Community Services – October 2018

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Aquatics ( Tanya Richardson)
Attendance at the aquatic center is staying steady with continued strong attendance on Friday Night open recreation time. Our water exercise classes are active and we began another session of swim lessons with 90 registrations from all over the area including the cities of Boring, Rhododendron, and Estacada
We held 17 birthday parties during the month of October and continue to have Empire Youth Water Polo rent our facility.  The aquatic center was also rented out for 6 hours in the evening to shoot a  movie titled  “Lorelei”.
Senior Services (Melissa Thompson)
Our annual costume contest at the community center was a big success with the seniors dressed in some fabulous costumes. The staff also put on their traditional skit themed around Abbott and Costello’s “Who’s on First?”
 The seniors participated in trips to The Woodburn Outlet Store, Tillamook Pioneer Museum, Chinook Winds Casino, Hood River for Apples, Albany Carousel Museum,  Fort Vancouver, Hood River Train Ride, and Tads Chicken and Dumplins. Additionally, they went hiking at Wildwood, Springbrook Iron Mountain and Wildwood.  A 6-week Diabetes class was completed through October, and the participants were engaged with educational material about symptoms,  We began assisting families with Energy Assistance and submitted 61 applications for seniors, veterans, and disabled citizens in Sandy and the surrounding area.
Recreation (Sarah Richardson)
New music classes kicked off in October. They include voice, piano, violin and Musical Theater. More classes will be added for Winter/Spring including a toddler class.
Mountain Storm is underway with early season open gyms and team building.
Programming for Winter/Spring is being developed, along with work toward summer programs.

Community Services – September 2018

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Sandy Community Campus – (Tanya Richardson)

Both the portable building in front of the aquatic center and playshed behind the Aquatic Center were demolished in September.  Two open house workshops were held at the public library to seek public input on the master plan for the Sandy Community Campus.  City Manger, Kim Yamashita, Community Services Director, Tanya Richardson, city staff, Opsis Architecture firm, and Walker Macy Firm were all present with the master plan for the SCC site.

Aquatic Center – (Tanya Richardson)

After a very successful Summer season, the aquatic center was closed for four days after Labor day to do maintenance, replace the boilder stack and provide additional staff inservice training. The hours have been cut back to account for children back in school and the fall season.  Lap swim continued to be open in the early morning hours (6:00am – 8:00am), lunchtime (11:30am – 1:00pm and Monday/Wednesday evening. Water exercise classes were offered the same times as in the summer with little to no change in attendance.  Swimming lessons were offered in the evenings on Monday & Wednesday with 105 registrations in the evening.  Lessons for patrons with alternative school schedule were offered in the afternoons.  Classes started slow but we are hopeful to gain ground as the word spreads of our great program.  The aquatic center was busy every weekend with Birthday parties.

Special Events – (Carol Cohen)

On September 9th Corn Cross was another successful event at Liepold Farms.  It was our largest event with 297 athletes. It was a beautiful day and the spectators enjoyed watching the racers throughout the day.  The kiddie cross had over 50 kids attending and tackling the fun obstacles like going over hay bales and maneuvering around farm animals.

Recreation – (Sarah Richardson)

Dogs Day Out, a fundraiser for Sandy Dog Parks, had a great turnout in September. Liepold farms is a great host and local families and others in town for the Corn Cross races enjoy the dog related activities including bobbing for tennis balls, agility training, raffle baskets, fetch for a prize, race/walk through the Corn Maze and more. The event evolves every year with new ideas and has developed a following. Thank you to Barlow Trail Veterinary for being the Top Dog Sponsor for all 5 past events, and to Clackamas County Bank and Burns Feed Store for being Best Friends Sponsors at each event.

