The Barn Goes Solo Petersen Barn also had a senior program by the ‘80s, and a twice-widowed patron approached supervisor Yvaughn Tompkins about starting a “Seniors Without Partners” potluck. The idea caught on quickly. In 1986 the monthly event changed its name to the Solos potluck and had a call list of 178 single seniors.
Kidsports Back in 1953 a man named Bill Bennett helped found the Eugene Boys Basketball Association for 5th and 6th graders, saying, “The real value of this is not winning championships – that’s always fun, of course – but the true value is in giving the youngster the opportunity to learn the principles of fair competition, of playing the game.” The association, using volunteer coaches, soon expanded to include baseball as the Eugene Boys Athletic Association, and then added football in 1960, making it a year-round program. Its first full-time staff member, Ralph Myers, who took the job as a college student and served for nearly 40 years, oversaw the program’s change to Eugene Sports Program in 1974 when it opened up to girls’ sports. That year ESP received its first subsidy from the City of Eugene - $40,000. Primary funding continued to come from fees, donations and sponsorships. In 1978 ESP, by then serving thousands of youth participants, opened its current offices on land leased in Westmoreland Park. The organization reached out to encompass Springfield and the larger metropolitan area in the late 1980s. It made its last name change in 1989 when it became Emerald Kidsports, but maintained its original defining philosophy of “Everybody plays.” Myers told The Register-Guard in 1991, “We’ve tried to operate as a three-way marriage with the school district and city 90
providing facilities, the association providing the organization, and the business community providing most of the funding.” It’s a model which Kidsports officials have not seen operating in any other Oregon communities, where leagues for this age are usually run by public parks and recreation. Eugene Recreation has regularly provided Kidsports with scholarship funding for participants.
Destination Point In the mid ‘80s Eugene Recreation staff took the lead role in the city’s Destination Point program, managing budgets for events such as the annual Eugene Celebration, the Pro Rodeo, university track meets, and the Community Arts program. Destination Point worked with the Lane County Convention and Visitors Bureau to strengthen and promote Eugene’s potential as a tourist destination.
PARCS A major departmental reorganization occurred in 1987, combining Parks and Recreation with the Hult Center and other arts services such as the Cuthbert Amphitheater in Alton Baker Park. The new merged department was called Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services, or PARCS for short. Ed Smith was named overall executive manager with Ernie Drapela retaining the title of Parks and Recreation director. In other administrative shifts, Dave Pompel moved from the Recreation superintendent job to a position in budget management and Dick Morgan came over from Parks to do a stint as the Rec superintendent. Doug Post had gone to Parks for a few years (where he initiated Eugene’s off-leash dog parks) but then returned to Recreation as its next superintendent.
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