Community/Senior Center Update:

May was the center’s first month back offering a more robust schedule of outings for the seniors. All were full within the first week. The seniors had a great time.

Carol has been busy getting summer recreational events planned and assisting with senior outings. She has softball leagues (6 teams) starting the beginning of June. See down below in our upcoming events section for more of what Carol has been working on.

Marc, our Transportation Coordinator/Driver, completed his Ride Connection training, had our vehicles serviced, and is getting the hang of his new job. He likes getting to take the seniors on outings and exploring local places with them.

John, our Center Manager, has been busy continuing to get the Community/Senior Center fully operational again. He’s been interviewing building monitors. One is starting in June which means we can start to rent out the building for events. Our waivers have also been updated which was part of that process as well. Our software system (Sportsman) is now fully updated to help us handle those requests. A 2nd Recreation Coordinator position has been posted which will allow us to offer event more recreational activities to our community. The Parks & Recreation webpages have been updated to more accurately reflect current happenings. Our point of sale system has come a along way since last month and the department is feeling like we have a good handle on having the update fully complete soon.

Chelsea is continuing to learn her new position as the Executive Assistant. She’s been helping John get the website and Sportsman updated. She is becoming our designated flyer designer using Canva. A lot of prep in May went into the June newsletter which has been completely redesigned into a bifold design. Chelsea also attended her first Parks and Trails Advisory Board meeting, completed her 2nd set of meeting minutes, and learned how to upload the meeting video to Youtube and Icompass.

Our Meals on wheels drivers delivered a total of 1,220 meals in May.

Parks Update:

Upcoming Events/Important Dates:

June 20th- Center closed in observance of Juneteenth

June 23rd- Longest Day Parkway at Cascadia Park

June 25th- Noah’s Quest 5k/10k/Kiddie Run

July 4th- Center closed in observance of the 4th of July

July 4th- Firework Show at Dusk

Summer Concerts and Movies in park (Various dates this summer)

Aging Adult Services Highlight

The center remains open limited hours but we’re looking forward to a full reopening in May. We continue to hire new key staff and welcome 3 new additions to the team:

