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Waterford Recreation and Parks Commission
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE RECREATION & PARKS COMMISSION
FY 2007-2008
WATERFORD RECREATION AND PARKS COMMISSION
2007-2008 ANNUAL REPORT
Table Of Contents
I. Mission .1
II. Vision. ..1
III. Overview ..1
IV. Achievements ...1-2
V. Maintenance .2-3
VI. Programs ..3-4
VII. Revenue ...4
VIII. Use of Facilities 4-5
IX. Goals and Strategies FY 08 Status Update ..5-6
X. Goals and Strategies FY 09 ...6-7
XI. Closing .7
XII. Quick Reference Statistics .8
Attachments:
Annual Fee Based Program Report .
I. Mission
Programs will be offered for all ages and interests giving each individual the opportunity to engage in a variety of activities. Through these activities, participants will be able to make constructive use of leisure time and contribute to positive physical and mental health, and good sportsmanship.
II. Vision
Well maintained parks, public spaces, and various nature areas provide opportunities for residents to maintain active, healthy lifestyles; while appreciating our communitys natural resources and preserving them for future generations.
III. Overview
The Waterford Recreation and Park Commission were able to recognize and accomplish numerous goals in the 2008 fiscal year as well as set the groundwork for continued success during the five (5) year Long Range Plan established.
The 2008 fiscal year focused on maintaining the success of our staple programs as well as breathing life into low participation, existing programs and offering more Special Events to engage the entire community. A list of achievements (below) further illustrates the growth and creative management of our departments resources.
As part of our mission, the Recreation and Parks Commission and Staff continue to provide Town sponsored recreational programming, as well as assisting community non-profit organizations, namely co-sponsored organizations, serving approx. 3,060 youth participants and Waterford Week. Our responsibilities for maintaining all turf and garden areas in the Town, including ball fields, the Community Center, Board of Education lands, as well as park lands continue as well. We provided snow removal at all Town buildings during the winter season. Scheduling of all Town facilities for community use was coordinated through our office as well.
The department also plays a vital function in emergency assistance in terms of storms and Town wide drills. Our maintenance crew responds to storm damage to assist with other town departments. Staff are also responsible for positions on the Emergency Management Dominion drills as well as coordinating shelters for residents during times of crisis.
IV. Achievements
The Waterford Recreation and Park Commission is pleased to report on their successful completion of projects and goals for FY 08. Each year the department works cooperatively with different volunteer groups in order to limit the required funding for completion of certain projects.
The following list is provided to help illustrate the various tasks accepted by the Recreation and Parks Commission:
Development, operation, and fund raising of Waterford Dog Park
Creation of Waterford Parks Foundation through volunteers
Continuing development of five (5) year Long Range Plan
Dune grass plantings at WBP through WHIP grant
Met and exceeded goal of 75% program cost recovery
Re-sodding of the WHS football field
Community involvement of special projects providing the Town with minimal cost, if at all, to improve the quality of community for residents
Memorial contributions for upgrading and completing projects in Town (Lisa Dedrick field, etc.)
Introduction of new programs, revitalization of other programs in which success exceeded expectations
Installing fuel efficient heaters at the Maintenance garage and Veteran Memorial maintenance garage
Tennis court repairs
Little League South installed new lighting
Little League North and South updated their bleachers to satisfy mandates
The ballfields at Clark Lane Middle School and Dedrick Memorial field received noticeable improvements to the infields as new materials and re-shaping of the play area were addressed
V. Maintenance
Our maintenance crew performed admirably again in FY 08 by assisting other Town departments in town-wide projects as well as providing additional assistance to our co-sponsored groups. Typically it goes unnoticed that the original maintenance crew assigned to the town properties (schools, ball fields, parks, cemeteries, etc.) has decreased over the years, yet still manages to take on additional property maintenance and new projects. The maintenance crew currently tends to 593.41 town acres and 169.4 BOE acres.
The Department continues to maintain four hundred plus (400+) acres of ball fields, parks and school grounds on a weekly basis. Another one hundred and ten (110) acres are maintained on a seasonal basis as well as numerous buildings, beaches, ponds, roads, and cemeteries. Parks maintenance worked approximately three thousand, seven hundred (4,700) hours on Board of Education properties with a total cost, including wages, materials, and replacements at approximately $226,631.
