Don’t Forget to Order you pies!!! Last day to order is Friday, June 24th!
Order online at cityofsandy.com
(choose Quick Links and Online Registration or see the “ticket” link above) or call 503-668-5569.Choose from Apple Crumb, Cherry, Marionberry, Mixed Berry and Peach. 

Our partnership with local restaurants and provide an additional hot delivered meal to local meals on wheels clients. This partnership included a meals from Tollgate, Scooters, and Sandy Family Restaurant through the month of June. The participants were extremely thankful for these meals. Library, Transit, and Community Service Staff continued to deliver these meals throughout the month of June. Thank you to Ria and the staff at Sandy Family Restaurant.

Ron and his staff at Tollgate provided a box lunch to the participant on two days in the month of June. Thanks Ron!

Thank you to Jim and the staff at Scooters!

Several projects are continuing at the community center. The Front desk area is prepped and ready for installation of germ barriers and set up to provide excellent customer service. Painting is complete in the conference room, storage area, kitchen and dining room.

Seniors

Virtual programming continues with Coffee Chats and Exercise Class.
We have about 4-10 seniors regularly participating in these classes. We kicked off virtual Bingo this month which was a great success. They seem happy to have some socialization with the staff and others. Carol Cohen has been meeting up with some seniors at various local trails for a social distancing walk through nature. They are excited to be outdoors and with others. In June they met at Oxbow one day and Wildwood on another day.

A limited capacity shopping shuttle began in June for the Seniors. We are limiting capacity to 4 people each day to maintain social distancing and all participants and staff are required to wear masks. We had several seniors take advantage of the ability to get out of their home and shop.

In collaboration with Clackamas County, Oregon Food Bank, Community Services Dept and volunteers from Sandy Helping hands, another food box distribution event was held on Thursday, June 25th. This event had a lower attendance then the event held in May. We have seen a decline in the need for food boxes at the event as well as the weekly distribution for the Community Care Initiative.

Recreation

Staff has been working to provide summer options while adhering to guidelines from the Governor’s Office. Some providers have been able to make the adjustments to meet the Phase I guidelines, but most are waiting until we are able to enter Phases II and III. 
Camp Namanu is unable to provide their day camp this summer because of challenges with staffing they experienced when the overnight programs had to be cancelled. We are in talks to bring their school year programs to Sandy. The hope is to provide support to working parents, while they navigate the potential changes in school schedules. 
Skyhawks will be providing two in person camps in late July and August that are allowed under Phase I.  They have been running day camps in other communities and successfully following the Governor’s guidelines for keeping participants and staff safe.  Skyhawks also has great virtual programs that include both a STEM component and an active component.

By establishing relationships with a variety of providers like Skyhawks we hope to have the option of both in person and virtual programs to offer, and the flexibility to respond to the different guidelines within each phase of reopening.  The online Safe Sitter class proved popular, and we will be adding another session in August. There are a variety of other virtual classes that are being offering through providers,  and will continue to expand that format.
Planning for fall is challenging with all the unknowns but planning is in progress for different scenarios. The Community and Recreation Guide will likely include plans for Phase II and III, as well as a Virtual Program resource section.

Special Events

The virtual Noah’s Quest event was held June 27^th.  Over 75 people participated in the event including former police officer Dave Lundervold with his family.  The fundraiser raised $2200 for Brief Encounters.

Parks & Trails

The Parks and Trails Advisory Board held its first meeting under new Chairperson Don Robertson. The board is working with the Parks Maintenance Department to develop a formal policy around spraying in the parks, and hopes to have a recommendation to forward to council soon. The board has had quite a few opportunities to review new development proposals with regard to parkland dedication, and is looking forward to the completion of the new Parks and Trails Master Plan. 
Although the pandemic has presented many challenges it has also pushed us to look at programs with new eyes, to be very creative, and to find new ways of supporting the community. Time outdoors on the trails and in the local parks have played an essential role in helping community members maintain overall health and wellness, to remain active, and to find ways to enrich their lives close to home. 

The Parks & Trails Master Plan Update continues to move forward. The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) met in June (virtually, of course) and reviewed concept plans for the park areas in the Champion Way and Deer Point neighborhoods.

