Town of Pittsford, Vermont

Recreation Director’s Report

August 4, 2005

            Can you believe its August already, where did the summer go? I am going to be a little sad this year when my summer staff is gone back to school, which is something that I haven’t said before, usually by the end of August I’m ready to see everyone leave. Overall the staff this summer has been great, both the lifeguards and Day Camp Counselors have made the extra effort to provide Pittsford residents with quality programs that they can enjoy.

            As I stated last month in my Director’s Report the Swim Area has been much busier this summer than in the recent past. I’m happy to report that 60 Season Passes were sold this summer which is nearly double of last season when 32 passes were sold. I believe there are several contributing factors as to why we had such a sharp increase in sales but the biggest reasons are the weather has been much more favorable than in 2004, increased advertising of the Recreation Area, and finally year after year more and more families are discovering for themselves how wonderful our facility is. Another significant fact that I think is worth mentioning is that the Recreation Department sold 24 Tennis Passes in 2005 in contrast to 15 in 2004 and just 6 in 2003. I believe the substantial increase in usage is directly related to the much needed resurfacing and relining that was completed in June 2003. The courts were built in the early 1980’s and no maintenance work had been done until we addressed the courts two summers ago.

            The 2005 Red Cross Swim Program has been going smoothly this summer even with the minor changes that we made. In an effort to bring our swim program in line with other Red Cross Swim programs we offered three separate 2-week sessions of lessons instead of our traditional two 3-week sessions. Another reason why we decided to try a few changes was based on some of feedback that I had gotten in the past from parents such as 3-week sessions were too long of a commitment during the already short summer season and they just couldn’t devote that much time transporting their kids to and from lessons. But the biggest reason why I wanted to alter the swim schedule was because I was looking for a way to increase usage at the Swim Area during the month of August. In the past August has routinely been our slowest month, Day Camp is over and swim lessons would end by the second week so our weekday crowd would dwindle down to almost non-existent. That’s why this year I made the necessary changes to accommodate a full session of lessons during the month of August. Usually our busiest weeks are while lessons are taking place because families are already at the Swim Area and it’s easier for them to decide to hangout all day. The third session is scheduled to begin Monday, August 8 and I’ll follow up next month with a full report as to how well our idea worked or not, but I can say that it’s already off to a good start with 30 children registered for lessons, which pushes our summer total to 117. There were 51 participants in the first session and 36 in the second session. In 2004 72 kids participated so our numbers are definitely growing. My ultimate goal for the Swim program is to match the participation numbers from 10 years ago when lessons used to be FREE to Pittsford families. During that time the Recreation Department had close to 100 kids per session, the Swim program had an excellent staff and there was great community participation. The Swim Area at the Recreation Area will be open daily until Sunday, August 28, and then open again, if staffing is available, Labor Day Weekend September 3, 4, & 5. Monday, September 5 will be the last day that the Swim Area will be open. The Recreation Area will remain open until the beginning of November.

            The Pittsford Day Camp recently finished a wonderful summer of fun and sun. I am still surprised by the overwhelming response that this program received. This year two more weeks were added to extend our four weeks of camp to six. A total 176 campers participated in program with many more on a waiting list hoping to get in. The new Day Camp Director Mary Whitman did a fantastic job overseeing the entire program from start to finish. Her background in Elementary Education and experience with working with children proved to be a perfect fit for our summer program. Returning Camp Counselors Emily Drummond and Emma Clerihew were great about making Ms. Whitman feel welcomed and the staff really gelled together. I’m happy to report that both the Lothrop School and the Maclure Library joined with the Summer Day Camp to offer different programming for their own summer curriculums. Lothrop incorporated Camp as part of their Summer School and the Maclure Library hosted three of their Summer Reading programs at the Recreation Area for Camp to participate in. Both these are examples how the Recreation Department collaborates with other organizations from town to provide Pittsford families with unique and interesting activities. And finally I would like to say thank you to all Junior Counselors who assisted this summer. Without their help the day to day activities would suffer and campers would not receive the same high quality experience as they do now. Over the last few summers more and more 13 – 15 year olds have requested to be Jr. Counselors, this year alone we had 8 different JCs who helped for at least one week. If this trend continues, as I expect it will, and I continue to receive a large number of requests I’ll have to set up some type of interview and screening process to ensure we fairly select individuals who will do the best job assisting Day Camp.

             Recently I submitted to Town Manager the Recreation Department’s FY 2005 Work Plan Final Report. I reported in detail the projects that were completed, the programs that were offered and how they did. I must admit the work plan is a useful tool to help brainstorm, plan, and complete goals, it keeps the department focused on goals set for that year. Making steady improvements at the Recreation Area was a top priority FY 2005. With more visitors each year the Recreation Department is doing what it can ensure that everyone has a pleasant overall experience while at Recreation Area. More improvements are slated for the Recreation Area in the FY 2006 Work Plan such as replacing the shingles on bath house roof. Also in it’s time to start putting together a FY 2007 Work Plan and Budget. At the August 9, 2005 Recreation Committee meeting I’ll discuss with committee members what I think our goals should be for programming, maintenance, and major purchases for that particular time frame. Last fall the Recreation Department had to complete a five - year Capital Expenditures (FY 2006 – FY 2010) Plan. On that plan the only item the Recreation Department listed was a Compact Tractor equipped with a front-end loader, a mid-mount mower, & rear hydraulics; to replace our Simplicity riding mower that will be 5 years old. Now is time to start researching this purchase so that a Detailed Specifications Sheet can be generated. (*Note: It’s is extremely important to remember that this purchase is contingent on the Selectmen’s approval and passage of the FY 2007 budget.)

             Fall Programs are slated to begin soon and the final details are being worked out as I am writing. Programs the Recreation Department will be offering include our Saturday Morning Youth Soccer for children 4 years old – 4^th grade, Lothrop Soccer 5^th & 6^th grades, and a State of VT Hunters Safety Course. In October the Recreation Department and Maclure Library will again co-sponsor the Pittsford Pumpkin Party event at the Recreation Area. And finally on October 21 the Brandon and Pittsford Recreation Departments will co-sponsor our annual Halloween Teen Night Dance.

Back to Town of Pittsford Home Page