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Culture & Parks-Recreation City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report PARKS AND RECREATION MISSION STA TE.ME.NT: To provide year round recreation opportunities and facilities to enhance the lives of all members of the community. YEAR IN REVIEW In 2004, the Ice Arena, Recreation, Senior Center, and Park Maintenance Departments were combined to form the Parks and Recreation Department. All of the functions and services of this department compliment each other, and by uniting them into one department, the city will be able to provide better service and use resources more efficiently. RECREATION Achievements · Successfully implemented online registration. · Reserved approximately 7,300 hours of recreational facilities. Of these hours, 3,135 were athletic facilities, 1,441 hours were Lions Park Center, and the remaining hours were trails, parks, and park shelters. Services · Warming House Supervision. · Management of Emporium Teen Center, Lions Park Center, Trott Brook Farms Barn, Youth Athletic Concession Stand, Orono Softball Concession Stand, Disc Golf Course, and MSF Tournaments taking place at Elk River sites. · Clearinghouse for athletic associations. · Reserve park shelters, fields, and parks. · Coordination of the city Employee Wellness Committee. · Second rink at Handke School available to reserve for organized practices. Community Events/Partners · Elk River 4th of July Festival · Business Expo · Athletic Associations · Boys and Girls Club · YMCA · Elk River Area Arts Alliance · ISO 728 Athletics · ISO 728 Community Education · Various community groups providing recreational opportunities City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report AGE AGE PROGRAMS OFFERINGS GROUP #OF OPP. PROGRAMS GROUP #OF OPP. 3 on 3 Basketball Tourney Gr. 4-9 2 Kids Garage Sale 12 & Under I 4 Square Tourney Gr. 2-5 I Kindergarten Kamp K 2 Adult Leagues Adults 5 Lacrosse Camp 6-14 Yrs. I Art Express K-5 2 Lions Den Summer Camp K-5 55 days Art in the Park All Ages 12 Mad Scientists K-5 2 BLAST! Babysitting 10+ Yrs. 2 Mini U Pass 4-12 Yrs. 8/wk Cabin Fever All Ages I Open Gyms All Ages 9/wk Certification for Fitness Inst. Adults 5 Outings K-5 22 Cheer America 4+ Yrs. 6 Parent's Night Out 4-8 Y rs. 5 Coach's Training Adults 2 Prenatal Yoga Adults 2 Community Garage Sale All Ages I Red Cross Babysitting 11+ Yrs. 5 Cross Country Skiing 5-14 Yrs. I Safety Camp 7-11 Yrs. I Eager Elks Sports 4-6 Y rs. 8 Santa's Workshop K-5 I Easter Egg Hunt and More All Ages 8 Skating Academy 4+ Yrs. 57 Entertainment in the Park All Ages II Skiing Events Gr. 4-9 6 Extra! Extra! K-5 2 SPARK! 7-12Yrs. 2 Family Fright Night All Ages I Sports Camps/Clinics 4-14 Yrs. 13 Firearms Safety 11+ Yrs. 3 Summer Soccer League 7-12 Yrs. 4 Fishing Events 3+ Yrs. 2 Super Sports K-5 I Fitness/U Pass Adults 8-9/wk T-ball 3-6 Yrs. 6 Fun and Fitness 2-5 Y rs. Tennis 7+ Yrs. 8 Girl Power Gr. 2-5 4 Tumbling 2-7 Yrs. 13 Great Games K-5 2 Wellness Special Events Adults 3 Halloween Fun Run All Ages I Wiggles and Giggles 4-6 Y rs. 4 Hockey Leagues Youth 2 Winter Wonderland K-5 I Intramural Sports Gr. 9-12 2 Young Americans Self Defense 4+ Yrs. 4 Just Imagine K-5 2 Youth Golf League 8-14 Yrs. I Youth Golf Lessons 8-14 Yrs. 3 ICE ARENA The City of Elk River made substantial investment in the Ice Arena in 2004. · The major story this year for the Arena was the Barn's floor. In the fall of 2003 over 165 repairs to the cooling pipes were needed. After reviewing all the information regarding the Barn's floor, the City Council approved plans to move forward with the replacement of the rink floor. Fifteen miles of steel pipe were .used in the construction of the new floor. · New hockey boards and Plexiglas were installed in the Barn. Combined with the new floor this provides a high quality second rink. · Another project that was completed was the shooting area upstairs in the Barn on the south end. The area has two shooting stations and enough area where stick handling and other exercises can be performed. The area is free to use by all Arena customers. · The Olympic rink floor is a sand base floor. Over the last few years, we have dealt with the sand being uneven in some areas of the rink, which caused some high spots in the ice. This summer, when we took the ice out of the Olympic rink, leveled the sand by removing some of it and leveling it with a laser. City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report · The second Zamboni spent most of the summer at the city garage to receive a major overhaul this past summer. The mechanics spent a lot of time rebuilding several components that were in need of