Tracy Johnson of ESA presented spreadsheets showing existing Park & Trail Levels of Service (LOS), Sandy’s LOS compared to communities of similar size, and a Parks & Trails Needs Analysis for future growth. Sandy has done a good job of expanding the Park System along with population/neighborhood growth. The one gap, geographically, is in the northeast section of the City. As the Community Campus develops, it will fill in that missing link.

Consultants have completed a thorough analysis of existing facilities as well as a compilation of public input to date. Going forward, the information will be presented via Virtual Open House to allow for additional public comment. Funding strategies for future growth are being analyzed as well. It’s exciting to see The Plan come together.

Thank you to Jim Slagle and other volunteers who did maintenance on several bridges along the Tickle Creek Trail. Here are some before and after photos.

On Thursday May 14th, Clackamas County & Community Services organized a Food Box distribution event at the Sandy Cinema parking lot. Over 160 Food Boxes were distributed to local community members. This event is part of the Community Care initiative to address the extra needs in the community during the COVID crisis. Many thanks to the volunteers from Sandy Helping Hands, Councilor Laurie Smallwood, and
Police Lieutenant Sean Lundry for standing out in the rain to help. A special thanks to Elie Kassab for the use of the parking Lot. The next food box Distribution event is scheduled for Thursday, June 25th at 1:30pm.

Community Services staff have continued to rotate teleworking, delivering meals on wheels, checking in on the vulnerable populations, and working onsite. Additionally, we have taken this opportunity to make some adjustment and improvements at the community center. During the time we have been closed, staff has also been purging and archiving documents, making improvements to work spaces and storage areas. Safety protocols are being putting into place to prepare for reopening.

Senior Services

For the month of May, Community Serviced partnered with Ant Farm to provide an extra hot meal for clients. Ant Farm provide a main dish, side, and dessert for all the Thursdays in May. Community Services, Library, and Transit staff loaded up the meals at Ant Farm and delivered 76 meals throughout the area. A special thank you to Nunpa, Valerie, and all the staff at Ant Farm who helped to make this a huge success. The recipients were very thankful for this fresh cooked meal. In addition, over 60 food boxes were delivered to local families and seniors during the month of May.

Virtual fitness classes began this month with the seniors. Carol was able to get the seniors connected on their laptops, ipads, or phones. She has also begun a weekly coffee chat with the seniors to check in and allow them the opportunity to meet up with their friends. Next month we will continue to expand these programs and try our Virtual Bingo!

Recreation
Some recreation programs are scheduled to restart in a limited fashion when we enter Phase II. Some providers have decided to wait until fall to reassess, while others are able to comply with guidelines and are ready to go ahead. Public Health guidelines will be followed, with social distancing and other policies and procedures in place. This will include limiting class sizes, staggering start times, sanitation stations and more. 
Classes will be outdoors for the time being.  
We are hoping that Camp Namanu will still be able to provide their day camps for Sandy, and possibly even expand to more weeks. 
In addition to in person camps and classes,  new virtual options will also be available soon. Virtual classes scheduled to start soon include: Chess & Play, Esports & Play, Lego and Play, STEM & Play Multi-Sport, Safesitter Babysitting, Pee Wee Soccer.

Special Events

Noah’s Quest has happened on the last Saturday of June for the past 14 years.  This year it will be virtual.
Noah’s Quest was created by Carol Cohen and Cary Mallon after the death of their son, Noah, in 2005. The event supports Brief Encounters, a nonprofit, nonsectarian group for parents whose babies have died before, during, or after birth.

Parks & Trails

All City park playgrounds, bathrooms, and porta-potties remain closed. Passive use of other park areas is allowed. All users of outdoor recreation areas must observe state-issued physical distancing guidelines to keep these areas safe for
everyone. The Dog Parks was reopened on May 15th. The Ant Farm is working with the city to repair the Community Garden beds. It is likely that the most economical option will be to rebuild the beds in the fall, rather than just replace the 4×4’s. 

The Parks and Trails Advisory Board has been meeting monthly via Zoom. New officers were elected at the most recent meeting. Don Robertson will take over as Chairperson, Makoto Lane as Vice-Chair and Michael Weinberg as Secretary. The board has one vacant seat at the moment. Many thanks to Kathleen Walker, outgoing chair, for her tireless efforts and enthusiasm for Parks and Trails in Sandy.  The Sandy parks and trails system has benefited tremendously from her advocacy and expertise. 

