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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015-10-28Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission October 28, 2015 Members Present: Stephanie Mulinos (Chair), Tom Fuchs, David Bravo-Cullen, Judy Sinicropi, Diane Pamel and Kathy Servoss. Town Hall Staff: Jennifer Jones, Recreation Director Tompkins County Youth Services Coordinator: Kris Bennett Review and approval of minutes from September 23, 2015: T. Fuchs moved to approve the minutes, and D. Bravo-Cullen seconded the motion which was unanimously approved. Program Reports: Dave Hall: Please see attached. Mr. Hall will be attending next month’s meeting for a personal report. Liaison Reports: Town Board: not present Tompkins County Youth Services: Kris Bennett Please see attached report. Ms. Bennett said the budget is looking positive. The Achieving Youth Results Community convened last night at the Dryden Café last night. They are meeting next on November 16 at the Varna Community Center. The group is trying to set County-wide goals and indicators to track how youth are doing. K. Servoss asked J. Jones how the Recreation budget is looking. Ms. Jones stated that at this point, there does not appear to be any controversy and she is confident it will get approved. K. Servoss said she was concerned that with the increase in County funding, the Town might cut the amount that they fund. So far, nothing has been said about the additional funds. S. Mulinos shared a conversation she had with a town board member who said recreation tends to be one of the first areas cut when a municipality has to make reductions. The DRYC members were all aware of this fact and agreed that they need to continue to reach out (much as they did this year). K. Bennett recommended that for the retreat in January, the members generate ideas on how to market the DRYC. D. Bravo-Cullen stated that he is participating in the Senior Fit program for a couple of reasons including his desire to participate in a program that is supported by the DRYC. He asked about the financials of the program and Ms. Jones explained that the program generated a slight bit more than the costs for advertising and paying the instructor. D. Bravo-Cullen suggested that all programs offered be surveyed to determine whether the value (not necessarily financial) meets the cost. That will provide a more comprehensive understanding of how valuable the programs are. Planning Board: no report Conservation Board: no report Other: no report Recreation department report: Community Space Committee report: Jennifer Jones Ms. Jones didn’t feel the last meeting was beneficial. She said it was a reiteration of what has already been done in an attempt to educate a new member. They spent a lot of time convincing the new member of what and why they are moving in the chosen direction. D. Pamel said that the new member was not as focused on a physical space but more in the direction of integrating youth into programs that already exist. D. Pamel doesn’t think all the members are on the same page in terms of whether this is a community center for the Town or the Village. D. Bravo-Cullen pointed out that Ellis Hollow and Varna both have community centers but Dryden doesn’t have much more than the Community Café. S. Mulinos pointed out that the services offered need to be offered to the whole town based on the fact that everyone pays town taxes. J. Jones reviewed the members’ terms and reminded those whose terms expire that they have to fill out new application to be reappointed. The Health Planning Council through the Youth Services Coalition might have yoga mats which J. Sinicropi is hoping to have for a new course the Recreation department is considering starting. Year end catch up: Marketing Plan: J. Sincropi asked about the program reviews. Where are they, what are they being used for? Can they be used to create a slide show? Analizing them in terms of their benefit and what can be improved will create a document that can be used for marketing and the annual report. S. Mulinos asked about what the Commission wants in the annual report which she sees as the foundation piece of the DRYC’s advertising/marketing. - Participation numbers - types of activities – physical, educational, etc - more graphics and fewer words - financial commitment, fiscal information - the DRYC’s goals and accomplishments - the success of a program – the OURS program has a website and perhaps sharing the link and adding a quote from a participant would help people understand. http://ccetompkins.org/4-h-youth/rural-youth-services/rys-program-sites/dryden-o- u-r-s Chair and Vice-Chair: Next month, the Commission has to choose their Chair and vice-chair. S. Mulinos asked if anyone was willing to volunteer. She indicated that she is not interested in the chair position for the next year. K. Servoss said she is willing to assume the position. They will vote next month. Retreat Dates: Saturday January 9th from 9-12am. Review goals from 2015, set goals for 2016, identify continuing items. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:10 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Erin A. Bieber Deputy Town Clerk The next DRYC meeting will be held December 2. D. Hall will be joining the Commission, and they will vote on Chair and vice-Chair in addition to the usual business. Report to the Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission From Kris Bennett, Liaison from Tompkins County Youth Services Department October, 2015 • The county budget process is proceeding in a way that is mostly positive for our department and the agencies/municipalities we work with. The $75,000 we have discussed in the past to support the municipal system is back in the proposed budget and we are hopeful it will be approved when the county legislature votes on 11/17. It’s not too late to let your legislators (Martha Robertson and Mike Lane) know that you support this. This would mean $10,980 for Dryden! • I hope to see some of you at one or both of our Achieving Youth Results community convenings. Two Dryden dates have been scheduled: o Tues. Oct. 26, 6-8 PM at the Dryden Café (Kathy Servoss and