New connections with Next Adventure will provide a variety of guided outdoor experiences for seniors, children and families beginning with a hike to Pup Creek Falls in October and a Snowshoe trip in December. More adventures are planned for the winter, spring and summer for community members who want to learn more about local recreation opportunities, and gain new skills for fun and safe outings. There will be options for all ages and trips especially planned for families.
Play Well TEKnologies will be providing new engineering/physics classes and camps throughout the school year and next summer.
 
Maestro Music will be bringing new voice, piano, violin and musical theater options to community members of all ages. Maestro Music teacher Haley has recently moved to the local area and brings with her a wealth of experience and expertise she is eager to share with Sandy. 

 

Seniors – (Melissa Thompson)

In the month of September, the seniors went to Hamilton Creek, Oregon Zoo, Portland Nursery, Oktoberfest, Barton Park, and Tillamook Pioneer Museum and Cheese Factory. They enjoyed dinner at Red Lobster and breakfast at Cazadero. A six-week Diabetes class began August 24th which educates seniors on symptoms, emotional challenges, healthy eating, and appropriate physical activity.

Community Services – August 2018

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Aquatic Center – Tanya Richardson

Throughout the summer, the Aquatic Center stayed extremely busy.  Here is a brief analysis of the membership and program usage over the last eight weeks.

Swim Lesson Program- 406 registrations  63% Sandy Residents   37% Non Residents

Water Exercise Class Memberships – 32 memberships   56% Sandy Residents   44% Non Residents

Lap Swim & Open Rec Memberships – 74 Memberships   72% Sandy Residents   28% Non Residents

Private Swim Lessons – 105 Private Lessons   62% Sandy Residents    38% Non Residents

Daily Pass Totals

Adult Lap Swim – 386 Resident    185Non Resident

Child Open Rec – 1284 Resident    430   Non Resident

Senior Lap Swim – 49 Resident   80 Non Resident

Daily Water Exercise Totals

Senior Water Ex – 27 Residents   11 Non Residents

17 Birthday Parties

24 Private Rentals with Empire Water Polo

Recreation (Sarah Richardson)

The Recreation Department was busy wrapping up summer programs including camps and adult Softball, and programming and publishing the Recreation Guide for the fall.

Code to the Future was a great hit this summer which themed around the Minecraft Video Design.  Camps offered this summer included weeks at Camp Namanu, Tennis Camp and Basektball Shooting.  The community garden is in full swing with all beds rented again this season.  Dogs and their owners continue to love the Dog Park and can’t wait for Dogs Day out this summer.

Positive Touch Chiropractic were the 2018 Adult Coed Softball Champions. The Sandy Recreation League is family friendly and the 2018 champions were sponsored by a local Chiropractic business.

 

Seniors (Melissa Thompson)

The weather did not stop the seniors from enjoying the great weather of Oregon.  Trips included hikes to ZigZag Falls and Trillium Lake.  They also visited the Oregon Garden, Clackamas County Fair and rode the Canby Ferry to the Dahia Festival.

Genevieve White,  a health Coach, was a guest speaker who provided the seniors with general education and tips in regards to gastrointestinal health.

On August 31, the Community Services department celebrate Cami Henderson’s retirement as the Client Services Coordinator. Staff and patrons shared wonderful stories of how Cami has dedicated to serving our community over the last 28 years. She has provided information, support, and case management services to individuals and their families to help clients maintain their independence.
With an endless wealth of knowledge, Cami has connected hundreds of clients each year (often several times a year) to a variety of resources to ensure their needs are met. These connections are made “on the fly” as clients are often in crisis and needing immediate assistance. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Community Services – July 2018

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Aquatics (Tanya Richardson)

On July 5 at 12:00pm, the renovated Olin Bignal Aquatic Center was opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony.  The Aquatic Center was open for free for all citizens from 12;00pm – 5:00pm.  We had over 200 people visit and enjoyed on the inflatable obstacle. course.  30 part time staff members were hired as lifeguards, swim instructors, head lifeguards, and water exercise instructors.  Carol Cohen moved to full time to assist in overseeing operations of the Aquatic Center with Tanya’s oversight.