Development of the updated Parks & Trails Master Plan continues despite the challenges of today’s reality. A virtual Technical Advisory Committee meeting was held on May 7th and one of the topics of discussion was how to solicit the second round of public input since the Longest Day Parkway has been canceled. JLA has some great ideas online public input processes. There are some viable options for presenting findings to date and soliciting input from the community. This will be reviewed a our next TAC meeting is scheduled for June 16th.

The community center has been closed to the public since March 16th.  Community Center staff are on a rotating schedule between delivering meals on wheels, teleworking, and being onsite to answer phones, make check in calls to the seniors, and receive meal delivery from Bateman food services.  All transportation services have been cancelled at this time.

The department has spent the last month deep cleaning the facility, reorganizing storage rooms, archiving documents, and rearranging work stations.  Orders are underway for barriers and directional signs to assist with social distancing when the community center reopens.

Senior Services

Community Services Staff along with Library and Transit staff continue to deliver Meals on wheels 4 days per week.  For the month of April, 2,435 meals were delivered on four different routes each day. We have received about 50 handmade masks which we have been able to the distributed to locals seniors. In addition, handmade cards with written messages from local children, pet food, and some personal  have been sent out to our Meals on wheels clients. Pet food, and personal items.

Clackamas County set up a food box distribution initiative to address extra needs in the communities. The delivery of these food boxes begin on April 6th and staff distributed 66 of these boxes for the month of April.

Staff is researching a possible opportunity to partner with a local restaurant business to provide a hot delivered meal one day a week for all Meals on wheels clients. We hope to get this going for the month of May.

Weekly calls continue with Clackamas County Community Center directors.  This is an opportunity to share challenges, ideas, and processes for the operations during the COVID19 pandemic.

Staff is reaching out to the seniors for their interest and capabilities to do a virtual fitness class.  Onsite functional fitness class has usually had approximately 30 people. Offerings for a weekly fitness class beginning in May.

Staff are also working on ways to virtually connect with seniors. In addition to staff making calls to check in with the seniors, staff are setting up a virtual coffee chat.  This will give the seniors an opportunity to connect with each other and for staff to assist with any challenges with operating the internet and using electronic devices.  The coffee chats will begin in May the day before the virtual fitness classes begin. Carol has connected with 18 seniors who are ready to go and will continue to get the word out.

Recreation

For the last two years Melissa Thompson, Senior Services Manager, oversaw all programs and services for the Seniors. This included all client services, nutrition, transportation, supervision of  1.98 FTE, and Clackamas County grant reporting. She accepted a position with the City of Hillsboro as the Adaptive Community Senior Center Manager. Her last day was Friday, March 27th. Her friendly demeanor, compassion for others, and knowledge and experience helped our department grow in a multitude of ways.  She will be truly missed but we are excited for this opportunity for her and her family.  We thank her for the contributions to the City of Sandy community members and staff.

On March 13th, the Community Center closed to the public and canceled all onsite programs and rentals. All senior trips, programs, and activities with the exception of meals on wheels from Mid- March to the end of April have been cancelled. Refunds for all senior trips have been processed. The meals on wheels program has continued with no interruption to our service area. Community services, library, and transit staff have been delivering the meals and extra precautions have been put into place to protect the health and safety of the participants and staff. We continue to serve over 85 meals on M, T, W, & F with frozen meals being delivered for Thursday and the weekends. Some clients have dropped off due to COVID19 but we have also added others to our routes. All frozen meal cost for March were fully covered by the county.

In addition, staff have been reaching out to over 100 seniors on an ongoing basis to check on their health and safety. If a need arises, the Community Services staff reach out to Sandy Helping hands for volunteers to assist with this need. We are also keeping in contact with Ant Farm as additional needs arise.

Weekly Zoom meetings have been occurring with the Clackamas County Community centers. This has been a great collaboration to compare procedures, level of services, PPE needs, emerging issues, and operations. At this point, most of the center are not planning on re-opening before mid to end of May.

