After nearly a quarter of the current fiscal year has passed, the Community Service Area 36 Advisory Committee is still waiting for budget reports. Community Service Area manager Michael Franklin told the Committee that a report would be prepared soon.
The delay was attributed to the end of the county’s fiscal year on June 30 and preparing the budget documents for the board of supervisor’s final approval of the county budget last week.
Interim Recreation Director Amy Righetti reported on participation in the summer program, the various senior day-trips, the summer-in-the-park movies and the soon to start kids soccer season.
A trip to Knott’s Berry Farm or the Cove Water Park was available almost weekly and nearly a dozen children availed themselves of these opportunities.
The after school program has about 15 to 20 children attending regularly, she said.
The 2012 soccer season has seen registration grow nearly 25 percent from a year ago, Righetti said. This year already 107 children have signed up compared to 85 in 2011. The session starts this week. Games are at Idyllwild School.
The cancellation of the proposed seniors’ trip to tour the Midway Carrier Museum in San Diego generated some discussion. Franklin told the committee that this site and the October trip to the Stone Brewery in Escondido were being organized through the county recreation staff and all county senior programs were invited.
Committee Chair Bob Schraff asked if Idyllwild could plan something different and Righetti and Franklin said with time they could arrange other trips.
Committee Member Reba Coulter asked Righetti and Franklin if they had seen the list of trips, which the local Forest Folk group had submitted this spring.
“We submitted a two page list of places where we would like to go,” she told the recreation leaders. “Midway was not on our list. Can we have input?”
Righetti and Franklin both encouraged Coulter to provide the list to them and they would both try to find ways to accommodate the trip wishes of the local group within and independently of the countywide plans.
“If the lineup doesn’t match with the community wants, we’ll readjust to support you,” Franklin said.
No location has been decided for a community garden, but Franklin encouraged the committee to try to decide so that work, such as garden boxes, could be completed during the winter and available when the spring planting arrives.
A new playground is on the county’s agenda, but the most recent idea was dropped when Franklin learned the equipment could not be insured for public use; but he is still exploring playground equipment for Town Hall. However, he has to ensure that it will always be available for public use, even if the recreation program relocates.
“A reasonable price range based on other public playground installations will be $30,000 to $35,000 from CSA 36 funds,” Franklin told the Committee.
Schraff stressed that the county wants to ensure that the playground is always open to anyone; therefore separate front and rear gates may be necessary to allow public entrance but prevent access to the building.
Before the meeting ended, Franklin announced that during the fall, Terri Bowen, Senior CSA Project Manager and Recreation Supervisor, would assume the role of county intermediary for CSA 36. Franklin will still be involved with Town Hall maintenance issues. Both will report to Bill Brown, Riverside County CSA Operations Manager, who will remain involved with CSA 36.