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The aquatic center had over 100 children registered for the American Red Cross swimming lessons over the month.  The open recreation swim times averaged over 50 per day with Friday evenings very busy.  

Recreation (Sarah Richardson)

Recreation hosted three events during the Mountain Days. The Kids’ Pet Show was very successful in the new location, and the turn out was the best in 10 years. The Bike Derby included fun races for ages 2 and up and despite the hot weather attracted the usual crowd. The kids always enjoy riding their bikes around the track before and after the races. The Kids’ parade featured entertainment by clown Heather Pearl,  and a hot dog lunch sponsored and staffed by Clackamas County Bank.
Adult Coed Softball was in peak season and fun games and friendly banter was enjoyed by all. This is a family friendly league and it is common to see all generations gathering together as players and fans.
The new Code to the Future Camp kicked off at the end of July and was well received. We look forward to offering more programs with this organization in the future.
Programming for the fall and the coming year was in high gear.
Senior Services (Melissa Thompson)

In the month of July, seniors participated in a hike at Lacamas Lake, a trip to Hood River for cherries, trip to Timberline, a dine out at Crooked Tree in Parkdale, Portland Spirit Cruise, and another hike at Farraday Lake. Carol Cohen’s Functional Fitness class continues to grow! Several July classes had over 25 participants. Several seniors volunteered their time, provided fruit, and shared some baking secrets to bake pies for our fundraiser. Everfresh donated 253 pounds of fruit!  Kurt and Lillie Williams assisted in the coordination of the fruit donation, and provided some from their own garden.   Lillie also spent many hours assisting in preparation as well as the day of baking. Sara Reis helped set up the day before, and helped get the baking started. The center sold 114 pies altogether!

Community Services – May & June 2018

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Sandy Community Campus (Tanya Richardson)
More changes are occurring at the pool including work on replacing toilets, fixing of the plumbing, installation of staff areas, refurbishing of benches in locker rooms, new dressing area partisans, electrical safety checks, and installation of electrical outlets in front lobby and office.  Painting throughout the entire building, exterior paint, new Olin Y Bignall Aquatic Center sign, and new stripping of the disabled parking area at the front entrance.
Recreation (Sarah Richardson)
The Summer Recreation & Leisure Guide was launched in May. Over the last year the guide has expanded to include more Senior/Active Adult listings as well as more Library listings. The guide was originally created to highlight recreation and special events but the move to an electronic guide has provided more flexibility at no additional cost.
New this summer Code to the Future – Video Game Design and Minecraft Modding Camps, and a return to Day Camps at Camp Namanu. Adult Coed Softball kicked off in June.
Senior Services (Melissa Thompson)
The staff implemented monthly focus topics which was augmented by speakers and providing information about awareness and education.  In May, the focus was on Arthritis Awareness and June was Alzheimer’s Awareness month.  The seniors enjoyed hikes to the Klickitat River, Mt. Tabor, Tyron Creek & Butler Creek.  Other wonderful trips included a Bed & Breakfast Tour, Schreiner Wildlife Ranch, Corbett Children’s Theater, and the Lavender Festival.  An AARP driving course was well attended in May as well as a special presentation of “Understanding & Responding to Dementia”.  The staff served a Brain Healthy Lunch at the end of the month and included a presentation from Cami Henderson about her attendance at the National Alzheimer Conference held in Washington DC.
Special Events ( Carol Cohen)
Running Dirty occurred in May for the 3rd year.  We had a good crowd with people wanting to get down and dirty at Liepold Farms. We had 3 different heats for the adults and 3 different heats for the children.  Everyone had a great time with food and beer provided by Liepold’s.
Noah’s Quest
On June 23rd was the 13th Annual walk/run with over 132 participants.  We had an overwhelming amount of volunteers and food, fruit and coffee donated from Franz Bread and Starbucks.  There was a great article in the Post the following week about a local mother who lost her baby 13 years ago.  She mentioned Noah’s Quest saved her life and got her out of the house and started the grieving process.

