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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-03-25Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission March 25, 2015 Page 1 of 7 Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission March 25, 2015 Members Present: Stephanie Mulinos (Chair), Diane Pamel, Tom Fuchs, Kathy Gehring, David Bravo-Cullen Youth Services Coordinator: Kris Bennett (not present) Town Hall Staff: Jennifer Jones, Recreation Director Liaisons: Joe Solomon, Town Board Approval of Minutes: D. Pamel moved to approve the minutes, T. Fuchs seconded the motion, and the minutes were unanimously approved. Program Reports: Dave Hall’s report: see attached. Kris Bennett’s report: see attached Planning Board liaison: S. Mulinos asked the Commission if they were interested in having a liaison from the Planning Board. The Commission agreed that they do not feel they need an official liaison but is interested in occasional updates. School District liaison: S. Mulinos has continued contact with Brian Ford, DCS Athletic Director. Having a representative on the Commission from the school will help facilitate recreational use and maintenance of school grounds. Mr. Ford is interested in participating but he is not able to make a monthly commitment. Suggestions were made to include Mr. Ford on the email list, ask him to attend on an irregular basis, or ask the school superintendant to recommend a different candidate. Recreation Department report: see attached Common Grant discussion: J. Jones has contacted the award applicants from last year. The Common Grant program is ready for grant applications. Last year, three members met to review all of the applications and then made a recommendation for the Commission. Based on the fact that many of the members are new, S. Mulinos recommended that everyone review the applications and then they have a special meeting for the Commission to discuss the applications. She will share the rubric that was used last year to help sort through the applicants. The Commission agreed to meet on the 13th of May to discuss the applications, in preparation to make a recommendation to the Town Board on the 21st of May. Needs assessment update: Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission March 25, 2015 Page 2 of 7 Several attempts have been made to reach Sharon Todd whose class assisted with the parent survey portion of the assessment but she has not replied. K. Gehring presented a draft of the Assessment results, pointed out a few of the inconsistencies and asked the members to review the document. She in particular asked for a review of the end of the document – the recommendations and the themes. D. Pamel asked if an assessment has been done for younger children, like pre -schoolers. No, there has not. Trail Update: There was a meeting at the Town Hall on the March 14 with Design Connect (a group from Cornell University) and any folks that are interested in the trail from Varna to Freeville. It was a great meeting of like minded folks and generated good ideas to assist Design Connect. Supr. Sumner shared an update regarding the trails in general and in particular the section from Freese Road to Game Farm Road and the section owned by The William George Agency. The Finger Lakes Land Trust is building a trail between Yellow Barn and Irish Settlement road. Dryden Lake Festival update: J. Jones said they had a quick meeting. The bank accounts are all set, the grant has been submitted and vendors are being signed up. Annual report distribution: K. Gehring has suggested that the DRYC do a presentation of the annual report and the needs assessment for the Town Board. The Commission discussed other options for distribution such as leaving copies at the Dryden Café, the Library, etc. The question was raised regarding who the DRYC feels should have a copy of the report including the school board, program participants, and the Town and Village Boards. D. Pamel suggested a Shopper ad indicating the report was available to whoever wanted a copy. Supr. Sumner suggested sending an email via the Recreation Department’s list -serve that contains a link to the report on the Town’s website. J. Jones said she will put the report on the website and the list-serve. It was decided that K. Gehring will present the annual report to the Town Board, S. Mulinos will present to the Freeville Village Board, and D. Bravo-Cullen will present to the Dryden Village Board. The Commission did not determine how or when to address the School Board and they agreed to further discuss the issue next month. J. Jones asked how the group will go about getting the report printed. Other years, K. Bennett has taken care of getting the copies. J. Jones is going to get a quote from BOCES. The Commission determined 100 copies will be sufficient. Open Discussion: Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission March 25, 2015 Page 3 of 7 S. Mulinos asked that when minutes are created they be a synopsis of the conversation followed by the actual decision. A conversation regarding this request will be held at a later date. K. Gehring is on the Human Services Coalition list-serve. She has received a notification of the Community Café that Cornell Coop Extension is hosting to learn more about the community concerns. They are going to all the municipalities in the County and tonight it was in Dryden to discuss youth and families. They asked three questions: - what challenges people are facing - how it feels to share - what is helping those situations and how can communities be more supportive She felt that might be a good area to get more information for the needs assessment. The Municipal Youth Services System, of which Nikki Nease and Dave Hall a re participants, is starting a think tank to come up with unique ideas to improve and strengthen the system. K. Gehring will be attending meetings to learn more and participate in the discussions on Tuesdays in April. K. Gehring has had a conversation with one of the Rural Youth Services program managers who indicated that many of the program managers are gathering