4.3. SR 10-19-1998ity of
MEMORANDUM
Item #4.3.
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
Mayor and City Council
Patrick Klaers, City Administrator
October 19, 1998
Community Recreation Board Update
Community Recreation Director Jeff Asfahl manages the city recreation
programs. Jeff is an employee of the Community Recreation organization, of
which Elk River is a member. Councilmember Holmgren is the city
representative on this organization.
The Community Recreation Board is meeting on October 19, 1998. Attached
for your information is the agenda and background material from this
meeting. Jeff will be at the City Council meeting on the 19th to provide an
update on October Community Recreation activities.
\Xelkriver \sys\shr doc\council\comr ocud.doc
13065 Orono Parkway · P.O. Box 490 · Elk River, MN 55330 · TDD & Phone: (612) 441-7420 · Fax: (612) 441-7425
Elk River Park and Recreation Commission
Community Recreation Update-October 14, 1998
- "Youthbound": Early in the school year attendance was slow but has been steadily
increasing the past couple of weeks. Recent past weekends have drawn very good
attendance. At present we are open Mort - Sat. We may consider some modification at
some point down the line. We are offering pool and pingpong tournaments that appear
to be popular. We are also learning that they want more space to "lounge ". We have
since received some donated couches and tv/vcr that is helping to create lounging
opportunities.
- Fall '98 Recreation: Our Fall activities brochure was delivered August 26th and
registration began September 3rd. We are currently working on our Holiday season
activities brochure. This brochure will be delivered on Wed. Oct. 21 st. and will contain
some information related to the Park improvement / Aquatic Center referendum.
- Update: Family Sleigh Ride at Woodland Trails: At the September meeting the
commission agreed that this would be a good program to offer this winter. Recreation
staff are looking at making this available on a Saturday afternoon. Dates under current
consideration are: Jan. 23, Feb. 6, or Feb. 13. We know that the Otsego Park and
Recreation Commission offers a Winterfest usually late January that offers sleigh rides,
so we will want to avoid offering this program on the same date. The commission also
expressed that treats and an indoor staging area would be important. We will make the
necessary arrangements with the Golf Course management for use of their facility.
- Minnesota Recreation And Park Association Conference. See the attached
brochure.This annual conference is taking place this November 4-6 in St. Paul. I am
planning to attend. I know that Phil has attended some of these in prior years as well.
Perhaps some of you would be interested.
- Update, BMX organization: The group continues to meet regularly. They are close to
completing their tasks associated with receiving official non-profit status as an
organization. They have met (Steve W. and I were at this meeting also) with Gary
Shjoquist From Quality Bike Products and I believe his experience and willingness to
help them will be good. As you know heis also working with Steve W. on the
development of Mountain Biking at Hillside. The BMX group appears to be a few
months away from any formal proposal to the Park Commission. Meanwhile, Steve W.
is working on the physical space requirements etc, related to BMX development.
Please call me with any questions. 241-3523.
Community Recreation Board
Notice of Meeting
Monday October 19, 1998 - Suggested arrival 11:30 am ( meeting will start @ 11:45)
LaRose's - Elk River
? Your attendance is always important! If you cannot make the meeting please arrange
to send an alternate or notify me at 241-3523 that you will not be in attendance. Thank
you!
To aid in our best use of your time, please plan to arrive and get your meal ordered or
help yourself at the buffet and be ready to begin meeting at 11:45. We will then take a
short break around 12:05 -12:10 to refill your plate.
AGENDA
A.) CALL MEETING TO ORDER 11:45
B.) CONSIDER / CHANGES TO AGENDA
C.)Routine Items:
C.1) Approve minutes from: 9/14/98 regular meeting
D.) STAFF REPORTS / INFORMATIONAL UPDATES:
* Review: FEATURE program or service of the month
D.1) Youth Initiatives update: Youthbound, BMX,
D.2) Fall '98 program and Holiday Brochure update
D.3) Minnesota Recreation and Park Assoc. Conf.
D.4) 10/14 Star News Article / Youth Month Proclamations
D.5) Program staff recruitment challenges
D.6) 1999 planning/coordination with Summer Youth Assoc. Co-op
OTHER
E.) COMMUNITY REPORTS: Community representative reports of items of interest or
concern.
F.) DISCUSSION / BOARD ACTION ITEMS:
El) Consider appointments to collaborative "Program Development Committee"
W/CE & ECFE
E2) Next step to regional planning efforts
E3) Discuss benefits of a Concessions trailer and related potential to acquire
G.) SET NEXT MEETING: Consider Monday November 16
H.) ADJOURNMENT
Agenda Item Background
C.) ROUTINE ITEMS:
C.1) Consider approval of Minutes from 9/14/98
D.) STAFF REPORTS / INFORMATIONAL UPDATES:
** Please also find Michele's program report enclosed
D.1) Youth Initiatives - Youthbound, BMX: Youthbound sponsored a float in the
Homecoming parade. This was an excellent marketing opportunity for Youthbound.
