ANNUAL REPORT
2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS Who We Are Our Mission & Vision Facilities Numbers Facilities Highlights VRPA Facility of Merit Award Operational Excellence Community Partners Arts, Entertainment, Events Recreation Programs & Sports Brian Hanson Scholarship Green Initiative Marketing & Communications Media Outlets and Distribution
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WHO WE ARE The Department oversees 19 park and recreation facilities for the community to enjoy, from nature trails, outdoor fields, courts, and open green spaces along with the Wendell A. Barwood Arena and Sherman Manning Aquatic Facility, which opened June 2022. Hartford Parks & Recreation provides the natural landscape and recreation facilities for the community to get in touch with nature, keep healthy and active through parks and play, and connecting with each other as a community through our special events and programs. In addition to our great parks and facilities, the Department oversees a wide variety of recreation and sport programs and activities to provide something for everyone. The Department also manages the White River Junction Amtrak operations and oversees town owned cemeteries and the West Hartford Library Community Center building.
Staff / FY23 Dept. Revenue & Expenses Full Time Employees.................. 8
Net Cost..................... $785,366.19
Part Time Employees................. 32 Actual Revenue......... $542,989.52
Equating to 59.1% Cost Recovery
Actual Expenses........ $1,328,355.71
What is Parks & Recreation?
Valuable Infrastructure, such as Public Parks, Trails, Recreation Facilities + Vital Programs, such as After School, Youth Sports, Youth Workforce, Day Camps, Environmental Education, Nutrition, and Physical Activity Programs = ESSENTIAL SERVICES Hartford Parks & Recreation 1
OUR MISSION & VISION Our Mission To serve the recreational needs of the community by offering lifelong learning through recreational and educational programming utilizing existing parks and facilities.
Our Vision
The residents of Hartford and the surrounding communities recognize the vital importance of natural places and recreation. Through diverse programming that aims to reach all, regardless of age, gender, race, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation or socioeconomic background, the Hartford Parks & Recreation Department cooperates with community groups to bring a variety of recreational opportunities to local residents. The department is committed to maintaining the highest quality parks and facilities while dedicating itself to improving its program offerings and practices to meet current and future needs.
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FACILITIES BY THE NUMBERS The Department issues permits for various park functions and uses. Permits allow us to track park usage, such as attendance for events and the number of scheduled uses our parks system has through the course of a year. Our goal at Hartford Parks & Recreation is to keep our parks and facilities clean, safe and enjoyable for all residents and visitors today, tomorrow, and for many years to come. Through our parks and facilities, we are committed to protecting open space, connecting the community to nature and ensuring all residents have access to the benefits of our parks and recreation services. Parks and Facility Reservations Issued............................................... 1,212 Number of Hours Parks and Facilities Were Reserved..................... 6,357
13 Parks
10 Courts
16 Athletic Fields
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1 Aquatic Facility
27 Special Events
296 Programs
6 Playgrounds
Ice Arena
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FACILITIES HIGHLIGHTS Sherman Manning Aquatic Facility We had a fantastic opening of our new facility. Staffing was a large concern at the beginning and throughout the summer, but several dedicated staff members kept it together and offered a great experience and program for the community. The facility operation was open for a total of 10 weeks and included 50.5 scheduled hours per-week for total of 505 hours being offered. Pool was open a total of 70 days (Closed 6 days in July and 2 days in August. Closed early due to weather a total of 11 of the 70 open days) Total number of memberships processed 153 Daily transactions for a visit to the pool 3,245 Recreation Department program usage and attendance 3,980 (pool parties, swim team, summer camp) Total number of visit uses during operating hours 7,225
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VRPA FACILITY OF MERIT AWARD VRPA Awards Hartford the 2023 Facility of Merit At the annual spring meeting of the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association (VRPA), Hartford Parks & Recreation received the Facility of Merit Award for the Sherman Manning Aquatic Facility, which opened in the summer of 2022. The VRPA Facility of Merit Award is presented annually to an agency or organization that has renovated or developed a recreation amenity. Criteria for selection includes: a significant recreation facility established - designed and planned with documented input from the public - planned and developed to address identified need(s) - increased the recreational opportunities within a community - accessible to all users - a significant amount of local commitment to the project must be demonstrated. Pictured receiving the award (L to R) Tatum Barnes Recreation Specialist, Scott Hausler – Director of Parks & Recreation, Hilde Ojibway – Pool Committee Chairperson, Jay McDonough – Superintendent of Recreation Programs, and Scott Snyder – Pool Committee Member.
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OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE CAPRA Accreditation The Hartford Parks & Recreation Department is a Nationally Accredited Agency and was the first and only agency in Vermont to become accredited. We take pride in our vision and work hard to be one of the most dynamic and highly regarded agencies in New England. Accreditation signifies that the Department utilizes national best practices in all facets of the organization from recreation programs to park maintenance standards to business operations. CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community. As part of the accreditation and re-accreditation process every five years, Hartford Parks & Recreation demonstrated compliance with 154 recognized standards.
