Parks staff outline 2024 wrap-up and 2025 plans for Paddle Gahanna, market and volunteer expansion

Recreation staff presented a year-end wrap-up of 2024 special events and paddle programming and described plans for 2025, including a new Gahanna market at Creekside Plaza, volunteer program expansion and grant-funded equipment purchases.

Recreation Superintendent Brian introduced Chelsea Hepart, recreation supervisor, and Tyler Wilson, special events coordinator, who delivered the presentation. Chelsea summarized seasonal staffing and paddle-program metrics, and Tyler outlined plans for a revived Gahanna Market at Creekside Plaza that will run monthly from June through September.

Chelsea said the paddle program and seasonal staffing were up in 2024. "I've been with the city for about almost 3 years now," she said while introducing herself and the team. Staff reported 22 seasonal team members in 2024 (an all-time high for the program at that time) and that about 66 seasonal staff had already indicated they would return for 2025. Paddle-program gross sales for 2024 were about $9,500; paddle-boat rentals were 716 and kayak rentals were about 253. Specialty programs included three celestial paddles (37 participants), kayak 101 (8 participants), and two river-float events that together drew 14 participants.

Staff said the parks team won a Swaco event-and-recycling grant for event recycling equipment, and they also received an Ohio Department of Natural Resources boating safety education grant the department intends to use to add kayaks, a trailer and other equipment for paddle programming. Chelsea and Tyler said sponsorship revenue in 2024 totaled about $53,000, and the parks team works with vendors and community organizations to offset event costs.

Tyler said the planned Gahanna Market (formerly the Gahanna Yours Farmers Market) will be located at Creekside Plaza, near the Rotary Stage, and staff expect it to operate once a month on the fourth Wednesday from June to September. Tyler said staff are developing a vendor application and will issue it through the city's OpenGov permitting system once finalized.

Staff described an active volunteer program. The department partners with community groups — for example, Columbus Academy Day has supplied roughly 200 volunteers for creek cleanup and other projects — and staff said they are creating more sustainable volunteer roles such as trail stewards and site-specific maintenance groups.

Brian and staff invited board members to participate in the department’s planned July 12 National Parks & Rec Month event at Friendship Park and noted other upcoming items including the mountain bike trial grand opening and summer programming.

Staff fielded questions from board members about fees and advertising for paddle programs, market location, volunteer recruitment and event logistics. Chelsea confirmed paddle rentals use social media and a QR code at the millrace to advertise; she said the paddle rental block fee is $10 per boat for Paddle Gahanna specialty programming and that general shelter blocks are sold in fixed time blocks rather than hourly.

Staff did not record follow-up directives beyond ongoing program implementation and distribution of the vendor application and event details to the board when available.