Recreation

The beginning of March traditionally marks the end of the Mountain Storm youth basketball season. This year it was somewhat disrupted by the COVID19 public health emergency. One of two Jamborees was completed prior to suspending all recreation programs. This year more than 200 players, volunteer coaches and High School referees participated in the youth basketball league. In addition to providing a team sports experience for grades 3-6, the program provides work experience for High School students. It is a challenging job and helps prepare them for future opportunities. Games and practices took place in Oregon Trail School District gyms including Kelso, Firwood, Sandy Grade, Boring Middle and Cedar Ridge. Jamborees take place at the High School which is very exciting for the young players. The department worked closely with the district and the prep basketball program to coordinate gym time, so that players could practice and play games close to home. Refunds for unused portions of classes were completed for March classes. Adjustments will continue to be made where needed. 

The Department will be providing online classes with Kinderdance and sharing other resources with families. Parents are looking for activities they can do from home so their children continue to thrive during this challenging time. Planning for what may be continued social distancing while providing summer activities is currently being conducted. The department is in contact with other agencies as a way to share information, resources and best practices going forward. 

Summer planning was nearing completion and included outdoor education, music, sports, acting, and other camps. The department remains in contact with providers about summer programs and is prepared to adjust as required by the public health challenges. Some providers will find it hard to hire and train summer staff in time for the coming summer season. Others will be prepared to provide activities when we are able to open.  The department looks forward to providing the community of Sandy with a variety of summer activities and experiences when we get through this together.  Thank you to Carol Cohen for her work on identifying new programming opportunities. Among others, these include Acting for Kids and Teens, and Skate Sessions at We Are Camp.  

ESA will be reaching out to the Technical Advisory Committee to set up a meeting to determine some adjustments to the timeline. The Longest Day Parkway event has been cancelled. A new alternative will be determined for another public outreach.

Special Events

The month of March was decision making for a lot of programs and events. The volunteer fair in March was the first event to be cancelled. Additionally, the following events have been canceled Senior Easter Egghunt, Solv & Shredding, Noah’s Quest, Longest Day Parkway and any July Summer Sounds events.

The grant submitted for Community Partnership Program Clackamas County Tourism received notice that all grants will be suspended until next year. This event was to be the Corn Hole event with local businesses.

Carol did receive a grant from USA Pickleball Assoc for $250. This grant will be used to supply two portable nets for Cedar Ridge.  Tractor Supply Co. also gave a significant discount for a metal container to safely store the nets and other equipment on site. Efforts will continue to reach out to OTSD with a plan on getting the courts ready for play.

Parks
The Community Garden remains open and is nearly sold out. The Ant Farm will be doing repairs to the garden during the month of April. Gardening is one activity that people are enjoying during the closures, both at home and in community gardens. 

The Moda Assist campaign was in full swing in March. Although Sandy did not win the grant it was great to see the community come together and highlighted the enthusiasm for more universal design in our park system. It was also a good opportunity to share with the community that the city was in the process of updating the Parks and Trails Master Plan, and how to get involved. A lot was learned during the campaign and the engagement on social media was exciting. 

ESA will be setting up a meeting with the TAC in the next month. Changes to the timeline will need to be adjusted due to the COVID19 pandemic. Additionally, due to the cancellation of the Longest Day Parkway, a new community outreach will be established.

On February 21st, the department served up a fabulous Spaghetti dinner which was donated from the Olive Garden. The staff and volunteers served over 100 people. The dinner included spaghetti, salad, bread sticks, and beverages. After dinner, community members headed upstairs to play several rounds of Bingo. Prizes were donated from various local businesses. The fundraiser raised over $700.00 which will go toward scholarships for youth to participate in recreation programs. Thank you to all our volunteers who helped set up for the event, serve meals, bus tables, and clean up. A special thank you to Carol Cohen for working hard to get the donations and Carol Ann Kosbau for calling Bingo this evening.

Senior Services

In August, we begin the process of applying for the the SAGE
(Senior advocated for Generational Equity) Seniors for EVs Project. We pleased to share the good news that our Senior Center has been selected as a key partner in ​the this project. ​This project is funded by PGE in conjunction with their efforts to introduce electric vehicles (EVs) to a wide range of communities. SAGE is a nonprofit organization that promotes civic service and community engagement in Northern Oregon. SAGE recently received a three-year grant to lease an electric vehicle and to install a charging station for the City of Sandy Senior Center as well as another facility that serves seniors in Portland. In addition to the vehicle and charging station, SAGE will offer an EV 101 workshop and a ride-and-drive event for community members to try out different vehicles, and SAGE will support a car share program to serve seniors in our region. We are excited to partner with SAGE to support the use of electric vehicles while also breaking down barriers to transportation so seniors can stay connected and engaged in community. This project has been made possible by DEQ’s Oregon Clean Fuels Program via the PGE Drive Change Fund.

