Augusta County Parks & Recreation

Augusta County Parks and Recreation Commission Wednesday, December 20, 2023 – 7:00 PM Augusta County Government Center 7:00 p.m. – Board Room 1.

Call to Order

2.

Comments by the Public

3.

Adoption of Minutes 1. November 2023 minutes for approval drafted.November 2023 minutes.docx

4.

Treasurer's Report 1. December Treasurer's report 2023 DECEMBER Treasurers report.pdf

5.

Director's Report 1. December Director's report December 2023 DIR's report.pdf

6.

Matters to be presented by the Commission

7.

Matters to be presented by Staff

8.

Old Business

9.

New Business

10. Announcement of Next Meeting and Adjournment

MINUTES Parks and Recreation Commission of the Augusta County Parks and Recreation Commission Wednesday, November 15, 2023, 7:00 PM PRESENT: Larry Curry, Vice Chair Anne Gordon, Member Sally Williams, Member Ernie Landes, Member Kirk Barley, Member ABSENT:

Samantha Bosserman, Chair Leon Bartley, Member

1.

Call to Order Mr. Curry called the meeting to order at 7:02 pm.

2.

Comments by the Public No public present.

3.

Adoption of Minutes 3.1 October 2023 minutes for approval Mrs. Williams noticed an error in the spelling of meeting in the October 2023 minutes call to order.

No questions or comments regarding the October 2023 minutes. October 2023 minutes.pdf Ernie Landes moved to approve the October 2023 minutes.

Anne Gordon seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.

4.

Treasurer's Report 4.1 November Treasurer's report No questions or comments regarding the Treasurer's report.

2023 NOVEMBER Treasurers report.pdf

5.

Director's Report 5.1 November Director's report Mr. Wells highlighted the Director's report. He stated next month he would report on the 2023 aquatics season.

No questions or comments regarding the Director's report. November 2023 DIR's report.pdf

6.

Matters to be presented by the Commission

6.1 Report from the SAW Bike-Walk Summit (Kirk Barley) Mr. K Barley updated the Commission members on his experience at the SAW BikeWalk Summit. He felt it was a good presentation. He stated currently Augusta County does not have a grant writer which makes it difficult to get extra funding for recreation. He expressed that in his breakout group there was a lot of talk about electric bikes being more prevalent for regular transportation. He said he has heard this before in other group sessions. There was some discussion about grant writing and groups working with state and federal agencies to get the ball rolling to make things happen. Mr. Wells stated he agrees with Mr. K Barley in regard to the need for accommodating bike and foot traffic in the years to come. Mr. Wells feels this summit may become an annual event.

7.

Matters to be presented by Staff 7.1 Tour for Commission of Department's new office and activity space following adjournment (Tentative) Mr. Wells informed the Commission he will give a tour of the new Parks and Recreation space following the meeting for anyone interested in seeing it.

8.

Old Business Mr. Wells informed the Commission the inspection of the electrical work at New Hope Community ballfields was completed by the County. The work was completed to the satisfaction of the County. Mr. Wells will supply information to County Administration and from there it will move to the Board of Supervisors for possible reimbursement. He feels it will be brought before the Board of Supervisors at the first December meeting in a few weeks.

9.

New Business No new business to report.

10. Announcement of Next Meeting and Adjournment Mr. Curry announced the next meeting will take place on December 20 at the Government Center at 7 pm.

The meeting adjourned at 7:36 pm.

Ernie Landes moved to adjourn .

Sally Williams seconded the motion, which carried unanimously.

COUNTY OF AUGUSTA Parks & Recreation Department P. O. Box 590 Verona, Virginia 24482

AUGUSTA COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION TREASURER’S REPORT NOVEMBER 30, 2023 Parks & Recreation as of 11/30/2023 Budget Expenses $ 926,627 Projected Revenue $ 463,500 A total of $445,680 has been expended. This is 48% of the 2023-24 operating budget.

This compares to $354,140 (38%) for the same period last year (2022-23). It also compares to $279,378 (34%) for the same period two years ago (2021-22).

Program expenditures to date are $143,931. This is 32% of total expenditures to date.

This compares to $89,473 (25%) for the same period last year (2022-23) and to $64,199 (23%) for the same period two years ago (2021-22).

Revenue collected to date is $252,124. This is 55% of the 2023-24 projection.

This compares to $188,072 (39%) for the same period last year (2022-23). It also compares to $170,312 (37%) for the same period two years ago (2021-22).

18 Government Center Lane Verona, Virginia 24482

www.co.augusta.va.us

Phone: 540-245-5727 Fax: 540-245-5732

COUNTY OF AUGUSTA Parks & Recreation Department P. O. Box 590 Verona, Virginia 24482

Director’s Report to the PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION December 20, 2023 Programs: November Programs and Trips Information  Number of activities offered – 26 (14 programs, 10 trips, 2 events)  Number of successful activities – 23 (12 programs, 9 trips, 2 events)  Total number of participants – 294  Total number of participation hours – 5,587  Total revenue generated – $49,460 (this total does not include donations for Clark in the Parks) Additional Information from the Recreation Manager  The Senior Health Fair was held on Wednesday, November 15 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Government Center and had over 300 participants in attendance. There were 48 vendor booths at the event, of these 11 sponsored the event. Sponsor donations totaled $2,550 which provided us funds to advertise on multiple digital billboards and WSHV TV 3 as well as purchase swag bags, pill containers, refreshments and door prizes for participants. In addition to the door prizes we had, one of our sponsors also donated a door prize worth $550.  ‘Clark in the Parks’ began on Monday, November 20 and will end on Monday, December 18. This year we collaborated with Agents of Discovery to add a virtual twist to the game. The elves are hidden in each of our 6 parks every Monday and left in the location for an entire week. This allows more individuals the opportunity to find each elf. Clues to the location of each elf can be found on our social media accounts.