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COMMUNITY PARTNERS Hartford Parks & Recreation works closely with many groups, organizations and businesses to make Hartford a better place to live, work and play. Hartford Parks & Recreation encourages you to get involved and make an immediate impact in our community through volunteerism. Number of Volunteers ............................................................................259* Estimated Number of Volunteer Hours ..............................................4,889.50 Estimated Volunteer Per/Hour Cost................................................. $30.04** Total Volunteer Value in FY 22 ...........................................................$146,880.58 * Youth/Adult Athletics, Special Events, Boards & Commissions ** (Vermont Volunteer Per-Hour Rate)
Theresa S. Brungardt Friend Award Hartford Parks & Recreation recognized Bill “Downtown” Brown this past September, awarding him the Vermont Recreation and Parks AssociationsTheresa S. Brungardt Friend Award. The award is given annually to a layman, board member, community or state leader, public official, or volunteer who has made outstanding contributions to the recreation and/or park field. Congratulations to Bill "Downtown" Brown for being awarded the Vermont Recreation and Parks Association, Theresa S. Brungardt Friend Award for 2023. Thank you for being our friend. (Pictured left to right Jay McDonough, Bill “Downtown” Brown, Scott Hausler).
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ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, EVENTS The Department offers many seasonal special event programs throughout the year, strengthening community and enhancing the quality of life throughout the town and region. In addition, we partner with many agencies and organizations to provide community wide activities.
Total Number of Events Offered by the Department ........ 27
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RECREATION PROGRAMS & SPORTS Hartford Parks & Recreation offers a variety of recreation programs for both youth and adult athletic leagues. Our department is committed to leading the community to improve health and wellness through parks and recreation programs.
Total Number of Transactions Processed……………...……….7,261 Total Number of First Time Registrations………………….…… 482 Number of Classes and Activities ………………...................... 296 Total Scholarships Offered FY 23.......................................$5,180
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BRIAN HANSON SCHOLARSHIP Scholarship assistance is available through Hartford Parks & Recreation to Hartford residents only. Scholarships are funded through the Brian Hanson Scholarship Fund and allow kids of Hartford to participate in sports, camps and after school activities.
This year Hartford Parks & Recreation raised $5,275 at Quechee Balloon Festival. All donations were collected through parking assistance.
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GREEN INITIATIVE Hartford Parks & Recreation is proud to be going electric! We have received 2 new electric mowers from Toro that we are excited to start using. The ARPA funds provided to the town by the federal government is what allowed us to start this green initiative.
#GoingGreen
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MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Our department enjoys reaching out and engaging our residents and stakeholders about parks and recreation in the Town of Hartford. We are passionate about what we do and enjoy sharing it with you too. Our events and activities are often in the news, and we post on a regular basis what’s happening at Hartford Parks & Recreation so we can keep you, our residents, informed. Sign up for Constant Contact, friend us on Facebook or link up to our Instagram feed. Keep connected as you will always be in the know.
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MEDIA OUTLETS AND DISTRIBUTION Constant Contact - 3,451 active contacts as of 11/15/2023. Email blast distributed on Thursday of each week at approximately 4:00 p.m. for 54 connections a year. Special Event email blasts. 7% open via mobile device and 93% open on desktop. Bulletin Boards - Flyers are posted on bulletin boards at the Town Hall, Wendell A. Barwood Arena, local schools, libraries, Bugbee Senior Center, and Camp Ventures. Valley News Calendar - (print & Facebook), Upper Valley Facebook Events Page. Hartford Chamber of Commerce - Each flyer for events and programs is shared with the Chamber and they select and choose what to post. Weekly Updates to News Media - Weekly updates are shared via email to 49 connections (radio, TV, newspapers, calendars). ListServ - Events posted as needed to Hartford, Upper Valley groups. Town Schools - Flyers produced for all events and shared electronically via email. Facebook/HPRD - Flyers are posted when ready and on average ten posts per week for 520 posts on average per year. 3.1K current followers. Facebook/WABA. Arena specific flyers are posted when ready and on average five posts per week for 260 posts on average per year. 575 follow the page. Facebook/Sherman Manning Aquatic Facility. Pool specific flyers are posted when ready and on average 5 posts/week. 310 current followers. Facebook/Other. Events are posted on Valley News and Upper Valley events page. Hartfordrec.com - Current events/flyers are posted on home page and updated multiple times a year. Town of Hartford P & R Page - Parks and Recreation information is posted. Live Facebook feed is also part of the main page for constant updates. MyRec Email - Flyers are emailed to past participants enrolled in programs/special events. Program Guides With Seasonal Programs and Events. 1,000 Program Guides are printed for each season (Fall/Winter & Spring/Summer) totaling 2,000 overall Program Guides.
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Contact Us Hartford Parks & Recreation Hartford Town Hall 171 Bridge Street White River Junction, VT 05001 802-295-5036 Wendell A. Barwood Arena 431 Highland Avenue White River Junction, VT 05001 802-295-5036 email: recreation@hartford-vt.org
Sherman Manning Aquatic Facility 291 Highland Avenue White River Junction, VT 05001 802-295-5036
@hartfordparksandrecreation
