11-20-86 Agenda & Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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FROM: Mary Saarion, Acting Director Parks, Recreation and Forestry DATE: November 6, 198A 411 RE: Perspectives on Gymnasium Usage The last two meetings with the basketball associations, the recreation and community education departments did communicate gymnasium needs, but did not solve the problem of limited space for many community activities requiring such gymnasium facilities including: gymnastics, adult volleyball, adult basektball, adult floor hockey, adult exercise, the wrestling association, scout pack meetings, district resident groups such as church volleyball leagues, neighborhood leagues, etc. The problem is simple, there are too few faciltiies available to satisfy the gymnasium needs of the many activities of the residents within the school district. This problem leaves two options. The first option would be to restrict the use of groups on a percentage of participants/amount of gym use. This would mean that the larger the group, the more the time. A second alternative is the suggestion described by Nick which gives specific times for special population use such as 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. for youth and and 7::30 - 9:30 p.m. adults. Neither of these two examples for option one would accomplish the necessary results. The first suggestion implies that numbers infer importance and this is an unjust conclusion. The second suggestion would give random time slots which would not necessarily meet the needs of organizations such as IBA and would require participant limitations. • Registration limits for youth sports is riot the answer. It has always been the direction of the minicipal recreation field to provide experiences and activities to all people regardless of age, sex, skill or wealth. Registration for youth activities should not be restricted due to any of these reasons and certainly not because the numbers of those interested in participation is large . . . for this is the goal of offering such activities. . . to attract the interest of many. Therefore, the only conclusion is Option II. Option II is simply to alter programs and activities to enable all parties interested the opportunity for gymnasium usage. The program alterations that I suggest for the basketball associations are as follows: 1. Limiting practice to 1 hour rather than 1-1/2 hours. 2. Practicing on 1/2 courts when necessary, thus enabling more than one team on a court at one time. 3. Limiting practices to no more than two per week. 4. Offering great emphasis that all available practice time be used, thus eliminating empty gyms due to no shows. • 5. Use available Friday evening gym space.