Carol:

The 3rd Annual Yappy Hour was a huge success even though it rained in the
beginning. It rained for set up but the sky cleared right before the start. We had close to 200 people with their dogs and everyone had a blast. The vendors were excited and impressed with how many people came out. We had more new vendors and more want to come next year.

The Summer Guide came out the first week in May.

Softball started on May 29th with another 12 teams.

Amy:

– Amy completed and turned in the Bee City USA Annual Renewal Report.
– Amy began inspections for the beginning of the growing season for the Sandy Community Gardens. Almost every bed has been rented out, weeded, and cultivated!
– The Sandy Bee City Action Group hosted a FREE screening of “The Little Things That Run The World” on Wednesday, May 20th (World Bee Day!) at the Clackamas County Bank Theater (38935 Pioneer Blvd)! Doors open at 5:45pm and the film will start at 6:00pm. World Bee Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to our ecosystem.

The Summer 2026 Sandy Recreation Guide is available for viewing online! Please follow the link below to view the PDF version of the guide. Paper copies of the guide will be available at the Sandy Community and Senior Center, the Sandy Library, and City Hall.
https://www.ci.sandy.or.us/parks-rec/page/summer-guide-26

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 224 senior related calls this month-   

The center had 5 new clients and 6 Reassessments for current clients; which involved a home visit with each client and a completed NAPIS form for Clackamas County.   

Helped the team this month by packing coolers several times and running a route. 

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesdays.  In the month of May we served on 4 Tuesdays, with a total of 95 meals served in the month.   Those who attended senior lunch service donated $107 towards the nutrition program for the month of May.  

For one of the lunch days we had 4 visitors from the Aging Service Advisory Council. 

Clackamas County Energy Assistance summer program started this month and Caroleana helped 19 households with their submission of applications.   We received multiple calls for energy assistance.

Attended the Virtual Symposium on Older Adult Mental Health – presented by the National Council on Aging.   I heard from multiple professionals with a full day of learning.

Held the Senior Resource Fair where we had 22 vendors organizations / businesses which included 34 people.  We had approximately 75 attendees from our community. There were many new faces to the center who came and learned about great resources from the vendors and our city.  

Helped coordinate and host Mt Hood Hospice in May with art care

Marc:

Senior Trips

• Northwest Senior Theatre at Rise Church in Tigard with dinner afterwards at Oswego Grill in Clackamas. 11 people. 
• Marion County Master Gardener Annual Plant Sale at the Salem Armory with Lunch afterwards at McGrath’s Fish House. 7 people.
• Hike at Mosier Twin Tunnels and lunch afterwards at Big Jim’s Drive in in Hood River. 13 people.
• 
• Dine out at Dragon Palace in Gresham. We had a full bus with a waitlist but we had to cancel this one due to me being out sick.
• Oregon Zoo. Full bus with a waitlist.
• Hike at Smith & Bybee Wetlands with lunch at Panera Bread afterwards. Full bus.
• Dine out at Sayler’s Old Country Kitchen. Full bus with a waitlist.

Meals on Wheels

• 761

Chelsea:

• Assisted with processing invoices related to various park projects.
• Continued to monitor the budget for Deer Pointe park and Meinig Park Renovations. I also updated the Meinig budget with the bid results. 
• Terminated the 1200-c permit for Deer Pointe park. 
• Assisted with greeting attendees during the Senior Resource fair. 
• Continued to send the Invitation to build information out to inquiring parties and kept track of all interested in the plan holders list. We ended up issuing two addendums so I assisted by compiling and issuing those. On May 13th, we opened bids. I helped by accepting bids, giving out receipts, entering bid information in a spreadsheet, scanning bids, and sending out/posting Intent to award information.  
• I followed up with the lowest responsive responsible bidder to collect contract documents and draft a contract with all the necessary documents. 
• Attended the Parks Board Parks Tour and wrote up the minutes. 
• Park rentals and center rentals are very busy this time of year. 
• Communicated with the Bornstedt House property manager on interest in the house. We’re hoping to get it rented as soon as possible. 
• Sent Park rental schedules to the parks team.
• Drafted a contract for 1200c monitoring for Meinig Park’s Construction. It has been sent off to the 1200c inspector for their signature. 
• Updated and ordered the Longest Day Postcards. I added address labels and stamps to them so we could get them mailed out. 
• Assisted Caroleana by making reassurance calls to clients we haven’t seen at Lunch in a while and also some that have been off meals on wheels for a while just to check in on them.
• Did multiple kitchen cleaning shifts.

John:

Meinig Park Improvement Project – Bid Opening and Review
Bids for the Meinig Park Improvement Project were received and officially opened on May 13th at 2:00pm. I participated as part of the bid review team responsible for conducting the public bid opening, reviewing submitted bids for responsiveness and evaluating bidder qualifications to determine responsibility. The team carefully reviewed all submissions to ensure they met the specifications outlined in the solicitation documents. Following the evaluation process, the lowest responsive and responsible bidder was identified and announced in accordance with public contracting requirements. This milestone moves the project one step closer to construction and implementation of the planned improvements at Meinig Park.
Bee City USA Educational Event
As part of the City of Sandy’s commitment as a Bee City USA community, staff hosted a special educational event on May 20 in recognition of National Bee Day. In partnership with CCB Theater, a screening of The Little Things That Run the World was offered to the community. The documentary provided an in-depth look at pollinators and the critical role they play in maintaining healthy ecosystems, supporting agriculture, and preserving biodiversity. The event helped further public awareness of pollinator conservation and reinforced the City’s ongoing environmental stewardship efforts.
Police Department Interview Board Participation
I was invited to serve on the Police Department’s interview panel as part of the recruitment process for a vacant position. The panel conducted the first round of candidate interviews, evaluating applicants based on qualifications, experience, communication skills, and overall fit for the organization. Following the interview process, the panel identified a group of qualified candidates to advance to the second round of interviews. Participation on the panel provided an opportunity to support interdepartmental collaboration and contribute to the City’s hiring efforts.
Public Contracting Training
Attended a professional training focused on public contracting requirements, procedures, and best practices. The training provided additional education regarding Oregon public contracting laws, procurement policies, bid solicitation processes, contract administration, and compliance requirements for capital improvement projects. This training will help ensure future projects are managed in accordance with legal requirements while promoting transparency, fairness, and responsible stewardship of public funds.

Parks & Facilities:

• The Meinig Park Invitation to Bid (ITB) was opened on May 13. The contract award is scheduled to be presented to City Council on June 8. 
• A seasonal Parks team member began work on May 18 and is helping address maintenance backlogs throughout the park system. 
• Additional playground safety surfacing (wood chips) was installed at all City playgrounds.  
• Extensive grounds maintenance was performed throughout the parks system in preparation for increased summer use. 
• Ryan continues to manage several deferred maintenance projects at City facilities while also responding to daily repair and maintenance requests. 

Important Dates to remember:

June 16th– Petty Fever Concert at Meinig park .

Join us for our one and only concert this Summer, featuring Petty Fever, a high-energy Tom Petty tribute band, on Saturday June 16th from 6-8pm! Bring your blankets, lawn chairs, and your dancing shoes. Food vendors will be on-site! 

HUGE thank you to our Silver Sponsor – Washman and our Bronze Sponsor – Everfresh Fruit Company for helping to make this event possible. 

Learn more about this year’s Summer programming changes and Meinig Park here: https://www.ci.sandy.or.us/parks-rec/page/summer-concert-2026?fbclid=IwY2xjawRpymxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFhOWJXbkF0clNJVzdqY01uc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPNTE0NzcxNTY5MjI4MDYxAAEeLjQ7h2WsGYzCUMjClHRmmbm0oBj41TjYiMDMSHhgiPBcRQxHGHjks_So8Oc_aem_v-BQ6rvdqjp_yVyogpyZyw

June 18th– Longest Day Parkway at Deer Pointe park

The City of Sandy is pleased to invite you to celebrate Longest Day Parkway 2026 with us at Deer Pointe Park!

This free, family event is on Thursday, June 18th from 6:00-8:00 pm. Bike, walk, or roll with your family or enjoy a hot dog and ice cream on us! There will be activities, prizes, or raffles at each booth and this is a unique opportunity to meet members of each city department.

Please check out the route map for the event on the flyer. Parking is very limited (which is why we encourage folks to use alternative transportation). Please be patient while arriving and respect the folks living in the neighborhood. We hope to see you there.

June 27th– Noah’s Quest at Sandy Bluff.

Noah’s Quest is returning again this year at Sandy Bluff Park on Saturday, June 27th with registration starting at 8:00am and the first race starting at 9:00am.

The kiddie run will cost $5 to register, early online registration for the 5k will cost $30, and same day registration for the 5k will cost $40. Please submit any names you would like to honor by 2:00pm on June 26th to have their name on a sign along the marathon path. Register online at Brief Encounters: www.briefencounters.org/noahs-quest/

This 5k and 1k kiddie walk/run fundraiser is for everyone who has lost a child or the hope of a child, and for those who care. There will be a bell ringing of baby names, candle lightning, and butterfly release for the lost lives.

Please reach out to Carol at ccohen@cityofsandy.com for more information and we hope to see you there!

Summer Camps: Summer camps with start the middle of June like the new Kidokinetics camps. Those camps will be held throughout different city parks like Deer Pointe and Sandy Bluff Park.

July 14: Meinig Park will close for renovation activities.

Carol:

Senior Egghunt was on April 2nd at the library and we had a record of over 40 people and the trolley was full!

Functional Fitness had a record number of seniors 42 with 3 new seniors attending.

The summer recreation guide was finalized and is sent off to Minuteman Press to be printed.

Sent out invoices to all the vendors for Drop In event.

Received donations from Starbucks for the SOLVE event, Dutch Bros gift cards for the Teen flashlight egghunt. Also received 6 Top Dog sponsor’s for Yappy Hour.