John Wallace, Center Manager

Chelsea Jarvis, Executive Assistant

Marc Young, Transportation Coordinator/Driver

Marc Young is the Community Center’s Driver/Transportation Coordinator. Marc is a Southern California transplant (he says, “don’t hold it against me”).  His mother grew up there and he spent many weeks every year visiting family and learning what it takes to be an Oregonian.  He feels that growing up in Southern California had its benefits.  Marc is a roller coaster junkie and he lived minutes away from Six Flags. Other than missing his occasional corkscrew, he stated he feels beyond grateful to be living in the community of Sandy.  Marc’s enthusiasm is contagious, “I enjoy the atmosphere, the seasons (especially the snow), the mild traffic and the relationships that I get to make.”  For the past 2 years he worked for ComTrans, which is part of the AMR family, as a non-emergency medical transport driver.  He loved being of service to the aging population and he is thrilled to continue that work, giving back directly to the city that he loves.
Chelsea Jarvis is the Parks and Recreation Department’s Executive Assistant. She is a Gresham native currently living in Rhododendron with her Husband and their Alaskan Malamute. Chelsea says, “Living close to Mt. Hood has been such a blessing- we’re close to family and so many different recreational activities. The views of the mountains are always inspiring.” She has Bachelors in Business Administration from Eastern Oregon University with concentrations in Hospitality and Management. After graduating college, she worked at Timberline Lodge for 7 years in their Sales and Catering Department. Chelsea started as an Administrative Assistant and Catering Coordinator, which gave her a great base of office structure and flow. She worked her way up to Sales and Catering Manager where she contracted and finalized weddings, conferences, and day trips for up to 250 people. For the last 2 years, Chelsea fulfilled a long standing desire to work with Seniors by working at a memory care/assisted living facility in Gresham where she did a variety of activities with their 60 seniors. That opportunity showed her how much she truly enjoyed working with seniors and how incredibly rewarding it can be. Outside of work, Chelsea enjoys reading, baking, hosting parties, and all things home design. Chelsea and her husband love to take weekend camping trips locally, along with regular trips to Leavenworth and Palm Springs, they are looking forward to some upcoming International travel as well. Chelsea’s exceptional customer service skills are already coming through! She writes, “I am excited to join the City of Sandy’s Parks and Recreation Department where I can incorporate my administrative, event management, and senior skills. I’m looking forward to growing with the team.” 
John Wallace is the Community Center Manager (and recreation dabler!). John has lived in Sandy with his family for the last 3 years.  His wife, Kayla, two sons, Quincy and Winston, have loved the transition from the city.  John enjoys the fact that they are closer to the mountain, family, and the community. All these things bring him an enormous amount of Joy.  Before starting his career with the City of Sandy’s Parks and Recreation Department, he spent 14 years working in public education.  Most recently, he worked for the David Douglas School District.  During his time at David Douglas he served many roles.  John was a PE teacher, a 5th grade teacher, a Student Behavior Specialist and the school’s Student Achievement Specialist.  Working in education afforded him summers off which let him do the work that he was most passionate about.  For the past 5 years, during the summer, he worked as an Administrator for the Camp Kiwanilong Summer Youth Program, a small summer camp in Warrenton on the Oregon coast.  This is a camp that he attended as a child and worked at all through high school and college.  This is where he met his wife working there as a young counselor and many years later, after his first son was born, he was able to work for them again helping to develop staff, program and operations.  John’s passion and collaborative leadership shines through. He writes, “I take pride in working in positions where I get to serve people, especially people within the community I live.  I feel fortunate that I get to continue this work in the city that my family calls home as the new Community Center/Senior Center Manager for the City of Sandy’s Parks and Recreation Department.”

Here is a look at our May Calendar- as you can see it’s growing- we’re looking forward to offering even more activities for the month of June.

John, Chelsea, and the rest of the team are working hard to get trained on Sportsman (the center’s software program), get it updated, and get a point of sale system in place for our reopening in May. They’re also working to get our website updated. John has started accepting applications for building monitors.

John and Marc are putting in hours towards their Ride Connection Training.

Our Meals on Wheels drivers delivered a total of 1,399 meals for the Month of April.

Recreation & Special Events Highlights

Carol Cohen, our Recreation Coordinator has been busy finalizing sponsorships for the music and movies. With her hard work, we have reached $11,000 in Sponsorships including Sponsors such as Trimble Rentals, Washman, Everfresh Fruit Co, Clackamas County Bank, Les Schwab Sandy, Timberline, Hometown Lenders, Hoodview Disposal, Whippersnappers, and Konnell Construction. Way to go Carol!

Carol is also working to promote more of the programs by going to some of the local businesses like daycares, preschools, churches, and Sandy Vista apartments to get the word out more.

Sandy’s Solve It annual clean up was on April 23^rd.  We had over 50 people and the 20 yard dumpster was completely full.  The volunteers felt so proud of what they accomplished.  Total volunteer hours that day was 184 hours.

The Sandy Senior Egghunt was a blast.  We had close to 30 seniors who searched for eggs and golden eggs that were painted.  Those that found the painted eggs received gift cards from local Sandy businesses.

The Teen Flashlight Egghunt had over 100 kids and it was dry.  The Parks Department did a great job cleaning up the park for that event.  Golden egg prizes were also gift cards from local businesses

Summer sport camps that are contracted with Skyhawks are filling up. Those camps will be at different Sandy parks like Tupper, Sandy Bluff, Bornstedt, and the Sandy Community Campus.

Softball sign- ups are coming in.  Our goal is to have at least 6 teams and we’re well on our way!

