MPR Board approves staffing changes

By Editor | July 20, 2016 |

Recreation Supervisor Shelly Hersh

Staffing was the major action item of the July 7 Maryville Parks and Recreation board meeting.

Shelly Hersh has been promoted to recreation supervisor, Kaley Coulter has been promoted to community center manager, and Steve Griffith has been moved to full-time and promoted to facility maintenance worker.

It was announced that Recreation Coordinator Audrey Osborn’s resignation will be effective September 1 and that MPR is currently searching for her replacement.

MPR Director Aaron Dobson said he had received six qualified applicants at the time of the meeting, and that the last day he will accept applications is Thursday.

The position of special event and marketing manager has been posted and will be active through August 4.

The Maryville Community Center report listed that the Christmas Craft Fair will be in November with signups available through August 1 for past vendors. After that registration will be open to the public.

Due to low membership numbers, MCC had offered a buy one get one half price on regular membership sales which Dobson felt was a success.

Coulter has been learning Osborn’s duties to absorb some of the role, including the production of a personal trainer workshop scheduled for November 12 and 13 to boost the number of personal trainers at the center.

Attendance for June 2016 totaled 17,378, which is an increase from 13,134 in June 2015. Dobson said this was the first comparison increase in 2016 with a bulk of the attendance attributed to the Sizzlin’ Summer Hoops program.

Hersh presented the Maryville Aquatic Center report, including that there were 107 participants in group swim lessons. The staff at the pool is preparing for the upcoming mini-triathlon including securing sponsors and material needed for the race.

Citizens Cleo Samudzi and Chris Riley were present to discuss their work as board members of the newly formed Maryville Soccer Association. The board has adopted bi-laws and is working to become an independent organization to improve and enhance the experience of area soccer players. They plan to train coaches and referees for use during matches and hope to run player clinics and skills challenges.

Dobson reported that he is currently designing strategic initiatives with targeted outcomes to streamline goals and processes in the parks and recreation department. He said his goal is to develop more ownership of the initiatives and assign due dates for the goals. He plans to present them at a future board meeting.

An employee designed some artwork that would improve the look and feel of the child watch area, giving it a safari theme and make the room more kid friendly. Staff will work on painting the murals themselves, also building a registration area for parents.

Child watch will be moved to another room while the project is ongoing.

The board discussed the possibility of members enrolling in automatic debit and credit card withdraws, allowing the center to reduce membership fees and make payments more convenient for members. The new fee structure will be effective in December and include a $1 transaction fee for each auto-draft.

Fees for the yearly locker fee will increase from $20 to $25, and a Fitness On Demand program will be pursed by the center at a cost of $2,400 annually to provide members with workouts to fit their skills, tastes, and needs.

Participation in Fall 2015 and Spring 2016 youth soccer was 378 with 17 boys’ teams, 14 girls’ teams, and four coed teams. The program brought in total revenue of $10,704.29.

Dobson discussed his plan to sell a number of items as surplus including the shake shop espresso machine and the old department truck, but will hold off until the budget is closer to completion to determine if it would be beneficial to sell the items for income in a different fiscal year.