former DRYC member Tracy Kurtz are planning to attend and help) o Mon. Nov. 16, 6-8 PM at the Varna Community Center We hope DRYC members will attend and encourage others to attend. I can let you know how the 10/26 event went at the 10/27 DRYC meeting. October 2015 Dryden Recreation and Youth Commission Recreation Director Report  Fall Programs: o Fall programs are coming to a close. Youth Football, Cheer, and Soccer programs ran smooth with the exception of a few issues. Football, karate, and cheer participation numbers were even with last year, however soccer numbers were down quite a bit. Team pictures were a new addition to soccer this year which parents really seemed to enjoy. Soccer coaches will also be getting plaques with team pictures to say thank you! o We will again host a youth cross country race at the Dryden High School on October 31st. We are expecting a larger number this year of 70-80 runners between the ages of 5-14. The race will be run by the recreation staff and a few community volunteers. If you are able to help out, we could still use a few people to stand along the course for safety.  Winter Programming: o The winter program guide is now out in the schools and other community locations. This booklet includes winter programs such as basketball, wrestling, field trips, father daughter dance, and karate. You will also see the addition of information from other community organizations in a continued effort to create a real community guide not just recreation programs. o Adult programs such as soccer, mens basketball, senior fit, and Pickleball will also be continuing. There will also be a new adult fitness class that will start in January. This class will be in the evenings and offer a well-rounded fitness class for adults (18+). o We have put together a new event - Open Gym Night/ Parents Night Out. We have a fun night planned for kids’ grades 3-8 to come play in the gym, watch movies, do crafts, and eat some pizza. I could also use a few craft volunteers for this! o After meeting with the new DAIGBC director, I have submitted an agreement to Mary Ann about the sponsorship to eliminate any confusion going forward. I will be donating $500 out of my budget as well as sponsoring the group for grants. o The Recreation Department will also be attending the schools Santa’s Workshop event again this year. The department got involved in this event for the first time last year.  Other Notes o Concert Series grant has been submitted. o Dryden Lake Festival Grant has been submitted. o Budget looks good so far, no changes have been made at this point! o I have put an ad in the paper about DRYC membership. Hopefully it will help get the word out and fill a seat or two. Dryden Youth Programs Youth Report for October 2015 David Hall – Dryden Youth Program Manager Primitive Pursuits Session 1 This fall has been all about starting with the basics and moving on in natural and logic ways with each additional meeting. With a discussion about survival priorities we began our time together with an understanding that maintaining ones core temperature is of the utmost concern. We started working with 2-person friction kits and learned to handle fie in safe and effective ways. We also have been working on shelters, asking the question “how can I keep myself harm without a fire?” We have continued to work with fire each week, learning to utilize this element to coal burn spoons and vessels to hold and purify water. One of the beautiful things about Primitives (and many of the programs that I run) is that it allows me to call upon and encourage youth who have been with the program to share and teach others. - Session one of Primitive Pursuits continues to have incredible impact upon its participants. In addition to my High School helper we have been visited by 2 Dryden Youth Programs Alumni. Zach Cooper and Sam Park, recent graduates of Dryden High School, visited and helped out for a couple of afternoons. It is amazing and so valuable when past participants come to visit. I enjoy telling stories of adventures and skills that they have been part of. Both Sam and Zach went on many outings that involved hikes, the Adirondacks and snow shelters. Hearing about these adventures can be a true inspiration to younger students. One female participant did an excellent job taking the lead with a fire challenge recently. The group’s motivation to get a fire going was to roast hotdogs. After giving each participant a single “strike anywhere” match, my helper wisely offered little advice, choosing instead to see how the group would do on their own. One by one each match was used up in a variety of ineffective ways. Once depleted of their matches Eryn let them earn another match by answering questions about the woods we were in. She continued by asking questions about effective fire starting techniques. In the end and with almost no advise my helper had encouraged my group to think, change what they were doing and ultimately succeed. I was so proud as I kept quiet and watched her work her magic. Sean Cornell, from Primitive Pursuits, joins us each week. We are so lucky and grateful for his enthusiasm and fun. Sean is very flexible and always has his eye on the ball, helping with a friction set here, encouraging another youth with a project their and always on the ready with a new game. I’m looking at my group, even at this relatively early part of the year, to see who might be ready for an upcoming overnight. My group has been superb thus far. They have been respectful to each other, are making new friends and genuinely get what we are trying to accomplish. Of all my groups in recent years this one is a stand out because of their maturity and willingness to keep at a skill until they get it. It may be hard once I schedule an overnight to pare down my list due to their awesomeness. Perhaps I’ll just have to have 2 campouts. Program Dates # of Youth Girls Boys Avg. Daily Attendance Monday Makers 9/21 – 12/21 12 4 8 10 Bird Brains 9/22 – 10/20 9 2 7 6 Fun with Frisbees 9/23 – 10/14 6 1 5 5 Primitive Pursuits - 1 9/24 – 10/29 12 4 8 10 Community Helpers 10/21 -11/18 7 3 4 (Starts today) Please not that all upcoming programs are full.