By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
While necessary for local government operations, legislative discussions can get lengthy, and utility updates can be less than electrifying. Transportation talk is often tedious, and reports from department heads can be downright dull … no offense intended.
That’s when Kristin Otley breaks from the norm. As director of the Bowling Green’s Parks and Recreation Department, she can have a little fun giving her annual report to City Council at the end of each summer.
On Monday evening, as Otley presented her report, she began with a snapshot from the summer.
The Bowling Green community was again treated to summertime lunches and concerts in City Park. And this year, a grant was used to buy new benches for audiences. And when a second grant didn’t come through, a donation was put to use buying permanent outdoor speakers at Needle Hall.
Kids again fought off the possibility of boredom during the summer by participating in several park and rec offerings:
- 131 kids went to recreation camps (94% capacity).
- 64 kids went to Safety Town camps (91% capacity).
- 120 kids attended nature camps (100% capacity).
- 64 kids participated in Horizon Youth Theater programs – a partnership between the park and theater group.
- 268 children took part in sports camps and youth leagues, including camps on volleyball, basketball, multi-sports, plus T-ball and coach pitch, soccer leagues and free drop-in whiffleball programs.
- 8 teams are participating in adult sand volleyball leagues, with the courts having been improved with new netting and new sand.
And the pool in City Park saw high attendance this summer, due to the ideal swimming weather, Otley said.
Then Otley presented the annual pool stat that often addresses the concession stand success over the summer. In the past, she’s reported on peak sales of nachos, hot dogs and freeze pops – this year it was the pizza.
According to Otley, 775 pizzas were sold at the pool concession stand this summer – with about 60% being pepperoni, and 40% being cheese.
“If we combined all 775 pizzas to make one giant pizza, we would have a pizza that is 25 feet in diameter, is 490 square feet in size, with roughly 465 pieces of pepperoni.”
No other city government department gets to report those type of stats.
Otley also reported other projects completed or underway this year:
- Pickleball courts are nearly complete, and are being used by all ages, all times of the day. A ribbon cutting is planned in October.
- The community center celebrated its 20th anniversary in August, with cookies, discounts on annual family passes and free admission to the facility one weekend.
- The Simpson Park meeting room remodeling is also done, with the facility being able to accommodate renters through most of the construction.
- In May, the newly renovated Simpson Park Children’s Garden and new sculpture in the Healing Garden were dedicated.
Fall sports programming has begun, with 261 participants in fall youth soccer, 29 participants in youth flag football, and 53 participants in youth volleyball leagues.
Also starting up again are the Parents Night Out programs at the community center, Otley said.
She also mentioned all the groups that parks and recreation partners with for programming, such as the library, sports teams, youth theater, and BG City Schools. The parks are used for community walks and picnics, and Carter Park plays host to the home cross country meets for both the middle school and high school.
“Important life moments happen in our buildings all the time, from grad parties, wedding and baby showers, weddings, memorial services and birthday parties,” Otley said.
“And of course, we have 11 parks totaling 400 acres open 365 days a year that our staff maintain and program,” she said. “These parks, programs and facilities improve people’s fitness, mental health and in fact change their lives for the better.”