During the month of February the seniors enjoyed several new recreational outings throughout the region. They were treated to a private showing of a film on the National Parks at OMSI, visited the Oregon Territory Museum in Oregon City, Powell’s Bookstore in Portland, and a drive Multnomah Falls. As part of our continuing Local Flair trips, the seniors visited the new Bigfoot Museum in Boring and then headed down to the Not so Boring Grill for Lunch.

There continues to be rise in anxiety among the seniors with changing of times. Kim Whitely from Clackamas County Behavioral Health came and made a presentation to a group of 10-15 seniors. From Worry to Panic: Let’s talk about anxiety gave seniors a broader understanding of anxiety vs. fear & panic attacks, types of anxiety, and suggestions for coping with anxiety.

Recreation

During the winter/spring session in addition to long running programs like Pee Wee Soccer and Kinderdance,  new recreation programming has been introduced. These include new acting workshops, stem programs, skate programs, and fitness programs.Mountain Storm had a full schedule with nearly 200 kids playing basketball and refereeing. Overall there were 411 participants in recreation programs in the month of February. Most of these participants visited a recreation program once a week for the month of February, and many multiple times a week. Summer programming was firmed up in February and there are exciting options for summer 2020. These include Tracker’s Earth, We Are Camp, Skyhawks and Camp Namanu. 

Parks Master Plan

On February 27th the first public meeting was held at the Sandy Community Center. We had approximately 30 – 40 community members attend. There was great feedback and interactive exhibits.

• The Spanish language public meeting at Sandy Vista was on March 11th.
• Meetings are planned to continue to refine the planned approach on the unclassified city open space parcels on the park inventory map.  Input will be confirmed and incorporated into the inventory map, and park acreage.
• Both English and Spanish surveys are online until March 15. After it closes, JLA will process the data and summarize the input for discussion at the next TAC scheduled for the beginning of April.
• The ESA team will conduct a quick site analysis on the Champion Way and Deer Point parks in March in order to present findings and discuss what to include for the preliminary park concepts at the next TAC.
• After receiving concept input from the TAC, ESA will put together preliminary park design concepts for review by TAC and City staff, prior to presentation at the Longest Day Parkway.

Reminders for February!

Family Bingo & Spaghetti Feed Fundraiser for Scholarships for Recreation activities. Dinner is from 5:30pm – 7:00pm and Bingo is from 6:30pm – 8:30pm at the Community Center. Bring the kids and grandkids for this fun-filled family event.

Come to the Parks Master Plan Open House on Thursday, February 27th from 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm at the Community Center. Spread the word to the community to attend and give their input on the Sandy Parks & Trails.

Seniors Services

Sharon Wood Wortman, author of “The Bridge Book”, led a discussion and presentation about surprising and one-of-a-kind bridges from all over the world. The discussion included the potential billion-dollar rehab or replacement of the Burnside Bridge.

The seniors also enjoyed various trips include the Clark County Historical Museum, Movies at the Hilltop Cinema in Oregon City, shopping at the Red, White, & Blue Thrift Store and a dine out at a polish restaurant, Dolores. We have added a new trip called Local Flair to highlight the various scenes and businesses we have in this area. This month the seniors went on a tour at the Sandy Historical Society and Lunch at Brady’s Brats and Burgers. Additionally, we attend the play “Making God Laugh” at Sandy’s Actor’s Theater.

The functional fitness class that is offered twice a week reached its highest numbers last week with 32 seniors attending.

Recreation

The Winter Recreation activities are in full swing. The Acting for Kids and Teens Workshops have been very successful and interest continues to build. The PlayWell Stem programs are also getting increased participation with Bash’em Bots held at the beginning of February. The Teen Skate program has had a group of kids transported to Windell’s for Skateboarding. This program is a great beginning to this partnership with Windell’s and we plan to continue to increase our programming with them. Pink Gloves Boxing started up in January and already has a following. Our two evening classes held in the auditorium are growing and we hope to continue this trend.

