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PITTSFORD
RECREATION DEPARTMENT
Spring will soon be upon us, the flowers will be poking up, lawns will be turning green, and the daylight will continue to extend later into the evening, but it won’t be officially spring to me until I hear the frogs peeping for the first time! The past month the Recreation Department has been rather busy. March is a transition month where winter programs are finishing up and spring programs are getting ready to begin. Youth League Baseball and Softball registration took place during the entire month of March. Parents who wanted to register their children to play T-Ball, Mighty Mites, Major League (Little League Baseball), and Minor League Softball had to complete a registration form, pay the $25 fee per child, and return the registration form to me by March 31. I’m excited to report that 123 boys and girls between the ages of 5 – 12 years old signed up to play. That’s just about average when compared to the last three seasons 119 in 2004, 120 in 2003, and 124 in 2002, but our participation numbers will only keep increasing this summer because it appears already that Pittsford will have to add an extra Major Softball team (girls ages 12 – 14) due large number of girls in this age group who have played last season. Registration forms for this particular team aren’t due until May 13 so in another month or so I’ll have a better idea what our final numbers will look like. One more thing, like I reported last month I did NOT offer any “SPECIAL REGISTRATION” days and times for Youth League Registration because of the few families who took advantage of them, but more importantly because the of “new” hours that the Town Office is open (we stay open until 6:00 pm on Thursdays to make it more convenient for residents to come in), and judging by our registration numbers no one missed them. The Tuesday night Cardio Kickboxing Workout at the Lothrop Gym had another good month of participation. 31 adults took part in the class doing the month March. The program is expected to run through the end May as long as our participantion numbers stay where they are. On March 16th I meant with Meredith Voutas, principal at Lothrop Elementary School. At that meeting we discussed several topics. The first topic was the 5th/6th grade basketball season. There were no major concerns from the school and she was happy with the overall job that I did. I passed on some suggestions for next year that could make the process go a bit smoother. We also discussed Day Camp and what dates the Recreation Department would be using the Lothrop Gym and cafeteria as our Day Camp home base. The school has been wonderful to the Recreation Department by allowing us to use their space. It has given us a lot more freedom when it comes to setting up the individual programs of camp. For the first time Lothrop is planning to send kids to our Day Camp as part of their summer school program. They will reserve at particular number of camp slots each week for kids who they want to see get more stimulation over the summer. The kids will be a regular part of camp like everyone else, only the adults will know any different. And finally as requested by a Recreation Committee member I asked Meredith were the School Board stood on a “new” gymnasium being built on campus. She told me that it has kind of been “put on the back burner” by this board and at this time it wasn’t a high priority. She went on to explain that the last time Lothrop was exploring the new gym idea that the state had told them they would not be eligible for any Federal or State Education grant money because there were other districts in the state with much greater needs than Lothrop’s need for a gym, so funds to pay for such a project would have to would have to come from tax payers. With the beginning of baseball and softball near it means the Recreation Area is getting close to opening for another season. I’ve meant with Maintenance Supervisor Joe Pomykala and he’s ready for the season to begin. Joe will return to work on April 18th. He already has a full list of projects that he and I both want accomplished this summer. Joe’s first priority will be to get the baseball and softball fields ready to practice on since most of the teams will begin the week of April 25th. Joe is excellent at keeping himself productive and it will not take him long at all to have the Recreation Area looking fantastic again. The past month I’ve been busy lining up my summer staff for both the Swim Program and Day Camp. I’m very happy with the Swim Program and the staff that I have hired for the summer. Colin Spensley, who was a lifeguard last summer, will be taking over as the Swim Area Supervisor responsibilities this season and will be one of two swim instructors on staff. Colin is a wonderful individual who I’m confident in will do his very best to make the swim area operate smoothly and safely. As of right now I have 4 lifeguards already on staff for the summer. By time we get started I’d like approximately double that amount. The staff so far is made up of local young adults who are eager to promote and provide a friendly atmosphere at the Recreation Area this summer. The Swim Area will open Memorial Day weekend and will re-open for the summer on Friday, June 3rd. A long that same line Day Camp staff is filling in nicely, both Emily Drummond and Emma Clerihew will be returning to camp as general counselors. Jade Keith, Day Camp Director for the past 4 years, however will not be returning as she must take some “continued education” classes to keep her teaching certificate valid. I’ll miss Jade and her wonderful leadership skills. She is one of, if not the most, single important person that made Day Camp so successful for us. With that said I’d like to report that I have had the Day Director “help wanted” ad posted on the Pittsford Web Site and in the Brandon/Pittsford Reporter since March 16th. I have had only a few, but very promising application requests. I begin interviewing the week of April 11th and if everything goes right I will have a new Director hired by the end of month. |
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