City of Gonzales
CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT
ACTIVITY REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: July 17, 2023
FROM: Carmen Gil, City Manager
THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Community Engagement and Recreation Activity Report Current Activities
Kid Power
• Before we opened Kid Power Camp, we took the week to clean, disinfect, and prepare the Vosti Center, changing it from an afterschool program into a camp setting. We cleaned all the tables and chairs and changed our set up. We also had some fun-filled days of training with staff to prepare them before we got to kick off the seven weeks of summer camp. Kid Power Camp kids typically spend their day in different parts of town which can include: the Community Pool, the Joint Use Gym, Central Park, or Classrooms at La Gloria Elementary School. The school also provides a free meal to our kids through the free lunch program the school offers. • Week 1 of Kid Power Camp took place on June 20-23rd, we did lots of arts and crafts. Our theme of the week was “Love Your Earth”. Wednesday of week one we got a visit from Save the Whales. They played games with the children. One game included a question on, “How many years do you think an item would take to break down inside a whale?” They loved it! We also went over to a water table and talked about pollution in our water and ocean systems. On Thursday, Salinas Valley Recycling came and did a presentation about composting which helped the kids understand where to put your food scraps and how it helps the environment. In addition, the kids were also given the opportunity to research the soil that had different kinds of bugs, they were very interested in checking out the bugs.
AGENDA
ITEM
11 • Week 2 of Kid Power took place on June 26 – 30th. The kid’s hade Public Works week. “Above Below & All Around You” On Tuesday Andrew, Jimmy and Tiffany from Public Works came to camp to talk to the kids about what Public Works does for the city, the kids very engaged and lots of questions were asked! On Thursday, the Public Works Crew came out and showcased their equipment and showed the kids how each one worked and what it does. The favorite one for the kids was our new tractor because they said it converts into a dinosaur. The kids showed their appreciation to Public Works by making Thank You cards, which the crew really appreciated.
Aquatics
• The First Session of Weekday Swim Lessons began on June 13th with a total of 29 enrollees. The Swim Program consists of 4 integrated levels: Guppy- Beginner (Age 3-5), Dolphins-Beginner (Age 6+), Orcas-Intermediate, and Shark-Advanced.
• For the month of June, we sold a total of 19 Pool Passes, with 12 of them being Youth Pool Passes. • The Aquatics Team was accepting registrations for Junior Lifeguards, and we were able to take on a total of 7 Junior Lifeguards. This is a great opportunity for kids between the ages of 12-15 because it allows them to build their lifeguarding skills which includes: first aid water rescue and how to help teach swim lessons. Ultimately, this program is a great transition for kids that are looking to one day work at the pool as a Lifeguard or Swim Instructor.
City Sports
• Gonzales youth flag football registration went well this season. Registration ended on June 16th. We have a total of 86 participants. Our ages 5-7 division has 21 participants. We were able to make 3 teams. Our ages 8-10 division has 39 participants. This division has 4 teams. Our 11-14 age division has 26 participants. It has 3 teams. We have a total of 11 coaches. 8 are head coaches and 3 are assistant coaches. We also have 3 referees. Our season started with skills assessments on June 5th.
Games started on Wednesday June 14th for the 5-7 age division and on Friday, June 16th for the older age divisions. Our season will end on July 19th and 21st. • Adult co-ed softball is up and running. We have a total of 10 teams and two divisions. Our divisions/brackets are Lower and Higher. We have 6 teams in our lower division and 4 teams in our higher division. Season started on June 12th. Games have been going very well. We have one umpire official.
• The Men’s and Women’s basketball tournament did not get the turnout we expected. We did not have enough teams registered to continue with the tournaments. We have one more scheduled for July 22nd.
Hopefully, we can get some interested participants.
GYC
• On June 23rd and June 26th Gonzales Youth Mentors conducted the initial round of interviews for selection of our 2023-2024 Youth Commissioners and Ambassadors followed by the final rounds of Interviews being held on June 29th- 30th and conducted by City Manager, Carmen Gil and School Superintendent, Matilde Zamora.
• The Commissioners and Ambassadors were selected and will be notified of the decision shortly.
Community Health Workers
• June 30th was the last day for our grant funded Community Health Workers Program. We appreciate all their hard work and thank them for everything they have done since the program’s inception in 2021. We wish them nothing but the best on all their future endeavors! Activities in the Planning Phase
• Kid Power Camp has five more fun-filled weeks to come! Some of our upcoming presentations for the kids include: a visit from Gonzales Police Department, Gonzales Fire Department and Save the Whales will be returning for another day of fun.
• Currently, the Aquatics Team is working on bringing back: Friday Movie Night at the Community Pool. Our hope is to host the Movie Nights twice a month starting in July, with the first showing being “How to Train a Dragon”. Tickets will be made available for sale at City Hall and at the door.