Summer program and camp planning is underway with offerings open for online registration beginning Mid-March. Campu Namanu, Skyhawks sports camps, and Outdoor camps are some which are going to be offered.

Special Events

The deadline for the Oregon Mt. Hood Territory Community Partnership Program is due Feb 20th. Carol has been checking in with businesses to see who would like to participate in a Corn Hole competition. She has received a great amount of positive feedback and has approximately 22 businesses committed. She hopes to reach a goal of 32 teams. She has applied for the grant to cover the corn hole boards, bags, and score towers. The best part of this event is that the businesses will be all together at a Bornstedt Park playing against each other. At the end of the tournament, each business will walk away with their own cornhole set that includes bags and tower score with their logo on it! This is a great way to have them represent themselves and to get to know each other.

Parks

On Jan 28th, Stakeholder meetings were held throughout the day with ESA for the Parks Master Plan. The Technical Advisory Committee met on Thurs. Jan 30th to discuss input from the Stakeholders and the next steps for the process. The date of Thursday, Feb, 27th is set for the Parks Master Plan Open House which will include a community survey.

On Saturday, December 7th the Community Center hosted our annual fundraiser for the Meals on Wheels program. The “Breakfast with Santa” event was another great success! Over 350 people enjoyed a full course breakfast, made Holiday cards, shopped the Holiday Bazaar, and had photos with Santa. We appreciate the multiple volunteers who along with staff make this event happen. We also appreciate the donations from numerous local businesses for raffle prizes, food donation from Timberline Meats, and cash donations from the Golden Age Club, Clackamas County Bank, Sandy Decor, and Lady Bug Heaven. We were able to raise $2000 for the meals on wheels program. Thank you to everyone who attended.

Senior Services

The holidays can be very difficult for many who live in isolation, are without family, and who have suffered many challenges and great loss. The Older Adult Loneliness Project is a workshop about the impacts of loneliness and learning to “be the connection” for someone who is feeling lonely. A representative from the Older Adult Behavioral Health led this beneficial workshop at the Community center this month.

The senior’s collected gifts for the annual Toys for Tots drive this year and delivered their donations to Les Schwab. In addition, the senior’s really enjoyed seeing the Christmas Ships parade on trips to the Spaghetti Factory and Jantzen Beach Grill. There was plenty of viewing of Christmas lights on trips to the Christmas Fantasy Trail at Wenzel Farms, Festival of Lights at the International Raceway, and Pittock Mansion.

Transporation continues to see an increase in daily pickups, drop-offs, and the shopping shuttle. The meals on wheels delivery continue to grow with four routes M-W & F and serving over 90 meals on those days. We are always in need of additional volunteers to help deliver these meals.

Recreation

The Winter/Spring Community and Recreation Guide is out and online. The electronic version of the guide continues to save a significant amount of money. It is launched online and sent to email addresses in Sportsman and Constant Contact Databases. It is also available on the cities website and prominently posted on Facebook. Over the last few years, we have increased the use of social media both posting and creating events. We also use the electronic reader board, flyers, and occasionally Peachjar to distribute flyers to schools within the Oregon Trail School District.

19 teams of 3rd-6th graders are in the midst of the Mountain Storm Youth Basketball season. Games begin in January and practices have been underway in Oregon Trail School District gyms. Thank you to OTSD for working closely with local programs to make this possible.

A brand new program featuring Acting Workshops beginning in January was sold out the first Saturday following the launch of the guide. Thanks to Carol Cohen for her help in sharing the program with her vast social media network. Acting for Kids and Teens is a Portland-based program that has connected with many Sandy families who travel to Portland to take the classes. The owner of Acting for Kids and Teens has a home on the mountain and has been interested in building a business in Sandy. We are excited to be able to offer this unique collection of classes locally while assisting small businesses.

Summer programs are in development and two new specialty summer camps are in the works. Camp Namanu will be back and together we have created a day camp option that serves the local community and is especially useful for working parents. Also in the works is a camp offering specialty outdoor programs not currently available in Sandy. 

Pickleball continues to be a growing interest in Sandy. A meeting with OTSD staff generated ideas and ways to collaborate. The group is looking into using the old tennis courts to convert into possibly 4 pickleball courts. An estimate of costs and possible fundraising were also discussed. The school district can look at possible grant options and then be able to offer pickleball to the students.  Discussion is continuing with the hope to get something started as early as this summer.

