PERIOD REPORT
DATE: January 10, 2017 Report No. P&R-17-001
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Scott Hartman, Director of Parks and Recreation Services
SUBJECT:TITLE Parks and Recreation Services Department - 2016 Third Period ReportBody
The following is a report on the activities pertaining to the Parks and Recreation Services Department from September 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016.
I. DIVISION ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
1. Parks Services
• 21 new boulevard trees were planted and 14 old boulevard trees were removed.
• Construction of the Esquimalt Adventure Park has started.
• The first stage of the eradication of a large grove of invasive silver poplars was completed at the Gorge Park. The poplars were cut back.
• A new wood chip path was installed at Saxe Point Park.
• The motion sensors for washroom lighting were replaced at Gorge Park washrooms.
• Shrubs were replaced at Ken Hill Park and the lattice structure was stained.
• Drainage systems were installed to reduce pathway erosion at Cairn Park and Gorge Park.
• There were 38 tree removal permit applications submitted, 26 permits were approved for tree removals, 6 were denied, and 6 were approved for tree pruning.
• Bookings September - December 2016
o Saxe Point Park - 9 bookings - 7 weddings - 2 events/picnics
o Esquimalt Gorge Park - 10 bookings - 4 weddings - 4 events/picnics
o Memorial Park - 2 bookings - 2 events
o Bullen Park - 75 bookings - 1 event
o L’Ecole Brodeur - 64 bookings
o Fleming Beach / Buxton Green - 4 bookings - 2 events
o Esquimalt Town Square - 6 bookings - 6 events
2. Recreation Services
Marketing
• Esquimalt Parks & Recreation platforms continue to engage more followers with 4,160 followers on Twitter, 3,637 on Facebook and 901 on Instagram.
• Esquimalt Parks & Recreation electronic newsletters continue to be delivered to inboxes monthly.
• Transit shelter campaigns promoted program registration and facility passes.
Fitness
• 50 + Programs continue to grow with 50+ Weight Training, Gentle Yoga and Zoomers continuing to be popular.
• New programs in this area include Mindful Movement Chair Yoga, Minds in Motion and Gentle Fit.
• Spin programs have moved to our new space at the Archie Browning Sports Centre and new programs are being planned.
Arts, Culture, Social & Special Interest Programs
• New programs for this time period included Move & Groove and Little Drummers for preschoolers; Mixed Media Mash-up for school-aged; Intro to Improv for youth; Flavours of Punjab, Watercolours for Absolute Beginners, Acrylics for Absolute Beginners, Intro to iPad & Japanese for Beginners for adults. These new classes were very popular, with iPad, Watercolour & Acrylic for Beginners and Adult Cooking classes reaching full capacity.
• Adult painting and drawing classes continued to increase in popularity, a consistent trend during the past three years. 103 people registered for these classes from Sept-Dec 2016 compared to 82 in 2015 and 34 in 2014. Children’s music classes trended in the same way, with 57 children participating Sept-Dec 2016, 39 in 2015 and 11 in 2014.
• Adult Ukulele classes reached full capacity, a trend we expect to continue due to the closure of the Larson School of Music last summer.
• Our Ukulele Club celebrated its 4th anniversary in November. This club currently has 45 members and is our largest Senior’s drop-in program. Club members performed at two events this Fall; the Seniors Appreciation Day banquet and the Christmas Café.
• A new Senior’s drop-in Music Jam program started in September and was immediately popular, with 12-15 people attending each week.
• The Sport Centre’s board room was used for some new classes, including Spanish, Japanese and iPad classes.
• 3 new volunteers were trained to assist with our very popular kids cooking and baking classes.
• The annual Knitters & Crafters Christmas Sale hosted a successful 2-day sale on November 13th and 14th, and added a third “bonus day sale” later in November.
• The Esquimalt Christmas Café was held at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre on December 21st, with approximately 80 people in attendance.
Maintenance
Esquimalt Recreation Centre
• Tile repairs were completed in the lifestyle pool, on the pool deck, and in some unforeseen areas inside the 25 meter pool.