Parks & Maintenance Highlights

Upcoming Meetings

Parks & Trails Advisory Board Meeting- May 5th, 2022 at 7:00pm

What to look forward to:

Senior trips for May: Dinner at Bigfoot Growlers and a viewing of the Sandy High school play Freaky Friday (May 13th), a hike at Wildwood and lunch at Wraptitude in Welches (May 26th), and a Mystery drive (May 23rd). These events are full but a waiting list is available.

The Community/Senior Center will be closed on May 30th in observance of Memorial Day.

We’re gearing up for the Longest Day Parkway event on June 23rd and Noah’s Quest on June 25th.

The Parks and Recreation Department enthusiastically welcomes the start of Spring!

Aging Adult Services Highlights

The Sandy Community / Senior Center is open for social hours on Monday’s from 10:00am – 12:30pm, as well as Thursday’s from 1:00pm-3:00pm. The center is open for patrons to socialize, play cards, or work on jigsaw puzzles. There is plenty of laughter and fun conversation. As we hire for staff, we look forward to adding more programs and opening the center!

Here is a look at our April calendar.

For the month of March our dedicated Meals on Wheels drivers have delivered 955 meals! Thank you, to our dedicated drives. A special shout out to David Snider, the City’s Economic Development Manager who helped deliver meals when we were short drives – thank you, David! Young at Heart class that meets once a week is building up is gaining in popularity.  We look forward to bringing in more folks to enjoy this sit and fit class.

Young at Heart class that meets once a week is building up is gaining in popularity.  We look forward to bringing in more folks to enjoy this sit and fit class.

Recreation and Special Event Highlights

Carol Cohen, Recreation Coordinator has been busy planning spring and summer events. Carol has drummed up $10,300 in event sponsorships, which a record. Well done, Carol. Thank you to the businesses who have supported these events. In the May message, please stay tuned for a full list of all our generous sponsors. As a department we could not host these popular community events without their support.

The team continues to add contracted classes (i.e. Skyhawks Sports Camp). The staff is adding art classes, dance classes, and much much more.

Parks and Maintenance Highlights: 

Tiana Rundell, Parks Maintenance, is officially a Certified Parks and Safety Inspector (CPSI). This extremely challenging certification through National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and it takes a lot of hard work and studying. Good job, Tiana!

 The Park’s team continues to work hard making our parks safe and clean!

They continued their efforts making the City’s playgrounds safe. They continue to prune hedges a Hamilton Ridge, and repaired the retaining wall lower section of Hamilton Path. They and removed downed trees from Sandy River Trails. They cleaned the entrance to the Skate Park.

Important to note, the Gazebo and bathrooms at Meinig Park are open for the season.

The Community / Senior Center Portico project is complete.

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: April 13, 2022 @ 7:00 PM. Meeting is held both in person and virtually. For more information to watch the meeting live check click here.

What to Look Forward To:

Senior Egghunt on April 14, 2022 @ the library.  The trolley will be picking up seniors at the community center and will drive them to the library for this event. Call ahead to reserve a spot on the trolley.

April 15, 2022 is the annual Teen Flashlight Egg Hunt at Meinig Park.

Come hike Tickle Creek! April 21, 2022. Leave from the Community Center at 9:00am.

Solve it Clean up April 23, 2022 at Community Center from 9:00am-1:00pm.

The Parks team is hiring! If you know anyone interested in a great summer job, help spread the word. The Park’s division will be hiring for a Seasonal Parks Worker. Here is the link to the City’s recruiting website. https://www.ci.sandy.or.us/jobs

Here’s a glimpse at what the Department was working on for the month of February.

Aging Adult Services / Community Center Highlights:

On February 14th the center hosted a Valentine hunt for the seniors.  We had over 20 people attend and also live music by Robert Bassett.  He played some of his own music and other love song hits.  The seniors loved it and went around the whole facility and looked for valentine cards and painted rocks that we put around the center.  It was a fun scavenger hunt and it made them get up and walk around.  

The Center also experienced a 3-week closure due to a sewer blockage and repair. The Public works crews were amazing to work with, and we thank them for their exceptional customer service!

