Bridgeport Charter Township Parks & Recreation Department

Transcription

1 1 Bridgeport Charter Township Parks & Recreation Department Year End Report 2016

2 2 BRIDGEPORT CHARTER TOWNSHIP PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT OUR MISSION The Bridgeport Parks and Recreation Department shall strive to develop and maintain quality parks and facilities; to preserve open/natural spaces; and to provide recreational programs and services which will enhance the physical, social and emotional well-being of all residents of Bridgeport Township. OUR VISION Our vision is to provide affordable recreational, physical and cultural opportunities for all of Bridgeport s residents; with a focus on families, youth development and building a healthy community. The programs and services offered by the Department will provide excellent value and quality and emphasize the equitable distribution of resources throughout the Township. We will offer these programs in safe, attractive and well-maintained facilities that will reflect the public s needs and interests. OUR MOTTO We build a healthy community through people, parks and programs. To achieve our mission, we will: Promote community involvement and actively seek input in the planning, operation and participation of the Parks and Recreation Department. Offer comprehensive, quality recreational programming aimed at satisfying the needs of varying age levels, physical abilities and special interests. Maintain and improve the appearance and safety of our parks and facilities at the highest level of available resources. Provide efficient and effective leadership and coordination for quality recreational and leisure activities for the community. Allow for an orderly growth, acquisition and development of the physical and natural resources, and to utilize the natural characteristics of the land, when evaluating its potential for parks and recreation purposes. More effectively coordinate the parks and recreation department with other township departments, organizations, and schools to improve the overall service to the community.

3 3 BRIDGEPORT CHARTER TOWNSHIP PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT STAFF OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT Bill Wheeler, Parks & Recreation Director Nick Corl, Summer Seasonal Maintenance Robert Brown, Summer Seasonal Maintenance Joshua Mueller, Summer Seasonal Maintenance Dana Dankert, Summer Camp Staff Kristin Meyer, Summer Camp Staff A Mia Brewer, Summer Camp Staff PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD John Altz Josh Castle Roberta Placher Rob Licht Jennifer Gutierrez Bridgeport Charter Township Board Augie Tausend Supervisor Darlene Miller - Clerk Jim Secord Treasurer Heather Wilson Trustee Darrell Thayer Trustee Jennifer Gutierrez Trustee Calvin Williams - Trustee Township Manager Rose Licht Administrative Assistant Tracy Bennett Accountant Ron Rachwitz Police Chief Dave Duffett Fire Chief Pat Nelson

4 DIRECTOR S REPORT The Parks & Recreation Department continued to see success in The following is a summary of the projects and programs that were offered throughout the year. While most of the projects were successful, some of the programs faced challenges and the Department will continue to improve on them throughout PROJECTS / EVENTS Bi - Centennial Hall The Bi-Hall saw some more improvements made to it as we replaced a big window opening with a 7 x 9 roll up garage door. This allowed for better accessibility to the building and the storing of the Parks & Recreation Golf Cart used at the Park. Annual Easter Egg Hunt With the help of area businesses, the Parks & Recreation Department, and the Miss Bridge Fest Scholarship Committee; we were able to have the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Andersen Recreational Complex that saw some150 children participate (it was a very cold day). Local Businesses contributed and the children had a great time. We are planning for this event again in 2017.

5 Davis Park - Canoe / Kayak Launch The First Canoe / Kayak Launch was completed. Though it took the summer to complete, due to permitting issues, we were able to have it open for 2 months and the launch was enjoyed by many visitors in that time. The launch will re-open in May of Hoffman Community Park Canoe / Kayak Launch This will be a New Park for the Township and will be home for the second canoe/kayak launch on the Cass River in Bridgeport Township and the design plans and permitting has already begun so construction can start in Spring of Cass River Water Trail Designation National Park Service There is a subcommittee of the Cass River Greenway that is working to have the Cass River water trail designated as a National Water Trail. This is a lengthy process and will benefit all communities along the river. Parks & Recreation Director Bill Wheeler is the representative from Bridgeport on the committee. Progress updates will be given throughout 2017.