• Repairs were made to the swirl pool high rate sand filter and preventive maintenance was completed on the tots pool high rate sand filter.
• A few of the compact fluorescent ceiling lights have been converted over to LED providing better lighting, we will continue to convert the rest of the ceiling lights to LED over time.
• A new central facility audio paging system was installed.
Archie Browning Sports Centre
• New flooring has been installed in the Crowsnest allowing for increased usage of this room.
• New LED light panels have been installed in the lower office area.
• Work on refurbishing the two bar coolers has been completed.
• Replacement of the old wood pony wall with a new glass pony wall in the arena hallway has been completed.
• Replacement of the CO/NH3 control panels in the hockey rink area has been completed.
Child, Youth & Family Services
• OSC is full with 58 children in after school care and 35 children in before school care.
• Esquimalt Licensed Preschool is full with 16 children on Tuesday/Thursday and nearly full with 14 children on Monday/Wednesday.
• Our Creative Play program is in transition to a hybrid program to include both outdoor & indoor Preschool, utilizing our Saxe Point and Macaulay Point Parks.
• The Youth program space is being well utilized. Numbers are steadily rising starting with an average of 20-30 youth attending weekend drop-in sessions.
Arena Programs
• The skate season started with a free Coast Capital Skate with approximately 70 attending.
• The Lions Skate with Santa was held on December 17 and had 80 skaters attend.
Community Development and Events
• The Celebration of Lights Committee held their 5th annual Car, Rods and Rides: A Fundraising Event held in the parking lot of the Archie Browning Sports Centre on September 10, 2016. There were over 100 classic, new, and specialty cars plus several Harley Davidson motorcycles on display. The Celebration of Lights Committee also collected gifts for The QFM TLC Fund for the Kids.
• Esquimalt Recreation summer staff participated again in the children’s activity area during Rib Fest on Sept 9-11th.
• The 14th Annual Children’s Story Festival was held on Saturday October 1, 2016 in Partnership with the Greater Victoria Public Library.
• The Esquimalt Lions once again hosted the annual Halloween Bonfire in the parking lot of the Archie Browning Sports Centre with approximately 500 people enjoying the bonfire.
• The Tour de Rock Riders were welcomed into Esquimalt, outside the Archie Browning Sports Centre, on October 7th by local school children and community members.
• Our Annual Senior’s Appreciation Day was held on October 19th with 80 people attending the event.
• This year we held a double feature Drive-In Movie on December 16th in the back parking lot of the Archie Browning Sports Centre.
• Celebration of Lights was held on Sunday, December 4, 2016. After the parade, participants enjoyed a visit with Santa, hot chocolate, hot dogs, and live entertainment. There were approximately 35 entries in the parade and approximately 450 who attended the after parade activities.
• Esquimalt Parks and Recreation hosted the 3rd Annual Christmas Tree Village. In total, 38 decorated Christmas Trees were located in the Recreation Centre and the Archie Browning Sports Centre. Over 600 people voted for their favorite tree either in our ballot box or online through social media sources such as Facebook and Instagram.
Aquatics
• This Fall our swimming lessons had an increase to 849 registrants from 739 during the same time period in 2015.
• Private Lesson registrations increased to 125 from 103 in the Fall of 2015.
• A second swim team is now renting pool space and the West Shore Swim Club now offers Masters swimming Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings.
• Two new registered waterfit classes called Aqua HIIT and Water Running have been added.
Facility Bookings and Events
• The annual Japanese Cultural Fair was held at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre on October 22, 2016 with 400 people attending the event.
• The Esquimalt Curling Club hosted Bonspiels on October 17-20, November 04-06, November 11-13, and November 17-20, 2016.
• A Christmas Farmers Market was held at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre on November 13, 2016. Approximately 200 people attended.
• The annual Esquimalt Arts and Craft Fair was held at the Esquimalt Recreation Centre on November 26, 2016. Approximately 200 people this event.
• Victoria Minor Hockey hosted a tournament December 29-31.
II. COMMITTEES
• The Parks & Recreation Committee met on December 15, 2016.