Senior Center (Nancy Ream Enabnit)
Instructors Bonnie and Howard Newman are now offering Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance twice a week, Tuesdays and Fridays at 1pm. Grant funding from Clackamas County allows the Senior Center to offer the class free of charge. There are currently 14 participants.
The Medical Teams International Dental Van paid a visit on Tuesday, November 25th. Eleven low-income individuals received a dental exam, x-rays, and fillings or extractions free of charge. Senior Center personnel set up the appointments, volunteer dental professionals staffed the van, and a State of Oregon Innovations grant covered the cost of the mobile facility.
Parks
Signage and trail improvements in Sandy River Park made the Final Four of projects for the Ford Family Foundation Leadership Group, Highway to Hood. The other three vying for volunteer help and financial support were the Kiwanis Camp, Oral Hull and AntFarm. The group ultimately chose the AntFarm project, so look for good things to happen at their Leathers location.
In an interesting twist, tourism funds became available, and since the Sandy River Park project was already outlined, it was submitted for funding. Voila, phase two of Sandy River Park trail construction, along with enhanced signage, will happen sometime in spring 2015.
Recreation (Sarah Richardson)
Youth basketball kicked off in earnest in November with 24 teams practicing in gyms at local schools. Games will begin after winter break. Great to see the kids experiencing the fun and fitness of team sports.
The Winter/Spring Recreation and Leisure Guide is in development and will be published online and through the email database around the 1st of January.
Despite the loss of support from Healthy Start, the free Wednesday playgroup is thriving. This program continues a long tradition of providing support and networking for young families in the community. It is also a great way to connect them to programs provided by the Recreation Department.
The second ever Sandy/Boring Corn Cross was held on November 1st. A race in Bend was scheduled for the same day, and the conflict made for slow pre-registration. Not to worry–hundreds of participants signed up the day of the event. Liepold Farms is a fantastic venue, and the new flyover drew lots of attention. Some dared to climb the steps and ride down the ramp, others preferred the go-under option. The event is sure to be bigger and better in 2015.
Transit (Julie Stephens)
Total ridership this month was 9935. The trend of lower use from last year continues with an overall decrease of 24%. The SAM-Gresham decreased 26%; again this month, SAM-Estacada had a drop in use of 18%; STAR had a decrease of 10% this month; and ED ridership decreased by 31%.
The expanded Mt. Hood Express ridership was 2723 in November. The ski equipment boxes are mounted for the winter season. The ridership bumped up the last weekend after Thanksgiving and a bit of snow.
We took delivery of a new STAR bus. The low-floor cutaway bus will make boarding the in-town service much easier for all, especially the elderly mobile passenger. The passengers and drivers love the bus.
Preparations were made for the additional Sunday service beginning in December. New schedules and route maps are available and posted at bus stops with the changes. A new $5 interline “Day Pass” for SAM and Mt Hood Express (MHX) will be introduced in December. It will allow unlimited boardings on SAM and/or MHX for the day of purchase. Passengers can go round-trip from Gresham to Mt Hood and between ski areas all day for $5.
We’re preparing for our 15-year anniversary on January 1, 2015 at the Transit Advisory Committee meeting on December, 17, 2014.