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Parks & Rec staff outline expanded senior programming and Direction 25 park repairs
Summary
Parks & Recreation staff reported expanded senior-center programming at Gold Point, Cobb and Fricker, partnerships for wellness and a meeting scheduled with the Council on Aging to discuss restoring meals at Cobb. The director also reported Direction 25 accomplishments, including hundreds of benches and picnic tables repaired.
Parks & Recreation staff reported Feb. 17 that the department is shifting some programming and resources beyond Bayview Senior Center to smaller centers at Gold Point, Cobb and Fricker and is pursuing partnerships to expand wellness and education offerings for seniors.
Jeremy Street, who presented the staff report, described growing participation in chair-aerobics and other classes at Gold Point, education and adaptive programs at Cobb, and social trips and twice-weekly bingo at Fricker. He said the department secured grant-funded Tai Chi sessions from the Department of Elder Affairs and has new partnerships for chair yoga and diabetes-education seminars.
Street told the board he is meeting with the Council on Aging to discuss returning congregate meals to the Cobb Center and exploring future meal service at Fricker once renovations are complete. "We are receiving meals at Bayview Senior Center and Gold Point," Street said; he added that he is scheduled to meet with the Council on Aging tomorrow to discuss Cobb.
Street and board members highlighted staff recognition: Addie Kina, a longtime program leader at Bayview, will host a statewide senior-centers conference at Bayview and will present at the state recreation conference in Orlando.
Director Byrd gave the director's report and provided a one-year update on the city's Direction 25 park-maintenance initiative. Byrd said the program has repaired or replaced 264 benches and 139 picnic tables, replaced 21 water fountains (to be reactivated March 1), enhanced about 2,400 linear feet of sidewalks and repaired six basketball courts with additional repairs planned. Byrd said contracting landscaping work freed city maintenance crews to focus on amenities and that the department coordinates oversight with the CRA's landscape manager.
Board members asked about a previously discussed parks master plan; Byrd said that conversation will likely be revisited after the heavier Direction 25 work is complete. Members also briefly discussed the mayor's concept of a separate parks foundation and said such an entity should be independent and brought to the board before formation.
The board welcomed the senior-program expansion and encouraged staff to report back on meal-restoration progress and on the statewide conference outcomes.