The facility is once again, open to the public. Hours are Mondays from 10:00a – 12:30p, and Thursdays from 1:00p-3:00p. These hours will be expanded as we bring in additional staff.

The ever popular “Young at Heart Class” continues to grow in popularity! The class is taught by our own Carol Cohen. The class is held on Tuesdays at 10:00a. It is a 30-minute class that 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 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. The Senior Center has experienced a shortage of drivers due to COVID. However, the staff has stepped up and delivered meals as needed. Go team!

As we look at the future with no masks, and possibly coming out of COVID the Senior Center continue to offer a litany of services. Such as financial assistance education and referrals, care giving referrals, housing / rental. assistance and applications assistance, energy assistance, mental health referrals, immigration information and other needs for legal services, translation, case management and reassurance calls, and food referrals. Staff also conducts home visits.

A much anticipated fix to the Portico at the Center will start on March 12, 2022. Here are some pictures before the fix. Stay tuned for pictures after the fix.

Recreation and Special Event Highlights

Summer Concerts and Movies in the Park are right around the corner! The Recreation Department successfully booked 2 big name bands Johnny Limbo & The Lugnuts and Petty Fever.  Save the date for August 3rd & 10th. 

The Department has also confirmed  2 very popular movies that are Encanto and Sing 2.  It will kick off on July 30th with Encanto and Sing 2 on August 20th.

The Recreation team had a goal to raise $4000 in sponsorship dollars, and we are currently at $7,500. Well done team! Thank you to the businesses who have provided support, we could not hold these free community events without their sponsorship.

Interested in sponsoring or know someone who might be? Check out the flier below for more information!

Keep up on the latest special event news on our website! https://www.ci.sandy.or.us/parks-rec

Staff is also working on spring and summer marketing campaigns and updating the seasonal guide and also developing more relationships with businesses! Stay tuned for a full list of sponsors!

Parks and Maintenance Highlights: 

The Park’s team continues to work hard making our parks safe and clean!

They continued their efforts making the City’s playgrounds safe. They improved the look to Hamilton Ridge by pruning hedges, and repaired the retaining wall lower section of Hamilton Path. They and removed downed trees from Sandy River Trails. They cleaned the entrance to the Skate Park.

Important to note, the Gazebo and bathrooms at Meinig are closed for the season.

The Park’s team has implemented an asset management, and work order software. This software will not only increase work efficiency, this is an exciting internal feature will improve documentation, communications, help set priorities, and identify and maintain parks assets. The Department has been

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: March 9, 2022 @ 7:00 PM. Meeting is held both in person and virtually. For more information to watch the meeting live check click here.

What to Look Forward To:

April 15, 2022 is the annual Teen Flashlight Egg Hunt at Meinig Park.

Summer camp registration opens in March. For the latest news check out the website, follow us on Facebook and look for our summer guide!

The Parks team is hiring! If you know anyone interested in a great summer job, help spread the word. The Park’s division will be hiring for a Seasonal Parks Worker. Here is the link to the City’s recruiting website. https://www.ci.sandy.or.us/jobs

Join Sandy Parks and Recreation and SOLVE for a Volunteer Community Clean Up Event!

We look forward to checking back in with our Community for our March 2022 report!

Welcome 2022!

The Parks and Recreation team is looking forward to 2022. We are working on summer planning, preparing our parks, and programming activities and services for the community.

Here’s a glimpse of what the Department was working on in the month of January.

Aging Adult Services Highlights

The ever popular “Young at Heart Class” started. This class is taught by our own Carol Cohen. The class is held on Tuesdays at 10:00a. It is a 30-minute class that 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 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. The Senior Center has experienced a shortage of drivers due to COVID. However, the staff has stepped up and delivered meals as needed. Go team!

As we continue to navigate COVID the Senior Center continues to offer a litany of services. Such as financial assistance education and referrals, care giving referrals, housing / rental. assistance and application assistance, energy assistance, mental health referrals, immigration information and other needs for legal services, translation, case management and reassurance calls, and food referrals. Staff also conducts home visits.