Special Events

Planning has started for a Recreation Scholarship fundraiser. The Spaghetti Feed and Bingo will take place on Feb 21^st from 5:30p-8:30pm at the Community Center. Confirmation from Gresham Olive Garden is they will be donating 10 pounds of spaghetti, sauce, breadsticks, and salad for this event. We are also working with local businesses to have bingo prizes.

Parks

The Parks Master plan process is going. Staff met with the project team from Environmental Science Associates and Project Manager, Nancy Enabnit for the kick-off meeting on Dec. 3rd. The First Technical Advisory Committee meeting on the same evening.

The Stakeholder meetings are set for Jan. 28th & 30th. The second TAC meeting is scheduled for Jan. 29th.

Clackamas County Tax Assessor Annual meeting was held in November. This presentation included information on property values, veteran’s exemptions, and senior citizen tax deferral programs. Medicare enrollment workshop was also held which provided individual counseling appointments for anyone. We enjoyed a visit from a group of seniors from the Mollala senior center who had lunch with us and learned about the programs we offer.

Seniors

With winter approaching and the holidays upon us, opportunities to attend holiday events and local trips were the focus for the seniors. A group went to dinner at Paola and then saw a theatre performance of the “Wizard of Oz” by Sandy High School students. Several also went to the movies at Sandy Cinema and had dinner at Smoky Hearth. Monthly, a group of seniors also visit local restaurants to enjoy breakfast. Other trips included shopping at the Canby Christmas Bazaar, Movies at Regal Cinema in Gresham, and a dine out at Clyde’s

This month we took a group of our Respite Care participants on a trip to the mountain to enjoy breakfast at Government Camp and the beautiful views of the mountains. The caregivers greatly appreciated this full day break in addition to the weekly program. We continue to see an increase in participation in our weekly program and the need for possible adding an additional day per week.

Recreation

Mountain Storm Youth Basketball for grades 3-6 kicked off the year with early-season open gyms and skill assessments. Close to 20 teams will begin practicing and playing games in January. The popular K-2 program for building FUNdamentals was very successful in November with two full groups meeting at Firwood Elementary on Mondays.

Planning and scheduling Winter/Spring programs was a big focus in November and new programs will be launched for Winter/Spring and Summer 2020. 
Maestro Music continues to grow its program in Sandy and offers music classes for all ages.

Special Events

Planning for one of our biggest fundraising efforts for the Meals on Wheels program is in full swing. The Breakfast with Santa event is a great community event held on Saturday, Dec. 7th from 7:00 am – 12:00 pm. It includes a full breakfast including pancakes, sausage, eggs, juice, and coffee. Photos with Santa are available, Christmas card making for Meals on Wheels participants, and a Christmas bazaar. Staff spent time seeking out sponsorships and raffle prizes from local businesses.

Carol is also looking into a grant for another new innovative event. She is working with Mt. Hood Athletic Center and some local breweries to set up a cornhole competition in the summer.

Additional planning efforts are in the works for a fundraising event to contribute to a scholarship fund for youth recreation activities.

Parks

ESA will hold two kickoff meeting for the Parks Master Plan at the Community Center on Tuesday, December 3rd. One will be with the city staff and the other is with the Technical Advisory Committee.

The Community Services staff attend a staff retreat in October at the Collins Retreat Center. Cole Chatterain with Paradigm Shift led staff through various practical exercises that focused on conflict resolution, communication strategies, purpose-driven motivation, and goal setting. It was extremely valuable and gave our team tools to create continuity and perspective.

Senior Services

October was a very busy month for Senior Services as we continue to see increases in the Meals on Wheels deliveries. Seniors also enjoyed trips to B17 Museum, Hoyt Arboretum, MHCC Planetarium, and trips to Hood River for apples, along with a hike at Graham Oaks Nature Reserve. We have also added some local trips to increase our understanding of local agencies and experience local restaurants. This month we took a tour of the Guide Dogs for the Blind with lunch at the No Place Saloon.