6 Cass River Bank Restoration (Lyle Park) We were with the help of the Saginaw Bay Resource, Conservation, & Development Group able to do an additional 475 feet of river bank stabilization along the Cass River in Lyle Park. In the past two years, they have done 725 feet of Tree Revetment work along the River. There were also two Township residents that received an additional 250 feet of work done on their properties that reside on the river. This work was done at very little expense to the Township as grants were obtained to do most of the work. Stabilizing the river bank will help to preserve the river and increase fish habitat in the river. Great Lakes Rendezvous & Walk through Time For the 2 nd year the island of Davis Park hosted the Great Lakes Historical Education Association s annual rendezvous that saw our park transformed into an 1800 s encampment. Visitors from around the Great Lakes States came and camped out over the weekend (1800 s style). This was open to the public to come and view how the early settlers to our region lived and traded during this era. There were many demonstrations and exhibits for people to come and view. 6 The Great Lakes Historical Education Association also expanded their program by having their annual Walk through Time event on the Island. School aged children from around the area visited six different areas that gave them a living and hands on history lesson of how the area was settled and how life was back in the 1800 s.

7 7 Bridgeport Bandits Spring Classic This year we helped organize the 1 st ever Spring Classic Baseball Tournament for the Bandits Sports Association and we saw 24 teams from around the state come to Bridgeport. This event took place in early May and was a great success for the first year will bring a new name for this Tournament as it will be called the Spring Diamond Days and should have another big turnout as teams have already started contacting us with regards to this tournament. Hardball Classic Baseball Tournament This year was the 3 rd year of the Hardball Classic being back at Liberty Park and we saw a second year of having 32 Teams from across the State of Michigan come to participate. Liberty Park was bursting with competitive baseball and over an estimated 1,200 spectators for the event. Teams came from Rockford, Traverse City, Gladwin, South Farmington, Bay City, Breckenridge and all points in between. Mother Nature blessed us with some great weather this year. The Tournament was a Huge success. Local businesses sent letters to the Township expressing how impactful the baseball tournaments are for their establishments.

8 8 PROGRAMMING The following is a general overview of some of the programs offered through the Parks and Recreation Department. We have also attached participation numbers for 2016 compared to previous years that were located and documented. (Please see attachment.) Youth Football We ran our NFL Punt, Pass, & Kick competition this year with approx. 20 children participating, it was a success. We will host the competition again in We are looking to work with the Bridgeport School District in 2017 to bring back 7 th & 8 th Tackle Football. Youth Baseball/Softball: This year the Baseball / Softball program saw some positive growth, as we had 98 children participate compared to 87 the previous year. Though our number of participants grew this year we still did not have any girls sign up for Girls Softball and will be something we target as a goal in We collaborated with Birch Run, Spaulding, Frankenmuth, and Carrollton to provide some good competition. We also hosted the end of the season tournaments for the 10U, 12U, and 14U teams. In the tournament, our 14U team took the Championship which was very exciting. Overall the season was a great success and there were several comments about how nice our facility was.

9 9 Youth Basketball: Youth basketball had 86 participants in our program. We collaborate with North Saginaw Charter Academy, International Academy of Saginaw, Saginaw Preparatory Academy, Swan Valley (Thomas Twp. Parks & Recreation) and Frances Reh Academy to offer a true travel league for grades 5 through 8. In the 7 th & 8 th Grade division, our 7 th grade team finished as runner-up in the end of year tournament, with our 8 th grade team taking the Championship in the tournament. We also have an in-house league that consists of six (6) teams made up of 2 nd through 4 th grade students, four (4) of the teams are Bridgeport students and two (2) of the teams come from Francis Reh Academy. We will build on this success this year and will continue to collaborate with other schools and communities as well for Bearcat Pride Basketball Camp Again, this year we held the Bearcat Pride Basketball Camp. Coach Eugene Seals and his players directed the camp that had 30 participants learning skills and fundamentals of Basketball. It is always a plus to have the Varsity Coaches take part in youth activities. We look forward to having the Camp again in 2017 with more kids getting involved.