SEveral Youthbound participants helped decorate the float ( we pulled a pontoon) and
also rode along. Roger rode the unit as well. Attendance has been very good, especially
on the weekend evenings. We have introduced pool and ping-pong tournaments that
have been very successful. We are also learning they want more "lounging"
opportunities and we have recently acquired some donated couches, tv/vcr, that are
helping us to meet those desires.
The BMX organization continues to move along. I understand, with the help of Ron
Black they are near completion of receiving their 501 c3 non profit status. This group
has their sights aimed at opening a BMX facility in Elk River.
D.2) Fall 1998 Program Update: Registration began Sept. 3rd and has been good.
Thus far we have registered 684 participants in Community Recreation programs. This
figure does not include adult athletic league participants or all expected at the hayride.
( we count only one for the hayride, as they register as a family) A guesstimate to
include these two areas would bring the number to approx 960. The Holiday Brochure
just went to press and will be delivered 10/21. The next Brochure comes out Dec. 30th.
D.3) Minnesota Recreation and Park Association Conference: Scheduled for
November 4-6. Michele and I will be attending many of these sessions. This is always a
good conference. Please see the enclosed information on the conference.
D.4) 10/14/98 Star News Article / Youth Month proclamations: Enclosed is a copy
of the 10/14 article. I thought it was well done. Statistical data has been passed on to
the the Star News and Crow River News related to the Youth month proclamation for
their release.
D.5) Program staff recruitment challenges: We are having difficulty in finding
qualified individuals to carry out some of our programs. The employment market is
very good and making it difficult to compete.
D.6) Planning for 1999 with the Youth Athletic Associations: I expect that the ball
diamonds and soccer fields at the 2 new Junior Highs will be available for play this
Spring/Summer. Considerations need to be given to scheduling and maintenance
expectations. Thus far each community has approached these same considerations
differently. It seemed to work ok with just the elementary facilities, as their use was
more basic. The expanded facilities available at the Junior Highs will require more
attention and changes to past practice of the user groups and communities involved.
Other:
E.) Community Reports: All representatives are encouraged to share items of interest,
current events, etc. or concerns that the Community Recreation Board should be aware
of.
E Discussion / Board Action Items:
El) Consider appointments to the newly established Collaborative Planning
Committee: As discussed last month, staff representatives from Com. Rec. CE and
ECFE developed a concept that would help to increase program development
efficiencies and awareness. At our last meeting the Recreation Board supported this
idea. It is now time to consider the appointments / desired make up of this committee.
E2) Discuss next step to Regional planning: Recent agendas have not enabled us to
move forward in this area. Back in May we hosted a special meeting of to learn of
future plans that each community has. This was a good start. The Recreation Board
should determine what is next. I noticed that the District has completed their
Comprehensive Facilities plan and is beginning to seek input. The report included that
they are open to developing partnerships.
F.3) Discuss the benefits of a concession trailer and related potential to acquire:
Paul Krause, the owner of Pinewood Golf Course has a concession trailer that he no
longer has a need for. It is an approx. 20 feet long, camping trailer that has been
converted to sell concessions from. Throughout the summer Paul and I had various
conversations about the trailers potential to assist the various associations with their
concessions ability during events they host and ways that our programs could utilize it.
I would like to further discuss this potential and its benefits to our program and to the
area youth associations.
COMMUNITY RECREATION BOARD
Minutes Fr: 9/14/98
Attendance: Staff: J. Asfahl- Comm. Rec., C. McNaughton-Commers Dist. 728 Com.
Education, Community Representatives: Gary Eitel - City of Rogers, Mark Berning - City of
Otsego, Roger Holmgren - City of Elk River, Zach Fox - ISD 728
Community Representatives absent: Dayton, Hassan
A.) Call meeting to order. - The meeting was called to order at 12:00 noon.
B.) Changes / additions to agenda: None
C.) Consider consent agenda: Minutes from 8/3/98 Approved on a motion by Mark Beming,
seconded by Gary Eitel. Motion carried.
D.) Staff Reports / Informational Updates: The following report items were reviewed: Youth
Initiatives update, Summer '98 program update, Fall '98 program planning update, Report on
the Collaboration workshop that was held 8/31/98, Report on a recent Park and Recreation
Value / Benefits workshop, Information related to the important role of coordinating
scheduling and maintenance of fields. Info. was shared on a Youth Enrichment grant program.
Zach Fox commented on his experience with mass registration. Discussion followed on ways in
which this process has changed and what other improvementns could be implemented. It may
not be as expensive as once thought to better utilize technology. Zach offered his willingness to
assist with further considerations.
E.) Discussion / Board Action Items:
E.1) Review member community, comments on the proposed '99 budget: It appears that
each community is satisfied with the budget and the formula.
E.2) Consider development of a collaborative "Pro,am Development Committee": JA
asked for feedback on the establishment of this committee as conceived by staff representatives
from Com. Rec. CE and ECFE. This committee will help to increase awareness and assist with
overall development of goals for programming and related services.
The Board supported this concept and urged implementation.
E.3) Con~ider October a~ Youth Month Proclamation: In an effort to create awareness that
there is in fact a "lot to do for youth" and numerous organizations to prove it. JA developed a
proclamation that could be adopted and promoted. See the proclamation attached.