The maintenance crew cut, split, and delivered one hundred and forty-six (146) truckloads of firewood to sixty-seven (67) eligible Senior Citizen households during the winter to alleviate the rising costs of heating.
The Summer Jobs for Minors Program was proud to employ 12 youth in 2007. The youth were set up in teams daily by the SJFM Supervisor and one (1) crew leader. Of the 12 workers selected through a lottery system, 4 worked in Town offices, 2 worked at fire companies, and the remaining 6 were scheduled around Town properties.
Projects were successfully completed around Town offices, schools, and parks. These projects included:
Safety Complex: Weeded gardens, cleaned up trash, trimmed hedges, applied mulch, and added flowers to flower pots at the Avery Lane entrance.
War Memorial: Weeded the garden, cleaned up trash, painted the bench, and applied mulch.
Veterans Softball Field: Cleaned up trash, painted benches, and trimmed shrubs.
Duck Pond/Gazebo: Applied mulch, trimmed shrubs, removed debris, and painted picnic tables.
Moosbokers Area: Painted flower pots and added flowers.
Waterford Police Department: Washed and waxed two special mission box trailers.
Jordan Park House: Cleaned both restrooms and kitchen areas. Cleaned windows and swept both the main and basement floors.
Community Center: Weeded gardens, applied mulch, and watered areas during dry spells.
Leary Park: Painted picnic tables, applied mulch to park entrance, trimmed hedges, cut down branches over the basketball court and weeded around tennis courts.
Jordan Memorial Park: Painted picnic tables and pavilion columns.
Waterford Beach Park: Painted all picnic tables, causeway bridge, and fencing.
VI. Programs
The 2007 2008 fiscal year program report illustrates the continued growth and success of the opportunities and programs offered to the residents of Waterford.
The department realized a small increase in program efficiency. Unfortunately, the department was not able to see an increase in the bottom line due to instructors from very popular programs requesting raises. These raises were approved as the instructors were long standing and had not received increases in years. The difficulty resides in setting the program fee in order to account for the increased instructor costs. Neighboring towns offer the same programs with the same instructor causing competition in program fees. The department follows the trends closely and researches program fees seasonally in order to justify any changes. Even though the fewer fee programs resulted in less revenue, the department was still able to recover 77% of all fee based program costs. An analysis is attached to further illustrate this achievement.
The issues we face continue to center around available space. We are constantly creating additional sections of classes to accommodate the growing interest, however, sharing space with Senior Services has lead the department to realize that the available program space has just about peaked. The department is excited about the participation and involvement, however, supplying additional programming and alternative classes to attract those not yet reached, is a concern going forward. This is a space and budget issue that will require additional attention and creative solutions in FY 10.
The Community Center continues to be a resource for many residents looking to engage in town funded programs and even local offerings not run through the departments. The seasonal brochures provide excellent information on the available programs and offerings throughout the community. An arrangement has been made with the Norwich Bulletin to produce our booklet and provide direct mail distribution to the residents of Waterford. This arrangement is a cost saving measure that eliminates the amount of paper and employee time in the Print Shop as well as the cost of distributing the brochures through mailer inserts. This upgrade in distribution and savings is an example of the creative ways that the department is enhancing services while cutting costs. The cost of distribution and production are covered by advertisements. The installation of a Community Center website to further reach the public is currently being researched and will hopefully be running by the start of 2009.
Staff is currently researching and will be attending professional board seminars on the implementation of credit card payments. Due to a change in MasterCard, Discover, and American Express rules, Recreation and Parks departments can now accept credit cards at no cost for fees they collect in face to face transactions. This benefit/convenience to the residents is one of the departments goals for FY 10.
The operations in the Community Center are dynamic with the increasing interest in the Recreation and Parks and Senior Service offerings. Scheduling rooms for programs, rentals and special events, and meetings encourage a tremendous amount of cooperation and communication between the two departments. The increase in participation and continuing growth are evidence to the success of the building and the benefit the community is realizing. The only drawback to the success of both departments programming is the decreasing amount of space for drop-in use. The success of using the Community Center to host programs allows for less time being used at BOE facilities.