and organizing themselves to dispute their salaries, they feel they are being underpaid. K. Gehring believes this may lead to a request for additional funding from the Town. D. Hall and N. Nease are both funded 100% by the Town of Dryden. She recommended that they talk to their employers, look for grants and try more fundraising. D. Pamel asked about the list of items “coming in 2015” at the back of the annual report: recruiting a school representative, recruiting a teen member for the Commission, looking for additional adult programming, etc. She asked how the Commission is going to approach those topics. S. Mulinos stated that those topics will be approached during the “open discussion” portion of the meeting. Once they have discussed the topics, then they can become action items. T. Fuchs suggested that those items be listed on the monthly agenda to keep it fresh in the members’ minds. S. Mulinos agreed to add the Commission’s goals to the agenda. Recreation Capital Fund- Supr. Sumner reminded the Commission about the Fund and encouraged them to think about how to increase the fund balance and what to use the money for. K. Gehring stated that as she summarized the needs assessment, the one need that appeared across the board was the need for a recreational facility. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:40PM. Respectfully Submitted, Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission March 25, 2015 Page 4 of 7 Erin A. Bieber Deputy Town Clerk Report for the Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission – March, 2015 from Dave Hall, CCE Program Manager Primitive Pursuits – Winter 2015, Sessions 1 & 2 Primitive Pursuits, which has been a staple program of mine since the beginning is going strong, serving Dryden Youth in important life changing ways. This after-school program, which grew from my own love of learning primitive survival skills, has become a household name in Tompkins County. One of my friends and assistants in Primitive Pursuits infancy, Tim Drake, has been at the helm of directing and coordinating the larger Primitive Pursuits program that most county residence are familiar with. In Dryden this program continues to be a place where students gain confidence, find a place to belong, make new friends and connect with nature in meaningful ways. Since its inception I have always had a second adult to assist me with this program. Having another skilled adult is essential in not only supervising a healthy number a youth but each person brings his or her own strengths that add to the skills that Dryden Youth are exposed to. This winter as I have done for the past several years, I have broken the semester into 2 sessions. I have had to make this change to accommodate the large numbers of youth who sign up for this program. This is a true double edged sword. On one hand more kids are allowed to experience the basics of Primitive Pursuits but with the shorter duration it is impossible to get into as much depth as we used to. Although I have tried curriculums in the past I have found that this approach can seems a bit stiff and contrived. What we learn each day always focuses on the fundamentals with the specifics meeting the obvious challenges of the day. For example if it is wet and rainy we learn to make fire. If it has snowed and all the debris is covered with a foot of powder we learn to use snow to shelter ourselves. Eventually over time, youth who stay the course gain the full gamut of essential skills. I am a big fan of the Circle of Courage as a youth development model. This simple yet potent device is very instinctual and makes sense to anyone who has worked not only with youth but people of all ages. The Circle of Courage starts with Belonging as its foundation. A child needs to feel welcomed and connected to his or her peers as well as their adult mentors before anything else can truly happen. If a student is new to any of my programs it is all about getting to know them and make them feel acknowledged and part of the group. Without this I can’t reasonably expect them to effectively work in their peer group and try new things. So trying new things comes soon after belonging. This is what so much of Primitive Pursuits is all about. Using traditional survival skills students are challenged to work and think together to make shelter, create an ember by rubbing 2 sticks together along with a laundry list of other critical tasks. These skills change people. They empower, create leaders and help to connect people to the world in ways that aren’t possible through traditional camping and hiking type experiences. This past February Lime Hollow Nature Center asked if I could assist with a 4 hour winter survival program for a middle school group from Moravia. With 5 Dryden Youth in tow we took on the challenge of teaching 4 groups of students who rotated to us through the day. As a team we further broke up in to 3 teaching teams. I worked with the most reserved student. Sam Park, a veteran participant who will be heading to Paris Island after graduation this spring, worked with a newer participant. My third group was headed by a very confident 7th grade girl who I dubbed the” Drill Sargent” for her somewhat rigid and militant teaching style. (She did great although I did make some suggestions in regards to toning it down a bit.) I was so proud as my crew confidently shared their knowledge of this valuable skill. In line with the Circle of Courage model my helpers brought things full circle as they worked Independently and showed Generosity as they enthusiastically shared their knowledge. My challenges with Primitive Pursuits come from not being able to provide the depth of programming that I used to. Since Dryden lost its half time program manager several years ago my programs are at and over capacity. This of course makes my numbers look good but I am concerned that we are not able to meet the needs that this community requires. I still see youth in my day to day encounters that are slipping through the cracks and not getting involved with any extracurricular programs despite my and school