Rome-FloydParks & Recreation

Authority

Rome-FloydParks & Recreation

Authority

ROME-FLOYD PARKS & RECREATION AUTHORITYESTABLISHED 1973

rfpra.com

ANNUAL REPORT2013

Parks and recreation programs and services build healthy, vibrant communities.Our Mission: Enriching Lives

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201340 Years of Service. 40 years of Youth Sports. 40 Years of Friday Night Football. 40 Years of creating community through shared experiences, strengthening fami-lies through play, and building bridges to the challenged community through adaptive recreation. Forty years is a long time and this com-munity has changed a great deal. The parks system had a total of 160 acres in

1973 and today has grown to 920 acres. Through SPLOST, we have seen the development of the Floyd County Softball Complex at Alto Park and the Rome Tennis Center, con-struction of Gilbreath, Anthony, and Thornton Recreation Centers, as well as the expansion of the Scout Cabin in Shannon. Practice fields have been constructed and reno-vated and the Northside Swim Center was built. Trails have been built and continue to expand, while Midway Park, Etowah Park, and Lock and Dam Park have grown and seen renovations. I could continue listing all of the many great additions we have seen in our park system, but I would like to shift the conversation in a different direction. Maybe change our perspective a little.What would Rome and Floyd County be like if there were no parks and recreation? Have you ever stopped to consider this? Where would we gather on an early Saturday morn-ing to walk with friends? The local concerts, craft shows, events, and farmers markets… where would they be held? Where would we go to fly a kite or picnic? Evenings at the park cheering on your son or daughter to be their very best - would we ever hear those sounds, see the expressions on their faces as they slide home or catch the ball or cheer the perfect cheer? How would we grow community if there were no common places for us to gather? The baseball, softball and tennis tournaments… where would they be held?As for me, I would rather not consider the thought of raising my kids in a place where these things were not a vital and vi-brant part of our community. Some of our best friends were made at a ball field watching our kids play together. Some of my best memories were made engaged in sport or play, and I bet some of yours were too. We need to play. We have been designed by our Creator to express ourselves through move-ment, laughter, and competition. 40 years. Actually we have been playing longer than that here in Rome. We take great pride in our long standing tradition of play. The Rome Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority has been fortunate enough to have a role for the last 40 years and we are looking forward to the future and our continued efforts to enrich the lives of those who live in Rome and Floyd County through the wholesome pursuit of leisure.

Richard GarlandExecutive DirectorThe Rome-Floyd Parks & Recreation Authority

Recreation is a basic need of all individuals. Parks and recreation contributes to the building of healthy, vibrant communitiesbenefiting physical health, mental health, social functioning, youth development, environment, and economic vitality.

Building healthy, vibrant communities

Challenger Sports Miracle League Baseball

Camp Anthony Field Trip

2013 Highlights

BasketballHosted seventeen area teams at the GRPA District 5 Basketball Tournaments for 12U Boys and Girls. RFPRA was represented by 9 all-star teams in district play. The 10U Girls team coached by Lauren Shields won the district title in Cart-ersville and was the runner up in the state tourna-ment in College Park.

TennisAwarded hosting rights for the Clocktower Classic Wheelchair Tennis Tournament to be held August 2014; this is the first time this tournament will be hosted in Floyd County.

North Georgia United SoccerCreated partnership with Northwest GeorgiaSoccer Club to launch a full schedule of soccer programming for all skill levels at North Floyd Park including recreational soccer, pre-academy and academy soccer leagues.

Coaches Reward CardIntroduced a coaches reward card to recognizevolunteer coaches for reinforcing good sportsmanship initiatives.

Leprechaun –A-Thon 5K2013 marked the second year for this popular road race which attracted 570 participants. The festive race featured costumed runners and walkers in their St. Patty’s day best to race through down-town Rome. Participants were incented to visit downtown businesses with race bracelets offering discounts to celebrate on Broad Street afterwards.

Special Olympics250 athletes participated in the 2013 Special Olympics held at Darlington School. Funds to support the Special Olympics were raised through the annual Cops for Kids softball tournament and other civic group donations.

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The gymnastics program continues to flourish in the state of the art gymnastics facility built by SPLOST dollars. The gym is open year-round, seven days a week and hosts a myriad of activity from recreation-al classes, to competitive gymnastics to weekend birthday parties.

