GRANDVIEW PARKS & RECREATION
2020 ANNUAL REPORT OCT. 2019 - SEPT. 2020
Serving Grandview since 1973
A LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR Dear Friends, The opposite of Play is not work, but rather depression - Brian Sutton-Smith It took a pandemic for some people to find out what others have always known: play and leisure are essential to life and our well-being. We need to be in nature, we need to take time in thought and we need to play. This has been the most difficult time to offer services, but the best time to offer our outdoor facilities. Yes, we closed our playgrounds and other amenities as required by the guidelines we were given. However, our open spaces, our trails, and sidewalks throughout the city were still open. Parks are the greatest equalizer of our society. The opportunity to commune with nature and get fresh air are at your disposal. Parks are the one place you can count on regardless of your station in life – here for ALL to enjoy. Parks: a community good that will sustain us through these difficult times. Parks do not care about your race, gender, age, religion, or tax bracket. Take time to breathe the fresh air, take in the scenery, and listen to what Mother Nature is telling us. On the programming side of our department, we were able to offer a few activities this year, several being virtual: exercise classes through Facebook LIVE, a Virtual Easter Egg Hunt and our viral Facebook post starring the Easter Bunny. We also had a few in-person events like the Stuff n’ Fluff, Zumba & Yoga at the Amp, as well as an outdoor movie. All of these events had to be carefully monitored for attendance and physically distancing patrons 6’ or more apart. The View Community Center opened on May 26th to members only. We developed an opening strategy for the safety of our staff and our patrons to workout. Members coming back to The View noticed some updates; we finished a 2,700 square foot addition to the center, all of our hardwood floors were sanded, painted and refinished., new lines were painted in the pool, all the walls throughout the facility were painted, new partitions were installed in The Grove, and new equipment is on the way! Our maintenance team worked incredibly hard to make sure we looked good inside and out. Thank you for trusting us to complete all of the bond projects on time and under budget. Thank you for helping us maintain clean parks in your local park system. Thank you for following us on social media! Go Play,
Sue Grandview Parks & Recreation "Investing In You"
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Front Desk
CONTACT US!
816-316-4888
STAFF DIRECTORY Sue Yerkes
Director of Parks & Recreation 816-316-4880 syerkes@grandview.org
Don Fowler
Parks Services Manager 816-316-4883 dfowler@grandview.org
Morgan Tangen
Andy Larson
Recreation Manager 816-316-4814 mtangen@grandview.org
Kelsea Gaddy
Fitness Coordinator 816-316-4892 kgaddy@grandview.org
Ast. Parks Services Manager 816-316-4986 alarson@grandview.org
Isaac Heinen Business Manager 816-316-4896
iheinen@grandview.org
Dana Johnson
Erica Ramirez
Aquatics Coordinator 816-316-4886
Kraig Briggs
Facility Services Manager 816-316-4889 kbriggs@grandview.org
Liz Ogle
Marketing Manager 816-316-4881
logle@grandview.org
Mary Roseburrow Administrative Assistant 816-316-4879
mroseburrow@grandview.org
Gues Services Supervisor 816-316-4885
dana.johnson@grandview.org
eramirez@grandview.org
Park Commissioners Rodney Schmidt Ward I - President
Cortney Schroeder Candy Miller Ward II - Vice President Ward III
VACANT
Irene Kendrick
Sara Keleher
Damon Randolph
Damon Greene
Thomas Rousey At-Large Representative
Ward I
Board of Aldermen Representative
/GrandviewParks
Ward II
Ward II - 2nd Vice President
School Board Representative
@GrandviewParks
@GrandviewParks
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PARKS & TRAILS Due to COVID-19, facilities and businesses in Grandview and around the country closed their doors for a period of time. Citizens utilized our trails to stay active, get fresh air, and socialize while safely distancing from one another. While business may have slowed, our Parks Maintenance Crew stayed busy all year long.
LITTLE BLUE TRAIL 75,563 people recorded on our Trail Counter
JOHN ANDERSON SPLASH PARK 13,498 visits (Splash Park Closed most of the season due to COVID-19 & County Restrictions
VALLEY PARK 25,480 visits (Park Closed for 3 months per County Restrictions due to COVID-19)
MOWING Crews mowed a total of 1,028 hours, which is equal to 128.5 Full Workdays of Mowing.
CHALK YOUR WALK Staff wrote motivational & encouraging messages with chalk along Little Blue Trail throughout the year.
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THE VIEW Due to COVID-19, The View was closed to the public from mid-March through mid-May. The View continues to operate at limited capacity and with some limited amenities per the Jackson County restrictions.
EXPANSION COMPLETED
The $1.45 million dollar expansion was completed in September. This will serve as additional fitness space with new fitness equipment to be installed in the coming months.
FLOOR RESURFACING
The gymnasium and Fit'N'Fun Studio were completely sanded down and resurfaced.
REVENUE LOSS
Along with virtually every other business in the country (except maybe Zoom and Charmin), revenues took a hit in 2020. While we are -$300,000 from our expected revenue, we continued to creatively provide programs and activities for our community, including virtual fitness classes.
RENTALS
18,435 people celebrated their special events with us, compared to last year's number of 48,003.
COVID SAFETY
Staff re-arranged fitness equipment for social distancing, added more cleaning & sanitizing stations, installed plexi-glass barriers at the front desk & implemented safety measures for all staff and guests.
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FITNESS & PROGRAMS 41 lives saved
46,453
uses of the Fitness Area at The View
187
20
virtual classes offered due to covid
532
by learning how to swim
110
Senior programs
842
Personal Training
Sessions completed
398
Hosted
people attended Grandview Parks & Recreation events
kids played
youth sports
7 trip
s
acro ss th on tr e USA wa eadm l ills ked
took land-based group exercise classes
547
took water-based group exercise classes
COVID CANCELATIONS
Many of our annual events and programs had to be canceled due to County restrictions. We unfortunately did not get to host community favorites such as our Annual Easter Egg Hunt, the Summer Concert Series, Valley Ninja Warrior, and more.
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MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Updated the Grandview Parks & Recreation
Marketing Plan (Last updated in 2014)
12,816
Started sharing more video content to connect with our community.
followers on social media
1,727
Modes of communication to the public:
Social Media E-Newsletter Quarterly Mailer REACH TV's at The View & City Hall Flyers Banners Grandview Website Coffee News KC Parent Magazine NextDoor App Digital Sign Park Message Boards Rainout Line
Have an idea of how we can better reach you? Tell us!
Average Daily Facebook Reach (minus April with the viral post)
Monthly e-Newsletter had an average open rate of 50%
43%
40%
r Bunny Our Easte went Photos
VIRAL!
30%
Reaching
over
4 Million
d shared people an ntries! u o C in 45
20%
10%
0%
GVPR Newsletter
Industry Average
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