Community Services – April 2018

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Sandy Community Campus (Tanya Richardson)
Work on the upgrades at the Aquatic Center continues.  Changes include construction of birthday party areas, additional staff areas, replacement of door for ADA access to office, and additional new counter and mirrors for locker rooms.
           
Senior Services (Tanya Richardson)
Melissa Thompson joined the team as Senior Services Manager in April. She holds an BA in Business Management, and an MBA in Nonprofit Management and Leadership. Both degrees conferred by Marylhurst University. She has over 15 years experience within the social work field; several years of direct care, seven years of case management, and five years of program management. Melissa and her family have been in Sandy for five years and she is very excited to work with the community.

Olga Gerberg has begun leading the Change of Pace program and is providing fun and engaging activities for older adults experiencing memory loss or confusion due to Dementia disorders such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
Trips and activities the month of April included Powell’s Bookstore, Orenco Woods hike, Gresham Fairview Hike, Scenic Drive up the Molalla River, and the Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival.
Gresham Fairview Hike 4.24.18
April Birthday Bash!
Recreation (Sarah Richardson)
The Summer Recreation programs are in the final stages of development. New Coding Camps and the return of the popular Mountain Biking camps are part of the summer 2018 schedule. Camp Namanu is back with the original format. Sandy residents can sign-up for day camps at the Camp Namanu campus along the Sandy River. Transportation will be provided from the Sandy Community Center.
Adult Coed Summer Softball schedule has been set and teams are forming. Once again we thank the school district for the use of the fields at the High School for the softball league.

Community Services – March 2018

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Sandy Community Campus (Tanya Richardson)

Clean up of the Aquatic Center began this month with having current Mavericks staff, Friends of the Sandy pool members, and the school district take any items they would like.  Some items were also donated to the Sandy Historical Society.  Brian Galovan was hired to assist with pool maintenance as well as work half time with parks.  He has done an incredible job of clean up and disposal of one full 30 yd dumpster of unnecessary items.  Concrete work has also been completed to removed the disintegrating diving board platform, unsafe slide, and the removal of the front desk.  Additional contractors are set to start working on ADA upgrades, electrical updates, and boiler maintenance.

Senior Center (Tanya Richardson)

Seniors enjoyed several fabulous trips this month including the Laika exhibit at the Portland Art Museum, the Bush House museum, and a hike to Mt. Tabor. The Community Center partnered with the library and did a senior egg hunt throughout the library. We had close to over 30 seniors and the trolley picked them up at the senior center and transported them to the library.  It was a huge success.

 

New class began with our own city councilor  Olga Gerberg who is teaching a Moves and Grooves class on Fridays at 11:00.  This class gets your body moving by combining fitness, dance and Zumba.

Recreation (Sarah Richardson)

Winter/Spring programs were in full swing and summer planning was well underway. Mountain Storm Youth Basketball wrapped up the season on March 10th and 17th with two Jamborees. Players and their families enjoyed a day of basketball and awards, and the players were excited to get to play at the new High School.
Camps in the works for summer include computer coding, mountain biking, acting, tennis, soccer and basketball, and a return to day camps at Camp Namanu.

Community Services – February 2018

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Sandy Community Campus (Tanya Richardson)

On Feb. 28, 2018 the aquatic center has it last day of programming under the management of the Mavericks Swim Team.  This will give us the opportunity to clean up the facility, do an safety assessment, and begin upgrades.  IT has begun to move to the the lower part of the north building of the old Cedar ridge.

Senior Center (Tanya Richardson)

We are offering free tax assistance for seniors which began this month thru April.  This services is full and continues to be a waiting list for this service.  The seniors enjoyed several trips this month including vising the Mt. Angel Wurstfest, RICE Museum of Rocks and Minerals, hike to the Canemah Bluff, and enjoy a Valentine’s Day exchange at the senior center.