•Hosted 2nd Annual Roman Team Challenge Gymnastics Meet on January 5 at the RFPRA Gymnastics Center. The event drew 140 gymnasts from southeastern states spanning from ages five to eighteen competing from Level 2 to Level 10 of AAU and USAG.

•Awarded hosting rights for the USA Gymnastics Georgia Compulsory State Meet held May 4-5, 2013. The meet hosted at The Forum in downtown Rome welcomed three-hundred gymnasts from forty-five teams who competed for state titles. This meet marked the first time a state level gymnastics meet has ever been held in Rome.

•Two Rome Aerials Level 9 gymnasts, Tabatha Pearson and Chloe Schuttinga qualified and com-peted at USAG Nationals. Schuttinga placed fifth on vault.

•Out of 8 optional competitors at the USAG State Optional Championship, the Rome Aerials team brought home five state titles and four regional qualifiers.

•Rome Aerials Head Coach, Matt Zollitsch, was invited to coach at the Region 8 National Team Training Camp in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at the University of Alabama September 6 through 8. The training camp was only open to a select group of Level 9 and 10 gymnasts who qualified for nation-als. Only the highest level team coaches, and col-legiate level coaches facilitate the camp. The camp provided high level skill development for compe-tition routines on vault, bars, beam and floor in preparation for the 2014 meet season. Rome Aerial Level 9 gymnasts, Tabatha Pearson, attended the high level training camp.

•Gymnastics parties grew 31% year over year, from 155 parties in 2012, to 203 parties in 2013. The gym averages four parties every weekend.

GymnasticsSpotlight

2013 HighlightsRome-Floyd Sports Hall of FameFour new members were inducted into the Rome-Floyd Sports Hall of Fame: Lamar Wright, Professional Athlete; Ray Brown, Amateur Athlete; Nick Hyder, Lifetime Achievement; and Hugh Selman, Lifetime Achievement. The male and female Outstanding Stu-dent athletes were Bailey Brock of Darlington School and Trey Turner of Rome High School.

Willard Nixon Hall of Fame Golf TournamentThe golf tournament was held at Stone Bridge golf course and raised $4,135 for the John Pinson Jr. Out-standing Student Athlete Scholarship fund. Thirteen teams and twenty-five hole sponsors supported the event. To date, over $67,000 in scholarships have been awarded to local college bound student athletes.

Zombie-thon & Apocalyptic Block PartyOn Saturday, October 26, Zombies invaded downtown Rome for the first annual Zombie-thon 5K presented by Harbin Clinic. Participants braved the wave of the Zombie Apocalypse, dodging zombies along the race course to survive to the finish. The RFPRA partnered with the Downtown Development Authority to offer an Apocalyptic Block Party for race finishers and the com-munity. Over 1,052 people registered for Zombie-thon including runners, walkers, zombies and response team volunteers. The event exceeded the original net revenue goal by 134% generating $14,129 to support recreational services and programs. The fireworks show postponed from the rained-out July 4th festivities was held at the end of the block party. Over 6,000 people attended the evening festivities and was highlighted as one of the best attended block parties of the year.

Senior Inforum Celebrated Silver AnniversaryThe Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreation Authority and the Senior Promotions Council celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Senior Inforum. The Senior Info-rum was created twenty-five years ago as part of the Senior Promotions Council’s mission to help the com-munity attain easy access to senior resources. The council originally hosted the Senior Inforum at the Charles C. Parker Center with a little over 100 participants, but outgrew the space and moved to Rome Civic Center. After the event grew to over 350 participants, it found its home at The Forum where over 500 seniors partici-pate in the annual event.

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Parks & FacilitiesSpotlight

•Provided facility prep and clean-up for 1,567 youth and adult games including football, baseball, bas-ketball and softball; thirty-two events at Barron Stadium including the NAIA Championship, NCCAA Victory Bowl, Peach Belt Track and Field Championships and 1,324 events and rentals at parks and centers.

• Through the help of public/private partnership, reopened Etowah Park Driving Range to the public. The installation of a new automated golf ball dispenser allows the range to run as an unmanned facility open to the public daily.

•Capital repairs funded for county facilities include Anthony and Gilbreath Recreation Center gym floors resurfacing; repainted interior of Anthony Center gym; replaced roof at Lock & Dam caretakers home; and replaced A/C units at Gilbreath Center and Alto Park.

