parks and Recreation - March 2023Monthly Department Report – Parks & Recreation
Memo
To: City Council
From: Kurt Wolf, Parks, and Recreation Director
CC: Anette Spickard, City Manager
Date: 3/2023
Re: Monthly Department Report –March
Rec Program Updates & Registrations
Program descriptions, free events, and a local resource guide are available at www.mccallrec.com. Staff
will continue to include a program waiver as it relates to the recognized risk associated with COVID-
19 exposure while participating in our programs. This waiver is similar to what other municipalities are
doing in our region.
• Winter Programming:
Indoor Soccer- Finished up in early March. Each Thursday 35-45 people were in
attendance. The gym host organized 6-8 teams in quick 5-minute games. Each team
played an average of 20-25 minutes in total. Requests from players to continue the
program were not accepted as gym space was filled with school sports and MUSA
practices.
Field Trips hosted with PLCA4Kids- Have partnered to host rec days at Elk Creek
Church gym and swim days at the Holiday Inn.
Tiki Treks- 3rd year hosted at McCall Golf Course every Friday in February from 6-9
pm. Torches are placed along a 1-mile loop and enjoyed by many. This year we have
added an additional Friday as we intend to use the torches during the IRPA Conference
on March 8th.
No School Fun Day- March 31st is parent-teacher conferences staff will take a dozen
kids swimming at Cascade Recreation and enjoy a movie in the basement of Idaho First
Bank.
Partnership Development with PLCA: Staff has continued to work closely with the
Payette Lake Community Association (PLCA) to build partnerships and pool resources
as it relates to the after-school program. The association and program provide an
incredible service to the community and staff will continue to explore opportunities to
support the association and ensure the long-term sustainability of the programs. Staff is
Monthly Department Report – Parks & Recreation
working with legal to create a Memorandum of Agreement to continue to provide
assistance and bill 501c3 for services and staff time.
Hannah Stewart (Facilities & Program Coordinator) has been doing a fantastic job
working with Stefanie and Tara to build and strengthen this partnership and
understanding of the program.
• Events- IRPA Conference
Idaho Recreation and Parks Association State Conference was hosted by the City of McCall
Parks and Recreation Department. Tara Woods and Stefanie Bork were the lead planners of
the conference. The conference was held in McCall, March 6-9th at North fork Lodge, Best
Western Hotel, and offsite locations. Fifty-two attendees registered, and twenty
vendors/sponsors’ representatives attended the conference. Feedback was positive overall for
the conference education sessions, socials, keynotes, and activities were all well received. Two
of our department staff were recognized as outstanding parks and recreation professionals,
Todd Wheaton and Stefanie Bork. Additionally, Brown Park was selected as the 2023
outstanding parks and recreation facility.
Parks Overview and Staffing
Restrooms at Legacy Park, Art Roberts Park, & Rotary Park will remain open throughout the winter.
All other public restrooms will be winterized and shut down during freezing temperatures. Portable
toilets will be placed and incorporated into facilities in conjunction with events such as the winter
carnival.
Vandalism has become a recent concern at Legacy Park and Art Roberts Park. Each facility recently
suffered significant damage and has since been repaired. Parks staff are working with PD to mitigate,
and we are revisiting the use of security cameras as we enter the FY24 budget process and the busy
summer season.
Winter sidewalk maintenance: Parks staff continue to work with public works and adjacent property
owners on sidewalk snow and ice removal coordination. As of 3/29 Parks staff has cleared snow 11
days in March with a total daily snow accumulation of 47”. The staff has had to be extremely careful
with freeze-thaw conditions not to damage infrastructure or equipment. This brings a season total of 51
days of snow removal with additional storms in the forecast for April.
Recent Projects and Task Update:
• New Shop: As the snow comes off this spring Parks crew will prioritize landscape
improvements and site improvements as outlined in the planning and zoning approval process.
This work could not be completed last year due to freezing conditions upon completion of the
building.
• Rotary Park Restroom Renovation: Parks crew began renovating one of the restrooms to
improve insulation values and address ADA compliance concerns outlined in the transition
plan. estimate to better insulate and bring into ADA compliance. Project costs will be covered
within our operating budget and crews hope to have the one bathroom completed by the end of
April and will assess the ability to remodel the other restroom as time and budget allow.
• Seasonal Employee Housing Opportunities: Staff is continuing to work with both the
Museum board and the State Timber Protective Association on making minor retrofits and
Monthly Department Report – Parks & Recreation
renovations to the second floor of the bunk house at the museum to provide seasonal housing
for SITPA and Parks staff throughout the year.
• Employee Housing Unit Opportunity: Kurt Wolf continues to work with the museum board
on an opportunity to secure the assistant fire wardens’ house as a city employee housing unit.
More to come.
• Farmers Market: The department is working closely with the Farmers Market Board of
Directors and other City Departments to relocate the farmers market into the downtown core
for the 2023 summer season.
• Parks & Recreation & Open Space Plan: Logan Simpson, staff, and the parks and recreation
committee have begun reviewing the admin draft plan. In April the draft plan will be released
to the public for review and comment, additional outreach efforts will include a survey, focus
groups, and public meetings.
• Outdoor Ice Rink
The parks crew closed the rink for the season on March 6. Warmer weather and snow removal
made keeping up with rink maintenance an unrealistic challenge.
• Potential Projects: Kurt Wolf continues to work with Mile High Marina on an expansion
project of the breakwater and marina slips. This project would in turn create a public amenity
in the form of a public boardwalk out and around the marina. The Marina is entering into the
PUD process with the city. The Parks and Recreation Department will continue to work on
partnership opportunities regarding the public amenity associated with this project. More to
come as the project takes shape and moves forward throughout the winter months.
• Public Boat Ramp Improvements: Construction is scheduled to start in April and parks staff
will work with the contractor in preparing the site to execute work as quickly as possible this
spring before the lake level starts to rise. In an effort to stretch the budget out further, the Parks
staff will be fabricating and building the Hand Railing/Guardrail on the project. As of March
28, all permits have been approved and secured by both City and State agencies.
• Working with CIMBA to start constructing a Mtn. Bike Jump Park. CIMBA is working on
getting 3D renderings done to convey the scope of work and market the project for additional
funding. Conceptual plans are drafted to incorporate something along the paved bike path
between Stibnite and Deinhard Lane. The terrain between the pathway and the airport approach
is perfect for creating something along these lines and is already used informally for biking,
hiking, and running. A project of this nature has the potential to be a fun and unique amenity
for our community and visitors alike. It is also a great opportunity to utilize local resources
through a grassroots approach to implementation.
• Roosevelt Park: Staff have been working with the Kempthorne family and the use of escrow
funds to make site improvements to Roosevelt Park. Plans for this site include the use of
removable planters that can be used to establish nursery trees and shrubs for the department to
implement in other facilities as they get established. During the summer months, it will act as
a small pocket park and nursery, and during the winter months, it will function as snow storage.