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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-05-17; Parks & Recreation Commission; 504-2; Quarterly NewsletterAB#: 504-2 MTG. DATE: 05/17/04 STAFF: MANClNl Accept and file. ITEM EXPLANATION: Attached is a copy of the Recreation Department’s Quarterly Newsletter. This is an information item only. EXHIBITS: INFO TITLE: RECREATION DEPARTMENT QUARTERLY NEWLSETTER ACTION I. Recreation Depar .,nent Quarterly Newsletter - Faqe m RECREATION NEWS 2004 OU6H PEOPLE. f' AMS - Stagecoach Park I Special Events 2 Preschool/ Toddler 2 Adult Sports 3 Aqua tics 3 Enrichment Classes 4 Stay N flay 4 Youth Sports 5 Senior Cen fer 5 ,?ark Development 6 Park Development 7 STAGECOACH COMMUNITY PARK BY ERIC BIGGIN What a busy winter Staff had at Stagecoach Community Center and Park It started off in December with the re-surfacing of our beautiful hardwood Gymnasium and Activity Room floors. Stagecoach also hosted a large cor- porate picnic for Puma About 200 of their sales representatives and man- agement rented out our gymnasium and an athletic field. Puma had a great time doing what they help others do "recreate". Our gymnasium has seen plenty of use this winter. Open Gym Play partici- pation for Volleyball, Basketball, and Badminton set new records for the months of JaniJary and February Stagecoach is proud to be one of the few locations in North County to offer Badminton to the public. and is excited to announce the addition of Wednesday afternoonlevening Badminton from 5: 15-7:30 pm. The 35 year old and over Wednesday night basketball continues to be well attended and is as popular as ever. Stagecoach is just as busy on the ath- letic fields as it is in the community center. The La Costa Youth Organiza- tion's opening day was held on Saturday February 28th. Over 1,500 youngsters and parents enjoyed getting their- team photos and consuming the different types of food on hand. All while trying their luck on the climbing wall and jumping themseives silly on the inflatable astrojumps. Our Adult Sports Department softball leagues are back in the "swing" of things and keeping our fields busy during the week. With the recent rains. Staff would like to thank the Ball field Maintenance Crew and the Stagecoach Park Department for keeping field closures to a minimum. Thank you for all your hard work during this time! This past winter has also seen some personnel changes here at Stage- coach. We regret to have had our longtime Office Assistant Peggy Harmer leave us to work full time for her husband's company. We will all miss Peggy's infectious laugh and generous personality. We have however found a very nice replacement in Elvia Fernandez. We look forward to everyone having a chance to meet her. A brief update on Wayne Frantzvog, Recreation Leader Wayne is still re- covering at home from his successful surgery and we hope to see him again soon' Best wishes and get-well Wayne. the Stagecoach Staff misses you! EXHIBIT 1 Page 2 SP€CIAL EVENTS By Marc Beasley . -- What do you get when you combine 6,000 plastic colored eggs. 10,500 pieces Hunt at Holiday Park. The annual Holiday Park Egg Hunt has become a tradition Just south of Holiday Park a new community tradition was well under way. The 2nd ’ 4: +# +‘* of candy, over 300 prizes and 650 eager children? The 28th annual Spring Egg’ .’ for the community and one of the most popular Special Events the city hosts. annual Eggstravaganza. held at Poinsettia Park, was fiiled with great family activi- ties such as creating your own wax hand, spin art. face painting, penny carnival games and much more. Participants also enjoyed family activities such as an old fashioned egg toss! The highlight of the day was when the Spring Bunny made a surprise visit to the event; he was also the Grand Marshall of the Spring Bike and Wagon Parade. With more than 30 entries in this years contest it was hard to find a winner but in the end, Ashley Whitter,age 7. was the winner of the grand prize basket for the best decorated wagon. The Recreation Department would like to thank all the volunteers for their assistance with this event. 