Planning & Reports
2011 End of Year Report
San Juan Island Park and Recreation District (locally known as Island Rec) was established in 1984 as a junior taxing district for San Juan Island. It is governed by an elected board of five commissioners. Serving during 2011 were Commissioners Bill Cumming, Alisa Schoultz, Scott Zehner, Tracy Roberson and Jeremy Talbott.
Administration
2011 was the second year of the 17 cent levy passed in November of 2009 and the second year of the inter-local agreement with the school district to support school sports with seven cents of this levy. The 2011 operating budget totaled $779,965 of which $232,835 was earmarked for school sports. Island Rec’s core budget totaled $547,130 of which $335,055 was generated by property taxes and $113,744 (21%) by program fees. Sponsorships, donations, grants and reserve funds contributed to the balance of the annual budget.
Island Rec’s two full time positions were filled by Sally Thomsen, who completed her 12th year as Recreation Director and Rebecca Clarke who began her third year as Recreation Specialist. Heidi White was hired in August in the Administrative Assistant position vacated by Dodie Swift-Taylor. Dale Downs began his third year as Park Maintenance/Custodian. There were 28 seasonal and part-time employees working Camp Eagle Rock, Sailing Classes, Open Gym and Fair Building Programs and other specialty programs. Complementing the work of staff were over 138 volunteers who contributed more than 2,400 hours providing park and recreation programs and services for San Juan Islanders.
In the Spring Island Rec contracted the services of Conservation Technix for development of a comprehensive six year plan. The process included community outreach through the online and written surveys and a community meeting. The Board adopted the plan in late 2011 which was later submitted and approved by Washington State’s Recreation and Conservation Office. RCO is the major source of public funds for park development.
Parks
Island Rec operates three parks, The Family Park andSkateParkat the Fair Grounds andEddie &FriendsDogPark. A push lawn mower was purchased for purposes of mowing the grass at theFamilyParkandSkatePark. This was another duty put on the maintenance staff. As part of a student project a ¼ pipe feature was installed at theSkatePark. This was funded by the Gates Grant, a large donation from Todd and Cathy Kromer and several other smaller donations.
Lafarge is 55 acres of undeveloped property owned by Island Rec. It is an area used daily by walkers, dog walkers and runners. Several volunteer work parties were held during the winter and early spring to remove noxious weeds; in April two trash cans and doggie waste bag dispensers were installed. Two trash pick ups per week from November through March and three per week in the months April through October were added to the parks maintenance schedule.
Programs
As a result of the STAR program, program hours increased by 25% over 2011 for a total of 2,077 program hours. Although the participation numbers are over 10,000 participants there was only a 2% increase from 2010. There was a significant decrease in the number of participants in the more expensive summer contracted programs and sailing program. Details of these numbers are in the attached spreadsheet.
Highlights of the recreation program were:
- The introduction of STAR, Study Time and Afternoon Recreation a daily after school program licensed by the Department of Early Learning. STAR was developed in response to the elimination of theSchool District’s after school program, ASK.
- The Trails Committee was active in creating two new programs. Know your island walks, are monthly guided walks at various island sites. Bicycle Tune Up and Warm up was a one day event to get bicyclists of all ages geared up for the bicycle season. It was created and implemented by the bicycle pathways sect of the Trails Committee
- Trike and Scooter time was added to Saturday night’s Open Skate Program. The goal behind this program was to provide an indoor, active, on-going program for preschoolers during the winter months. This program has been well received by families with preschoolers.
Partnerships are vital to Island Rec’s success and to serving theSan JuanIslandcommunity effectively and efficiently. Island Rec continued its ongoing partnerships with San Juan Island School District, San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce, San Juan Island Sailing Foundation, San Juan Island Fitness Club, the Farmer’s Market, San Juan Island Prevention Coalition and San Juan Island Family Resource Center.
Island Rec provided over $6,200 in scholarships to over 50San Juan Island children. Island Rec contributed $4,000 toward swimming lessons for 104 Island children.
San Juan Islanders and Island Recbenefited from the generosity of several key sponsors in 2011. Kings Market, Islanders Bank, Island Petroleum Services and Islanders Insurance each contributed $1,000 to Island Recprograms. Their sponsorship supported major island events and scholarships for San JuanIslandchildren. Additionally dozens of other businesses and individuals contributed money, goods and services to Island Rec.
Since 2008 Island Rec’s Board has been recognizing individuals, business and organizations with its Shining Star Awards and Volunteer Appreciation. Those recognized in 2011 were:
Community Spirit Award
Selfless giving of goods, services and or financial support
Kings Market / Libbey Oswald
Since 2007 provided $1,000 annual sponsorship
Teen Halloween Party, Children’s Festival
Partner Award
Commitment to providing recreational opportunities through cooperative efforts.
Family Resource Center/ Joyce Sobel
On-going participation in Children’s Festival
Scholarships for Camp Eagle Rock
Use of Facility for Pre-school Programs
Outstanding Volunteer Service
Cathy Kromer
Five year volunteer service; skateboard tournament, other special events
Weekly office volunteer
Tumbling program
Spear heading efforts to create an auxiliary non profit for Island Rec
Recognition of 5 years of Volunteer Service
Fred Woods, John Bower, John Boyd, Steve Dubail, Susie Fowler, Gordon Fowler, Binney Haenel, John McMain, Sam McMain, John Soth, Elle Guard, Alex Jangard, Maggie Anderson
2011 Program Statistics
2010 Year End Report
Six-Year Plan
Click here to read or download a copy of Island Rec’s six-year plan: Island Rec Six Year Plan
Survey Results
Conservation Technix is pleased to present the results of the survey of the general population of San Juan Island assessing residents’ recreational needs, preferences and priorities. In close collaboration with staff and Parks Commissioners, Conservation Technix developed the 28-question survey which was estimated to take approximately 5-7 minutes to complete.
The survey was posted online via Island Rec’s website on April 28, 2011. Information about the survey was provided in the Summer edition of the Island Rec program catalog that was mailed to all residences during the first week of May. Additionally, advertisements were purchased in the Journal of the San Juans. Program users, stakeholders and civic groups were notified about the survey in person and via email. Print versions of the survey were available at the San Juan Island library, the Mullis Center and the Island Rec office. The survey was closed on May 21st, and preliminary data were compiled in advance of a community open house meeting hosted by Island Rec on May 25, 2011.
A total of 280 completed surveys were recorded, which is a sufficient sample size to assess community opinions generally and to review findings by subgroups including gender and age. Since the survey was open to the general public, and respondents were not selected through statistical sampling methods, the results are not necessarily representative of all San Juan Island residents. Percentages in the report may not add up to 100% due to rounding.