Amy:

– Exciting news in Sandy’s Community Gardens at Bornstedt Park 
Thanks to a grant offered by the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District, we were able to install a number of native Oregon, pollinator friendly plants along the perimeter of the gardens!
Volunteers from the Sandy Rotary Club and some of the community gardeners worked hard to install these new plants and get the gardens looking fresh for the Spring/Summer season. Thank you to all the volunteers and the Sandy Rotary Club for helping to take care of this park amenity!

– The annual Teen Flashlight Egg Hunt happened on Friday, April 3 in Meinig Park.  $10 Dutch Bros gift cards were awarded to 8 lucky teens that found the “golden eggs!”

The middle school egg hunt (grades 6 – 8) took place at 8:00 pm.
The high school egg hunt (grades 9 -12) took place at 8:45 pm.

This event was a collaboration between the Sandy Public Library and Sandy Parks and Recreation.

– Coordinated a lot of details for Sandy’s Summer Softball League, including having an umpire and coaches meeting, updating the rules for the season, and creating the schedule of games. Games start the end of May!

– Held the Spring Bee City USA Action Group.

– Hosted a Bee City USA themed Clay Class in the Sandy and Community Center. We made bee houses, insect watering stations, and other pollinator themed decorative items.

– Hosted the SOLVE It In Sandy clean-up event to celebrate Earth Day! We had a small, but mighty force of volunteers clean up the streets and parks of Sandy. 

– Hosted a guest speaker for Native Plant Month (April!). She talked about all of the amazing Oregon native plants and insects in this area. 

– Planted some native trees and bushes in Tupper Park for Arbor Day. We also partnered with Neighborhood Forest to give away over 50 trees to local families. 

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 236 senior related calls this month.   

The center had 3 new clients and 5 Reassessments for current clients; which involved a home visit with each client and a completed NAPIS form for Clackamas County.   

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesday.  In the month of April we served on 4 Tuesday, with a total of 83 meals served in the month.   Those who attended senior lunch service donated $120 towards the nutrition program for the month of April.  

For Energy Assistance in April, Caroleana helped with 2 applications for the winter program.  She received multiple calls for energy assistance even though the Clackamas County Energy Assistance summer program doesn’t start until May.

Caroleana started to prepare her files for the end of the fiscal year, cleaning up client files and tracking annual reports needed.  

Sent out thank you letters to all the businesses that sponsored and supported the March for Meals campaign.  

Attended a workshop hosted by ORPA, SOAR chapter.  Heard from Professor of Gerontology at Western Oregon University on Evidence Based Brain Health Programming ideas; which was very engaging and applicable to the work we do at the center with our older adult population.  As well, we heard from Oregon DHS on how they can help us help others. 

Helped coordinate and host Mt Hood Hospice and SongCare from the Sandy River Threshold singers.

Future Events

Continued planning and communicating with businesses for the Senior Resource Fair in May with 17 valuable vendors confirmed.  

Marc:

Senior Trips:

• Hike & Lunch – Sandy River Beach Trail and Troutdale Station Food Carts – 7 people
  
• Goodwill and Happy Valley Station Food Carts – 9 people
• Dine out at McCools Pub and Grill in Happy Valley – full bus
• Quilt, Craft & Sewing Festival at the Portland Expo Center – 9 people
• Hike & Lunch – Rock Creek Greenway in Bethany and PF Chang’s in Hillsboro – 8 people
• Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City – full bus with a waitlist
• Dine out at Red Lobster in Gresham – full bus with a waitlist

Meals on Wheels:

• 802

Oregon Recreation & Parks Association:

•  Attended their Growing Well Together Workshop at the Lake Oswego Adult Community Center.

Chelsea:

• Assisted with processing invoices related to various park projects.
• Updated the center TV with the most updated flyers and information. 
• Continued to monitor the budget for Deer Pointe Park and the Meinig Park Renovations
• Posted the Invitation to Bid for the Meinig Park Improvements, along with building a bid webpage, and advertising the invitation to bid in multiple publications. 
• The invitation to bid went live April 21st. I’ve sent the Invitation to bld information out to inquiring parties and kept track of all interested in the plan holders list. On April 28th we held a pre-bid meeting. I assisted by drafting an Agenda, printing documents, and creating a sign in sheet. 
• Park rentals and center rentals are continuing to pick up.
• Communicated with the Bornstedt House property manager to collaborate on repairs during a change in tenants. Repairs were completed late April and we’re hopeful to get new tenants soon. 
• Printed Park rental schedules for the parks team.
• Submitted the 1200c application to DEQ for Meinig.
• Requested a quote for Erosion and control Inspections for Meinig. 
• Created and had professionally printed signs for the upcoming construction at Meinig. We also got signs printed that recognize the work of the SEP at Tickle Creek Trail. 
• Helped proof the summer recreation guide. 
• Created a flyer for Deer Pointe Park and 4th of July. I also drafted upcoming building closure signs for upcoming holidays. 
• Created, printed, and distributed the May/June Senior newsletter.

John:

Fee Schedule Review
Completed a comprehensive review of standard fees for both indoor and outdoor rental spaces in preparation for the upcoming fiscal year. Updates ensure alignment with current usage, market conditions, and operational costs.

Clackamas County Senior Services Coordination
Participated in the quarterly meeting with Senior Center Managers across Clackamas County. Discussions focused on the fiscal outlook for the upcoming year, particularly related to state and federal funding for senior services, including nutrition, transportation, education-based exercise programs, energy assistance, and case management.
Additionally, we received and amended our Meals on Wheels contract, securing additional funding to support program operations through the remainder of the fiscal year.

Library Partnership & Community Engagement
Collaborated with the library during its annual kids event by leading an interactive activity station. Participants created percussion shakers using plastic eggs and engaged in a hands-on music experience.
Also participated in volunteer appreciation event planning, contributing to updates in logistics and event structure for this year.
Completed the final round of staff training to ensure library personnel are confident and prepared to safely operate within the mobile library environment.

Event Planning – “The Longest Day Parkway”
Initiated planning and coordination for the annual “Longest Day Parkway” event. Efforts included site coordination, route planning, collaboration with external agency partners, and cross-departmental communication.
This event highlights Sandy’s parks and neighborhoods by temporarily closing streets to allow families to roll, stroll, and ride safely. Attendees can stop at various City department booths to learn about services, participate in activities, and receive community resources.

Parks & Facilities:

 Planted two dogwood trees and six shrubs at Tupper Park in recognition of Arbor Day.
 Completed seasonal cleanup of planting beds at the Veterans Memorial.

 Pressure-washed park shelters in preparation for increased seasonal use.
 Replanted areas impacted by construction from the Jonsrud Camera installation project.

 Charged and inspected irrigation systems; completed necessary repairs.

 Coordinated with an electrician to repair outlets damaged in a vehicle accident at the
plaza and replaced affected street trees.

 Tiana attended the Oregon Recreation and Park Association Directors Retreat.

Upcoming Important dates:

May 1st – May 19th- As a member of Bee City USA, Sandy is encouraging citizens to take the pledge to Go Lights Out for the Spring! By reducing sky glow, we can help migrating birds (one of our many pollinator groups) to make it to their destinations safely.

From hummingbirds and warblers to sparrows and geese, millions of birds migrate across North America every year, covering hundreds to thousands of miles. Most of these birds, some that weigh as little as half an ounce, make this remarkable and perilous journey at night, visualizing the magnetic pull of the earth and using the moon and stars to set their course. As migrating birds pass over brightly lit cities, sky glow drowns out the stars, confusing them and luring them into urban areas.

Once you take the Lights Out pledge, you can take steps to follow best practices at home:
Turn off your outdoor lights when you’re not using them.
Ensure that your outside lights aim down and are well-shielded.
Install motion sensors on your outside lights so that they’re only on when needed.
Choose warm bulbs (3,000 Kelvins or under) when converting outdoor lights to LED.
During migration seasons, draw your blinds or curtains to reduce light spill.

Peak migration in the Spring is April 15-May 19 so please consider taking the pledge and implementing some of these changes in your home.

Take the Lights Out pledge and learn more here: https://birdallianceoregon.org/our-work/protect/habitat-and-wildlife/urban/reducing-wildlife-hazards/bird-safe-building/lights-out/take-the-pledge-to-go-lights-out/?fbclid=IwY2xjawRU0ZlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFoUkplamZ5ZktOTDloZFdhc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmYOIA0HvD8u2tqMjQWLO3tS5Q_zY6uDR-SxNhVYq1b7y5Tt2zmjCFuLBSn__aem_S9M8ok3j3losOxoeUr-8_w

PS. Want to get detailed data about the migrating birds? Check out this website to learn how many birds migrated over Clackamas County last night, what type of birds are migrating in this area and much more information: https://dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-OR-005

May 12th- Senior resource Fair 10am-1pm

May 13 Meinig Park Invitation to Bid opening

May 14th- Yappy Hour at Bluff Park!

May 20th- The Sandy Bee City Action Group is pleased to invite you to a FREE screening of “The Little Things That Run The World” Wednesday, May 20th (World Bee Day!) at the Clackamas County Bank Theater (38935 Pioneer Blvd)! Doors open at 5:45pm and the film will start at 6:00pm.

World Bee Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to our ecosystem. If you have further questions about the event, please call Amy at the Sandy Community Center at (503) 668-5569.

June 18th- Longest Day Parkway at Deer Pointe Park

June 27th- Noah’s Quest at Bluff Park

Carol:

March finished up with the Mt. Storm Jamboree at the high school. We had a
total of 300 kids grades 3rd-6th from all of the different OTSD schools. We gave out sportsmanship awards to certain kids that exemplified good sportsmanship. We also gave out awards to the coaches and they voted among themselves. Overall it was another success for this program. Thanks to SandyNet for sponsoring all the t-shirts for the kids.

More work on the Drop In Event in August. Getting more vendors for the event.

Yappy Hour will have 5 new vendors joining us this year. Nya’s Cakes, Pine & Paw, KindCare Vet, Evergreen Pet supply, and 1 spoiled dog.

The Department hosted their 4th Silent Disco at the Community Center for the teens. Thanks to Maeco and Bills’ Automotive for their donation to make this event possible.

The Summer Recreation Guide will be completed and printed by the end of April.