4 &t, !.. : ’ e Pb3 ESCHOOL/TOD DL €a2 These are fun and exciting times throughout our Preschool & Toddler Programs The coming of Spring means great weather and many opportunities to enjoy the beautiful outdoors Stagecoach Preschool enjoyed a - much anticipated field trip aboard the Amtrak train to visit the Johnson Family2 By PreschooVTodder Team Farm. Each child got to ride a pony, feed the baby animals and even take a ride on a miniature train. On the way back to school the children all enjoyed a picnic lunch aboard the Surfliner. Am- trak’s coastal train. Calavera Hills welcomed two new staff to the Preschool/Toddler team Terrie Leon took over four of the parentltoddler classes and has already received numerous compliments from the par- ents Katharine Prescott also joined us as the new teacher of the Preschool 3 s and 4’s program Katharine jumped right in and began new activities such as the “Letter of the Day” When a child has a turn taking the “Letter of the Day” bag home he or she gets to find things from their home that begin with the Let- ter of the Day The children are really enjoying this activity which gives them op- portunities to share things from home that are special to them At Kruger House, the children studied a Sea Life unit in March and the class- rooms were magically transformed into beautiful underwater sea life aquai-iur Children learned all about the mysteries of the sea and the importance of taking care of its ; cious inhabitants Then it was off to Sea World to see what we had been learning first hand 2 - parents and children joined us on this all school trip and the memories will last a life time Page 3 WE i ADULT SPORTS BY STEVE HERRERA Adult Sports season has kicked off with Basketball, Softball and Soccer leagues has something for everyone interested in sports including men, women. and coed teams. Participants at all skills levels will find a place in one of the three areas: Recrea- tional. Intermediate and Competitive. In a weeklong effort to ensure fairness for all, the Adult Sports staff spent time reviewing registrations to determine at which level to place the teams. When all is said and done, there are twenty three leagues within the division On the technical side. Adult Sports was happy to announce the launching of it's informational website on February 23rd. This website. developed to increase customer service and promote the Recreation Department's Sportsmanship program. allows teams to view standings, scores. rules, upcoming season events, field conditions and much more. The staff are happy to report that the website seems to be easing customer phone calls and unnecessary use of paper. And finally, the division is excited about taking the Recreation Department's sportsmanship pro- gram, called T.R.U.S.T.. to a new level. Beginning soon, the division will be promoting the pro- gram on banners at city athletic fields and gymnasiums. This will be just one of the first steps in implementing this wonderful new program into the Adult Sports division Finally, the Adult Sports team would like to give an extra thanks to the Ball field Maintenance crew who have been working extremely hard to keep our fifteen ball fields in top notch condition for the many leagues who use them on a daily basis Manny Villalta, Danny Villalta. Marc Lo- pez and Greg Lundquist all deserve a huge pat on the back for this important job! e..-.." 7 at Poinsettia, Stagecoach and Calavera Hills Park. The Adult Sports division - ... . AQUA rrcs BY DAVE GORSLINE Carlsbad Aquatics is about to realize an incredible dream. ..on-line program reg- istration. Thanks to a dedicated team of Recreation and I.T. staff, the-residents of Carlsbad will be able to access the City of Carlsbad's top-notch swim lessons beginning May 15th. The Aquatics staff is extremely excited to add accessibility via Internet to its arsenal of public service tools. Thousands of Carlsbad Residents participate in swim lesson registration each winter. spring and summer, and CarlsbadConnect will make the experience convenient. efficient and fun! The site has launched and is ready for browsing! Just click! When you're done registering for swim lessons. Carlsbad Aquatics has another special treat lined up for your family. On Saturday. May 15th we will once again be hosting the Avocado League Finals. a showcase for high school aquatic speed demons from around the county. Bring the kids to this event and tell them, "Hey.. . after a couple lessons from the Carlsbad Swim Instructors, that's going to be you flying across the water!" The Avocado League Finals mark the culmination of months of La Costa Canyon High School and Carlsbad High School swim meets and practices hosted by Carlsbad Aquatics. Between the successful CIF championship bids of the swim teams and the high school water polo teams, the Carlsbad Swim Complex is developing quite a collection of appreciation plaques reading, "We couldn't have done it without you". , -" Carlsbad Recre Page 4 ENRICHMENT CLASSES The new year began with some transitions on the horizon. New Recreation Supervisor Aly Mancini began in January and new Recreation Specialist. April