Summary Comments Provided to Councilman Hermes

Councilman Hermes asked that I provide a report from the Commission for the monthly council meeting.  Below was the information I provided to him, most all of which was shared at the May meeting.

• One Call Now, the automated voice messaging system has been populated with phone numbers and will be operational for the first time in advance of the June 22nd Concert on the Commons.  We want to make sure that we have everything working correctly before we use it for the first time.  That includes ways for other citizens whose phone numbers are not listed to add their number to the list.  As it stands right now, 814 local residents are on the distribution list.  If you want to put your phone number on the list, contact the Village Office. 

• Improvements to Palma Park are on plan, with the purchase of playground equipment approved by the Commission at our April meeting.  Sam Slaughterbeck, an Eagle Scout candidate, will be landscaping the area where the equipment will be installed as his badge project.  We continue to look for donations for the project to mitigate the cost of the rubber fill necessary in to fill in the space around the set. 

• We are completing the analysis of the Recreation Survey conducted in March.  Two members of the Commission are preparing a full report which we will review at our June meeting, and will deliver the final report to council in July, but I wanted to share and have some preliminary data:

• Respondents indicated that the Swimming Pool (79%), followed by Concerts on the Commons (62%) were the Highest Priority programs/services provided by the community.  After those two key programs, Baseball (54%), SAY Soccer (52%), GATORS swim team (52%), Pioneer Days (52%) and Light Up Greenhills (50%) followed, all above the 50% threshold.

• With regard to Key Future Priorities, respondents indicated that the “Exten(sion)/Expan(sion) of our Affiliation with Park (e.g. Hike/Bike Trails)” was the top priority (68%).  This was followed by the “Expansion of Special Events at Swimming Pool” (56%) and “More Events During the Spring & Summer on the Commons” (51%).

• Again, this is just some of the data.  There was a lot more information and perspective shared, and we want to thank all of those who responded to the online survey.  We'll continue to improve the survey and ask for perspectives again next year. 

• The biggest event of the summer will be the NSSL Championships in Greenhills.  The Swim Team will be hosting this event, but for this to be a success, will need the community support.  If you are interested in helping out, you can go to the GATORS website, at greenhillsgators.com, and click on "Become a Championship Volunteer" to help out or send a note to greenhillsgators@live.com.

• The Recreation Commission passed a motion approving soccer at Spoils Field for the summer and the fall, on an interim basis, until development of a second baseball field can be funded.  The Commission also passed a motion resolving that any long range development plan of the Spoils Field property must include the development of a soccer field.