Amy:

– Earlier this month we had our annual our Pollinator Panel, feature three local experts who shared their knowledge and answered some very inquisitive and thoughtful questions from the audience. We would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Suzi from Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District, Kris from OSU Extension Service Master Gardener™, and Dakota from Clackamas River Basin Council for being willing to share their valuable time and knowledge with the people of Sandy and to help us celebrate National Learn About Butterflies Day.

– Sandy’s Mt. Storm Youth Basketball program wrapped up another great season, serving nearly 300 local athletes across 30 teams! From December through March, players built skills, confidence, teamwork, and friendships—all while having fun on the court.
The season ended with the annual Jamboree on March 14, celebrating players and honoring outstanding sportsmanship. One team from each of the leagues was awarded the Glenn Svaren Sportsmanship Award. Congratulations to Team Schmidt, Team Egging, Team Owens, and Team Martin (pictured below).

A huge thank you to our athletes, families, volunteer coaches, referees, and the Oregon Trail School District for making this program possible. We’d also like to extend a special thank you to our first Mt. Storm Basketball League sponsor, SandyNet—Sandy’s locally owned and operated internet provider. You can learn more about them here: www.ci.sandy.or.us/sandynet

– Hosted volunteer day at the Sandy Community Gardens with the Sandy Rotary Club! We were able to clean up from winter and get prepared for the Spring 🙂

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 202 senior related calls this month.   

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesday.  In the month of March we served on 5 Tuesday, with 5 new guests and a total of 96 meals served in the month. 

For Energy Assistance in March, Caroleana helped with 8 applications; 5 were approved and several others are pending.  

This month the senior service department held the March for Meals campaign fundraising efforts. We continued advertising at the local cinema and in the Sandy paper.   

This year we have sponsorship opportunities for local businesses to support our efforts.  We received 3 gold sponsors, 2 silver sponsors and 2 bronze sponsor and 1 friends sponsor; reaching $4,750.

We held the dinner and bingo event on March 13th; which turned out well. All 50 tickets were sold, many who attended said they had a great time.   5 Bingo prizes were won, and lots of delicious tacos were enjoyed from Taqueria El Jaliscience.  A huge thank you for their generous donation of food for the evening.    

$420 on March 13th from raffle sales.  

The Bingo Dinner raised $1,075  =  $1,495.

5 restaurant match dates were held in March for the March for Meals Campaign. 

13 awesome baskets were secured from local businesses for the march for meals campaign. These were advertised throughout the month of March.  In total the 13 baskets raised close to $1,000.

Marc:

Senior Trips:

• Dine out at Boccelli’s in Gresham. We had 11 people with 5 meeting us there.
• Hike at Tickle Creek with lunch at Smoky Hearth afterwards on the day that it was part of the March for Meals Fundraiser. We were supposed to have 9 people joining us for the hike but we had a couple last minute cancellations due to the rain. 4 additional seniors joined for lunch only.
• 
• Dine out at Famous Dave’s BBQ at Cascade Station. We have been to Famous Dave’s before after a hike but not as a dine out. Was really popular. Had a full bus.
• Deepwood Museum and Gardens Annual Plant Sale & Horticultural Tours in Salem with lunch at McGrath’s Fish House afterwards. Deepwood offers free tours of the house and gardens for this annual event and it quite an interesting historical house. A lot of us had never been before and some didn’t even knew that it existed. We did have a full bus but it dropped to 10 before the day of the event.
• Hike at the Tilikum Crossing bridge with lunch at Old Spaghetti Factory afterwards. Fun bridge to walk across. Really windy though! Wasn’t bad though along the waterfront though. 10 people joining me for this one.
• Thriftapalooza at the Expo Center.  We had 6 but that turned into 3 so unfortunately we had to cancel this one due to lack of participation which is too bad because my wife’s coworker goes every year and she says it is an amazing thrift/swap meet.

Meals on Wheels:

• 689
• Covered one of the routes for a driver who couldn’t make it in.

Chelsea:

• Processed invoices related to various park projects.
• Updated the center TV with the most updated flyers and information. 
• Continued to monitor the budget for Deer Pointe park and Meinig Park Renovations
• Assisted with submitting the Meinig Park Renovation project for a Home Depot Grant opportunity. 
• Created the March Parks Board Agenda, recorded the meeting, took and wrote minutes, posted the video recording. 
• Assisted with editing another grant application and gathering letters of support from project stakeholders. 
• Drafted documents for the Upcoming Meinig Invitation to bid, including the Invitation to Bid and all the associated documents with that. 
• Assisted with filling in while Tiana and John were on vacation. 
• Park rentals are really starting to pick up, we noticed an uptake during Spring break week. 
• Communicated with the Bornstedt House property manager to collaborate on repairs during a change in tenants. 
• Created an April Lunch menu. 
• Started to print park rental schedules as it’s getting to be that time of year. 
• Helped inquire for bids with Arborist’s for the Meinig Park Renovations. 
• Attended an electrical site walk at Meinig Park. 
• Input Summer recreation classes into Sportsman. 

John:

Administrative & Financial Coordination

• Met with the Finance Team to join a small working group focused on developing a more streamlined and efficient process for Accounts Payable (AP) invoice management across the City of Sandy.

Event Planning & Development

• Continued coordination with NW Eclipse Solutions on “The Drop In,” a two-day skate and bike event to be held at Cedar Park. Planning efforts are being managed through Basecamp.
• Collaborated with the Director and City legal counsel to ensure all vendor application materials meet required legal and operational standards for hosting vendors at a large-scale event.

Youth Sports Programming

• Provided on-site support during Mt. Storm youth basketball league games, offering real-time feedback to officials, addressing questions, and ensuring smooth and consistent league operations.

Interdepartmental Collaboration & Training

• Partnered with the Sandy Library to plan a route and develop an informal training program for library staff to become familiar with the mobile library service.
• Leveraged Parks & Recreation’s accessible vehicle training program to support Sandy Library staff in operating the mobile library bus, providing both online modules and hands-on ride-along training opportunities.

Senior Services & Community Engagement

• Assisted Caroleana Smallwood in successfully organizing and executing the Bingo Dinner Fundraiser as part of the Sandy March for Meals campaign.
• The event helped raise funds and awareness for the Meals on Wheels program serving the community.

Facilities & Safety Improvements

• Coordinated with United Fire, Centric Elevator, and Christenson Electric to replace two smoke detection devices connected to the elevator and central fire panel system at the Community/Senior Center.
• These upgrades ensure compliance with current fire and life safety codes.

Parks & Facilities:

 Brandon attended the Oregon Recreation and Park Association Maintenance
Academy, a two-day professional development workshop.
 Seasonal park preparations are underway, including activating irrigation systems
and drinking fountains, and returning tables to park sites.
 Park shelters are being pressure washed in preparation for increased seasonal
use.
 Community Garden planter beds are being maintained and prepared for the
upcoming growing season.
 All playgrounds have been inspected. Minor repairs were completed on-site, with
additional parts ordered as needed. Fresh playground surfacing (chips) has been
delivered and will be installed at priority locations.
 Ryan has been addressing multiple facility needs, including roof leaks of varying
severity, ADA door access button repairs, lighting issues, and structural
improvements at Fantasy Forest.
 Recruitment is underway for two part-time seasonal parks maintenance
positions.

Upcoming Events and Dates to remember:

April 2nd- Senior Egghunt at the library. 4/2
April 3rd- Teen Flashlight Egghunt at Meinig Park.

April 8th (Create)/April 22nd (Glaze)- Clay Class at the Senior Center!

– The Sandy Community and Senior Center offers entry level clay classes for adults and seniors. For April’s class they’ve partnered with Sandy’s Bee City USA Action group to make helpful items for insects! There will also be two guest speakers during the classes.
Big thank you to Heather Michet from the Bee City Action Group and Dakota Hufford from the Clackamas River Basin Council for sharing their knowledge.

April 18th- Solve Clean up

– On Saturday, April 18th from 9:00am-1:00pm the City of Sandy will celebrate Earth Day with our annual Solve It In Sandy clean-up event! We welcome all ages and any amount of time that volunteers have to give for the event. Drop by the Sandy Community Center on April 18th to pick up supplies (and some coffee from Starbucks!) and chose your location to clean-up. Please consider registering prior to the event through the poster QR or online here: https://volunteer.solve.org/…/solve-it-in-sandy-2026...Earth Day is one of the largest observances in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action. We hope to make our Earth Day impact in Sandy by investing in the cleanliness of our parks and we hope to see you there! Thank you to Solve, Starbucks, and Hoodview Disposal & Recycling for helping us host this event!

April 21st- Native Plant Month

– April is National Native Plant Month! Now’s the time to celebrate our native Oregon plants that naturally thrive in our ecosystems and support local pollinators. To celebrate, try planting native species, removing invasives, or learn about our Northwest Native Plants and the Amazing Insects They Attract at a special presentation on Tuesday, April 21st from 6:00-7:00pm at the Sandy Community and Senior Center. Freelance Garden Writer, Amy Campion, will be exploring this topic and any Q&A you might have! Learn more about her here: amycampion.com/about-me/

April 21st- Invitation to Bid (ITB) for Meinig Park scheduled for release

April 23rd & 24th- Tiana will attend the Oregon Recreation and Park Association Directors Retreat

April 24th- Arbor Day tree planting event at Tupper Park – April 24

-The City of Sandy will be celebrating Arbor Day by planting new trees at Tupper Park! Much like Earth Day, Arbor Day is a holiday that celebrates nature. Its purpose is to encourage people to plant trees. Trees support the health of our planet, provide habitat for many critters, and reduce stress in humans. Planting even one tree makes a difference. If you would like to help us plant some trees, please meet at Tupper Park on April 24th at 2:00pm. The event will end once all of the trees have been planted. Please make sure to wear appropriate clothing. This event will happen rain or shine! If you have any questions about this event, please contact Amy at Alytle@ci.sandy.or.us.

May 14th- Yappy Hour at Sandy Bluff park

Carol:

The Recreation Department successfully spoke to over 25 businesses that are very interested in being a vendor for the “Drop IN “. The goal is to have close to 50 vendors and kids activities for this 2 day event that will happen at Cedar Park. I have 24 confirmed so far.