faculty efforts. In addition to this general concern I had to remove a child from his involvement with Primitive Pursuits and Dryden Youth Programs in general. This was a first for me. This student who came to me via the guidance department came with more problems and issues than I as well as the school were capable of handling. This student became a risk that if left unaddressed would have most likely led to a compromise in the safety and quality of programming I always try to ensure. This student was not only caught Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission March 25, 2015 Page 5 of 7 blatantly lying to me but was caught smoking marijuana on his bus ride from his special school in Binghamton. After meeting with Dryden guidance and administration I contacted this student’s Mother as well as the individual. John Birmingham, the Dryden Middle School Principle, asked if I would be willing to be part of the hearing in regards to this student.. Program Name Start/End Dates Number of Boys Number of Girls Total Monday Makers Mondays 1/26/15 – 3/23/2015 8 3 11 Primitive Pursuits - Session 1 Thursdays 1/8/2015 – 2/12/2015 9 6 15 Primitive Pursuits – Session 2 Thursdays 2/26/2015 – 3/26/2015 9 6 15 Winter Hiking Wednesdays 1/14/2015 – 2/25/2015 7 4 11 Iron Chef - Session 1 Tuesdays 1/20 & 1/27 10 4 14 Iron Chef – Session 2 Tuesdays 2/10 & 2/24 6 8 14 Science Explorers Tuesdays 3/3/2015 – 3/24/2015 5 6 11 Winter Campout Friday-Saturday 1/2/2015 – 1/3/2015 5 2 7 Lime Hollow Day Thursday 2/12/2015 2 3 5 Teen Challenges (divided over 3 lunch periods) Mon – Thursdays each week 38 24 62 Dryden Wellness Day Monday 1/12/2015 Approx 12 Approx 12 24 Primitive Pursuits Feb. Full Days 2/19/2015 & 2/20/2015 4 4 8 Report to the Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission From Kris Bennett, Liaison from Tompkins County Youth Services Department March, 2015  Jennifer and I met with Diane for her DRYC orientation on 2-27-15. Since I had given my last orientation packet to Stephanie, I was glad I’d scanned the contents so I had a starting point. Jennifer added information about recreation.  We are paying close attention to the Governor’s proposed budget. He has proposed cuts that would affect support for youth here in Tompkins County. Items that would have the greatest impact: o The funding recommendation for the Youth Development Program is $14.1 million, representing the loss of $1.28 million that the Legislature added last year. o The funding recommendation for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act Program is $2.355 million, representing a loss of $254,500 that the Legislature added last year. o Raise the Age The Executive Budget includes a number of bills that will redesign the juvenile justice system, including raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction from 16 to 18 years of age by 2018. Proposed funding is included to plan, create, and expand services that will support diversion and probation supports for 16 and 17 year old youth who will be involved in the existing juvenile justice system. Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission March 25, 2015 Page 6 of 7 As of 3-12-15, the State Assembly and Senate have proposed restoring $1.285 million for youth development. Both houses have proposed additional funds for runaway and homeless youth: the Senate adds $254,456 and the Assembly adds $3 million. Advocacy is very important at this time! If any of you want talking points to share with Sen. Seward or Assemblywoman Lifton, please let me know and I will gladly email them to you.  I connected with Shelley to discuss revised reporting from Dave and Nikki, based on the discussion at the Feb. DRYC meeting. Starting in March, they will submit bimonthly reports, alternating so you receive one report each month. I asked Dave and Nikki to come to the April DRYC meeting; Shelley is not available in April so she will come in June.  I co-presented at Data Day on March 3 at BOCES; Dryden’s team of 4 people reviewed their data and discussed next steps. Though I had analyzed and prepped their data, we assigned another person to work with Dryden so I could be a floater to support the teams from 10 schools/districts. (We have learned from doing this 3 previous times that teams invariably have questions that the team facilitator cannot answer and it is helpful to have a person knowledgeable about the survey available to help.) March 2015 Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission Recreation Director Report Jennifer Jones  Upcoming Events: o May 1st- May Day Egg Hunt: Due to poor weather, the egg hunt has been postponed this year to May Day. o Spring Break Field Trips: Wonderworks @ Destiny and Hope Lake Water Park. o CPR/AED/First Aid Training Workshops: This is a new program to Dryden!  Community Grants: o The proposed community grant guidelines have been approved by the town board on 3/19/15. I will be updating the common grant application asap and notifying the public.  Summer Planning: o The two summer concert series are almost complete. (Ellis Hollow & VFW) o I have started the summer/fall booklet and hope to go to print May 1st. o New summer programs this year will include tennis, archery, and basketball camps. We will also be continuing golf and hiking camps and field trips to Yankee Stadium which were popular last year. Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission March 25, 2015 Page 7 of 7 o I am currently looking for someone to run a one week drama camp for kids.  Youth & Adult Sports: o Youth Basketball and Wrestling have come to an end for this season which begins youth lacrosse (K-8), track (K-6), and karate (K-8) continues. o Pickleball will begin its last indoor session running from 4/12- 6/7. This program has been well attended and has been showing growth throughout the winter. o Co-ed softball will also be starting again this spring. This is an adult recreational league for all skill levels ages 16 and up. o There will also be an addition of a junior softball program this summer for middle/high school students to play recreational softball.