Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-10-15; Parks & Recreation Commission; 1001-1; Commissioner's Reportrc‘ PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION - AGENDA BILL AB# 1001-1 COMMISSIONER’S REPORT MTG. DATE: I 0/15/01 TITLE : STAFF: PRlCHARD RECOMMENDED ACTION : Accept and file. INFO ACTION ITEM EXPLANATION : Attached is the Parks and Recreation Commissioner’s Report for October 2001. EXHIBITS: 1. Commissioner’s Report - October 2001 8 =r AQUATICS This October the Carlsbad Swim Complex achieves 20 years of service to the community. Visi- tors during this month will be treated to images of staff and facilities as they were in 1981. Our milestone will also be recognized when Carlsbad Aquatics hosts the Pumpkin Plunge and 20'h Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, October 27", from 12noon until 2:OO PM. A quick look back at the first Summer of Swim Complex operations revealed that our total reve- nue in the 1981 J.uly/August period was $27,957. The facility generated $44,21 l during the same period this year, an increase of 63%. By far the largest portion of our summer revenue now comes from the 192 aquatics courses instructed during this peak season. This year, the July/August courses were enjoyed by 1,302 participants and coveted by 1,686 waitlisted patrons. Fall swim instruction classes began in early September and will run through mid No- vember. The classes are taught 7 days per week and are limited to those levels that can be accommodated in shallow water (the deep water, a majority of the pool area, is heavily pro- grammed with athletics. October at the Swim Complex is synonymous with bov's water DOIO. The darlsbad High School freshmen, junior varsity and varsity teams work out Monday ~ I~- - through Friday from 245 until 5:15PM and 7:30 to 9:30PM. La Costa Canyon High School Water Polo Sen- erally pounces on the pool any day the CHS team is at an event away from home. Nibbling away at any crumbs of pool space left are the water polo club teams (North Shore Aquatics and Carlsbad Boys Water Polo). To catch the action, visit us at 3:OO PM for one of the follow- ing CHS home games: October Znd, 4'h, 5'h, 23rd, 26'h, or 30th. Water Polo is not the only activity that CHS students abundantly enjoy at the Swim Complex. We also host the Aquatics P.E. classes for two hours every other weekday morning. In addi- tion, Carlsbad Aquatics enjoys hosting CHS oceanography classes as they take instruction in SCUBA several times each month. 9 EXHIBIT 1 I HARDING CENTER FACILITIES The Harding Facilities office staff and ballfield crews remained busy during the month of Sep- tember. Besides the usual stream of class participants, weekly & monthly meetings, our facility hosted a private party, a wedding, including reception, and two Quinceaiieras. The total amount of 'participants for these special events alone was nearly 500! For those who are unfamiliar with a Quinceaiiera cere- mony, it is a traditional Hispanic event celebrating a young girl's 15'h bichday. The parents give thanks for both having their daughter, and for her reaching the age of, 15. A Quinceaiiera traditionally begins with a Catholic mass and, after the religious service; there is a large celebration, including large quantities of traditional foods, followed by dancing and gifts for the honoree. A special dance of the Quinceaiiera court is performed to com- memorate the event. The Harding Community Center auditorium hosts an av- erage of twenty Quinceaiieras each year. The Commu- nity Center is currently the largest public indoor facility available for rent where both food and dancing are al- lowed in the same room. In other news, the Fiesta de Barrio was held on Sunday, September 16'h, in downtown Carls- bad. Although the Recreation Department does not schedule or assist in the actual festival, this year our staff assisted in a very special way. Late Friday evening, September 14th, the Barrio Committee was in need of fencing material to block off some street access. Both Brian O'Grady and Jill Prichard were able to assist by providing the Committee with 200 feet of fenc- ing material. Again. it's the little things such as this that bring our community together. STAGECOACH The Lightning Soccer Club had a successful "Opening Day" for their upcoming fall season. Lightning Soccer Club and AYSO-La Costa Soccer are currently involved in regular season games at Stagecoach Park. On August 28th the Recreation Department adult softball leagues started their league games. The Carlsbad Police Department Dare Program will be sponsoring an informational night in the gymnasium on October 17th for parents of three local schools. DAYTRIPPERS Participants on the trip to Hearst Castle, Danish Days in Solvang and Santa Barbara had a fun time. Excursions planned for October are to Laughlln, a "Lion King" performance, the Getty Museum and Ensenada, Mexico. 