I helped Caroleanna secure a taco bar for the bingo and dinner fundraiser from our local taco truck at Sandlandia.

Amy:

– Finished up all training with Ride Connection to be able to drive the Parks and Recreation bus, van, and provide securement to seniors in need during transportation.
– Continued to manage Mt Storm basketball games throughout February.
– Finished preparations for registration for Sandy Adult Softball to Open in early March!

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 157 senior related calls this month.   

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesday.  In the month of February  we served on 4 Tuesday, with 5 new guests, for a total of 79 meals.   

For Energy Assistance in February Caroleana helped with 8 applications; 5 were approved and several others are pending.  

This month the senior service department continued organizing for the March for Meals campaign fundraising efforts.  In February we started advertising at the local cinema and in the Sandy paper.  Caroleana secured an invitation for morning perk with the Chamber of Commerce, to share about the senior programs at the center and highlight the March for Meals campaign 

This year we have sponsorship opportunities for local businesses to support our efforts.  As of February 27th, we received 3 gold sponsors, 2 silver sponsors and 1 bronze sponsor; reaching $4250.

We  also have  dinner and a bingo event on March 13th.  Advertisement has started on social media and flyers posted throughout the town.  

5 restaurant match dates for the March for Meals Campaign

Marc:

Senior Trips:

Hike & Lunch – Tualatin River Greenway and California Pizza Kitchen – 8 people

• Dine out at Oswego Grill in Clackamas – 12 with 2 meeting us there
• OMSI – full bus. Was my first time there as well as a couple other peoples first time. It was very cool and they had “The Monsters of the Abyss” exhibit. I also did a tour of the submarine they have there.

• Hike & Lunch – Burnt Bridge Greenway and Golden Corral in Vancouver 8 people
• Dine out at La Carreta in Gresham – 14 on the bus with 5 meeting us there
• Portland Spring Home & Garden Show – 13 with 1 meeting us there

• Meals on Wheels:
• 591 meals delivered

Miscellaneous tasks:

• I worked the grand opening of Deer Pointe park with Tiana and Chelsea
• Took the bus in for its 6 month oil change

Chelsea:

• Processed invoices related to various park projects.
• Updated the center TV with the most updated flyers and information. 
• Continued to monitor the budget for Deer Pointe park. 
• Helped with the Deer Pointe Park Grand Opening. 
• Built in March and April senior newsletter. We mailed out copies to those who receive it via mail and emailed out the electronic copy to those who opt to receive it via email. 
• Tai Chi has had a lot of new attendees the last few months so I’ve been helping to build them into our software system. 
• The Community engagement firm who helped with Clackamas County’s Transportation survey dropped off some surveys for the seniors. I offered a few of the classes here the opportunity to fill them out. We had 36 get filled out. I coordinated with the specialist to get those returned and also get the seniors their giftcards they received for filling them out. 
• Helped out with the Meals on Wheels campaign by dropping off a few sponsorship/raffle basket letters, picking up donated baskets, and following up with a few local businesses regarding this. 
• Updated the Meinig Renovation Budget with recent numbers. 
• Created a volunteer flyer for people interested in volunteering. It goes over how the process works and gives them the links and or QR codes they’ll need. 

• Created a flyer for the volunteers with instructions for logging into the computer we use for volunteer check in. 
• Handled the announcements for Tuesday lunches while Caroleana was on vacation. I also checked in with Meals on wheels drivers and got the volunteer computer up and running in her absence. 
• Completed a midpoint grant update for the Travel Oregon grant for Meinig Park. 

John:

Ride Connection Partnership

We continue our partnership with Ride Connection, utilizing our 14-passenger bus and accessible van to provide transportation for local seniors. As part of our agreement with Ride Connection, mandatory trainings are required to maintain certification. This month, I completed recertification in wheelchair securement and customer service. These trainings ensure that we are able to provide safe, reliable, and respectful transportation for seniors, particularly those with mobility limitations.

March for Meals Campaign

This month, I assisted Caroleana with planning and organizing our annual March for Meals campaign. This campaign raises awareness and funds for our Senior Nutrition Program. This year’s efforts include restaurant partnerships, where a percentage of sales will directly support our Meals on Wheels program, as well as a Bingo Dinner, raffle baskets, and an Annual Meals on Wheels tiered sponsorship package.

Facility Maintenance and Safety

Two major maintenance projects were completed at the center this month. We successfully completed our annual elevator inspection as well as a seismic inspection, ensuring the elevator is up to code, safe for use, and compliant with state seismic requirements. In addition, we are upgrading our fire panel and smoke detectors to ensure our preventative safety systems meet current code and safety standards.

Mt. Storm Youth Basketball

In collaboration with Recreation Coordinators, I assisted with Mt. Storm basketball games at Cedar Ridge Middle School and helped coordinate team picture day at the center. I also communicated with the league to reinforce Oregon Trail School District (OTSD) guidelines for gym use. This helps ensure our continued positive partnership with OTSD and that all facilities are being used safely and appropriately.

Parks & Facilities:

• Staff attended training on chainsaw safety, operations and maintenance, and pesticide application to support safe and effective field operations.
• Successfully hosted the Grand Opening celebration of Deer Pointe Park.

• Procured a 2024 Ford F-150 to replace a failed Parks vehicle, ensuring continued operational reliability.

• Brandon Shaffer has been promoted to Parks Lead, filling the vacated Parks Manager position and supporting leadership continuity within the division.
• Utilized our new pervious asphalt cleaning system to clean the parking lot at Meinig Park, improving surface performance and longevity.

• Received the Final Order review for the Meinig Park renovation plans and are now moving the project forward into permitting and bidding.
• Updated Park Rules signage has been installed at nearly all park locations.

Upcoming & Important Dates

Lunches at the Center continue! Every Tuesday!

Registration for Sandy Adult Softball is OPEN!

March 12th- Annual Pollinator Panel from 6:00-7:30pm

March 14th- Mt Storm Basketball season with a final Jamboree

March 18th- Volunteer day in the Sandy Community Gardens on March 18th

March 20th -Teen Silent Disco at the Community Center

April 1st- Volunteer day in the Sandy Community Gardens

April 1-2- Staff will attend Maintenance Institute training

April 2nd- Senior Egghunt at the Library

April 3rd- Teen Flashlight Egg Hunt

April 24th- Arbor Day tree planting event at Tupper Park

Carol:

We have a new winter class, Martial Arts, which is getting a lot of interest. We have a total of 8 kids enrolled.

The Jingle Jog Run was a first time event for Winterfest on Jan 3rd. We had 65 runners and walkers that took place on Tickle Creek on a beautiful sunny but cold Saturday. Bananas
were donated by Grocery Outlet, Starbucks donated coffee and Mt. Festival committee donated their time and hot cocoa. Ages varied from 6-79. Everyone had a great time and this will become an annual event.

Amy:

– John and Amy hosted the final Winterfest event, our Holiday Happy Hour event! The winners of the Merry Makeover Challenge were announced. Casa Colima sold tamales and Top Shelf Trailer sold drinks throughout the event! 

– Amy hosted the first 2026 Bee City USA Meeting in January! Lots of good ideas for programming were discussed for the year.

– Amy participated in the Sandy Library’s Seed Swap event. She talked to a lot of community members about the different gardening and other environmental activities happening around town.

– Games started for Mt Storm basketball league!! This league has 300+ children with 30 different teams. Games are held Friday nights and all day on Saturdays. 

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 296 senior related calls this month.   With 8 home visits for both the meals on wheels and energy assistance programs.  

Caroleana helped support our team by packing coolers several times throughout the month and delivering several routes for the Meals on Wheels program.  

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesday.  In the month of January we served on 4 Tuesdays, with 5 new guests.   

For Energy Assistance in January Caroleana helped with 12 applications; 15 were approved and several others are pending.  

This month the senior service department started organizing for the March for Meals campaign fundraising efforts.  We started advertising at the local cinema and in the Sandy paper.  

This year we will have sponsorship opportunities for local businesses to support our efforts.  We will also hold a dinner and bingo event in March. 

Marc:

Senior Trips:

• Dine out At Wan Lung in Happy Valley. Nine people with one meeting us there.
• Hike at Tanner Creek Park Trail in West Linn followed by lunch at Biscuits Cafe. Eleven people.
• 
• Dalles Dam Eagle Watch. This was a very popular and fun trip. We had a full bus with a long waiting list. We went to the Dalles Dam Visitor Center which the Park Rangers opened just for our visit. They gave us the history of the dam and talked to us about the eagles that roost there every winter. Then they took us out to the parking lot where they had spotting scopes set up for us to view the eagles. We saw at least 15-20 of them during our visit. We then proceeded to Bargeway Pub & Catering for lunch.
• Dine out at The Cazadero Steakhouse in Estacada. Twelve people with three meeting us there.
• Hike at the Gresham-Fairview Trail with lunch at the Original Roadhouse Grill in Gresham. Ten people with one meeting us for both the hike and lunch and two meeting us just for lunch.
• 
• Spirit Mountain Casino. Ten people and we had a new face on this trip and she was a big winner with a good size jackpot that she hit!

Meals on Wheels:

• 745

Other Tasks:

• Took the van in for its biannual ramp inspection.
• Covered one of the meals on wheels routes when one of our volunteers could not make it in. I always enjoy doing this. It is very nice to get out and interact with the people that we serve in our community. 

Chelsea:

• Processed invoices related to various park projects.
• Attended meetings in regards to various ongoing park projects, including weekly meetings for Deer Pointe Park. 
• Updated the center TV with the most updated flyers and information. 
• Attended the January Parks Board meeting including writing the Agenda and minutes, and posting the recording. 
• Continued to monitor the budget for Deer Pointe park. 
• Worked the Jingle Jog event on January 3rd. This was so much fun. I’ve never been a part of run before and it was just really interesting to see and feel the vibe of the event. Everyone had a great time and the weather was beautiful. 
• Stuffed and mailed out 180 invites to the neighbors of Deer Pointe Park. 
• Ordered updated name placards for Parks Board. 
• Met with our new Walter Nelson Rep and chatted with him about our supply orders. 
• Completed the first grant update for the LGGP Grant for Meinig.
• Built in February trips and activities into our software system. 
• Prepped items for the Deer Pointe Grand Opening including ordering coffee and cocoa, making signs, ect. 
• Created a parking lot closure sign and an updated rental flyer. 

