Hello Council and Community,
Welcome to the Parks and Recreation Department’s monthly update.
I hope you enjoy the overview of some of the things the Department has worked on this month.
A special thank you to the Parks and Recreation team. Your hard work is appreciated!
Aging Adult Service / Program Highlights
The Sandy Senior Center continues to support Meals on Wheels services. The Center staff is committed to delivering Meals on Wheels to our valued community members on Wednesdays and Fridays, and on those days our dedicated volunteers deliver enough meals for 7 days.
Kudos goes out to our hard-working staff and Meals on Wheels drivers who braved the weather to deliver meals. Thank you!
We continue to partner with Clackamas County to provide mental health counselors at the Community and Senior Center. During these particularly trying times, we have found clients desire mental health counseling and we are glad that we can help those who are in need.
The Center continues to offer COVID vaccination clinics every Friday in partnership with Clackamas County Public Health.
The team is also working on adding programs and services while hiring for key department positions. Keep an eye out for new classes starting in January. The facility is open for the public to come in and mingle. Hours are Mondays from 10:00a – 12:30p, and Thursdays from 1:00p-3:00p.
The ever popular “Young at Heart Class” is back. It is taught by Carol Cohen on Tuesdays at 10:00a. This class is 30-minutes long and includes gentle mobility, stretching, strengthening, and balance exercises. The classes have been drawing an average of 5-10 participants per class. Max class size, based on the Center’s COVID plan, is 20 participants.
The Senior / Community Center is hiring for two positions: Community / Senior Center Manager, and Parks and Recreation Executive Assistant. If you or anyone is interested, please click here for more details!
Recreation and Special Event Highlights
The department held a “Seasons of Giving” drive through event on December 4th. Attendance was 215 people and we received $2,015 that will directly benefit our Meals on Wheels program. The MOW fundraiser stayed open through the end of December. From Dec. 4 – Dec. 31st the Department raised an additional $992. Thank you, contributors!
Parks and Maintenance Highlights:
The Park’s team weathered another storm! Thank you to their dedication and helping with snow removal and de-icing over the holidays.
The park’s team also took the time to complete the trimming at Cascadia Park. They removed two hazardous trees at Tupper and are working creating a replanting plan. Additionally, the parks team cleaned up the planting bed at Meinig Park.
We are addressing drainage issues at Meinig Park parking area. Anytime there is heavy rain the parking lot floods. We hope to pressure wash and vacuuming away the vegetation that has caused the pervious concrete to become clogged. Stay tuned for updates on our efforts!
Important to note, the Gazebo and bathrooms at Meinig are closed for the season.
The team is looking into the repairs of a section of trail at Sandy Bluff. Currently they are seeking bids on the removal and working through the required tree permitting process.
As a matter of strategic park maintenance and care, work efficiency and reporting, the team is also working on researching and implementing an asset management and work order software. This is an exciting internal feature that will improve documentation, work efficiency, communication, and help identify park needs, and maintain parks assets.
Park’s Team Hard at Work!
Upcoming meetings:
Interested in Sandy’s Parks and Trails. Please feel free to watch the Parks and Trails Advisory Board (PTAB) meetings or share a public comment.
PTAB meeting date/time: January 12, 2022 @ 7:00 PM. Meeting is currently held virtually. For more information to watch the meeting live click here.
Looking Forward:
As the Senior / Community Center works towards getting back to pre-COVID staffing levels we will have the capacity to add back services and programs. Furthermore, the Department is working on identifying and planning for summer and fall community and special events.
Also, stay tuned for additional job postings. The Park’s division will be hiring a Seasonal Parks Worker. What a great spring and summer job!
More to come in our January 2022 monthly report!