Consent Item 4e
STAFF REPORT
City Council Consent Item
DATE: June 20, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
FROM: Cameron Mull, Director of Parks & Recreation
THROUGH: Merritt Perry, City Manager
SUBJECT: Parks & Recreation Monthly Report for May 2023 STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Receive report as an informational item.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Director’s Report
The Rohner Park dual basketball courts project continued in May. Throughout the month, Mercer-Fraser paved the area, installed the sleeves for new backboards & posts, and completed the concrete picnic area with planters. A painted acrylic surfacing (with striping), fencing in the courts, and placing in the posts & backboards will be the final steps, with anticipated project completion in July.
The May 3
rd Rohner Community Recreation and Park District meeting was cancelled due to not enough updated items to report on, however, a USDA pre-application for a possible loan to fund the construction of a future aquatic center was submitted by City staff in May.
If approved by the USDA, the RCRPD will move forward with a grant application with the USDA for the required loan amount needed to construct the aquatic center (minus funding from a local donor to contribute to the construction). This donor has also indicated an annual contribution to cover the debt-service of the loan over a 30-year period. Once these final amounts/ costs are determined, an engineer’s report will calculate the annual amount per parcel in the RCRPD boundary through a Benefit Assessment tax. Before a (mail-in) ballot is sent to those parcel owners as part of the Benefit Assessment, a large effort and public outreach will be undertaken to market the benefits of the facility to the community, in hopes of the parcel tax passing (requiring over 50% voting yes through returned ballots).
Parks & Facility Maintenance (non-routine items)
An electrical conduit to Rohner Park lights was trenched and replaced after damage during the basketball court project
Nine windows were replaced at the Depot Museum after the 5.4 earthquake Irrigation lines were severed on the Fortuna Blvd. median at Smith Ln for a streets project to repair the road and curb after sinking from the 6.4 earthquake in Dec. ‘22 Consent Item 4e
The gate in the pen behind the Pavilion was replaced due to another theft, vandalism A replacement water pump was installed on the roller skate wheel-cleaning machine A skylight in the covered picnic area in Rohner Park was found removed and damaged in Rohner Creek from vandalism. A plywood sheet was temporarily placed in that opening Multiple exit light batteries were replaced at various facilities Repairs were completed on two vandalized benches in the Rohner Park forest, with one needing a full replacement
Repairs were completed to multiple vandalized redwood trail signs in the Rohner Park forest, in which most were temporarily removed to prevent further damage, loss Set-up and break-down was completed for the Kids Bike Rodeo at Newburg Park on 5/12 Annual cleanup & prep work was completed at the Rohner Park Bocce Ball courts and picnic area for the season
High lift worked was completed at Newburg Park to either adjust, repair, or replace ballfield light fixtures that were impacted by the Dec. ’22 6.4 earthquake. All lights are fully operational again.
The irrigation systems for the Main St. flower beds were proof-checked and programmed for the season
The local high school senior graduation signs were placed on the Fortuna Blvd. medians the week prior to graduation
Type K fire extinguishers were installed at three cookshack locations, per the Fortuna Fire Dept.’s request
A sinkhole in the pen behind the Firemen’s Pavilion was backfilled with gravel & cold mix Weed pulling at the Chamber of Commerce, River Lodge, and 11th St. parking lot was completed
A leaking toilet in the Firemen’s Pavilion was repaired Graffiti on walls and fixtures in the men’s restroom at Newburg Park was cleaned & removed
Two toilets at the Newburg Park women’s restroom were replaced with new units Depot Museum
The May visitation total at the Fortuna Depot Museum was 162 people. This is typical of recent (COVID era) years, but significantly lower than May visitation totals before the pandemic. Some of this difference can be explained by the decreased number of school tours visiting the museum.
Recent years’ May visitation totals were: 2022: 166, 2021: 115, 2020: closed, 2019: 303, 2018:
288, 2017: 310, 2016: 243, 2015: 258, 2014: 281, 2013: 396, 2012: 358. In May 2023 we welcomed California visitors from Arcata, Chico, Eureka, Ferndale, Fortuna, Miranda, Rio Dell, Sacramento, Susanville and Woodland. We also welcomed out-of-state visitors from Arizona, New York, Oregon and Virginia. The “100 Years Ago” exhibit was updated to include local newspapers from May 1923.