VII. Revenue
The reality of generating and sustaining revenue is made possible with the additional approved programs and services provided through each years budget. The Recreation and Park Commission is proud to continue providing premium services and programs to the community at an affordable cost. Our fees are examined yearly against the offerings of other towns in order to remain competitive as well as being financially responsible in our budget request.
The drop in revenue this year can be attributed to the postponement of summer Swim Lessons that usually take place in June and July. This year due to the asbestos removal at the Waterford High School, swim lessons did not start until the middle of July. This change will add to the bottom line of FY 09 revenue listing.
The other noticeable decline in revenue was from Facility Reservations as schools were undergoing construction and unavailable for rentals. The new construction and shut down of Quaker Hill as well as the asbestos removal equaled less opportunities for groups to hold clinics and rental use.
VIII. Use of Facilities
The Department continued its cooperative arrangement with other community groups to coordinate assistance with Waterford Week as well as the YMCA summer camp program Camp Clover, which is conducted in the Civic Triangle Park. Attendance for these programs is estimated at 12,000.
We scheduled indoor and outdoor facilities at six (6) schools, parks, Town Hall, Jordan Park House and the Community Center. For indoor school facility use, we scheduled four thousand, two hundred fifteen, and a half (4,215.50) hours of use. This is a decline from last years total of five thousand, two hundred, and twent-seven (5,227) hours of use due to the construction at Quaker Hill. Demand for gym space continues to rise due to available time.
The Waterford High School pool continues to be an asset to the people of Waterford. This facility stands alone in terms of accommodating the wide range of ages that participate. Presently, individuals between the ages of six (6) months to ninety-six (96) years use the pool for recreational, health, and educational purposes. The total visits for FY 08 was 10,241.
The Community Center continues to provide the public with numerous options for enrichment, health/fitness, and leisure. Although Planet Fitness has lessened the traffic in the Fitness Room, we have over thirteen hundred (1,300) residents signed up to use the facility over the past four years. The users who left to use Planet Fitness return on occasion and note their introduction at the Community Center helped them step up to more advanced and technical equipment at other facilities. The Waterford Times published an article outlining the journey of local residents who were using the Fitness Room to help lose weight.
The Community Center also hosted numerous Senior Citizen events as well as a Connecticut Recreation and Parks business meeting and education session.
The rental aspect continues to grow yearly and the available dates for rental are becoming fewer and fewer.
The outdoor facilities include all ball fields, parks, playgrounds and open spaces. There were three thousand, five hundred and ninety-three (3,593) usages of outdoor facilities for approximately twenty five thousand, six hundred and seventy-four (25,674) hours of use. These increases can be seen by the increased participation in youth sports as well as the addition of the co-sponsored Youth Lacrosse program. We are not able to generate usage statistics for daily drop in use at Leary Park, Stenger Park, etc. The only figures we are able to gather come from co-sponsored requests or permits issued.
The staff still has a difficult time justifying the arrangement with the BOE to taxpayer inquiries. Although the community use of school hours declined, the cost of school use increased due to the current formula. We have requested the RTM review the formula that calculates this annual cost. In fiscal year 08 the figure was $274,122. It is interesting to note that the ground maintenance services provided to the BOE properties by Recreation and Parks totaled $226, 631 in FY 08. Since the Town is not reimbursed by the BOE for ground maintenance provided, it would seem that an exchange of services should exist that would eliminate the need for the outdated formula.
IX. Goals and Strategies for FY 09 and Status Update
1. Complete the Long Range Planning property assessment and build an action plan based on the decisions made.
The Long Range Planning Committee has developed an assessment of the properties under the jurisdiction of Recreation and Parks and instituted a timeline to review and take action on any improvements and/or mandates required for each property.
2. Develop a Waterford Recreation and Parks Commission Capital Account similar to the existing one in Ledyard.
Still under review.
3. Continue to develop Special Events and opportunities for the community to participate collectively such as holiday events, contests, and Clean-Up Day for example.