repairs. SENIOR CENTER · Intergenerational Programs-Throughout the year there are many opportunities for youth to participate and interact at the Center. Headstart, Girl Scouts, church youth groups and choirs, and the Boys & Girls Club were all involved in 2004. This was the first time we did an eight-week summer program with the Boys & Girls Club. The highlight was the participation in "Fear Factor" type games. · Music-Music can play an important part in the lives of older adults. A variety of entertainers and music programs perform throughout the year. The Foxy Trotters (senior tap dancers) will begin their 14th year. The Silvertones (senior vocal group) will be in their 19th year. This past year the Silvertones added entertaining duets by "Sven and Ole," our favorite Minnesotans, and have added rhythm instruments. · Senior Center Week-Every May brings one of the highlights of the year. During this week, every day there is a speaker or special program. Two of the favorite events were Steve Dittbenner giving a demonstration on portable defibrillators and a visit from "Wildlife Conneaion of Sandstone." Everyone got a chance to get "up close" with a timber wolf, cougar, red fox, and a lively baby black bear. · During 2004, we established an ongoing partnership with ERPD with the common goal of educating older adults in personal safety and being watchful of our community. The police chief contributes monthly articles to the Center's newsletter and the crime prevention specialist visits the Center once a month with an educational program. · Monthly Senior Dance/Elk River Legion-We were asked to take over the coordination of the monthly Senior Dances in January 2004. Dances are held on the second Thursday of every month. This activity includes live music, a light lunch, and door prizes. Volunteers prepare the lunch and help with the admission. Two hundred and twenty- one individuals attended the dances with 788 people attending throughout the year. This program is paying for itself and we have positive comments on the music groups that we are booking. In 2004 we received numerous written testimonies, including the following excerpts: "As a volunteer helping other seniors, I have met people who I would not have otherwise had the opportunity to meet" <Thanks for all the helpful, entertaining, and just plain great things you provide and do for us." "Every program I attended, the participants were so friendly!" "I am 82 years old and the Senior Center supplies new life and acquaintances to me, my wife, and all others in my category." PARKS AND FACILITIES MAINTENANCE The structural changes in staffing created an opportunity to focus on park maintenance and development. Development highlights of 2004 include: · Volunteers played a substantial role in maintaining our parks. Adopt-A-Park volunteers picked up litter and notified staff about needed repairs. The Elk River Nordic Ski Club City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report prepared and groomed the ski trails at Woodland Trails. Prairie establishment and maintenance was largely a volunteer effort with substantial savings for the city. · Lions Park-Office remodeling, completion of the skate park, landscape improvements, new lights and benches, paving of parking lots, basketball courts and trails, and a park entrance sign. · Highland West-New basketball court, new trees and benches, drainage improvements, .and prairie establishment. · Trott Brook-Completed first phase of Trott Brook Barn, making it available for public rental. · Youth Athletic Complex-Completion of Fields 5 and 6, completion of concession stand, and repairs to the BMX track. · Woodland Trails-Installation of gates along Great Northern Trail, addition of new ski trail. · Riverplace Park-New benches and trees. · Park Maintenance mowed over 100 acres each week from May through October, · Plowed 40 miles of pedestrian trails with each snowfall. · Maintained three hockey and open skating rinks. · Removal of over 400 oak wilt infected trees. · Care of flower gardens at City Hall, downtown, the Library, Lions Park, Chamber of Commerce site, and Orono Park. PARK PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT Staff developed improvement projects for 14 city parks. The budget for these projects is $646,000, which the City Council approved in December 2004. These projects will begin construction in spring of 2005. The highlights of these plans are: Design of three park master plans: · Windsor Park · West Oaks · Kliever Point Park Improvement Projects · Lights at Handke School Rink. · Dog Park at Lions Park. · Tennis courts and parking lot at Trott Brook. · Entrance and interpretive signage at Woodland Trails. · Soccer field and picnic shelter at Y AC. · Design concept for Rivers Edge commons. · System-wide: benches, picnic tables, entrance signs, and trees. · Collaborate with Sherburne County Soil and Water Conservation District to establish a rain garden at Orono Park. City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report STATISTICS RECREATION Yearly Participation Growth Comparison 1 1 000 9000 7000 '.n E- 5000 n81 z 4175-1273 ~ ::: 38-!j ~ 3330 E- ~ 3000 ~ p.. t.L. 0 ~ 1 000 u.l "" ..