• Served 274 congregate meals
• Delivered 1921  meals to homebound individuals
• Provided 13 hours of Case Management services
• Provided 17 units of reassurance 
• Provided 234 referrals to resources outside of the center
• Held 8 Tai Chi classes (average attendance 12 individuals)
• Provided 48 hours of respite care (5 days of 4 hours; average attendance 4)
• Aging and Disability Resource Connection meeting
• 11 new riders for transportation (shopping, activities/outings, to and from center)
• coordinated 13 medical/other rides through TRP
• We have 2 volunteers for this program, at this time.
• Melissa Thompson was certified in Mental Health First Aid for Veterans.
• Amy Seabrooke attended Pre-Service Dementia Care Training.
• Olga Gerberg was certified in a Bilingual/Bicultural Emergency Preparedness Program

Recreation

Mountain Storm basketball for grades K-6 is underway with fundamental classes for K-2 and pre-season activities for grades 3-6. As a recreational league Mountain Storm encourages an active and healthy lifestyle, builds fundamental athletic skills, and through the team sport experience life skills that will be valuable on and off the court.  The Recreation Department collaborates with the school district to reserve gyms and appreciates the support the district provides. Without the use of the school gyms, Mountain Storm would not be possible. Keeping the program local and the scheduled family-friendly is a priority.

Indoor Playgroup started in September and will run through May. Providing a warm and safe indoor space for parents to gather with their preschool-aged children helps create community connections and support. We appreciate the volunteers who lead the program and its success is entirely due to their dedication and commitment.

Planning and programming for Winter/Spring are underway with new opportunities for the arts and outdoor education. Playwell will be back with Lego-inspired after school STEM programs. 

Special Events

On Halloween Day the Community Center put on a carnival for the seniors.  The majority of the seniors dressed up in costumes along with all the staff.  We had 10 different stations for the seniors to participate in like pumpkin carving, corn hole, ring toss, bowling, selfie station, pin the eyes on the monster,  walk the beam, toss the ping pong ball in the commode, cake walk, and even a pinata.  It was the first year to offer this and the seniors had such a blast and some of them mentioned it was their first time ever decorating a pumpkin and hitting a pinata.  It was so fun to see them doing kid’s activities.  It kept them active and put a smile on everyone’s face.

Parks

Nancy Enabnit and Kathleen Walker spent a large amount of time transferring preliminary information to ESA (Environmental Science Associates) to prepare for the Kick off Meeting for the Parks Master Plan. Additionally, letters will be sent out to invite specific members of the community to serve on the Technical Advisory Committee. The goal is to attain a good cross-section of representatives from the school district, youth sports, development community, Latino community, and other underserved populations.

Senior Services

Living Well with Chronic Conditions class began this month and offered to any interested in learning self-management skills to deal with pain, fatigue, eating better, and exercise. This course is continuing into October. An Elder Law attorney offered a Medicaid Presentation to assist community members with eligibility requirements and program benefits.

A scholarship fund is now available for seniors interested in applying for assistance to register for recreational trips. This fund from the Aaron Nigel concert and Taco Bar.

Seniors enjoyed trips to Tad’s Chicken & Dumplings, Mt. Angel Oktoberfest, The Portland Polish Festival, Mt. Hood Community College Planetarium show, Columbia River Renaissance Trail, and a hike to Mary S. Young Park.

Special Events

September 14^th was the 7^th year for Corn Cross at Liepold Farms.  This year we partnered with another promoter as part of a series of five races.  Corn Cross was the second race of the five races. By being part of the series, this event brings in more racers since a large majority of the racers sign up for the entire series so they accumulate points. After the fifth race, there is a large awards ceremony at Sellwood Cycle who partners with the city and Liepold Farms for this event.

Over 400 racers competing and over 1000 people were at the farm either supporting the racers and supporting the doggie cross.  This race brought in people from Bend, Eugene, Corvallis, and as far as Ashland.  In addition, five rooms booked at the Sandy Best Western and many people visited Sandy. This event was a huge success with the partnerships from local businesses like CCB, Otto’s, Everfresh Fruit Co, Timberline, Sandy Best Western, Next Adventure, and Boring Brewing. Every year the outside sponsorships have grown from businesses such as Tony’s Garden Center, Dave’s Killer Bread, Hydroflask, Cliff Bar, and Kona.

Carol Cohen received a Senior Fitness Specialist certification.  We hope to offer an additional variety of fitness classes, possible fitness tests, and other options in the future.