Rec board receives updates

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SIDNEY — The Sidney Recreation Board received various updates and voted on department’s 2017 Photo Contest, Monday.

Since the board had not met since the city’s summer recreation programs ended, Recreation Specialist Jennie Rogers presented an overview of the food program, various recreation programs, and gave a summary of the Sidney Municipal Pool receipts that she presented to City Council in August.

The summer programs were offered from June 5 through Aug. 11 at eight Sidney park sites.

Rogers expressed gratitude to Wilson Health for continuing to prepare the hot meals for the Summer Lunch Program again this year. She also thanked Sidney City Council for its continued support of the programs.

She said, in part due to rain, and possibly because of the weekend backpack program helping to fill the need, attendance for the Summer Lunch Program was down this year compared to 2016 by 1,151 children. Rogers also said she thinks there was less need this year because of an increase in the economy.

This summer’s Backpack Program sent home 2,014 meals to feed area youth.

She explained that each weekend, each participating child was sent home with two meals in their backpacks, containing a protein, fruit and a grain. The backpack meals are not sent home in real backpacks; instead, POWER, a Sidney women’s initiative group, loaded the food into zip-lock bags.

Rogers thanked FISH of Shelby County, Sidney Body Carstar, Lockington United Methodist Church, POWER, Buckeye Ford Lincoln, Lockington United Methodist Church and Emerson Climate for sponsoring this year’s Backpack Program.

This year, Rogers said, the pool closed 10 days, due to rain, and closed early six days. Thus, the rain, she said, caused their over all revenue to be down. The pool yielded $10,419.69 less and the concession stand made $3,238.64 less than last year. However, swimming lessons were up this year, with 267 participants versus 227 in 2016.

A question was asked about the future of the pool’s concession stand, since the city has been unable to make money with it. Parks and Recreation Department Director Duane Gaier reported he is currently researching future possibilities. He said council will revisit the topic in February to decide whether to bring in vending machines, allow patrons to carry in all their own food and drink and/or to sub-out the stand to a third party.

In other business, the board discussed and voted on department’s 2017 Photo Contest’s submitted pictures. Members of the board were pleased with the “better turnout” this year. They received 13 pictures this year from the four categories of landscaping, adventure, flora and wildlife, compared to five photographs submitted last year. The winners’ names weren’t released, and were not given during the meeting. Rogers said they will be announced once all are notified.

Gaier displayed a picture of the newly finished Berger Park parking lot for the board. He said the street department did a great job on the work and “really dressed up” the area.

The board also voted to keep memorial benches to a standard style through out the parks, after Gaier brought forth a variation request. The standard style was chosen since it is the parks and recreation department’s responsibility for maintenance.

Gaier said Shelby County Youth Soccer Association will now be playing at Landrum Soccer Fields after Ohio Extreme Soccer moved their program to the Sidney High/Middle School instead.

The board’s next meeting will be held in February.

By Sheryl Roadcap

[email protected]

Reach the writer at 937-538-4823.

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