Town of Pittsford, Vermont

Recreation Director’s Report 

November 7, 2005

            What happened to the great weather we were having in September, almost the entire month of October it rained. It rained so much that unfortunately it affected some of the Recreation Department’s outdoor activities. The Saturday morning Youth Soccer program lost a day and half due to the unrelenting rain. On the last day of the program, the awards ceremony turned into a very chilly and windy event that only a few dedicated families came out to enjoy. On the following Saturday the Recreation Department and the Maclure Library co-sponsored our 4^th Annual Pittsford Pumpkin Party at the Recreation Area. The morning started out foggy and overcast with no rain so we optimistically decided to go forward with the event as scheduled. Not long after the decision was made to still run the program a steady mist began to fall that never let up until much later that day. The “moist” conditions did deter some families from joining us; however those 80+ who did attend had a great time picking out their own pumpkins to decorate and take home. When kids took a break from creating their own masterpieces they were treated to apples, fresh popped popcorn, and apple cider and hot chocolate to wash it all down with. The popular hayride portion of the event had to be cancelled due to steady mist falling and the wet ground conditions; however that didn’t stop some families from exploring the Recreation Area on their own, especially the kids who wore rubber boots who stomped through as many puddles as they could find. Bonnie Stewart, from the Maclure Library and I both consider the program to be a success even though the numbers were down approximately 1/3 from our average over the last 3 years. Many Pittsford residents were able to come out and enjoy our program; we feel more would have joined us if the weather wasn’t so unfavorable.

            On Friday, October 28, at the VT Police Academy, the Pittsford Recreation Department hosted its annual Halloween Teen Dance. The event was extremely successful with 235 teens (7-10 graders) attending, the second highest attendance ever! You might recall a new record was set last year at the Halloween Dance when 261 teens attended. Overall the large group was easy to manage, everyone for the most part was well behaved, with only a couple minor issues that needed to be addressed. Thank you to the 12 chaperones who helped keep a close eye on everything. We had great group of parents who volunteered a few hours on a Friday night to help ensure that everybody had a wonderful time. It’s important to point out that the Recreation Department could not offer the same high quality programming without the parent’s assistance, and I appreciate each and every one of them who feel that it’s important to support our program. Also the Recreation Department is gracious to Mr. John D’Esposito, and the START program, for providing funds that paid for a police officer to watch over our event. We rarely ever have a problem where we need a police officer, but we like to have one present to deter any mischief behavior before it’s even thought of. The next “Teen Night” dance is scheduled for Friday, December 9^th, at the VT Police Academy, 7 – 10 pm. This is a new dance that I have added to our Teen Night schedule. In the past we have tried other teen events such as “Movie & Pizza Nights and Open Gyms” on that night with little or no success. This dance will be different from the usual events; for one the DJ Derrick Cram will be setting up his new video monitors so that he can show the videos that go along with the music that he plays. Mr. Cram has informed me that this is a real popular aspect of his business and the kids really enjoy being able to watch the “age appropriate” videos to music they are listening to while they are dancing. Another difference with this teen dance is that I’ve been approached by a community service group who is interested in sponsoring this event. The American Legion Post 55 of Brandon had asked me to submit a written proposal to them outlining our needs for our teen programs. Basically what I told them was the best way for them to help was to sponsor an event that we had scheduled with financial support. I also invited them to send representatives to VT Police Academy the evening of the dance so that they could see the procedures we have in place to keep everything safe and fun. I anticipate hearing back from the American Legion after their meeting later this month, but think it would be great if the American Legion decided it wanted to partner with us to offer particular teen programs.

            On Saturday, October 29^th, the Pittsford Recreation Department and the Sugar Hollow Sno Mads (Pittsford’s Snowmobile Club) co-sponsored a State of VT Snowmobile Safety Course at the Pittsford Fire Station. There were a total of 12 participants who took advantage of this educational program. This class is mandatory for anyone who wishes to operate a snowmobile in VT and was born after 1983. This was the 3^rd year in a row and 4^th over all that the Recreation Department has co-sponsored this particular program. Over the last 5-10 years snowmobiling has grown in popularity, that means there are more riders on the trails than ever, new and young riders must be taught the proper rules and techniques that govern the snow highways.

            Back by popular demand is the Recreation Department’s Aerobic/Kickboxing program. For the second year in a row there was so much interest in the program we were able to start running the class in October rather than in January. Participation numbers were strong for the first month with 35 participants (28 paid participants is the minimum). I’m convinced that more will enroll in November as word of mouth usually pulls a few more people to the program (we had 10 individuals at the November 1^st session). As in the past the program is run on a month to month basis, depending of the level of interest.

            The Recreation Department is again sponsoring a Holiday Craft Bazaar at Lothrop Gym. This year’s event is slated to take place on Saturday, November 19, 10:00 am-3:00 pm. There will many unique and home made craft items for residents to purchase. This program started a few years when the Recreation Department was approached by couple of teachers looking to revitalize an old school tradition. This is a great example of how the Recreation Department reaches out to a different cross section of residents.

            Over the last month or so I have begun to start coordinating the Recreation Department’s Youth Basketball program, along with Lothrop School’s 5^th/6^th grade Boys and Girls Basketball program. I’ve been busy trying to find qualified coaches for all the different age groups, but unfortunately there are still a couple open positions. I still need to fill the 3/4^th grade Boys coaching position along with Lothrop’s 5^th grade Girls position. Basketball registration forms will be going home soon to parents, a coaches meeting is set for the last week of November and practices are scheduled to begin the week of December 5^th. Games will be played January and February with tournaments ending in early March.

            I’m in the middle of discussions with Paul Wood IT coordinator for the R.N.E.S.U. We are working on setting up adult computer classes for this winter. Lothrop School has more than once welcomed us to use their computer lab, which we have the last three years, however the classes have been poorly attended. We are trying to change that. We are trying to come up with a particular class or classes that will catch people’s attention.

Back to Town of Pittsford Home Page