The current events are growing as expected and the addition of an Easter Egg hunt, Community Garden, etc. have been a great start to providing opportunities for the community to get together.
4. Solidify the Youth Sports Councils influence by examining each youth sport organizations by-laws and appointing council members to attend games and practices on a random basis for review.
On track. There are still a few organizations to review, but many policies and procedures have been updated to help the leagues maintain their success.
5. Search for solutions to on-line registration costs to enhance customer service.
New developments in the past few months with credit card companies will allow this goal to be realized sooner rather than later.
6. Bring more attention and exposure to parks such as Stenger and Leary.
Maps have been on display at the Community Center and a grant from LedgeLight will allow for more exposure at four (4) parks in Town. The new signage will highlight the offerings at each park as well as the health benefits to using the opportunities at each park.
7. Enhance/build a trail system or bike trail
The trail system at Stenger Farm is being maintained and used quite frequently. The Long Range Planning Committee is identifying areas to develop future trails.
8. Ad Hoc committee for the Dog Park will continue fundraising attempts to complete the necessary funding for the development of the Dog Park.
The Waterford Dog Park opened on May 17,2008. The park has generated countless compliments and donations that help make this park self-sufficient.
9. The Playground ad hoc committee will continue to work with the Gardiner Family foundation to target locations and improvements for town playgrounds as well as develop a fundraising plan to help offset costs.
The Playground Committee has selected Stenger Farm as their target location and is currently in fundraising mode after having selected the play components of the park.
X. Goals and Strategies for FY 10
1. Establish a Community Garden at routes 156 and route 1
2. Reach donation and fundraising goals for the Stenger Farm Playground
3. Construction of a bathroom at Stenger Farm Park
4. Forming committees that are willing to adopt sections of Town to help beautify and maintain.
5. Continued development of the Youth Sport Council to reach more levels of structure within the co-sponsored youth sport groups
6. Full-fill obligations to obtain NRPA accreditation
7. Tennis Court rehabilitations
8. Incorporate priority CIPs
9. Improve relationships with other Town departments to enhance exchange of services
XI. Closing
As we prepare for the future, we intend on continuing to increase the quality of life for residents and others byway of our programs, services, facilities, and grounds. We are very active and determined to maintain and improve our parks and facilities to the standards expected by the community.
The goal of municipal recreation is to provide what others cannot. This is demonstrated by continuing to increase affordable programming; enhancing our playgrounds, parks, and open space for creative play and fitness opportunities; and educating the community on the benefits of recreation and healthy lifestyles.
Much of our success depends on the volunteers, staff, and assistance from Town Agencies and Boards and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their hard work and dedication to making Waterford a special place to live.
Nan Scheiber, Chair
Recreation and Parks Commission
XII. Quick Reference Statistics
Maintenance
Total maintained acres: 593.41 Town and 169.4 BOE
Senior Wood Program: FY 07 FY 08
146 Loads Cut 89 Loads Cut
67 Sr. Households 49 Sr. Households
Summer Job For Minors: 12 employed 12 employed
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Programs: FY 07 FY 08
Programs Offered: 149 142
Unique Enrollments: 3,662 3,759
Male 44% (1,623) 39% (1,470)
Female 56% (2,039) 61% (2,289)
Average Age 26
Resident Participants 3,631 (97%)
Non-Resident Participants 128 (3%)
Community Center Drop-In: approx. 36,101 approx. 34,770
Fitness Room Participants: 942 1,311
Program Efficiency: 216 Sections offered 221 Sections Offered
197 Administered 203 Administered
91% Success Rate 92% Success Rate
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Revenue: FY 07 FY 08
Total Generated Revenue: $180,601.08 $170,985.45
Fee Based Program Cost: $109,791.18 $109,640.63
Program Revenue: $87,733.25 $84,337.75
Recovery: 80% 77%
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Facility Use: FY 07 FY 08
Indoor Facility Use 5,227 hours 4,215.50 hours
-Community Use of Schools
Outdoor Facility Use 21,749 hours 25,674 hours
WBP Attendance 21,430 16,035
WBP Picnics 68 60
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