The Center continues to offer COVID vaccination clinics every Friday in partnership with Clackamas County Public Health.

The Senior/Community Center staff was thrilled to open its doors, but unfortunately, we experienced a sewer line issue which caused us to temporarily close. Public Works is working hard on fixing the issue and we anticipate being back up and running shortly (See below pictures). The Recreation / Senior Center team is still working on hard on planning programs, events, and services for the spring and summer. Once the Center’s sewer line is fixed, the facility once again, will be open to the public. Hours are Mondays from 10:00a – 12:30p, and Thursdays from 1:00p-3:00p. These hours will be expanded as we bring in additional staff.

Recreation and Special Event Highlights

The recreation team is busy planning summer camps, classes, and events. Their goal is to recruit contractors for new and returning programs, and classes. Additionally, they are busy formalizing the Department’s volunteer program to increase volunteer recruitment, training, and retention.

Kinder classes returned to the Center. The classes sold out in a few hours representing the excitement by the community to participate in Parks and Recreation events and programs.

Staff is also working on spring and summer marketing campaigns and updating the seasonal guide. Look for a full list of summer special events in the Feb. 2022 report!

Parks and Maintenance Highlights: 

The Park’s team continues to work hard making our parks safe and clean!

They continued their storm cleanup efforts, continued to manage facility maintenance projects, addressed safety hazards at Fantasy Forest, removed leaves at Tupper Park, and edged memorial pavers at Sandy Bluff.

The Department is proud to announce that Tiana Rundell, Parks Maintenance Worker, was accepted into a Leadership Academica offered by the Oregon Recreation Parks Association, in partnership with Portland State University. This is a 6-month training program. Tiana will be paired with a mentor, complete a capstone project, and learn about trends and the skills necessary to become a future leader in the field of parks and recreation!

We continue to explore options to address drainage issues at Meinig Park parking lot.  Anytime there is heavy rain the parking lot floods.  The Park’s team was able to demo a pressure washer/vacuum truck that acts as a pressure washer releasing the packed vegetation from the pervious asphalt as it vacuums the debris into a holding tank. The results were remarkable! Our goal is to rent this equipment to restore the pervious asphalt parking lot at Meinig Park.    

Important to note, the Gazebo and bathrooms at Meinig are closed for the season.

The Park’s team is implementing an asset management, and work order software. This software will not only increase work efficiency, this is an exciting internal feature will improve documentation, communications, help set priorities, and identify and maintain parks assets.  

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: Feb. 9, 2022 @ 7:00 PM. Meeting is currently held virtually. For more information to watch the meeting live check click here.

What to Look Forward To:

As the Senior / Community Center works towards getting back to pre-COVID staffing levels we can add back services and programs. Also, stay tuned for additional job postings. The Park’s division will be hiring for a Seasonal Parks Worker.

We are hiring! If you or anyone else is interested, please follow this link for more details!

More to come in our Feb. 2022 monthly report!

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 4^th. 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. 31^st 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.  

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!

Hello Council and Community,

It has been a little over a month that I have been the Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Sandy, and what a wonderful first month. I have learned how hard the department staff work and how deeply they care about their work and serving the community. I truly look forward to what the future brings working with such a dedicated team.

I hope you enjoy this overview of some of the Department highlights for the month of November

Aging Adult Services Highlights

The Sandy Senior Center energy assistance program served and processed 53 applications.

The team has been updating and sending pending status NAPIS forms to Clackamas County list. This was a lot of work, and the team was successful at updating 70 NAPIS so far.

We partnered with Clackamas County to provide mental health counselors at the Community / 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 is also hosting COVID vaccination clinics every Friday in partnership with Clackamas County Public Health.

The Community Center / Senior Center also hosted a Meet and Mingle so I could meet the wonderful patrons of the Sandy Community Center.

The team is also working on adding programs and services. Keep an eye out for new classes starting in January.