10 10 Great Lake Bay Miracle League We continued the Miracle League Baseball for children with disabilities, in the spring we had approx. 42 youth and in the fall our numbers were down a bit too approx. 15 youth. The plan is to build this program with promotion and marketing to increase numbers for We also hosted a Miracle League Bowling event that had a low turnout but it was the first year of doing something like this and the numbers should increase at future events. Come Out & Play Kid Venture Summer Camp In the 2 nd year of the Healthier Michigan Grant provided to us by mparks (Michigan Recreation & Park Association) We were able to provide our youth with the Come Out & Play Kid Venture Summer Camp. Our numbers increased dramatically with 45 kids participating compared to 17 children in We expanded the camp to three days a week for 8 weeks and even participated in the mparks Day at the Capitol Event. We loaded 30 children onto a Mitchell Charter bus for the journey to Lansing. The children absolutely loved the trip and it was for sure the highlight of the summer program. We even got huge compliments for our summer camp shirts that they wore, the mparks staff loved them. The grant we received was for only a two-year program and we are currently seeking sources to provide funding to continue to offer this program in 2017 as the Parks & Recreation budget just cannot sustain to run this program. Youth Cheerleading

11 In the second year of our youth cheerleading program we have seen growth as we have 24 girls in the program, which is up from 17 in They cheer at the recreation basketball games and will cheer at the Boys Middle School games as well this year. 11 Keep America Beautiful Grant Program In 2016 the Parks & Recreation Department applied for a recycling grant that was sponsored by Dr. Pepper / Snapple Group. The grant allowed the department to obtain 24 recycle containers for Liberty Park & Davis Park. The Department hopes to cut down on the amount of trash that is placed in the dumpsters. The recycle program will be monitored to record the amount of recycling is done and with the record keeping comes an additional $1, grant award. It is a two-year program that we are embarking on. COLLABORATIONS The need for collaborations continues and the Bridgeport Township Parks & Recreation Department is fortunate to be involved with some excellent organizations. Collaborations continue with: Bridgeport Spaulding Community Schools Bridgeport Bandits Sports Association The Bridge Fest Committee Frankenmuth Parks & Recreation Birch Run PFY Carrollton Parks & Recreation Spaulding Township Great Lakes Bay Miracle League First Baptist Church Bridgeport DDA Thomas Township Parks & Recreation Saginaw County Parks & Recreation RECREATION FACILITIES AND SERVICES PROVIDED

12 12 Recreation facilities were provided for Great Lakes Bay Miracle League, the Millet Learning Center, First Baptist Church (Softball Teams), The Legends Travel Baseball Team and the Bridgeport Bandits Sports Association. DONATIONS / SPONSORSHIPS Iwen Tool Supply Company (Youth Baseball, Easter Egg Hunt) McDonald s of Bridgeport (Youth Baseball, Easter Egg Hunt) ITI Communications (Youth Baseball) United Financial Credit Union (Youth Baseball) Orchid Unique (Youth Baseball, Easter Egg Hunt) Buffalo Wild Wings (Youth Baseball) Leo s Coney Island (Youth Baseball) J.B. Sundae s Ice Cream Shop (Youth Baseball) Subway of Bridgeport (Youth Baseball) Lamplighter Flower Shop (Easter Egg Hunt) B&S Heating & Cooling (Youth Baseball, Easter Egg Hunt) E.T. Automotive (Easter Egg Hunt) Gobeyn s (Easter Egg Hunt, Youth Baseball) Covenant Health Care (Great Lakes Bay Miracle League) Hillier Studio (Easter Egg Hunt, Youth Baseball) MEETINGS, SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS & TRAINING Attended the Annual State Conference for the Michigan Park and Recreation Association (MParks) MParks Focus Group Areas (Young Professionals, Director Group, etc.) Knuckles Knorth Regional Group of MParks Cass River Greenway Association Meetings Millet Learning Center Open House PERSONNEL We were able to hire three (3) seasonal employees this year that have helped maintain Liberty Park and have assisted in other areas of the parks. All three were part time working an average of 21 hours a week. This really helped the Department take on more responsibility in the parks and we were able to fix many things. Having a staff even part-time in the Department allows for more to be accomplished. Our DPW employees also helped with maintaining the park areas.

13 13 CONCLUSION This year the Bridgeport Township Parks & Recreation Department has been very successful. We experienced some challenges along the way but will continue to meet them head on and look for ways to better serve our community, and offer events and programs that people will enjoy. One of the main goals of the Department in 2017 is to try and build more support of the programs and the parks in general. Without the community support and the continued support of our Township Board and Township Manager the department will not be able to continue to grow and thrive for the residents. We have a number of big projects that will take place in 2017 and with continuing the existing programs; the year will be filled with fun, challenges, and excitement. Thank You, William A. Wheeler Parks & Recreation Director Bridgeport Charter Township