-. => z -1000 ~~ ~"") ~~ ~~ ~~ ~"'-.. ~~ ~~ ~~ ~, ~~ ~"") ~~ ,~ ,~ ,~ ,~ ,~ ,~ ,~ ,~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ YEAR 2004 Residency Comparison City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report ICE ARENA Elk River Boys Elk River Girls Rogers Boys Roger's Girls B.B.L. High School Game Attendance 2003-2004 4,677 2,162 1,926 659 1,569 2004-2005 3,998 (with two games remaining) 1,767 1,962 (with one game remaining) 1,135 1,232 (with one game remaining) Elk River Boys Elk River Girls Roger's Boys Roger's Girls Becker Big Lake Ice Arena Use in Hours 1800 1600 1578.25 1400 DJune 03 thru May 04 1405.75 1200 _June 04 thru Mav 05 (estimated values for Marc~ - May 05) ~ 1000 ::l l'! ::l ~ 800 Total Hours 867 11I2004 3,783.67 .2005 4,057.92 (estimated) 755.25 600 466.5 484.58 489.17 422.75 400 200 o Adult Hockey Arena Rec Clinics Figure Skating HS HS Games Individuals Programs pd Youth per time Hockey City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report I SENIOR CENTER # of Persons Participating-Unduplicated 1,205 1,058 1,169 1,367 # of Senior and Non-Senior Volunteers 103 101 84 104 # of Recorded Volunteer Hours-RSVP 3,559 3,091 3,645 3,842 # of Persons Receiving Newsletters 894 907 924 947 # of Persons on Tours-Duplicated 242 272 373 206 # of Persons using Computers 48 35 47 55 Community Ed Participants-Unduplicated 124 317 428 466 Inactive (Moved or Deceased) 16 91 96 126 Annual Statistic Comparison Workload 2001 2002 2003 2004 Measures Actual Actual Actual Actual PARK MAINTENANCE 2004 Park Maintenance Activities Mowing 100 acres weekly Pathway Plowing 40 miles each snowfall Tree Removal 400 + trees Benches Installed 16 Garbage Corrals Installed 12 Park Entrance Signs Installed 6 Trees Planted 20 Gardens Maintained 22 Ice Rinks Flooded 3 Ballfields Lined 16 weekly I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I STAFF DIRECTORY NAME Bill Maertz Chris Leeseberg Recreation Michele Bergh RaeAnn Gardner Jackie Riebel T onya Love Connie Schwecke Janice Perszyk Ice Arena Rich Czech Jerry Davis Case Hayward Senior Center Sue Kostanshek Annette Bonin Park Maintenance Terry Bye Amy Borst Phil Barsody Steve Stoffers City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report TITLE Parks and Recreation Director Parks Planner/Planner Recreation Manager Recreation Assistant/Marketing Recreation Assistant/Customer Service Recreation Assistant/Customer Service Concessions Coordinator Skating Academy Director Arena Manager Maintenance Supervisor Night Supervisor Senior Citizen Coordinator Senior Center Activity Assistant Park Foreman Park Maintenance Park Maintenance Park Maintenance START DATE July 2004 April 200 I December 1992 May 1995 November 2003 April 2002 February 1997 January 1997 November 1999 January 1997 September 1985 August 2000 October 1987 March 1999 December 1997 December 2000 In addition to full time staff, the Parks and Recreation Department employs approximately 70 part time and seasonal staff throughout the year. City of Ell< River 2004 Annual Report 2005 GOALS & PROJECTS RECREATION · The year 2005 will be the first year Parks and Recreation will manage Adult Softball Leagues at Orono complex. · Continue to increase awareness of the new Parks and Recreation Department. · Continue to increase participation and programming. · Continue to strengthen relationships with other community groups who provide program opportunities. · Increase programming at Trott Brook Farms Barn. · Increase awareness and sales at the Youth Athletic Complex concession stand. · Increase awareness and use of internet registration. ICE ARENA · Examine options for building new office space for the arena manager. The current office space is in poor condition and is isolated from the rest of the facility. · One of the objectives for 2005 has already been completed; a railing has been installed on the bleachers in the students section. This railing was needed to keep students away from the glass so they could not lean on it during Varsity games. · This year we will be installing a water softener for the Arena. The water softener will soften all the water throughout the building. The water softener will allow us to use