10 2 CALAVERA HILLS PARK September was a great month at Calavera Hills Community Center and Park. Sadly, we had Please welcome our new Senior Recreation Leader Eric Biggin to Calavera Community Cen- ter. Eric has previous recreation experience in Arizona and a B.A. in Recreation Management. Also, Recreation Aide Randy Stamper was promoted to Recreation Leader in September. Congratulations Randy! rc to sa.y goodbye to some staff members but we are proud to welcome a new one as well. Mira Costa College's Tai Chi class turnout on Saturday mornings. 5E multi-purpose room but sometimes has started back up at Calavera. The class meets in the holds class outside in the park to accommodate the large On September 6", the preschool classes at Calavera held their Open House. All of the parents and children that participated had a great time! There were 19 picnic reservations during the month of September at Calavera and Laguna Riviera Parks. Left: Carlsbad residents Michelle Trent & Megan Gates dtsplay their patriotism on a recent visit to Calavera. . STAY N PLAY The Stay n Play program is underway with an overwhelming attendance. The program's first day was on September 18. 2001, with an opening attendance of 180 children. The program is ing! c now entering its third week, and the attendance has increased to 230 children - and still grow- In September, the Stay n Play program joined the many Americans who are attempting to aid the victims of the tragedy that took place in New York. Many school-aged children in New York lost their friends, relatives and loved ones. On September 19, 2001, over 200 Stay n Play chil- dren wrote pen pal letters to children in New York who may have been affected by this horrific event, which took place on September 11, 2001. The pen pal letters expressed the Stay n Play children's condolences, and extended their friendship in those in need. The letters were very touching, containing everything from positive drawings, to heartwarming comments. These pen pal letters were sent to Carmine Recreation Center in Manhattan, NY. Carmine Recreation Center is one of the many recreation centers helping the public in its time of need. This recreation center is hosting the American Red Cross, and also has over 400 children who are attending the center for after school programs. Many of the children are there because their schools have been shut down and are in the process of being relocated. This is a very stressful and saddening situation for these children. The manager of the Carmine Recreation Center has expressed to the City of Carlsbad how thankful and appreciative he and the chil- dren are for this act of kindness. He has also stated that many of the children are currently writing their California pen pals back. The Stay n Play program will be taking its annual San Diego Zoo trip on October 20, 2001. This year, Stay n Play has invited the teachers of Jefferson and Buena Vista Elementary Schools and their families to join us for the fun. This is an opportunity for the city of Carlsbad to show its appreciation for the collaborative efforts the teachers have made with the Stay n Play staff in the current and past years. The Stay n Play program is expecting a safari of over 275 participants on Saturday, October 20. Stay tuned! ,- 11 3 SENIORS September news from the Senior Center includes: “Viva Las Vegas” for three days and two nights. We ate dinner, gambled, went sightseeing, and then ate dessert (chocolate - yummy). Entertainment by the San Diego Chamber Orchestra and their summer Festival Pops series entitled Hollywood USA ended with a spectacular fireworks display at Del Mar fairgrounds. The last in our series of viewing the new casinos was at Pala. No one won really big, but the buffet was absolutely fantastic - Las Vegas style all the way. The Solvang and Danish Days celebration was a delightful way to spend a weekend. We saw the parade, watched the dancers, saw all the local artisans, sampled the good- ies and even had an authentic smorgasbord. On Saturday night we enjoyed the local theater production of ‘On Golden Pond’. Our visit to a dirtner theater production in Coronado was fabulous. After the buffet was served, we settled in our chairs for the absolutely hilarious play, ‘California Suite’. We were in stitches for most of the evening. It was a wonderful way to welcome in the