Recreation (Sarah Richardson)

Mountain Storm continues to utilize the gym at the Sandy Community campus in the evenings during the week. Preparation and organization are getting going for a busy summer Recreation guide.

Special Events (Carol Cohen)

Preparation and organization are being made for upcoming events for the Spring including Teen Flashlight Egg Hunt, Solv-it Sandy, and Running Dirty.  A new event coming next month includes a senior egg hunt at the library.

Community Services – January 2018

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Sandy Community Campus (Tanya Richardson)

On Thursday,  Jan. 5th we received the keys for the much awaited old Cedar Ridge building and Olin Bignall Aquatic Center from OTSD.  The Sandy Community Campus project included the use of the gymnasium for the Mountain Storm basketball program through March and the pool.  The pool maintenance was taken on by Tanya with the assistance of Casey Perkins and Joe Preston.  The maintenance currently includes daily chemical readings,  balancing of pool chemicals, boiler checks, and weekly backwashing of filtration system.  Public Works is assisting with boiler checks at the Cedar Ridge school.  Mavericks will continue regular programming through the end of February.

Senior Center (Tanya Richardson)

A new functional fitness class began in January for seniors on Tuesday & Thursdays ran by Carol Cohen.  This class was added to help fill the need for some of the seniors who loss their membership at the Mt. Hood Athletic Center, due to the drop of Silver & Fit program.  This class has grown from 10 people to by the end of over 20 people and still growing.

The seniors also participated in such great trips such as a visit to Albertina Kerr, a hike to Powell Butte, trip to Spirit Mountain, and a dine out at Sayler’s Country Kitchen.  Tax season is getting ready to kick off with assistance for seniors beginning Feb. – April.

Sarah Richardson (Recreation)

Mountain Storm is going to be held at the Sandy Community Campus in the evenings and weekends.  We have an increase in registrations this season.  Along with Mountain Storm we have our Winter/Spring Recreation guide out which includes theater, guitar, dance, and sports skills.

 

 

 

Community Services – December 2017

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Sandy Community Campus (Tanya Richardson)

At the end of November with the help of Opsis we held 12 different stakeholder meetings with groups to discuss ideas for the property at the old Cedar Ridge Middle school and Olin Bignall Aquatic Center.  It was decided at the time to help reduce confusion to refer to the project moving forward as the “Sandy Community Campus”. Several walk-thrus we conducted with OTSD at the close of the month to be sure vacancy and proper clean up were completed with the intention for the city to take possession of the buildings at the start of the new year.

Information has also been published in the Sandy Post and announced at the council meetings of the pool remaining operational thru February with the intent to allow the high school swim team to complete their season.  Mavericks will continue to run regular programming which includes lap swim, water exercise classes, open recreation swim, birthday parties, and swimming lessons.

Senior Center (Tanya Richardson)

The center was festive with seasonal decorations and to prepare for the Holidays.         It was the 30th year for the Breakfast with Santa event which is one of the year’s biggest fundraisers for Meals on Wheels.  The event net over $2,000 and could not have been possible without your dedication and efforts of volunteers and staff. The fundraiser included a full breakfast, photos with Santa, and a raffle with prizes from Local businesses. We also had over 50 volunteers assist with serving breakfast, decorating the center, busing tables, handing out candy canes, set up and clean up.

Seniors enjoyed cocoa, cookies, and singing carols as they toured homes beautifully lit including the home of Councilor Hamblin.  Other trips included visiting the Victorian Belle Mansion, attending the Mt. Hood Pops Orchestra, and a hike along Cazadero trail.

Recreation (Sarah Richardson)

Mountain Storm Basketball is gearing up for a great season with 218 registrations and 47 volunteer coaches and assistants.  Practices and games will be run at the gym at the Sandy Community Campus through March.  Winter/Spring Recreation guide is available online with registration open for programs offered from January – May.