Fortuna Transit
Passengers on the Fortuna Transit Bus totaled 799 trips during the month of May 2023, which is 238 more riders then May 2022. The lift was used for non-wheelchair riders 59 times and 72 times for wheelchair trips. The Fortuna Transit had 15 new riders during the month of May. The Eureka Consent Item 4e
medical trips on Tuesdays have been going well averaging around 4-6 medical appointments per week.
Sports, Classes and Facility Rentals
Results Fit Camp continues holding classes in the Pavilion, Pickleball plays in the Pavilion on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 9am – 12pm the cost is $3.00 and is open to anyone 18 years of age or older. Rohner Rec Hall was rented eight times during the month of May and the cookshack was rented three times. We hosted many schools in the park the month of May. Fortuna High Baseball continued practices and games at Newburg Park, Girls Fastpitch started practices at Newburg Park and Little League started games and practices at Rohner and Newburg Parks.
Recreation Programs
The start of May was spent finalizing planning for the 2nd annual Bike Rodeo at Newburg Park, which took place on Saturday, May 13th and saw 34 participants and their families participate in the event. Geared toward youth ages 5-12, the event brought together community groups and cycling advocates for a youth & family focused event designed to teach fundamental bicycle safety & skills. Sponsors and local groups that supported the event included Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services, Making Headway, Fortuna Volunteer Fire Department, Fortuna Library, Changing Tides, and Fortuna PD who sponsored a volunteer-run booth for free bike licensing. Stations included information on proper helmet and bike fitting, bike maintenance & safety checks (Sport & Cycle volunteer mechanic), important safety information and practices, an obstacle course, and a pedal-powered smoothie bike (supplied by DHHS). A number of community members came out to volunteer at the event, and combined with the volunteers that joined in from local organizations we totaled 68 volunteer hours for the event.
Planning for our ten-week summer camp programs ramped up through the month as well. Camps run from mid-June through mid-August, serving youth ages 4-12. Program infrastructure continues to be improved, and coordination began with third-party special guest visitors & field trips being planned for each camp, to go along with each week’s theme.
Drop-in volleyball continued through the month on Sunday evenings, with attendance ranging from 6-12 players per night.
Our playgroup for kids ages Newborn-Five and their caregivers, in partnership with First 5 Humboldt, also continued through May, every Thursday and Sunday from 10:30am – 12:30pm.
May 2022 May 2023 YTD ~ July 2021 – June
2022
YTD ~ July 2022 – June
2023
# of passengers 561 799 7713 7864
Total Miles 1782 2424 24885 23863
Service Miles 1667 2254 22710 22042
Hours Worked 237.25 306.5 3183.5 3034.75
Service Hours
Worked 188 263 2671 2702.5
Consent Item 4e
Attendance ranged from four-ten children at each session. Planning began on summer playgroup activities, including a collaboration with First 5 on a new kids hiking book released in early June that features Rohner Park forest trails. Summer playgroup meetings will include outdoor time and a special hike event to go with the new book on June 8th.
Pickleball plays in the Pavilion on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays from 9am – 12pm, and the cost is $3.00 and is open to anyone 18 years of age or older.
Roller Skating
The Fortuna Skating Rink was open for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Public Skate through the month of May, with Memorial Day weekend being the last Friday skate night before moving into the summer schedule with only Saturday and Sunday night offered. The rink was also closed for Public Skate on Saturday May 27th for skate and facility maintenance & cleaning. Over the course of May, the skating rink hosted 16 private parties with 443 attendees, and in addition to the 597 skaters that attended public skate, hosted an overall total of 1,040 skaters over the course of the month. We also continued hosting a high school volunteer at the rink who completed 40 volunteer hours at the rink in May.
Community Service
The Parks & Recreation Department had two people signed up to perform Community Service, and workers completed five hours throughout the months of May. The Community Service Work Program is a big part of the parks’ success. The workers help with trash pickup and various basic maintenance projects in Rohner and Newburg Parks, the River Lodge, and other Parks-maintained spaces throughout the City. Since the program started in 1997, there have been 53,253.5 service hours completed in the throughout the City of Fortuna.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
Receive Parks & Recreation Department Monthly Report. Consent agenda vote.