Rec Department public meeting notes: 24.03.04

A Quincy Votes! member attended the recent Park & Rec Board meeting. While care has been taken in their creation, these notes are not official meeting minutes and may contain errors or omissions. 

Quincy Park and Recreation Board Meeting Agenda for March 4, 2024 - Recreation Department

Highlights:

• Wrapping up Winter programs.  Had high participation in Instructional Ice Skating (130 kids);  Basketball (632 kids; with 45 kids playing buddy ball).   Parent's night out were sold out in February vacation. 

• Outdoor ice skating rink was a hit.  Rough estimate of number of skaters was 29,000!  (Not individual people, but who came throughout the program).  Scheduled for 87 days, and weather impacted 18 of them.  Discussion is next year it will be in the empty lot by Kilroy's garage.

• Any person who wants a summer job as a lifeguard, if they have their application in before May 1st, they will be guaranteed an interview.  Applications received after that date may or may not be interviewed, depending upon staff availability.

• City received $35,000 grant for youth diversion program (up from $32,000 last year).  Will work with police department to confirm locations used last year are still appropriate for locations this year.  (Locations are driven by crime data).

• The Department is looking into establishing a middle school Volleyball League.  There is a high interest in volleyball, and the current middle school program is very short.

• The Quincy Recreation Department won a South Shore Region Recreational Impact award from the Massachusetts Recreation and Park Association for their planning and execution of the outdoor ice rink.

 Director of Recreation Michelle Hanly provided the departmental updates.

More Detailed Notes:

I. APPROVE MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING:

II. CORRESPONDENCE:

Bicycle Commission meeting notice / comments:   no notes

Council on Aging meeting notice  / comments:  council on aging flyer provided

B. Special:  Correspondence / none

III. REPORTS FROM DIRECTOR AND COMMISSIONERS:

A. Director: FY24 Shannon Grant Application:   Application was approved.  Was awarded $35,000 (up from $32k last year).   Will be used on summer programs.  Signed MOU and returned it.

B. Director: Therapeutic Recreation Programs – Social Saturdays  / Wrapped up last weekend (Feb. 24th) and had 42 children with learning differences participate.  That was great.

C. Director: Instructional Ice Skating / Held at QY Arena.  Had 130 children in each of two sessions.   The city leases it for $1 a year, run by Quincy Youth Arena.   We max out the number of attendees (number of kids on the ice at the same time, limited also by number of instructors and safety on the ice).   Rental is most expense the City has to pay; program is self-supported.  

D. Director: Quincy Recreation Athletic Leagues – Basketball / finished last weekend.  Had 632 participants in basketball league. / 45 participated in buddy-ball.

E. Director: Outdoor Ice-Skating Rink  / closed Feb. 25th.  Was pretty awesome.  Rough attendance over 29,000 people skated.   Of the 87 day season, planned 3 full days and 2 half days off, (half days of Christmas eve and Superbowl Sunday); closed 16 full and 2 half days due to weather.   Considering:  next time, a tent to cover it to help provide cover from rain.     Next year, will be in the empty lot by Kilroy's garage.  IHOP had a big increase in people visiting them because they were next door to the rink.   Not having to pay any fees was important to some people, especially with kids who had never been skating. 

F. Director: Winter Special Events and Programs / Part of a special event on the rink; supported President's Day festival at City Hall / Hancock Adams Green.  

G. Director: February Vacation Week Special Events and Programs/ Feb vacation, ran parent night outs, vacation fun for K - 2 (sold out); dodge ball night for middle schoolers was not as popular as we would like; open gyms, happened two days a week.  

IV. UNFINISHED BUSINESS:

A. Lifeguard Training and Aquatic Programs at Lincoln Hancock –   American Red Cross Lifeguard Tryouts.   Our trainer is taking the training this week, so he can train others.  Tryouts are scheduled for this week.  

B. Prevention Program and Special Event Planning and Programs/ 

C. Therapeutic Recreation Programs / preparing for a walking and possibly a bowling group for the spring.

D. Pickleball Programs – Morning and Evening / sold out so fast!  Three locations, multiple courts each location.  Program runs for six weeks and repeats every six weeks.

E. Adult Volleyball and Basketball Programs / average about 24 adults; set up two courts for women / for Men at North, run about five courts.

F. Women’s Fitness Program / only ten people registered.  Trying to get additional people signed up.  Geared to older women, 10:00 AM on Tuesday.   Sent marketing flyer out to senior Olympics participants, but no one signed up. 

G. Winter Gym Programs /

H. Massachusetts Recreation and Park Association/ shared nomination.  Quincy won.  The Impact award is for the community or department; not an individual.   Won for the outdoor skating rink.  So it is for the Quincy Recreation Department.    Conference is coming up (in Norwood), City will pay for Board members who want to attend any sessions.  MassRPA is website. 

1. Award Recipient – South Shore Region Impact Award

2. March 2024 Annual Conference

I. Spring Planning, Special Events, and Programs

1. Spring Recreation Programs/ Will start after April vacation.  Will be outside at the playgrounds. 

2. April Vacation Week Special Event Planning and Programs / usually only run a couple of programs; will run Boys and Girls Lacrosse programs.

3. Cleaner Greener Quincy – May 4, 2024

4. Senior Olympics – May 6th to 23rd, 2024 / will also run a pickleball tournament. 

• Will run March Madness tournament and proceeds will go to sponsorship fund. (Sponsorship fund allows kids who can't afford the camps, attend the sessions).

• People who need it, just ask Michelle for the information to apply for sponsorships.

• Hope to run an adult tournament (like we did in November).

• There is talk there is interest in a volleyball tournament.   If staff wants to do it, Michelle will plan it.

J. Summer Planning and Programs / nothing new at this time.  These were discussed last meeting.

V. NEW BUSINESS:

A. Summer Program Planning  / most topics not covered at this time. 

1. Staff Rates and Reactivations 

2. New applicant timeline

3. Shannon Grant – Teamwork 2024 Locations / Will meet w/ police department to discuss locations.  The crime data will determine that, Michelle will propose using the same locations as last year.

4. Other Summer Program Planning

B. Quincy Recreation Athletic Leagues – Volleyball / Discussing forming league to expand from middle school program without kids having to join a club team.  (When volleyball was run in the summer, there were 70 participants).  Balls are expensive ($34); 9 per team (or 10) would be a good number.   Can make a good six week schedule.  It will be girls first and then boys. 

C. FY2025 Budget / Have not had an initial meeting w/ City yet.  Not driven by minimum wage, as min wage is not going up.  Michelle needs to find out what DCR is doing for lifeguards, as that is the competition.   Applications need to be in by May 1st to be guaranteed an interview.   Will continue to accept applications after that point, but no guarantee of an interview.

D. Recreation Program Planning

VI. EXECUTIVE SESSION IF NECESSARY. SET MEETING DATE AND ADJOURN

Not needed /