Eynon, started just weeks after. Early on challenges were faced as we received the resignations of two of our outstanding instructors. Norman Belsterling (Martial Arts) and Michelle Alspaw (Dance). Quickly we began looking for re- placement instructors as we learned the ins and outs of proper recruitment steps. In addition, we met with several new instructors who will be adding to the variety of classes offered through the Recrea- tion Department. Beginning this summer, the Recreation Department will be offering classes in baby yoga, cartooning and self defense. We also added additional cooking camps as these wildly popular programs filled quickly and carried waiting lists with over 75 people. By Enrichmenf Class Team Thankfully. Phyllis Repicky. the veteran of the Enrichment Class team, has done an exceptional job guiding Aly and April through the ropes of the program. We look forward to many exciting changes within the class offerings and are confident that there will be many added opportunities for lifelong learning and safe places to gather STAY 'N PLAY BY RICHARD NAVARRO The Stay n Play program is reaching the end of another exciting program year. The kids in the program have worked hard all year to complete their daily homework, and staff has continued to communicate with school staff and eachers to help promote each Stay n Play kid's academic success. Excitement is in the air for the annual end of the year Knott's Berry Farm field trip, a much-anticipated reward for each kid's hard work throughout the year! Mother's Day is around the corner, and this year the Stay n Play kids will have another opportunity to participate in the Art Department's Festijando de Madrecitas art festival. Each kid will write a letter and create artwork to express their love and appreciation for their mothers. The Artworks will be on display at Holiday Park from 12:00pm-5:00pm on May 8th. Paae 5 YOUTH SPORTS BY K€VIN GRANSE Winter always seems to be the busiest time of year in the Youth Sports division as, January through March is right in the heart of the Carlsbad Youth Basketball Pro- gram. This year nearly 500 boys and girls participated in one of our most success- ful seasons ever. The quality of coaches. officiating and level of play were out- standing and only added to the overall quality of our program which also saw a huge improvement in the area of sportsmanship. The division received numerous compliments from parents who also saw these changes and are proud to have their child participate in what they see is a top league in the county. Another encouraging statistic is the number of girls that we have participating in our all-girls division. Carlsbad is one of the few cities in the county that offer this type of program for girls and we anticipate this program growing in the future. Because Sportsmanship continues to be a primary goal of this division. we also added a third step into our developmental process of young athletes. In the past, all coaches and parents became certified through the National Alliance for Youth Sports (NAYS). This season, all officials were trained and certified through NAYS in the National Youth Sports Officials Association Program. This training focused on interaction between officials. coaches, parents and players. Another highlight of the season was the participation of some of our teams in the San Diego Municipal Athletic Association basketball tournament. This year we had two teams finish in sec- ond place in the county and three others lost close games in the semi-finals. While winning is at the bottom of our list of importance when it comes to our program it is nice to hear fellow recrea- tion professionals compliment Carlsbad teams on their positive attitudes and excellent sportsman- ship. Our hard work does get noticed and it certainly pays off. Of course this would not be possi- ble without the outstanding work of our staff who are eager to spend their Saturday's scorekeep- ing. officiating and supervising the gymnasium. We are appreciative of their efforts and look forward to many of them returning for the 2004/2005 season. Currently, the youth sports staff is gearing up for it's Pee Wee Indoor Soccer Program to be held at the Stagecoach Community Center This will provide an excellent opportunity for children ages 5-7 to experience their first taste of team sports The season kicked off in April and all involved were excited about the prospects of expanding the high quality programs that the Carlsbad Rec- reation Department continues to offer =T *- %> T@*a7* SENIOR CENTER BY SENIOR CENTER STAFF TEAM The Senior Center is as busy as ever! This past