Senior Center (Nancy Ream Enabnit)
Beginning with the new fiscal year, the Sandy Senior Scene newsletter has gone to a bi-monthly format. Costs for excursions increased to more accurately reflect gas prices, staff costs and miscellaneous expenses. Response from participants has been reassuring as people understand the tides of change.
Parks
Sarah Richardson has been intimately involved with the planning of the Oregon Parks & Recreation Association’s (ORPA) annual conference. Camp ORPA will be held at the Resort at the Mountain in mid-September, and the venue is sold out. City staff is leading activities including paddle-boarding at Trillium Lake, mountain biking at Sandy Ridge and run/walks at Salmon River and Tickle Creek Trails. Staff is also hosting informational sessions on-site at Meinig & Bornstedt Parks.
Recreation (Sarah Richardson)
The Fall 2013 Recreation & Leisure Guide was finalized and posted online. The guide is now exclusively delivered electronically. Hard copies can be obtained at the Community Center, Library and City Hall.
With the change the Recreation Department is utilizing Facebook, email blasts, newsletters, more frequent individual class flyers, etc. to schools to help promote community classes and programs.
Joining the regular returning classes on the schedule are new offerings including: Sewing for ages 5-9; Stained Glass; additional day and time for Kinderdance (Thursday at 4:00pm); Crescendo Dance Class; Toddler Jams; Basketball Grades 1-2; Fall Hikes; Lunch Series in The Park; additional day and time for Tai Chi (Monday at 11am); and Easy Computer 1 for Windows 8.
Mountain Storm Youth Basketball has a new schedule and format this season. Flyers will be in schools in early October with all grades playing concurrently. Grades 3-6 will begin practicing in November and playing in December.
Carol Cohen has been working on a new event: Sandy/Boring Corn Cross. The Cyclocross race is scheduled for November 2nd at Liepold Farms. The effort got a tremendous boost through a $1500 grant from Clackamas County Tourism.
Transit (Julie Stephens)
Total ridership this month was 20,341, a decrease of 15% from the same period last year. SAM-Gresham decreased 16%; SAM-Estacada decreased by 12.8%; STAR use decreased by 7% this month; and ED use increased by 15.4%.
Staff and Contractor continue to prepare for the October 1st start of extended weekend service on SAM-Gresham and Mountain Express to Timberline. New drivers are in training for the service expansions. Fare media is in production and should be ready for sale by mid-September. Partnership and public meetings continue with marketing efforts taking the forefront.
Hood-to-Coast went off without the issues of past years. The exchange point at Safeway is much better for transit.
The Transit Advisory Committee convened again this month on August 21st and will meet on September 18th from 6-7pm to provide a venue for public meetings about the service changes and new fares. Both will be implemented in October 2013.
We continue to experience success with transit tax collection efforts. Our presentation with the Windermere Realtors seemed well received. We also had our first court case which again resulted in better understanding and an effective outcome.
The August Transit Adventure attracted 10 participants to access Clackamette Park in Oregon City via public transportation. A hike and picnic preceded the return trip.