John:

Mt. Storm Youth Basketball League
Games are now underway for the Mt. Storm youth basketball league. Staff have provided ongoing oversight and logistical support on game days, including coordination with site staff, coaches, referees, and players to ensure smooth operations. Time has also been dedicated to responding to participant and parent feedback, reinforcing expectations, and addressing concerns as they arise. These efforts are centered on fostering a season that is safe, fun, and respectful for all involved while upholding the league’s developmental mission.

Winterfest
Provided support with the management and implementation of key Winterfest programming, including the Jingle Jog Fun Run. Assisted with event logistics and registration and served as the caboose during the run to ensure all participants safely completed the course and no one was left behind. Following the event, staff reached out to all sponsors and volunteers to thank them for their participation and support, reinforcing strong community relationships and setting the foundation for future events.

March 4 Meals Fundraiser
Initiated planning efforts for the upcoming March 4 Meals fundraiser in support of the Meals on Wheels program. Early planning includes development of raffle baskets, bingo activities, and a community dinner component. Additionally, staff began outlining new sponsorship opportunities designed to engage local businesses and families, allowing them to directly support Meals on Wheels through sponsorship of meals, program elements, and service areas. This approach expands community investment while strengthening long-term sustainability of senior nutrition services.

The Drop-In
Continued coordination and planning efforts for The Drop-In, Basecamp’s first-ever skate and bike competition scheduled for August 22–23. Staff held ongoing meetings with Eclipse Solutions NW to advance event logistics, competition structure, and operational planning. In addition, meaningful outreach has begun with proposed vendors to gauge interest, share event details, and lay the groundwork for a diverse and successful vendor presence that enhances the overall event experience for participants and spectators.

Parks & Facilities:

• Donated approximately 6 yards of storm-damaged wood to Ant Farm for their community firewood program.
• Logged 173 staff hours supporting the de-installation of Winterfest.

• Partnered with a certified arborist to assess and address hazardous trees on city property.
• The City’s new CSO completed a ride-along with Parks staff to better understand our mission and operational challenges.
• Completed the final tasks required to open Deer Pointe Park.

• Rebuilt a section of fencing at Jonsrud Viewpoint.

• Coordinated with Code Enforcement to clean up a transient camp in the Tickle Creek Trail Natural Area.

• Performed trail maintenance at Sandy River Park.

• Rebuilt a platform in Fantasy Forest.

• Began detailed inspections of City facilities to establish a clearer understanding of asset conditions and to guide short- and long-term maintenance and investment priorities.  

A few challenges:

• One of the Parks truck suffered a complete engine failure; staff are currently evaluating economical replacement options.
• Increased dumping and littering in green spaces continues to impact maintenance efforts and resource allocation.

Upcoming important dates to remember:

February 7th @ 12pm- Deer Pointe Park Ribbon Cutting

February 18th- Volunteer Day in Gardens! 1-4pm at the Sandy Community Gardens 

March 13th- March for Meals Bingo Fundraiser at the Center

March 14th- Mt. Storm Jamboree @ SHS

March 20th- Silent Disco for teens

Carol:

There were 7 Winterfest events in December. Pictures with the Grinch, Sandy in Santa, Shortest Day Walkway, Vendors In Meinig that was combined with Jolly Trolley. All these events brought over 10,000 people to the park throughout the month.

The 2026 Winter/Spring Recreation came out on December 1st.
Carol is working on a new event that will be on August 22nd & 23rd at Cedar Park. It is called the ”Drop In”. It will be a 2-day event at Basecamp with open bike and skating and competitions for all ages. The plan is to have around 50 vendors selling bike, skate, apparel, food and other homemade goods. Carol received a Title Sponsor of $16,000 from Route 26 Electric & Fiber for this brand new event.
Upcoming events/programs: Mt. Storm games will start on 1/09 and will continue with games through 3/14/2026.

Amy:

1. All 30 Mt Storm teams successfully had 6 practices each throughout the month of December!

2. Helped run Winterfest events (Pet Pictures with the Grinch, Santa in Sandy, and the Winterfest Vendor Market)

3. Helped with a Mt Storm referee clinic to make sure our refs are ready to go for the first Mt Storm games in January. 

4. Completed training for Ride Connection to continue being able to drive Parks and Recreation vehicles.

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 291 senior related calls this month.   With 8 home visits for both the meals on wheels and energy assistance programs.

Caroleana helped support our team by packing coolers several times throughout the month and delivering several routes for the Meals on Wheels program.  

Our Meals on wheels clients received several extras this month

• Holiday wreaths were sent out the week before Christmas which were donated by Sandy High FFA 
• Christmas cards that were made by local kids and residents 

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesday.  In the month of December we served on 5 Tuesday, with 5 new guests.  

Caroelana helped sign up local seniors for Christmas Food boxes through Sandy Kiwanis; which entailed phone calls to homebound seniors that I serve in many capacities (meals on wheels, and Energy Assistance and those who have been on my client list in the past) 

Sandy Kiwanis served over 250 households this year with food boxes and toys for over 500 children.  Later in the month myself and Carol helped pack presents for the children. 

We hosted a senior Christmas gathering with a fun gift exchange with 16 in attendance. 

Designed and had printed new calendars for the Senior newsletter for the months of January and February. 

For Energy Assistance in December Caroleana had 19 applications approved.

Outside my regular duties, I helped with several WinterFest events and tasks. 

• Helped at the shortest day WinterFest event at Meinig park-Set up and clean up – 
• Designed, updated and printed Stocking Stroll Map for our 3rd annual Stocking Stroll event.  
• Designed and printed the Passports for the Shortest Day Walkway 
• I sent out thank you cards to all our WinterFest sponsors, Stocking Stroll participating businesses, Friends of the Lights sponsors, special event non-profit organizations that participated in our WinterFest festivities.  In total for Winterfest we sent 92 thank you cards. 

As well, Caroleana started the publicity, communication and organization of the Merry Makeover Challenge to the businesses.  

Marc:

Senior Trips:

• Clackamas Town Center – 6 people
• Dine out at Rendezvous in Welches – 13 people
• Winter Wonderland at Portland International Raceway with dinner at Jantzen Beach Bar & Grill afterwards – Full bus. Plus we were treated to an unexpected surprise. It turned out to be a Christmas Ships night as well!
• Hiked The Cazadero trail in Boring with lunch at Red Apple afterwards – 5 people with one meeting us for the hike and two meeting us for lunch.

Meals on Wheels:

• 567 meals delivered

I worked the Shortest Day Parkway and we had an amazing turn out for that event.

This month was also full of vehicle maintenance as well. It was time for the vans oil change, tire rotation, ramp inspection and annual inspection and the bus was due for registration.

Chelsea:

• Processed invoices related to various park projects.
• Attended meetings in regards to various ongoing park projects, including meetings for Deer Pointe Park. 
• Updated the center TV with the most updated flyers and information. 
• I also made some electronic flyers for upcoming holiday events to be displayed on the TV. 
• Attended the December Parks Board meeting including writing the Agenda and minutes, and posting the recording. 
• Continued to monitor the budget for Deer Pointe park. 
• Decorated the center trees for the holidays. 
• Put together centerpieces for the employee holiday party. 
• Created the January & February newsletter. I emailed it out and also helped stuff the mailed newsletters.

• Worked multiple Winterfest events- the Santa event, shortest day walkway, and 1 night of the vendor market. I also helped with making print outs and laminating for the events. 
• Helped plan the senior gift exchange party. 
• Updated our ORPA membership. 
• Created an invitation to the Deer Pointe Grand Opening. 
• Coordinated getting the giftcard to the winner of the Shortest Day walkway prize. 

John:

Winterfest

Provided support with the management and implementation of December’s Winterfest programming, including Pet Pictures with the Grinch, Santa in Sandy, the Shortest Day Walkway, Holiday Markets, and Jolly Trolley Rides. All programs were well attended and successfully executed. During the holiday experience, Meinig Park recorded approximately 38,000 unique visits, highlighting the continued growth and popularity of Winterfest as a community-wide attraction and tourism driver.

The Drop In

Established key foundations for Basecamp’s first-ever skate and bike competition, The Drop In, scheduled for August 22–23. Finalized event dates and branding, completed a contract with Eclipse Solutions NW to host the competition, and developed a comprehensive sponsorship package aimed at offsetting event costs while creating meaningful partnership opportunities with local and regional businesses.

Mt. Storm

Collaborated with the recreation team to lead referee training sessions for 3rd/4th grade and 5th/6th grade youth basketball leagues. These trainings focused on expectations, rules, and best practices to ensure athlete safety, consistent officiating, and smooth game flow. Establishing this foundation supports a positive experience for players, coaches, and families.

SICC (Sandy Invitational Chainsaw Competition)

Continued discussions with the Sandy Invitational Chainsaw Competition (SICC) to explore a mutually beneficial partnership. The proposed collaboration would allow SICC to utilize select trees along the Tickle Creek Trail to launch an ascension program focused on teaching local youth how to safely harness in and climb trees. In exchange, SICC would recruit and organize a large volunteer group to support fuel mitigation efforts and general trail maintenance along Tickle Creek, strengthening stewardship and long-term trail health.

Parks & Facilities & Maintenance:

• Winterfest has hosted nearly 38,000 visits 
• Winter landscape clean-up taking place

• Telescope maintenance at the viewpoint
• Scheduled tree mitigation pruning as recommended by the arborist 
• Lots of storm clean-up response 

• Started installing new park/bike rules signs throughout the park system 
• Improved facility maintenance response time, decreasing the average work order completion time from 419 hours (December 2024) to 76 hours (December 2025).  
• Investigated the feasibility of installing the proposed ADA shelter in Meinig without impacting critical root systems and discovered favorable conditions.

