Staunton Parks and Recreation Activity Report - September 2011
Parks Maintenance
• Park Maintenance personnel assisted with the construction of the Lee High Field house located at Memorial Stadium. Staff also assisted with the moving of the scoreboard and speaker installation.
• Park Mechanic, Randy Williamson, spent a majority of the month working on items for the “Gov deals” auction. Used golf carts and mowing equipment are some of the items listed from Park Maintenance.
• Playgrounds in both Gypsy Hill and Montgomery Hall were inspected in the month of August. Our Superintendent of Parks, Steve DeVenny, is a certified playground safety inspector, through the National Recreation and Parks Society.
• Park Maintenance spent the majority of August continuing our mowing operations in all major parks and satellite areas around the City.
Recreation Division
• Athletic league activity was busy during the month of August. Men’s softball leagues concluded as well as co-ed church softball. We also started two new leagues this year with our “Big ball” softball league and our 7 on 7 co-ed soccer league. The Athletic division also completed our girls 12 U fast pitch softball league. Fall instruction baseball league is nearing completion. During the past month we had 98 teams competing in our leagues with over 1,500 participants.
• The Gypsy Hill Gym had modest numbers during the past month. The numbers are listed below:
o 32 participants attended volleyball open gym.
o 19 ladies participated in the women’s basketball open gym.
o 39 attended the Shenandoah Club volleyball program.
o 46 youth attended our afterschool open gym.
o 36 registered for “Jolene’s morning warm ups”.
o 78 people attended the blood drive sponsored by the Red Cross.
• The Recreation Department offered the following trips during the past month: Five participants enjoyed horseback riding at North Mountain Outfitters and ten participants attended the shopping trip to Hagerstown Outlet Mall in Maryland.
• The 3rd Annual Gypsy Hill Plywood Boat Regatta had ten entries this year. The participants built a life-size, water worthy boat out of limited materials and raced it across Gypsy Hill Park Pool and against other boats in their age category. Prizes were awarded for fastest boat, most creative, best design and Davy Jones locker (the first to the bottom of the pool).
• The Booker T. Washington Community Center marked the end of summer camp and the beginning of the After-School Program for the Staunton unit of the Boys and Girls Club. 35 children arrive at the Booker T. Washington Center Monday -Friday, to attend the program where they get help with homework, meals and snacks, and structured, supervised activities.
• Tampa Stuart and other community volunteers completed their annual book bag and school supply giveaway this month at the Center. Many children and families attended this program to take advantage of the book bag giveaway program.
• The Booker T. Washington Coordinator has posted flyers at local schools and around the area to advertise a series of youth related workshops to be held at the center. Local and area businessmen and community volunteers will be presenting topics including Life Skills, Money Management, Being Your Own Boss, Developing and Marketing Your Talents, and Sports Beyond the High School Level. All middle and high school students are invited to attend workshops.
• The Recreation Department Afterschool Program had a 15% increase in child care registrations this school year. We had to advertise for an additional employee to meet the child to staff ratio.
• An incredible amount of time was spent compiling information for the department brochure which is normally “recreation heavy” but in spirit of balance is for the first time “park heavy”. The theme is the history of Gypsy Hill Park. So far the brochure has been very well received. Though it is jam packed, we were not able to fit photos and information that were relevant. We are working toward producing a brochure that is just about the history of Gypsy Hill Park with no dated information or recreation programs. As soon as we confirm the underwriter we will begin adding to what we already have. We continue to have outside organizations request information about how we create content, theme, design and production of our department brochure.
• The Recreation Department Blog eclipsed the 10,000 all-time reader mark this month. The most read blogs for the month were separate articles that were
posted regarding the Gypsies of Gypsy Hill as well as an article pulled from a 1896 newspaper about Gypsy Hill Park. The blog had 995 reads this month.
• The Recreation Department Facebook page had the majority of impressions and feedback from status updates about Gypsy Hill Park Pools extended swimming season and free admission. The collaboration with the YMCA gained numerous “thumbs up”. Thumbs up were also issued for the holographic projection of William Purviance Tams projected from high above Lake Tams as a photograph was snapped. The positive feedback from Facebook prompted staff to make the projection the cover of the new brochure.
Horticulture
• Horticulture removed a dead spruce tree from the duck pond.
• Horticulture did safety/crown raise pruning on the river birch along Gum Springs in Gypsy Hill Park. The pruning allows better visibility under the trees.
• Horticulture sprayed the full central business district sidewalks for weeds.
• Horticulture installed stem guards on our Virginia Tech memorial trees at Montgomery Hall Park to protect them from the deer.
• New replacement plantings are in place in Gypsy Hill Park, RMA parking lot and the White Star area. Horticulture staff pulled and grubbed the North New Street traffic island plantings and shrub plantings around the Warf lot.
• Horticulturist Matt Sensabaugh had two different interviews with the Staunton News Leader during the month of August. One article focused on the ban on phosphorous containing fertilizers for home gardening and lawns. The other article focused on fall annual plantings around the city.
This Staunton "Parks and Recreation Blog" was posted by Jennifer Jones, Superintendent of Recreation.
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