lower temperature water when we resurface the ice, which will result in a cost savings for the Arena. In addition, the water softener will remove minerals from the water resulting in clearer, cleaner ice. · Continue efforts to schedule equipment maintenance and replacement in order to balance the costs over a ten-year cycle. · Install new rubber matting in three locker rooms in the Olympic rink. · Explore the cost of installing rubber matting on the walking track. Rubber matting would make the walking track more comfortable, and give the area a finished look that is easier to clean. · Some other general projects that are performed yearly are; painting areas of the rink where needed; thorough cleaning throughout the building; and routine maintenance to Arena equipment. SENIOR CENTER · Continue to comply fully with the Americans with Disabilities Act by providing reasonable accommodations that allow persons with disabilities access to our programs and services. · Continue to provide a welcoming environment for all older adults in our community. · For all people (seniors, staff, family members, visitors) to treat each other with dignity, respect, and fairness. · Provide a friendly, pressure-free environment where older adults can have access to computers, training, and the Internet. · To add one more computer with Internet access and color printer. · To develop a computer Users Club for the participants who use the computer lab. City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report · Continue to recruit volunteers and expand volunteer opportunities to include volunteer leaders of activities and clerical support. · Continue program development and expansion of current programming. · To continue community networking to increase the awareness of the Senior Center and to increase the Center's visibility. PARKS AND FACILITIES MAINTENANCE · Take on the field maintenance at the Orono ball field complex. · Establish best practice standards for maintenance of parks and facilities in order to assure quality control. · Continue to update and expand equipment and fleet in order to keep up with the demands of a rapidly growing park system. · Assist with all park development projects as needed. PARKS PLANNING AND BUDGET · Implementation of the 2005 Capital Improvement Plan. · Refining the 10-year Capital Improvement Plan. · Identifying land acquisition needs. · Determine land acquisition funding sources. Potential sources include, park dedication funds, a parks and open space referendum, state and federal grants. · Develop the 2006 Parks Capital Improvement Plan. City of Ell< River 2004 Annual Report ELK RIVER PUBLIC LIBRARY A Branch of Great River Regional Library MISSION STATEME.NT: Great River Regional Library develops, organizes and makes available to the public a useful collection of books and information resources. Great River Regional Library Provides · Free access to community focused services for a diverse population · Assistance and guidance in utilizing those services and materials · Lifelong learning opportunities Regional System: Elk River Public Library is one of 32 Great River Regional Libraries encompassing six counties in central Minnesota. Responsibilities of Great River Regional Library The staffing, salaries and benefits, collection development, delivery service, automation repair, phone service, circulation system, fax service, telecommunications, administration, cataloging, Internet access, operating policies and procedures. Annual Circulation 2003: 240,322 Annual Circulation 2004: 269,247 Collection Size: As part of a consolidated Regional Public Library System, residents of Elk River have access to a collection of nearly 900,000 items, inter-library loan services with other libraries throughout the United States, Internet access through our website, and fax access to information services and materials at our headquarters in St. Cloud. The collection at the Elk River Public Library stands at over 37,000 items. Internet Access: 4 public Internet terminals Website: www.griver.org City of Ell< River 2004 Annual Report YEAR IN REVIEW · In November Great River Regional Library transferred to a new automated system called Horizon. · The City of Elk River paid off the debt of our Library expansion/remodeling project of 1995. · Additional property was purchased for purposes of expansion. The Kohler property was purchased and debris was taken away in November. · We expanded our RSVP Volunteer program to help with overload. Volunteers do calling to remind patrons that items are in, fill out weeding slips, and handle new book check-in. · The Library Board started an advocacy campaign. They spent last year drafting a letter