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Gunnison recreation director reports rising youth participation, highlights cost-sharing for field lighting
Summary
At the Nov. 20 Gunnison City Council meeting, recreation staff reported higher youth-sports participation this year, described a cost-sharing arrangement that limited a recent lighting bill, and detailed equipment purchases and volunteer-coach shortages as the department expands offerings.
The Gunnison recreation director reported on Nov. 20 that youth-sports participation increased across several programs this year, with volleyball up by 19 participants from last year and flag football participation holding steady at 88 players. The director said the department hosted evening soccer matches after LED field lights were installed and worked with neighboring school districts and towns to split costs and scheduling.
"We had 13 kids sign up for fall soccer" and "the one-time usage charge" for lights was far lower than feared, the recreation director said, describing a cooperative arrangement with a neighboring city to divide bills so no player fees were required. The presenter credited volunteers and local fundraisers for helping buy new helmets and jerseys for middle-school tackle football, which the rec department operated for the first time this year.
Council members asked about the cost of officials and program logistics. The recreation director said officials cost about $60 per official per game for tackle football and that playoff expenses had pushed some single-event costs to nearly several thousand dollars. The director also described efforts to coordinate practice and game schedules with travel teams and school gym availability to maximize participation and reduce conflicts.
The presentation noted recurring operational challenges — recruiting volunteer coaches for younger age groups and securing gym space when travel programs overlap with recreation seasons — and described specific local partnerships with Ephraim and Manti to field teams and share referees and coaches. The director said the department will continue outreach via email and text messages and will post sign-ups on city channels to increase awareness.
The council thanked the recreation staff and volunteers and offered to help promote future sign-ups through city communications.