Recreation and Special Event Highlights

The department held a “Seasons of Giving” drive through event on December 4^th. Attendance was 215 people and we received $2,015 in donations that will directly benefit our Meals on Wheels program.

This is a new event, and it was highly successful with new additional things like the Sandy High School band & choir, the petting zoo, and of course the Grinch.  The rain did not stop the community from coming out and supporting meals on wheels. Great work and a job well-done to the team that helped make it happen; Carol Cohen, Sarah Richardson, and Olga Gerberg!

Parks and Maintenance Highlights: 

The Park’s team is continually working to make safety and aesthetic improvements to Sandy’s park system. Thank you to Joe Preston, Tiana Rundell, and Casey Perkins for their dedication to the City of Sandy’s beautiful parks!

The park’s team added playground bark to Meinig, Tot lot, Salmon Creek, Timberline, and Barlow Parks.

The team added Christmas lights on city buildings and new bark at the plaza for the tree lighting. They also replaced damaged playground equipment at Salmon Creek.

Important to note, the Gazebo and bathrooms are closed for the season. The team is also addressing some hurdles at Cascadia Park. The park is severely over planted and overgrown. The crew is teaming up with AntFarm to prune and thin – Thank you to AntFarm for your help.

Also, we are addressing drainage issues at Meinig Park parking area.  Anytime there is heavy rain the parking lot floods.  Our hope is to pressure wash and vacuum away the vegetation that has caused the pervious concrete to become clogged. Stay tuned for updates on our efforts!

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 or to watch the meeting live click here.

Happy Holidays! I look forward to continually meeting the members of the community and building on the fantastic things the Sandy Parks and Recreation Department currently offers.

Community Services staff and meals on wheels volunteers became eligible to get the COVID vaccine. Several staff members are now fully vaccinated. The current staff has continued to be flexible through the reduction of hours imposed in December. The essential services this team provides is at the core of our mission and their passion, resiliency, and hard work is greatly appreciated. Multiple injuries and illness has additionally taken its toll on current staff which has required them balance various job duties.

Community Services continues to search for volunteers to help with the meals on wheels program. Drivers are needed on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday to deliver meals Kitchen assistance is also needed to help with COVID sanitization protocols and loading meals for drivers. Please contact the Director for more information.

Senior Services

Staff received and assisted many seniors who were needing assisting navigating the various websites to schedule a COVID vaccine. Seniors were able to get vaccinated through local pharmacies, at the Oregon Convention center, Sandy Behavioral Health, and the clinic held at the high school. Transportation is available for those seniors needing rides to get vaccinated.

Over 1600 meals were delivered through the meals on wheels program in March. Virtual classes offered throughout the county senior centers are shared and marketed for all seniors. Our Tai Chi class has seen an increase in enrollment and drawing clients from Portland, Welches, and Salem.

The seniors had an opportunity to enjoy beautiful weather with an Egg Hunt at Sandy Bluff Park. This event hosted with the library was a big hit. Seniors went hunting for eggs, and was treated to muffins from Tollgate and coffee donated from Starbucks.

Recreation & Special Events

Planning for outdoor programs this summer are underway. Sandy Community Campus fields are being rented to various organizations for youth sports. Collaboration continues with the school district to get Pickleball courts up and running by the summer. Special Events this spring include Solve – April 17th & Noah’s Quest, June 26th. Planning has began for City of Sandy 110th Anniversary in collaboration with the Library and various local organizations. Stay Tuned!

Parks & Trails

The Parks & Trails Master Plan first draft was sent to Nancy Enabit (project manager), the Technical Advisory Committee, and city staff for review. The 6th TAC meeting was held to discuss revisions of the draft and timeline. ESA and FSC met with city staff to discuss preliminary details of SDC methodology analysis & CIP list. After initial revisions of first draft it was sent out to the Parks & Trails advisory board and ESA will present to the board in April.