for county commissioners and plan on spending next year working more directly with them by attending a meeting and presenting a PowerPoint presentation. · The City of Elk River adopted the "Library Branch Agreement" agreement between Great River Regional Library and the city. · New seating was purchased for the reading area. · Lighting was replaced in the parking lot. · The Library Board took part in a goal setting session with other city departments. Goals: [] To prepare for a Library expansion project. [] Advocacy for the Library. · Educating the public about the benefits of the Library and how to take advantage of our services. · Working with other groups in the community such as the Arts Alliance and Historical Society in mutually beneficial collaborations. · We feel programming is essential to instilling a love of reading that will give a lifetime of enjoyment. People throughout the community attended programs offered by the public library. · The annual Summer Library Program attracted 450 children. There were 229 children who finished the program by reading 15 books. The Summer Library Program extends the learning process created by the school curriculum to teach reading skills and helps students maintain their reading level throughout the summer. · Because of the excellent customer service work of the staff, circulation reached an all time high. City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report STATISTICS CIRCULATION STATISTICS 2004 PRiN~ r~--PRiNT--- 1-- MEDIA --- r- MEDIA 2003 2004 2003 2004 TOTAL 2003 TOTAL 2004 i 1IAiU--~--"------~--~ Ii-------------~ r--~-"-"--~- ,----"----"------~~- r-------~-~ ~---- , I JANUARY I 15,426 1 14,913 I 3,856 i 5,723 i 19,282 I 20,636 , i i i i I I FEBRUARY---------IT4,746 ---------1'i4:943---~ !I697---------I-s~254 - 1--18,443 -- f2oJ9T~--- i ;! I 1 1 ! ' ; , I I MARCH 82 I-Ts,993------ r-4;338-----1-6~~---- 1 I i I APRfC----~- 15,i50~-~-- f 15,652--14;017 1 5,654 ! ' l p\IAY---~---1-12,810~-I---f4]T2------I3,~--p,497 i 16,723 1 1 ;, rIuNE----------1I7,066-------- 19,171 r~4,902------~-, 6,550-~! 2I,968~-1 25,721 -~ I ! 1 ~! If(jIY~---~ I 20,59cj---~ I-S,443 i 6,959 I 24,676 [27.558 - IAUGUST------I--jS~225~----"- 1"5.174 ~---- r6,725~--------1 20,827--~- r 24,950----- I I' I i I I SEPTEMBER --~49f------IT~507~-r-5,253-~-~1 5,955 119,752 122,462 ! I i I ! ' i r-OCTO~BErf ------- 1 15,7 64------ I-T6;95Y~-- -- r-S,5 10- --16;645------------ 121,2'74 ---~ 123;-597 ----- I 1 1 I I i l NOVEMBER----- rT3,715------- rj3~cj48 ~--1-4:958 ---- r-:5,766 18,673 r 9,714 rbE-CEMBE~-[-Ti:3S-5--~I-i2.267~-----r5~332-----r5,505 ---~117,717 117,772 r-T83,9i9------1196,68-2~-!56:I9I-----i 72,565 I 240,322~-r-269,247-~-- 121,720 1'9,267 - --I 25,325 121,306 1 I 20,009 ! .:. Highest circulating branch Library in Great River Regional Library. City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report CIRCULATION STATISTICS 2003 - 2004 300,000 50,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 o PRINT CIRCULATION 2003 - 2004 200,000 180,000 160,000 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 o MEDIA CIRCULATION 2003 - 2004 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 o DEPARTMENT STAFF Great River Regional Library Employees NAME Mick Stoffers Laura Cassiday Janice Connolly Jennifer Kreger Monica Miller Terry PfIeghaar Pam Wagman Rose Bailey Rita Dreissig Rita Schmahl TITLE Branch Librarian III Branch Assistant Branch Assistant Branch Assistant Branch Assistant Branch Assistant Branch Assistant Library Aide Library Aide Library Aide City of EII< River 2004 Annual Report START DATE September 16, 1985 July 25, 200 I October 10, 1995 November 15, 2000 August 30, 1995 October 24, 1996 July 13, 1994 December 2, 1998 August 28, 2003 September 24, 1999 City of Elk River 2004 Annual Report 2005 GOALS & PROJECTS · Continue our advocacy project. o Meetings have been set up with the county commissioners. o Board members will be attending legislative day at the state capitol. o Website information will be advertised. o Channel 12 cable information will be updated. · Work with the Friends of the Elk River Library to develop 'Book Club' kits that will be available through Great River Regional library to book discussion groups throughout the region. Work on a grant is in progress. · Purchase new office chairs for the front desk. area and buy additional chairs for the reading area. · Weed the non-fiction sections in both the juvenile and adult sections. This will make room for new titles rotated throughout the system. · Furniture original to the 1975 building will be replaced for more comfortable seating. · Continue staff training on new databases, Horizon, and window based programs.