Fall season. A representative from the Carlsbad Police Department’s Volunteer Police Force came to speak with seniors about how they work hand-in-hand with the police department, both in the field and administratively. The You Are Not Alone (YANA) program was also discussed and there were many questions and interested parties! Principal librarian, Heather Pizzuto, spoke to a curious audience about all the wonderful services provlded by both the Dove and Cole libraries here in Carlsbad. Everything from book collections. DVD rentals, computer classes, to genealogy research was men- tioned. A huge crowd came to hear Dr. David Melendez as he demonstrated how to perform pressure point therapy to ease stress. The capacity crowd listened intently and prac- ticed on each other 2s Dr. Melendez supervised. AGUA HEDIONDA LAGOON PERMITS The marine seaweed eradication and monitor- ing program started last summer is continuing. A recent City Ordinance now prohibits fishing or anchoring in the western third of the lagoon in case fishing lines or anchors may break off and spread the algae. Good news though! In spite of the algae and cooler summer weather, permits issued have increased 11% (335 to 373) through August this year compared with 2000. 12 4 b ENRICHMENT CLASSES As the temperature turns cooler and the trees go dormant, Fall at the Recreation Department fl is a wonderful season to join new classes and meet new friends. One of our classes that truly meets this need is “Mommy & Me”. Being a new mom at home can be a wondrous occasion but at the same time can be lonely with lots of questions to be asked. We have created a number of new enrichment ‘classes in personal development for children and their parents. “Mommy and Me” is a special time just for moms and babies. The class focus is discussions on baby and family care, infant massage and nutrition. This class promotes a well-being atmos- phere for new mothers. Many of the participants form playgroups and remain friends well after the class is over. Our Yoga for Adults program has been so suc- cessful and popular with 92 participants this first session of fall alone that we began asking our- selves, what about a yoga class for children? To our delight, the parents and their 3-5 year olds love it! Even in children this young it is im- portant to promote strength, flexibility, good pos- ture, coordination and balance. YOUTH SPORTS The smell of Fall is in the air and the scent of rubber basketballs has taken over the Youth Sports office! Saturday, September 22 brought over 200 Carlsbad residents into the Calavera and Stagecoach gymnasiums for the annual registration and avaluation process. Open regis- tration followed on Saturday, September 29. When all is said and done over 550 kids, ranging from 3rd - 8th grade, are expected to participate. 7 A number of meetings and clinics are scheduled during the month of October. All volunteer coaches will be attending the National Youth Sports Coaches Association (NYSCA) coaches training on October 6 at the Safety Center. This training will focus on the philosophy of sportsmanship and how to implement these philosophies into their coaching technique. All staff that will be officiating games will begin a series of five (5) intensive training sessions be- ginning October IO. Tami Mason, former Youth Basketball referee and current Division IJ NCAA official, will conduct all sessions. Her expertise will certainly be beneficial to our pro- gram. Staff will then arrange a number of scrimmage games during the month of November so the officials can get “hands on“ practice. Please keep in mind that we are still recruiting refe- rees. If you or anyone you know would like to assist, please call the Youth Sports office at 602-7525. Coaches will meet the third week in October to discuss rules, evaluation results, pre-draft is- sues (B & A Divisions) and any other pertinent information necessary to pass along. Divisions C, GC, and GB teams, who do not participate in the draft process, will be distributed to coaches at this time. The drafts for Divisions B & A will be conducted on October 30 and No- vember 1st. Practice for all Divisions will begin the week of November 5. The first day of league play is scheduled for December 1. In addition to all of the meetings and clinics, staff must prepare practice schedules, organize uniform distribution, format league play schedules, and make sure all of the light bulbs on the scoreboards are working! r Sound overwhelming? On occasion it can be! The Youth Sports staff is ‘certainly ready for the challenge ahead and we all look forward to a successful season. c