Upcoming events/Dates to remember:

• January 3rd- Jingle Jog: from 9:00am-11:30am, Tickle Creek Trail

• January 3rd- Holiday Happy Hour: from 4:30pm-6:30pm, Meinig Park Gazebo
• January 5th- The team will begin taking down WinterFest
• January 20th- Bee City USA Action Group Winter Meeting – Sandy Community and Senior Center, from 6-7pm

• January 31st- Seedy Saturday (Seed Swap) – 2-4pm – Hoyt Community Room at the Sandy Library
• Deer Pointe Park is in the final stage of construction, a tentative date of January 31st has been set for a ribbon cutting.  

Carol:

• Received 5 Gold Winterfest sponsorships and 3 from new businesses- Route 26 Electrical Inc., N8 excavation, MEI group, Barlow Trail and Hoodview Disposal.
  11 Silver Winterfest sponsors: Everfresh, CCB, Embold Credit Union, EW environmental works, Washman, Trimble Rentals, MHCC, Rolli’s Auto Body, Bigfoot Plumbing, PGE, KLM
  Construction, and Sandy Décor.
  Friends of the lights : Wippernappers.
  Total for just Winterfest sponsorships $21,800
• Mt. Storm: we have a total of 293 kids. Record number this year!
  We had 2 open gyms for 5/6 grades at Cedar Ridge and had over 100 kids show up for both
  days. Meetings will concluded on Nov 13th with all coaches and rosters will be complete and kids will be on the courts ready to practice on Dec 1st .
• Tree lighting was on Nov 21st and the weather was perfect. Over 800 people attended then
  went over to Meinig park and walked around to enjoy the lights.

Amy:

– Bee City USA hosted an educational Autumn Walk in partnership with the Clackamas River Basin Council.
– I submitted an application with Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District Habitat Kit Program for native Oregon plants for the Sandy Community Gardens.
– On Nov 5th, I helped facilitate a Bee City USA presentation for the Sandy Gardening Club.

– Mt Storm basketball hit a record number of registrations (almost 300 children). In November we held the Open Gyms, Skills Assessments, Coaches Meetings and Coaches Clinic. Practices start the first week of December! 

– Our first Winterfest event – the Tree Lighting Ceremony happened on November 21st! 

– I helped with both Senior Thanksgiving Lunches. 

– Our Winter Recreation Guide was released! 

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 277 senior related calls this month.   

Caroleana helped support our team by packing coolers several times throughout the month and delivered several routes for the Meals on Wheels program.  

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesday.  In the month of November  we served on 3 Tuesday, with 13 new guests.  One of which was a special thanksgiving meal on Wednesday, Nov 26th with 21 people present. 

We also hosted a special meal the week of Thanksgiving that was catered and we had 38 seniors in attendance. 

Coordinated and organized an AARP safe driving class; with 16 attendants and a waitlist.  

We held the 3rd annual Veterans pinning ceremony, We Honor our Veterans on November 14th, 2025.  We had the privilege of pinning 29 veterans and had 58 people in attendance.  Thank you to Maeco of Oregon and Cascadia Village of Cogir sponsoring this meaningful event.  A special thank you to Mt Moka who gave a small gift to each veteran.  Thank you to the highschool Choir who sang to open the pinning ceremony, Thanks to photography student Samuel Smallwood, who took many pictures of the whole event.  

For Energy Assistance in November, 22 applications were approved and several others are pending.  

Attended and help set up at the Sandy Tree Lighting 

As well, Caroleana started the publicity, communication and organization of the Merry Makeover Challenge to the businesses.  

Marc:

Senior Trips

• Hike & Lunch – Salish Ponds in Fairview and lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings in Wood Village. Only a small group of 6 of us for this one. 

• Dine out at Gustav’s in Vancouver. We did have a full bus but someone didn’t make it in time to ride the bus so they drove and met us there.
• Portland Holiday Market at Portland Expo Center. This is a popular one each year. Everyone seems to find great gifts to give for Christmas, myself included. I found a pair of earrings for my wife that are made with Larimar which is a stone found in only one place in the world! There were 14 of us for this trip also. 

• Hike & Lunch – We went to Powell Butte for this one and we had lunch afterwards at Chang’s Mongolian Grill. There were 12 of us for this one.

• Northwest Senior Theatre in Tigard. This Fall’s show was “Happy Holidays, Weather Permitting” . They put on a great show as always and we all had a wonderful time. We did have a full bus but unfortunately we did have 3 people that ended up not being able to join us.

• Dine out at Ristorante Di Pompello in Troutdale. Excellent food as always. 11 of us with 2 people meeting us there.

Meals on Wheels

• 521 (no delivery week of Thanksgiving)

Events

• Tree Lighting. We all worked this event and had an amazing turn out for it as always!

Chelsea:

• Processed invoices related to various park projects.
• Attended meetings in regards to various ongoing park projects, including weekly meetings for Deer Pointe Park. 
• Updated the center TV with the most updated flyers and information. 
• I also made some electronic flyers for upcoming holiday events to be displayed on the TV. 
• Attended the November Parks Board meeting including writing the Agenda and minutes, and managing the recording. 
• Continued to monitor the budget for Deer Pointe park. 
• Helped with the Senior Thanksgiving Catered lunch. We had a smaller group this year but people really enjoyed themselves. I planned some thanksgiving trivia for the event. 
• Also helped with the Congregate Thanksgiving lunch by checking people in for the event. 
• Redecorated our Gingerbread house for Meinig Park- It has really weathered from last year, so we repainted the roof, added new ornaments and lights plus we made some additions this year Thanks to Ryan with Facilities. Make sure to take a look at it when you’re at Meinig park this holiday season. 

• Worked the tree lighting event- such a good turn out!

• Created the Decoration sponsorship signs for Meinig Park and submitted 2 batches to the printer for printing. John and I worked together to place all the signs in the park next to the decorations. We ended with a total of 18 decorations sponsored this year.

John:

Future Skate Park Competition

• Met with Jon Legarza, Sandy’s Economic Development Consultant, to discuss how a large-scale, regionally focused skate competition could positively impact the local economy. His guidance will be valuable as we plan events that support and enhance Sandy’s commercial activity.
  
• Held a preliminary meeting with Eclipse Solutions, a local event consulting firm, to explore partnering on a two-day skate and bike competition at Basecamp. We discussed event logistics, volunteer needs, sponsorship opportunities, and potential revenue streams.
  

Mt. Storm Youth Basketball

• Assisted Carol and Amy in leading a coaches’ meeting for the 3rd/4th and 5th/6th grade basketball teams. We introduced staff, reviewed our mission, rules, schedules, and code of conduct, and provided time for coaches to ask questions.
  
• Led a coaches’ clinic where we supported new and returning coaches with practice planning, drills, behavior management strategies, and team-building techniques.
  

Tree Lighting Event

• On November 5th, assisted with the delivery and installation of the 45-foot Christmas tree in the Plaza.
  
• On November 21st, supported the Tree Lighting Event, which served as the kickoff to Winterfest. We had an excellent turnout, with nearly 1,000 attendees for the first night of lights.
  

SICC Invitational Chainsaw Competition

• Met with leadership from SICC to discuss the potential use of the Tickle Creek Trail and surrounding areas to host a tree ascension program during next summer’s SICC event. These discussions are preliminary as we explore what a formal partnership might look like.
  

Recreation Guide

• Assisted with entering all Recreation Guide classes and activities into the registration system. Winter and Spring offerings are now available online.

Parks & Facilities Team:

Highlights:

• • 221 staff hours dedicated to WinterFest installation
  • Successful opening night of WinterFest
  • Extensive leaf clean-up completed
  • Brandon received the Certified Playground Safety Inspector certification
  • Inspected city property for hazardous trees with the arborist
  • New pervious asphalt and sidewalk cleaning equipment has been delivered
  • Prepared Tickle Creek Trail for the Tickle Trot
  • Responsive to city facility maintenance requests 
  • Submitted Meinig Park renovation documents for Land Use review

Upcoming important dates to remember:

• Garden Bed registration opens in December

• Winterfest events!

Lunches at Center continue every Tuesday in December.

• Deer Pointe Park is in the final stage of construction

• The team will begin taking down WinterFest on January 5th

Carol:

The Winter Recreation Guide is being worked on and will have new classes for teens and youth like science and martial arts . The goal is to pass out the 2026 Winter Guide the day of the tree lighting which is Nov 21st.
This year with combined gold, silver and friends of the lighting sponsors Carol went out and received $21,750. That is just sponsorships. That is just about double the sponsorships from last year. More donations are coming in for Holiday décor sponsors and vendor sponsors during the Jolly Trolley events. We have brand new businesses that are involved for the first time.

Sandy Library and the Recreation Dept partnered together for the Halloween Hunt in Meinig. It was a little cold but over 50 kids still showed up.
Carol also helped out the library get some monetary donations, and raffle baskets for their fundraiser towards the mobile library van. It was a successful event even though we had to move the event inside the Mt. Hood Pizza and Brew restaurant.
Working on talking to businesses to be part of the merry makeover and getting vendors to sell their goods. The businesses are very excited about doing it again for Winterfest. More details to come next month.

Amy:

– Mt Storm Instructional League Finished with a candy filled Halloween class!
– Registration for the Mt Storm basketball league was completed with about 250 children registered!

– We threw a fabulous volunteer appreciation party with the Sandy Library!

– Held the final 2026 Bee City USA Action Group Meeting

– Hosted the Teen Halloween Flashlight Egg Hunt with the Sandy Library

– Hosted a very successful Creepy Crawly Bug Show and Tell Event!

-Reminder- Leave the leaves is still ongoing!

Chelsea:

• Processed invoices related to various park projects.
• Attended meetings in regards to various ongoing park projects, including weekly meetings for Deer Pointe Park. We also had a few meetings at Meinig for the renovation project. 
• Finalized and printed the November/December Senior Newsletter. We mailed out about 50 copies and emailed out to our email subscribers. 

