Piedmont Recreation Commission presents long-overdue annual report; recommends volunteer portal and earlier deadline

Chris Hart, a member of the Piedmont Recreation Commission, delivered the commission's belated annual report to the City Council and highlighted program growth and a short list of recommendations.

"I am happy to report that director Shelly Putzer and her staff are doing an amazing job," Hart said, opening the presentation and listing program highlights: the Sidekicks adaptive program entering its fifth year, the Play Like a Girl event drawing about 1,000 participants, Schoolmates serving roughly 325 families per site (an increase of about 36 families year over year), expansion of Camp Kaleidoscope and new programming for older youth.

Hart said the commission had not produced the report in more than 10 years, apologized for the lapse, and described the team's process: a subcommittee, a Google spreadsheet and adoption at the March 18 meeting. The commission offered recommendations to improve accessibility and alignment with council priorities, chief among them a centralized volunteer portal for community postings and a proposal to move the report due date earlier in the year (to February) to better align with the city's budget cycle.

Council members and the recreation liaison, Jen Long, expressed appreciation. Long and Director Shelly Putzer described existing steps to publicize volunteer opportunities (activity guide, website postings and reinstating announcements to the commission agenda) and agreed to continue coordinating with staff to identify a centralized approach.

Council members also noted the commission's strong fiscal stewardship and indicated the earlier deadline could help integrate commission recommendations into the city's budget deliberations.

The presentation was informational; no formal council action was required. The council invited the commission to appoint a subcommittee at its next meeting to prepare the next annual report.