The tentative timeline for the PMP is as follows:

*        Parks Board mtg 1 – Scheduled April 14

*        Parks Board mtg 2 – late April or early May

*        Joint planning commission / council work session – June 7th 6:00pm

*        Planning commission adoption – July (Date not yet determined)

*        Council adoption – August (Date not yet determined)

The Parks & Trails Advisory Board did not meet in the March.

Dog park will closed April 13th – 30th for reseeding. All community gardens beds have been rented this year.

Community Services staff continue to strive to provide essential services despite additional reduction of hours. Staff drive meals on wheels routes daily, prepare and pack meals, perform COVID cleaning protocols, and reach out to seniors daily. Phone calls have increase this month due to challenges with scheduling the COVID vaccine. Meals on wheels volunteers and staff were eligible for the vaccine and several are now fully vaccinated.

The Blink EV station is not installed and active at the Sandy Community Center. Staff received a training on tracking of the EV station. This next month Community Services staff will work with SAGE to receive additional training on the app which will be used for the vehicle. We hope to receive the vehicle at the end of March or beginning of April. The application for the vehicle will be run through Envoy.

Senior Services

A significant amount of staff time is being spent on assisting seniors with registering for the COVID vaccine. Information received from the county and local agencies has given staff information which they are using to reach seniors. Most of the challenges the seniors are experiencing include seniors inability to access wifi, limited access to a computer, trouble navigating the website to reserve an appointment, difficulty scheduling an appointment due to lack of transportation and vaccine appointments filling quickly. Staff is reaching seniors daily to assist them with these challenges.

Virtual Tai Chi class kicked off in February. About 10 seniors were able to participate in this Fall Prevention program. The class will increase to twice a week beginning in March. Staff continue to research other virtual programs which we can offer to the seniors.

On February 10th, the weather cooperated for the seniors as they came out for a Valentine Drive Thru at the Community Center. Close to thirty seniors enjoyed treats from Tollgate and received a care package donated by Avamere. The package included a painted rock, pen, a pad of paper and a handmade “Thinking of you” card. These care packages were also sent out to every Meals on Wheels client.

At the end of February, the seniors met at the Japanese Garden (Tsuru Island) at the Gresham Main City Park. They were treated to a private tour from the Garden Director Jim Card.  After the tour, the seniors walked along the Springwater Corridor. It was great to have dry weather.

Recreation

Staff is working on summer programming and looking forward to providing the community with new opportunities and some past favorites. The focus will be placed on outdoor classes and camps. Some phasing the return of some past programs is being planned for late Spring. The possibility of Adult Softball being able to return to play this summer will dependent on the availability of the school district fields. As a plan B, it may be possible to schedule stand alone tournaments at the Hoodview Complex if there is interest.

Several Community Recreation organizations are interested in using the fields at the Sandy Community Campus. Staff is working on developing contracts with the organizations to assist in having youth sports return to play.

Special Events

Staff is researching options for the return of past annual events this Spring and Summer. Solve will be offered this April with some changes due to State Risk Level Guidance. Plans are also being developed to offer Noah’s Quest, Longest Day Parkway, 110th Birthday Celebration, Movies in the Park, and Concerts in the Park. These events may look differently in the past as staff develop protocols to stay within State guidelines. Due to a significant decrease in revenue this past biennium, the department may have to make appropriate adjustments to these events.

Parks & Trails Advisory Board
The new board members are in place and we are looking forward to their fresh perspective and ideas. A resource guide was provided to members to help them hit the ground running.
It is an exciting time with the updated Master Plan nearing completion.

Parks & Trails Master Plan

The first draft of the Parks Master Plan had been sent by ESA to Nancy Enabnit, project manager for her to review and send back edits. At the end of February, the draft was also send to city staff and the Technical Advisory Committee. In March, there is a meeting scheduled with the TAC to review the draft.