season. seniors enjoyed the movies Seabiscuit. Open Range, and Under the Tuscan Sun. The seniors were also treated to special speakers that addressed the subjects of Community Resources for Seniors, staying safely independent as long as possible. Optimum Health Services (OHS). and Laughter Therapy. The Senior Center also held a St. Patrick's Day Dance with vocalist Susan Rainwater on stage with live music. The Visu- ally Impaired Support group restarted its' ongoing group. Work started with our Graphics Department. for a monthly newsletter as well as all other Seniors Center fliers and literature. Many more surprise treats are in store for the seniors in the next quarter and beyond. Almost every week will have some type of new and positive experience for our seniors. - .. :C Page 0 PARK DEVELOPMENT & CITY WIDE TRAILS by the Park Developmen? Teum The Park Development Division of the Recreation Department continues to move forward with planning, designing. and constructing community parks and trails. There are presently six park projects or parkland acquisition efforts underway in various stages. Highlighted below is a brief update on five of our current park projects and our Citywide Trails Program. Alga Norte Community Park Alga Norte Community Park is a 33-acre park located in the Southeast Quadrant, bordered by Palomar Airport Road, El Camino Real, and the La Costa Golf Course. The approved Master Plan includes base- ball fields, a dog park, a skate park, 3 tot lots, 4 basketball half courts, open space, a trail system. and an aquatics complex. The aquatics complex will include a 50-meter competition pool. a 12-lane instruction pool. a therapy pool. and a recreation component featuring slide pools and a moving river. Earlier this year. the project entered into the final design phase. Con- sultants are currently busy designing the intricate details of the park's many amenities. Final design is projected to be complete in October this year, followed by a bid period, with a possible contract award in December. The park opening is scheduled to occur in Summer 2006. ~- ~ .. . ~ ~~ ~~~ . ' . ,. . ~~ ~. ~ Aviara Community Park On March 16, 2004 the City of Carlsbad Recreation Department hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for Aviara Community Park. City Council members and Parks and Recreation Commissioners spoke of the park's significance to the community, then placed their shovels into the ground to mark the beginning of construction for the park. Aviara Community Park is located in the center of Carlsbad, at the intersection of Poinsettia Lane and Ambrosia Lane. The 14-acre, former agricultural site resides in the Aviara community portion of the Southwest Quadrant and is surrounded by 10 acres of a natural coastal sage environment with rolling hills and pano- ramic views to the south and the east. Phase One of the park will serve the community by providing picnic areas, a large tot lot, a baseball/softball field, and a synthetic turf soccer field. The public art theme of sports will be prevalent throughout the park. Construction of Phase One is scheduled to be complete by early next year. The park will open for public use in the spring of 2005. Phase II. the com- 2006 and 2010. '- SL -ILz- munity center, is anticipated to be built sometime between ~ ~~ ~~ Page 7 Northwest Quadrant Community Park Located at the site of the former Pine School, bordered by the Carlsbad Senior Center. Harding Street, and Chestnut Avenue, this 7.7-acre community park will serve the Northwest Quadrant by providing active and passive use amenities. The park includes a community center; multi-use sports fields. a hard court play area, a tot lot. a picnic area. an ornamental garden. and parking. The park development budget is $6.9 mil- lion. The Conditional Use Permit for the Northwest Quadrant Community Park was ap- proved by the Planning Commission in January of this year, allowing the park to enter into the final design phase. Design is scheduled to be completed in August, with a pro- jected construction bid award and begin of construction in early Autumn 2004. The park is scheduled to open in early Summer 2006. Northeast Quadrant Park In an effort to provide additional activity play fields in the Northwest Quadrant, the City is in the process of securing an additional park location in the Northeast Quadrant. The city is currently negotiating with a landowner in the Robertson Ranch area to acquire a parcel of at least 10 acres of non-constrained land in which to build the park. The park is intended primarily for soccer fields, but may also include picnic areas, a tot lot. and parking.