Two prizes per elf are awarded each week – 1 prize to the person who finds the elf at each park first and one prize which is randomly selected from everyone who finds the elf at each park. There are 12 prizes awarded each week for a total of 48 prizes. After the conclusion of the game 2 grand prizes will also be awarded – 1 to the person who collects the most points during the entire game and 1 randomly selected winner from all players during the month. This event would not be possible without our 14 generous sponsors: o Martins = $25 gift card o First Bank = $50 check o Little Maria’s Pizzeria = 5 $15 gift certificates o Chick-fil-A = 12 meal cards o DuPont Community Credit Union = backpacks, toys, coloring books, water bottles, piggy banks o Augusta County Library = 36 new books o McKee = variety of seasonal snack cakes o Split Banana = 12 single scoop gift certificates o Burger King = 12 junior meal gift certificates o Food Lion = $25 gift card o Peterson Enterprises = 3 $5 off coupons o Ghosts of Staunton = 4 Ghost Tour tickets o Stable Craft Brewery = 2 $25 gift cards o Hershey = variety of seasonal chocolate -1-

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Registration for winter/spring programs will begin on December 20. A digital copy of the guide will be on our website prior to registration opening and a physical copy of the guide will be delivered through the mail

by January 6 to Augusta County households and those individuals outside the County who request a copy.

This guide will feature activities for the months of February – May.

Parks & Facilities: Year-end Aquatics Summary  2023 was a tremendously successful season for the two Augusta County swimming pools. One pool is at Stuarts Draft Park and one is at Natural Chimneys Park.  The pools opened Saturday, May 27 (Memorial Day Weekend) and the closed for the season, on Monday, September 4 (Labor Day).  Natural Chimneys’ daily pool admissions for “Open Swim” for the 2023 season generated $20,822 from 5,205 attendees. Additionally, concerning the Red Wing Music Festival in June 2023, Natural Chimneys received $3,400 for the use of the pool during the festival. Another $1,120 was generated in revenue from pre-arranged, scheduled group pool visitation. Lastly, private pool party rentals at NCP for birthday parties and the like generated another $990. All told, the pool at Natural Chimneys Park & Campground in 2023 generated $26,332 in revenue.  Stuarts Draft’s daily pool admissions for 2023 were similarly successful. The Stuarts Draft pool hosted 3,767 individual paid entries for “Open Swim” and generated $15,068 in admissions revenue. Also, the Stuarts Draft pool generated an additional $2,872 from pre-arranged, scheduled group pool visitation.

Continuing a trend, our swim lessons were in high demand, as 134 children took lessons with us in the summer of 2023. Ninety-six percent of our swim lesson openings were filled; and, our swim lessons generated an additional $10,730 in revenue. Lastly, pool party rentals at SDP raised another $2,145. In total, the pool at Stuarts Draft Park generated $30,815 in revenue.  Combined, the 2023 aquatics season at the Augusta County Parks and Recreation Department pools generated $57,147 in revenue and served well over 9,000 patrons.  A swimming pool in the County was available or open for swimming on 70 days of the total 102 days between Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day. That’s essentially 70% of the time.  The two pools combined were accessible for swimming for roughly 870 hours of “Open Swim” during the season.

Stuarts Draft Park  The soccer fields wrapped up their use in mid-November.  Research into the possibility of bringing internet service to Stuarts Draft Park and specifically the Pool House facility is ongoing. This service would be for staff and management use only, not for public use or access at this time.

Natural Chimneys Park & Campground  The important process of reconditioning the park’s water tank began in late November. This process, which requires us to shut down the park’s water system for several weeks, will enable NCP to provide our customers with superb water quality for years to come. The water system should be back up and running in mid-December.  Other park improvement projects are underway at Natural Chimneys as well. Weather-permitting, painting projects, trail maintenance and stump removal are some of the priorities in the near future.

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Administrative & Personnel: Important Dates  Registration opens for new slate of programs – December 20  Winter/Spring Activities Guide delivered in mailboxes – by January 6, 2024  P&R Office move – mid to late January (no earlier than January 15) New Hires  Our new Campground Attendant has started work with us and is undergoing training currently that will continue into the spring with the campground at Natural Chimneys Park reopens for the season. This is a part-time position that averages about 28 hours per week year round.

Job/Position Openings  Continue to actively seek out and take applications for these positions: 1) Mini-Bus Driver / Trip Leader More information and an application can be found under ‘Jobs’ on the county website or you can go to www.augustarec.com and find the link. Phone call inquiries can be directed to 540-245-5727. We will be hiring until we fill our need and applications submitted will be considered immediately.

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