• Updated the center TV with the most updated flyers and information.
• Continued to monitor the budget for Deer Pointe park. 
• Printed closure and upcoming holiday signs for the upcoming holidays. 
• Assisted with Elevator repair scheduling. 
• Designed our Senior Holiday Gift Exchange flyer.
• Input all of our block reservations for the Winter Recreation Guide classes and events. 
• Submitted a few maintain-x repairs on behalf of the center. 

John:

Winterfest:
Staff continued planning and coordination efforts for the upcoming Winterfest celebration. Specific areas of focus this month included organizing the Jingle Jog, Merry Makeover, and Stocking Stroll events. Staff also reached out to local businesses to encourage participation and partnership in Winterfest activities. Additionally, work continued on securing the necessary permits for Storybook Lane and temporary storage areas to support event logistics.

Mountain Storm Youth Basketball:
Registration for the Mountain Storm Youth Basketball League closed on October 31. Staff provided administrative and logistical support to ensure smooth registration processing, team organization, and coordination with coaches, volunteers, and families. Continued oversight and general program management are ongoing as the season begins.

Senior Services:
The department continues to provide strong support for our Client Services Coordinator and Transportation Coordinator, ensuring the delivery of essential senior services across multiple federally and state-supported programs. These include:

• Nutrition Program: Providing nutritious meals and social connection through our Congregate Meal setting and Meals on Wheels.
  
• Transportation Services: Offering transportation for recreational and social outings as well as access to nutritional programs, including Congregate Meals, the Shopping Shuttle, and Meals on Wheels.
  
• Research-Based Fitness Programs: Tai Chi
  
• Energy Assistance: Assisting seniors with access to seasonal utility support.
  
• Case Management: Offering individualized guidance and coordination of resources to meet client needs.
  
• Reassurance Program: Providing regular wellness checks and social connections for isolated seniors.
  
• Information and Assistance: Serving as a trusted resource to connect seniors and caregivers to available community and state programs.

Oregon Recreation and Park Association (ORPA) Annual Conference
The 2025 Oregon Recreation and Park Association (ORPA) Annual Conference was held in Eugene, Oregon. The event brought together recreation and park professionals from across the state to share best practices, attend educational sessions, and celebrate achievements within the field.

The City of Sandy Parks and Recreation Department participated in several educational sessions covering topics such as special event management, inclusion and accessibility initiatives, and innovative funding and grant opportunities.We are also proud to share that the City of Sandy was formally recognized at the conference, receiving the Design and Construction Award for Cedar Park, featuring the Basecamp skatepark, pump track, and jumpline. This award highlights the City’s commitment to creating inclusive, high-quality recreational spaces that serve both residents and visitors while supporting Sandy’s broader community and tourism goals.

Meals on Wheels Program Update

Due to a reduction in funding that supports Sandy’s Meals on Wheels program, the department has implemented adjustments to help balance fiscal responsibility while maintaining essential nutritional services for homebound seniors.

Effective this month, Meals on Wheels participants will receive five meals per week instead of seven. This change allows the department to continue providing meal delivery services within current budget limitations.

At this time, new clients wanting to join the Sandy Meals on Wheels program will be added to a wait list and communicated with regularly to provide updates to service.

These program changes were made thoughtfully to ensure that Sandy’s Meals on Wheels program remains financially sustainable while continuing to meet the nutritional and social needs of local seniors.

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 277 senior related calls this month. She conducted 5 home visits this month, with 2 being for current meals on wheels clients and conducting their yearly reassessments.

Caroleana helped support our team by packing coolers several times throughout the month and delivered several routes for the Meals on Wheels program.  

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesday.  In the month of October we served 85 meals and had 4 new guests on the 4 Tuesdays.   Twice we had one volunteer who played the piano while participants ate their lunch; which was very enjoyable. 

Enjoyed the volunteer appreciation event at Meinig Park at the beginning of the month.

My responsibilities included greeting attendees and handing out raffle tickets.  I enjoyed assembling the prize baskets with Carol Cohen and having the opportunity to present the winning one to each volunteer who won.    

Continued the planning process for our annual Veterans pinning ceremony.    

I attended the ORPA conference in Eugene.  It was a great networking event and a great conference.  This event highlighted the commitment of Oregon’s Parks and Recreation professionals. 

For Energy Assistance in October 18 applications were approved and several others are pending.  

Marc:

First and foremost, I forgot to include the picture of John on his very first outing in last month’s report so here it is!

Senior Trips:

• Hike & Lunch. We did the Rilee Loop trail at Bob and Crystal Rille Park in Newberg with lunch at Red Robin afterwards in Wilsonville. That is a hidden gem of a trail system that I highly recommend. It was our first time going there and I will definitely be going back and taking my wife and dog there. Unfortunately we ended up as a small group of 6 as we did not get many sign ups and there were a couple last minute cancellations.
• Hood River Harvest Festival. Great time as always on this outing and luckily it had stopped raining right after we got there! We had a full bus with a waiting list and made a stop at Packer Orchards & Bakery on the way back to Sandy.
• Dine out at Eagle Creek Saloon. 13 people with 3 meeting us there.
• Centralia Train Trip. It was so popular back in June we decided to do it again! It was another fun train trip with an absolutely beautiful day in Centralia! We had a full bus with a waitlist.
  
  
• Hike & Lunch. We went and did the Willamette Greenway trail since we had to cancel it back in July due to the excessive heat and we had lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Carol joined us for that hike and there were a total of 13 of us. We even had a Guide Dogs for the Blind puppy join us!

• Spirit Mountain Casino. Only 10 people this time but everybody had lots of fun. One person even asked after we loaded up and were getting ready to head back if we were going again next month!
• Dine out at Barlow Trail Roadhouse. 12 people with 2 meeting us there.

Meals on Wheels:

• 763 meals delivered

Parks & Facilities Team:

• 152 staff hours dedicated to Winterfest installation
• Storm cleanup completed across multiple sites
• Our new Facilities Maintenance team member is making great progress in caring for City facilities
• Playgrounds inspected; hazards identified and corrected on the spot or parts ordered as needed
• Trash and fishing line cleanup completed at Sandy River Park
• Deer Pointe Park is in the final stage of construction

• A challenge we encountered this month was one of the Winterfest bridge arches was stolen from our storage location.

Upcoming dates to remember:

– Nov 2nd, 2-4pm- Educational Fall Walk with Clackamas River Basin Council

– November 3rd & 5th- Mt. Storm Open Gyms for grades 5 & 6

– November 11th- Center closed for Veteran’s Day
– November 12th & 13th Skills assessments for grades 5/6.

-Storybrook Lane installation begins November 12 — the lower parking lot behind Joe’s Donuts will be inaccessible through early January

-November 14th- Veteran’s Pinning Ceremony at the Community/Senior center.

– November 17th- Coaches meeting for grades 3 & 4
– November 19th- Coach Meeting for teams for grades 5/6 boys and girls.

– November 21st- Sandy Tree Lighting at Centennial Plaza/Winterfest kick off

– November 27th & 28th- Center Closed for Thanksgiving

Carol:

Corn Cross for the kids was a huge success. We had over 74 kids signed up but due
to the rain in the morning we had 56 who raced. and 85% of these kids ages 2-16 that came from Sandy. The kids course was longer this year with more time in the corn maze. Liepold’s was very happy with the turnout and realized how much fun these kids have on their bike and the other activities the farm offers. Thanks to Coach Robbie with his skills and bringing his obstacles and air bag. The kids were challenging themselves on these fun obstacles. This was the second year Northwest Trails Alliance came to be part of Corn Cross. They gave out medals to all the kids. Parents were so excited to have the kids go through the maze and have it more challenging. Everfresh & CCB were our sponsors for this event.

Finishing up on sponsorships for Winterfest events so far, we hope to have $17,000 raised. I have some new sponsors that I am working with like 26 Electric and Bigfoot Plumbing.

I also went out and helped out Sarah McIntyre pick up some sponsors for her fundraising campaign for the mobile library unit. I made some introductions for her while we went to their businesses.

Amy:

-Continued working in the community gardens with the Sandy Rotary Club and other volunteers. We collected food from the gardeners to donate to the Sandy Action Center Food Bank – so far donating 82 pounds of food throughout the Summer!

-Got fully CPR/AED Trained.

– Helped run Kids Cross!

– Hosted a guest speaker to discuss the impacts wasps have on our local ecosystem. 

– Advertised the Leave the Leaves and Lights Out Oregon social media campaigns.

– The Mt Storm Instructional League K-2 classes began in September and are going well! 

-Plans and advertising for Winterfest is underway! 

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 271 senior related calls this month.   The center had 7 new meals on wheels clients and 3 Reassessments for current clients; which involved a home visit with each client and a completed NAPIS form for Clackamas County.   

Caroleana helped support our team by packing coolers several times throughout the month and delivered several routes for the Meals on Wheels program.  

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesday.  In the month of Sept we served 113 meals over the 5 weeks.  17 of those being new folks to the lunch program.  We had one volunteer who played the piano while participants ate their lunch; which was very enjoyable. 

Shopped with Carol for the volunteer appreciation thank you baskets.   

Met with Jolie from Mt Hood Hospice and continued the planning process for our annual Veterans pinning ceremony.

  

Carol and I attended the AARP Age-Friendly summit at PSU.  We networked with other agencies that were in attendance and learned a great deal about older Americans issues in Oregon.  

Caroleana had an Energy Assistance meeting with Marcos; the Program Coordinator and Anfisa, support staff.  She learned about funding available and where grant funds are coming from.  Also learned about new requirements for the Clackamas County EA program.  

She scored very well on the program feedback for the last fiscal year.  Submitted approximately 142 applications with only 5 corrections and 2 denials.  That is a 96.4% score; which was notated as Superior.  

