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03-16-04 Item 1gon CITY OF SOUTH MIAMI OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER INTER- OFFICE MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor, Vice Mayor and Commission FROM: Maria V. Davis, City Manager i SUBJECT: RECREATION AD HOC COMMITTEE DATE: March 10, 2004 ,, Pursuant to the discussion concerning several issues relating to the Parks and Recreation Department that arose at last week's City Commission meeting, we have convened the first of several meetings of the Recreation Ad Hoc Committee. On Monday, March 8, 2004, the following people attended a meeting at the Murray Park Community Center: Finance Director Hakeem Oshikoya, Parks and Recreation Director Alan Ricke, Recreation Superintendent Maria Stout -Tate, After School Program Coordinator Daisy Harrell, former Commissioner David Bethel and residents Levy Kelly, Jay Beckman and Simon Codrington, and me. The Committee's purpose will be to focus on four main areas of concern that were expressed at the March 2 City Commission meeting: 1. After School Programming 2. Recreation Fees 3. Community Input 4. Naming the Community Center In order to properly address each issue, it was decided that each meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee would be devoted to a single issue. For the first meeting, the Committee focused on the After School Program. Discussion of the After School Program revolved around the following main topics: Staffing — The Committee was assured that there is adequate staffing available to provide the proper supervision of all of the components of the After School Program. Staffing consists of paid City employees as well as college students performing volunteer work and work -study experience. The Committee received a brief review of the structure of the Program that consists of tutoring, reading assistance and recreational activities, with children rotating to different activities on an hourly basis. This allows the maximum number of children to receive daily tutoring and reading assistance. The Recreation Division is hiring additional staff to provide daily Arts & Crafts programs as well as to staff the Computer Room on a daily basis. Increased Hours — Discussion included a basic philosophical approach to providing a balanced After School Program. Some Committee members felt that if a child needed 3 hours of tutoring that it should be available. Others felt that more than one hour of tutoring per day is too rigorous and detracted from a well- rounded program. In the end, the Committee felt that it is necessary to expand the hours of the After School Program so that children are able to take advantage of additional tutorial assistance and additional computer time each evening. Therefore, additional part -time staff will be brought on board to provide supervision of tutors and the Computer Room until 8:00 each weeknight. This will be accomplished within the current budget for the Community Center. Computer Room — The Committee shared the community's concern that the Computer Room was not being used to its fullest potential. It was explained to the Committee that within a few days of the March 2 City Commission meeting several major steps have been taken that will make the Computer Room more accessible to the children in the After School Program. The proper server has been ordered and software is being installed that will prohibit access to adult- oriented websites. Once completed, the Computer Room will be available each day from 3:00 until 8:00 PM for homework, internet access, etc. Maximizing Available Space - This is one of the issues that affects all of the recreational programs offered in the City, and the After School Program is no exception. The Committee wants to make sure that the City is properly utilizing all of the space available at Murray Park, including the Phase I building. The Committee discussed several scenarios including moving the entire educational component to the Phase I building; splitting the children between Phase I and Phase II; and making additional space available in Phase II for more educational opportunities. The Committee felt that it was important to focus on the final option that also includes the re- location of the Thelma Gibson Health Initiative that is currently occupying space in the Phase I building. A suggestion was made to re- locate the Thelma Gibson Health Initiative to the Police Mini- station that is located in the HUD housing development on SW 59 Place. This would allow for the use of the Phase I building as a "recreation center" with ping - pong tables, pool tables, etc., freeing up space in the multipurpose room in Phase II for additional "classroom" space. The Parks and Recreation Department and the Police Department will be meeting with a representative from the Thelma Gibson Health Initiative to facilitate their move to the Police Mini - Station location. Once the Committee was comfortable with the information that was discussed concerning the After School Program, attention was turned to preparing for the next meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee that is scheduled for Monday, March 15 to discuss recreational fees and charges. I will be sure to provide you with frequent updates on the progress of this committee. If you have any questions or need any further information concerning the Recreation Ad Hoc Committee, please do not hesitate to contact me.