Approved on a motion by Gary Eitel, seconded by Zach Fox. Motion carried.
Motion to adjourn at 1:10 by Mark berning seconded by Gary Eitel. Motion carried.
Next regular meeting: Monday October 19, 1998. Larose's Pizza
Respectfully Submitted:
Staff Report
Michele Bergh
October 1998
Fall Programming
All Fall programs will be coming to and end in the next couple of weeks. This Fall has ran very
smoothly and people seem happy with the programs they have participated in.
Holiday Programming
The brochure is delivered October 21. Registration begins immediately this session. These activities
will run for the months of November and December.
Open Gyms
Open Gyms begin the first week of November. ! have almost all of the open gym shifts covered. We
have a total of 10 open gyms running each week in Rogers, Otsego and Elk River.
Employment
We are having a difficult time finding employees for some of our programs. Jeff and I are currently
running some of the Pee Wee programs rather than cancelling them. We ran and ad in three different
papers for two weeks and didn't get any applicants from it. This ad was done in cooperation with
Community Education and they didn't get any applicants either. Community Recreation,
Community Education and the Elk River Arena have also gone in on a couple of portable signs
advertising positions open - one is placed in front of the Arena on School Street and the other is at
Youthbound and these signs haven't generated any applicants yet either.
MRPA Conference
The conference is November 4, 5 and 6 in St. Paul. I have signed up for the following workshops:
Marketing
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Managing Stress Before it Manages You
Can a Careerist Lead a Balanced Life
Keynote Topics during the conference are:
Achieving Organizational Excellence
Value-Based Pricing
How to Capitalize on Future Opportunities...Today
Managerial Communication
Dealing with Challenging Customers
Managing to Serve
How to Give Effective Presentations
The Five Laws of Leadership
Building Sustainable Communities &
Environment
ot ego continues ;to.back-Community Recreation**
by Jim Boyle
Sfaff w~lter
The Otsego City Council has
once again renewed its com-
mitment to the Community
RecredUon program.
But unlike last year, council
members did i~ without hesita.
Last t'eJl, t~e eoun~l mem.
bersh~p questioned the £alr*
ness of Community Recrea-
Uon assessment practices.
They' alan wondered ~iow muc]~
Otae/~3 residents actually par,
tlcipated in the program.
The council's tine el'question.
lng led to s tow chansee,.
incline]lng one to the p~ogram's
budget formula. Pax~lpa~
ctdes of Oommunity Rec are
now be assessed partly baaed
on particJpatlon..]r.:acl~ partfet-
pa~ng cit~; will also be
assessed a fiat ~ee. ~ 'past
years, cities web's only
assessed a ~aL faa.
The change was implement-
ed ~n 1998. People. ine~_uc~nW
members o~ tho Res BoA
l~ked it, 8o It w~ a~e~
~e new f~ula ~e~s
~st relafi~ to ~o~
pa~lolpatJon," s~d Je~
Asfahl, t~ C~m~ity
~aUon p~am dancer,
0te~ wtll pay about
~i9,800 ~ be a paU af the
CommunltF ~c pro.am,
a~ut ~8~ m~e t~an
Otaego p~d a~u~ i~,700 ~n
1997 w~n pa~ctpa~n
]0~r.
Otsego ~cil members
liked the changes. '
~a eo~il ~und the
~one mede s~sof said ~ike
b~s~n, O~oggs city
miaJs~rat~. 'The budget
wes much mo~ a~ptab]e.'
~e ~ommunity ~o depa~-
m~t has else e[eare~ up
· Per,pOUCh levels by s~w.
U'~ore tees als~)
increase~ tn two ways.
· Non-resident ~artlcipants,
lika kids from ~immorman,
will pay 60 percent more to
participate lit Community Rec
than residents of participating
~itles.
-There wee also a 12 percent
aurcharge added to individual
pro,ems to allow use' f'ses to
pity for a sl~re of admlnistra.
riva costs.
'Essentially, we're making
the users respeneJb].e for more
of the coots of tho program,"
Azf..M said. ~?e .olved a prob.
tam, kept our p.rtner~hip and
we're probably stronger today
becauM OF lt."
Otsego . council members
agree.
"1 believe, the council is
happy the way the C, om_m. ~untty
Rec~)udget ia set up now, said
Mark BerninL a member OF
~e Oteego coundl who also
serve, on the Oonunurdty Roe
'were 'Board and the Otsego l~rk
end Rec Board.
Asfehl belleves there is
rroeater understanding of the
nd scope of Community
Recreation.
'We're more t~anJust a t-ball
prod'ram,' Asfah] said. '~ha
Rec Board helped make this
evident."
In ~dit!on to offertn~' s w/de
variety o~' programs like nth-
]etics, camps0 tntremurals,
open flYm and training, Com-
muntty Recreation else does
.~hin~ like s.taffice rink warm.
mg nome In the winter, pttt
on earn[vela and offm- enter.
tntmnent tn the parks, it also
serves as a clearinghouse of
~nformattan in the commtmtty
end coordinates use of a~ea
fie]ds and facilities.
They have else sstab0fshed
Youthbound and helped get a
skate park up end running.