It was noted “ Sandy Community/ Senior Center had provided the necessary information to assure the intake process is effective, efficient and reduce the burden to low-income seniors in your community”  

Marc:

Senior Trips:

• Alpine Events pop-up dinner in Rhododendron – 9 people
• Hike at Molalla River State Park with Lunch at Backstop Bar & Grill in Canby – Full bus with John joining us for the very first time on an outing!
• Mt. Angel Oktoberfest – Full bus
• Dine out at Nicholas in Gresham – 13 people with 3 meeting us there
• Swan Island Dahlia Festival in Canby – full bus
  
• Hike at the new Mitchell Point Tunnel that opened earlier this year and lunch at Big Jim’s Drive in Hood River with a stop at Packer Orchards on the way back. Full bus with Amy joining us.
  
   
• Mini golf at the Aerie at Eagles Landing and lunch at the Happy Valley Station Food Carts – 9 people with 3 meeting us there

Meals on Wheels:

• 819
• Drove one of the routes when a driver needed the day off

Miscellaneous:

• Took the new bus in for its first lift inspection
• We all had our CPR class to get recertified

Chelsea:

Processed invoices related to various park projects.

Attended meetings in regards to various ongoing park projects, including weekly meetings for Deer Pointe Park. We also had a few meetings at Meinig for the renovation project. 

Set up the September Parks & Trails Advisory Board meeting, posted the video recording, and wrote up the meeting minutes. 

Prepped the November & December senior newsletter. We have a lot of special senior events that happen around the holidays so it’s quite the newsletter build. 

Updated the center TV with the most updated flyers and information

Continued to monitor the budget for Deer Pointe park. 

Redesigned the new park and Bike rule signs. We are working to get these printed and put up in our parks soon. 

Applied for a T-Mobile grant for the Meinig Park renovations. This entailed a grant proposal, budget, pictures of the existing park, design plans, 5 letters of support, and answering questions on the grant application. 

Created a sign for the Jolly Trolley stop. 

Completed an online CPR training as well as attending the in person training. 

Drafted a contract for the playground installer for Deer Pointe as well as BOLI paperwork.

John:

Winterfest Planning and Community Engagement
The Parks and Recreation Department continues preparations for Winterfest, Sandy’s signature community-wide holiday event. This month, staff presented to the Parks & Trails Advisory Board (PTAB) to provide updates on event planning. Topics included the history of Winterfest, improvements made in recent years, and exciting additions planned for 2025:

• A new showstopper holiday decoration to enhance the festive atmosphere.
  
• The launch of a Holiday Fun Run, encouraging families and individuals to end the season in an active and spirited way.
  
• The creation of a Winter Bazaar, where vendors can rent table space to sell locally made goods, crafts, and products.

In addition to these highlights, staff have been updating the Winterfest website, applications, and event documentation to ensure smooth participation for community members, vendors, and volunteers.

Staff Training and Safety
This month, the department also coordinated First Aid and CPR certification training for Parks and Recreation staff. This training ensures staff are well-prepared to respond to emergencies and continue to prioritize the safety of participants across programs, facilities, and events.

Program Development at Cedar Park
Staff met with a possible community partner to begin exploring a skate and bike competition at Cedar Park. The vision for this program includes a multi-day event featuring competitions on the skatepark, pump track, and jumpline, complemented by:

• Local vendors and sponsor booths.
  
• Family-friendly activities and entertainment.
  
• Opportunities to highlight Cedar Park as a regional recreation destination.

Parks & Facilities:

• Asset maintenance projects underway, including bridge repainting

• Landscape beautification completed with weeding and new bark installation

• Installed a new smart irrigation clock at Sandy Bluff Park, improving staff safety and making the park a more responsible water user
• WinterFest lights have been installed on city facilities
• Deer Pointe Park construction is progressing nicely

• Welcomed Ryan Schneider to the team as our new Facilities Maintenance staff member

• Sandy Parks and Recreation awarded $649,790 from the 2025 Local Government Grant Program – Large Grant for Meinig Park renovations

Upcoming dates to remember:

October 1st- Mt. Storm registration for grades 3-6 opens

October 2nd- Volunteer Appreciation Party

October 6-8- Several staff members will be out of the office for the ORPA Conference

October 20th- Parks staff begin Meinig Winterfest installation

Oct 21st- Grief during the holidays class at the center.

October 23rd- 4th Bee City USA Meeting from 6-7pm at the Sandy Community & Senior Center

October 24th- Teen Flashlight Egg Hunt

October 25th- Creepy crawly encounters at the Sandy Community Center from 12:30-1:45pm

November- Open Gyms and skill assessments for Mt. Storm start.

November 2nd- Discover the secrets of the season and explore our Autumn forests with Sandy’s Bee City USA Action Group & Clackamas River Basin Council (@clackamasriver) on a guided hike along Tickle Creek Trail, from 2–4 PM

November 4th- AARP Safe Driving class at the center.

November 14th- Veteran’s Ceremony at the Center

November 21st Tree lighting at Centennial Plaza to kick off Winterfest!

Carol:

August finished up with the last concert of the Revival Brothers Band. The concert
brought in over 300 people. Total donations from the 50/50 raffle for all 3 concerts was over $600. The last concert was a fundraiser for shop with a cop and Sandy PD was able to walk away with over $400 because the winner donated all of the money back.

Carol is working on Winterfest sponsorships and helping Sarah M with sponsorships for the mobile book van.

Amy:

-Wrapped up August with another great month of Summer Sounds & Starlight Cinema concerts and movies.

-Celebrated the end of the summer Adult Softball League with a fun and competitive two-day tournament.

-Hosted our 3rd Bee City USA meeting, continuing to grow our community’s pollinator-friendly efforts.

-Shared the importance of pollinators with Todos Juntos children during a hands-on class at Bornstedt Park.

-Expanded volunteer days at the Sandy Community Gardens, donating over 70 pounds of fresh food to the Sandy Action Center so far this season!

-Distributed the Fall Recreation Guide around town and on Social Media

-Began the Leave the Leaves and the Lights Out Oregon campaigns for the Sandy Bee City USA Action Group.

Caroleana:

Caroleana had over 292 senior related calls this month.   The center had 2 new meals on wheels clients and 1 Reassessment for current clients; which involved a home visit with each client and a completed NAPIS form for Clackamas County.   

Caroleana helped support our team by packing coolers several times throughout the month and delivered several routes for the Meals on Wheels program.  

We continued to hold congregate lunches on Tuesday . We continue to recruit volunteers and have fun learning and having fun.  In the month of August we served 84 people on the 4 Tuesdays.  17 of those being new folks to the lunch program.  We had one volunteer who played the piano while participants ate their lunch; which was very enjoyable. 

The Clackamas County Energy Assistance summer program ended mid August, and we submitted 4 applications that were approved. 

Started the planning for the volunteer appreciation event with John and Amy and the Library staff. 

Met with Jolie from Mt Hood Hospice and started the planning process for our annual Veterans pinning ceremony.  

Carol and I attended the Agent Orange event that Mt Hood Hospice hosted at the Veterans’ memorial statue.   

I also attended the Mt Hood Hospice Remembrance event-  

Marc:

Senior Trips:

– Dine out at Eagle Creek Saloon – Was full but we had to cancel it due to the check engine light being on and we didn’t get it back in time from Ford to go on the outing

– North Plains Garlic Festival – 8 people. Only one person was brave enough to try the garlic ice cream! The few that tried the garlic beer said it was good!

– Hike at Butler Creek Greenway Trail and lunch at Panera Bread in Gresham – 7 people

– Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City – Full bus with a waitlist – My seniors love those gambling trips!

– Oregon State Fair – 9 people signed up but unfortunately it was our second cancelled trip for this month. This time due to the extreme heat warning. 

– Hike at Wildwood Recreation Site and lunch at Zig Zag Cafe – 15 people (was 17 but 2 cancelled morning of) We had 3 people on the waitlist so Amy Drove our other vehicle so we could make room for them.

Meals On Wheels:

-1004

Chelsea:

• Processed invoices for ongoing park projects.
• Participated in multiple project-related meetings, including weekly check-ins for Deer Pointe Park.
• Coordinated the August Parks & Trails Advisory Board meeting — handled logistics, posted the video recording, and wrote the meeting minutes.
• Attended a Zoom office hour with Tiana to discuss a potential grant opportunity.
• Completed the September and October edition of the senior newsletter.
• Distributed the newsletter via email and mailed to subscribers.
• Entered and scheduled the September and October senior classes and activities.
• Updated the center’s TV display with the latest flyers and program info.
• Continued budget tracking for the Deer Pointe Park project.
• Started planning for Meinig Park rentals during next year’s construction period.
• Designed new signage for general park rules and bike-specific guidelines.

John:

Continued planning for Winterfest, with a focus on developing strategies to make the event more financially sustainable in future years.

WinterFest Jingle Jog & Walk: This year, we are excited to introduce a new community event where participants can register to celebrate the season with a festive jog or walk. Runners and walkers will be encouraged to dress in their most spirited holiday attire, adding a fun and lively atmosphere to the event.

Jolly Trolley Planning: Met with the Transit Department to discuss dates, times, and possible improvements to the Jolly Trolley service. One idea being considered is adjusting the route so it begins and ends at Meinig Park, allowing riders additional time to enjoy the holiday lights and activities in the park.

Holiday Tree: Collaborated with Tiana Rundell to select the 40-foot holiday tree that will be installed and decorated in the Plaza as one of Winterfest’s key attractions.

In addition to Winterfest planning:

Assisted with the second round of interviews for the Parks and Facilities position.

Continued onboarding and training new Building Monitors, which included CPR and First Aid certification. This training was extended not only to new hires but also to all permanent staff to ensure everyone is prepared for emergencies.

Parks & Facilities:

Repurposed dog station components to add another bag dispenser at Sandy Bluff Park and add a receptacle at Champion Way green space.

Trimming up the landscape in many of our parks

Some of the downed timber that was harvested from the 2024 storm and milled into lumber was used to rebuild the pedestrian bridge at Sandy Bluff Park

Upcoming events:

Sept 8th- Fall classes start at the Center.

Sept 14th- Kids Corn Cross at Liepold Farms

September 14th- Silent Hunters & Hidden Helpers: The Untold Story of Oregon Wasps

September 16th- Mt Storm Instructional League Classes begin