In August of 2019, Community Service applied for the Portland General Electric’s (PGE) Drive Change Fund in partnership with SAGE (Senior Advocates for Generational Equity) and Prisma Point. The intent was to develop a pilot electric vehicle project focused on seniors and facilities that serve seniors (e.g., senior residences, senior centers, nonprofits serving seniors). The goal of the pilot is to increase awareness among seniors about electric vehicles and to boost use of these vehicles. As a participant in the pilot, participating seniors and facilities will learn how use of electric vehicles and electric charging stations can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve other social benefits. This grant supports projects that help electrify Oregon’s transportation sector, from transit buses to passenger vehicles to micro mobility solutions such as electric bikes and scooters. Grants are funded by the sale of Oregon Clean Fuels Program credits, which PGE aggregates on behalf of residential customers who charge their electric vehicles at home.

In February of 2020, SAGE was awarded the grant with Sandy being one of two sites which will participate in this project. This project will include the installation of an EV station at the Community Center and an electric vehicle which will be available for Community Services to provide transportation and use to deliver Meals on wheels. Due to COVID, the installation of the EV station and progress of the implementation of this program have been slowed. Additionally, the program will be operated in different phases to account for the unknowns of the COVID pandemic.

We are excited to announce that the installation of the electric for the installation of the EV Station took place in January. The EV station is set to be completed in February with the arrival of the Electric vehicle to be in March.

The Community Center had a new awning installed on the west entrance of the building. This awning created a larger area of coverage for seniors as they await transportation. The project also included updated lighting and a new door will be installed as well.

Senior Services

Over 1,700 meals were provided to our service area through the meals on wheels program in the month of January. Community Service staff including, Tanya Richardson, Bernice Jordan, Sarah Richardson, and Carol Cohen continue to drive meals on wheels along with limited volunteers. We want to recognize Larry & Mary Stidham, Kate Lane, Jennifer Gohr, Kip Frey, Jan Funk, Kimberli Maltman for continuous dedication to volunteering for this essential service.

Client services provided 23 hours of case management and reassurance for seniors as well as fielded over 56 calls for information and assistance to resources. Much time is spent by Client Services Coordinator, Olga Gerberg, talking with clients, family members, and connecting them with organizations and resources to continue to assist the seniors in staying independent in their homes.

Carol Cohen has been providing a door to door shopping shuttle for seniors. These seniors are picked up at their homes and brought to Safeway or Fred Meyer. This essential service allows seniors to shop for food and other items and then are brought back to their homes. This essential service provided 10 trips to seniors for the month of January.

Staff continue to make check in phone calls to seniors. Mental health and continued isolation, due to the pandemic, has been very concerning when speaking to the seniors. Staff continue to direct them to resources including virtual programs, 211, Senior Loneliness Line, Clackamas County Crisis and Support line, and Mt. Hood Hospice support groups.

Recreation

Virtual classes continue such as Bingo, Coffee Chat, Functional Fitness. Staff are looking at expanding virtually program offerings for the spring and summer. Virtual Tai Chi classes are planned to begin in February.

Parks & Trails

On January 13th, The Parks & Trails Advisory Board had an informal thank you presentation to several board members who will no longer be serving. These members include Kathleen Walker who has been instrumental in development of parks & trails for the last 20+ years is now serving as a City Councilor. It will be wonderful to have her continued participation and input in the parks & trails master plan and the future of Parks and Trails. Susan Drew has also been very active over the years with much input and support for parks and trails. Michael Weinberg and Sam Schroyer are also members of the board who have resigned. These board members were presented with a framed photo of Mt Hood from Jonsrud viewpoint.

Parks & Trails Master Plan

ESA had several meeting in January including meeting with city staff to discuss parks maintenance, preliminary capital improvement list, and SDC’s methodology. The CIP will be reviewed by City staff, Technical Advisory Board, and the Parks & Trails Advisory Committee. Additionally, FCS Group is being subcontracted to look at options for Parks SDC’s.  A follow up meeting is scheduled with ESA and FCS to provide some preliminary guidance on the complex SDC options. The Parks SDC methodology update will follow the adoption of the Parks Master Plan.