City of Gonzales
CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT
STAFF REPORT
TO: Honorable Mayor Rios and City Council
DATE: August 19, 2024
FROM: Carmen Gil, City Manager
THROUGH: Carmen Gil, City Manager
SUBJECT: Community Engagement & Recreation Departments Activity Report Current Activities
City Sports League
• Gonzales Youth Flag football season was a success. We had a total of 84 participants. Our last games were on Friday July 25 and 26th. Each player received a medal and certificate at the end of their last game. Each team also had a recipient who received the Sportsmanship award.
AGENDA
ITEM
9 • Adult co-ed softball season came to an end with our last regular season games on July 24th. Our four teams that qualified to compete in the Championship were Outkast and Sandlot Ballers for the lower bracket and Bad News Beer and Balls Deep for the higher bracket. We were only able to have one Championship game this season. Sandlot Ballers from the lower bracket was unable to make the game, thus causing an automatic win for Outkast. Our higher bracket division played their championship game on Wednesday, July 31st. It was a good game. Balls Deep came out victorious with a 14 to 5 win over Bad News Beers.
• Summer Tiny Tots Sports program was a lot of fun. This was the first year the program was introduced. We started with Soccer on July 1st. We had a total of 6 registered participants. Tiny Tots Soccer ended on July 11th. Lastly, we finished with Mini T-Ball. Mini T-ball started on July 11th and went on until July 25th. We had 6 participants for this sport. We had a lot of fun with mini t-ball. The players were taught how to throw the ball, hit the ball off a tee and learned which direction to run on the field while touching each base. For our last practice we invited the Summer Wonder Camp Class to participate with us and play a little game. We had a wonderful time. At the end of the practice each participant, including the Wonder Camp class, received a medal. The medal was a little reminder and token of all their hard work. Overall, Tiny Tots Summer Sports Program was a positive, enjoyable program. Participants learned a lot. They were so engaged. A favorite part of the class was that at the end each of the kiddos insisted on helping to clean up. They were such wonderful helpers. Can’t wait until next summer. • Gonzales youth soccer league registration is going very well. We have a total of 46 registered participants so far and 4 coaches. Registration ends August 25th. The season will start at the end of August with skills assessments on August 27th. Games are scheduled to start September 13th and 14th.
Recreation/Community Engagement
• We have been working with our partners at the Blue Zones Project, CADRE, Wings of Knowledge Save the Whales, and the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County to continue creating a plan to engage the community in the Community Garden and to ensure that the space is being maintained.
• Wings of Knowledge was able to install an irrigation system in the 3rd garden box and committed to paying an intern that would be able to help with the maintenance at the Community Garden on a weekly basis.
• The Resource Conservation District of Monterey County and CADRE will be leading pollinator garden work on 8/16 and 8/23.
• We kicked off the Healthy Brain Workshop Classes in July, a partnership with the Monterey County Health Department and Alliance on Aging. The classes will consist of ballroom dancing, cooking, and art. We helped promote the classes during the Senior SoCo held on July 25th Aquatics
• The Gonzales Community Pool kicked off Movie Nights at the Pool on July 13th and it was a success! We hope to continue hosting Saturday Movie Nights for the month of August as well. • The Gonzales Community Pool will be transitioning to their back-to-school schedule starting on August 5th.
• Junior Lifeguards ended on July 29th with a small pizza party celebration! We are excited to host them again next year, with hopes of having them eventually qualify to become Lifeguards! Gonzales Youth Council
• The Gonzal Youth Council Commissioners, Valeria Cardenas and Emily Mendez embarked on their 3-week fellowship with the City of Gonzales on July 15. The 2 students had the opportunity to meet with different City Departments, and leaders, some of which included: the Mayor, Council Members, Public Works, Building & Community Development, City Manager, Police and Fire Staff. They also were able to get a better understanding of city government and discuss their potential ideas for the 2024-25 school year.
• Valeria and Emily also had the opportunity to participate in 2 site tours at the Community Center Site, both tours were hosted by Ani Bacilio-Olivera Intern from Otto Construction and Luis Flores Project Manager at Harris and Associates.
• The GYC Commissioners also met with the Greenfield Youth Commissioners at the Greenfield City Hall where they debriefed the joint Youth Summit that took place in May. They also exchanged ideas about potential collaborations and issues they saw in their own communities in which they would like to advocate for change.