•In partnership with Shorter University, installed warning track and fences at field 7 in Alto Park. RFPRA provided the labor and Shorter University provided the materials.

•Major improvements funded for city facilities include installation of new pavilion at Tolbert Park; repainted Rome Tennis Center interior and tied center’s septic system into new city line; utilized left over brick from Memorial Gym to create a large grilling station at Ridge Ferry Park; installed new picnic tables at Ridge Ferry Park; etched and repainted Banty Jones Park basketball courts.

Parks Services Maintains:• 3 million square feet of sod sports

field (equivilent to 52 football fields)

•71, 833 linear feet of fencing

•2,675 parking spaces

•1,159 outdoor sports light fixtures

•873 acres of developed land (43.65

acres per maintenance person)

•762 irrigation heads

•374 picnic tables

•288 toilets

•49 tennis courts

•34 picnic pavilions

•24 playgrounds

•7 recreation centers

Top: Alto Park Triplex Field 7 upgrades Bottom: Resurfaced Gilbreath Center Gym

By the NumbersRevenues

Expenses

•Barron Stadium revenues increased by 23% due to 2012 track repairs which allowed for a full season of collegiate level track meets. The addition of Berry College’s football pro-gram also added to increased stadium rentals for home games.

•Lock & Dam revenue increased by 3% while expenses were down by 19% year over year.

•Concessions revenue increased by 22% due to increased tournament rentals.

•Parks Services revenue increased by 28% due to increase in pavilion and field rentals.

•Vandalism increased from $391.54 in re-pairs in 2012 to $3,273.59 in 2013. Most of the vandalism occurred at Riverview football concession stand and Alto Park.

Notes

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RFPRA Revenue Breakdown• Floyd County contributes $1,958, 400 from 34,000 households in Rome & Floyd County.• $57. 60 is contributed per household for recreation or $20.36 per capita.• RFPRA generates $1,700, 002 through user fees or 46.5% of the total budget; a 2% increase over 2012. • In 2013, $75, 889 in budgeted expenses were saved over 2012.

Communication

Athletic Program Participation Recreation Program Participation

•Over 3,000 people subscribed to Rained Out Text Alerts to receive instant updates on weather related schedule changes for programs.

•In 2013, 1,845 people “Liked” the RFPRA Facebook page, which aver-aged a 28 day total reach of 5, 202. Facebook defines Total Reach as the number of people (Unique Users) who have seen any content associated with a page.

•70,000 guides were distributed in 2013 to promote programs and ser-vices to private schools, public schools, recreation centers, and public facilities.

Sporting Events In 2013, RFPRA hosted and prepared facilities for fifty different tournaments at park venues including NSA, USTA, and USAG, generating an estimated economic impact of $2,840,860. Additionally, thirty-two different sporting events were hosted at Barron Stadium including Shorter Football, Berry College Football, SSAC Track & Field, Rome Middle Football, Rome High Football, Peach State Band Festival, NCCAA Victory Bowl and NAIA Championship game, generating an esti-mated economic impact of $1,032,500.

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Youth Services, 1,313Community Events,

4,127

Adult Rec Programs,

4,624

Special Populations, 6,138

Open Swim, 6,346

Groups & Clubs, 10,566

Active Adult Services, 21,265

Lock & Dam, 15,139

•In 2013, rfpra.com averaged 17,818 visits and 55,841 page views monthly; a 7% increase in visits and 2% increase in page views year over year.

Flag Football, 71

Middle School Softball, 108 Fall Softball Fast Pitch, 117Tennis Camps/Classes, 141

Spring Softball Fast Pitch, 188

Prep League Baseball, 216

Youth Fast Pitch Softball, 305

Cheerleading, 379

Fall Baseball, 421

Adult Softball, 494

Basketball, 601

Spring Baseball, 604

Football, 724

Gymnastics, 3224

• SeveralteammembersachievedindividualawardsatState,whileLevel5took2ndplaceinGeorgiaandtheLevel4teamtook5thplace.Thesearemajoraccomplishments,particularlybecausethisisthefirstyearthesegymnastshavecompetedinUSAG.

2013 AUTHORITY BOARD

STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS2013 Employees of the YearThe following employees were recognized by their colleagues for outstanding commitment and effort in supporting RFPRA goals and operations: Parks Division - Bryan McGraw, Facilities Division Recreation Division - Kristi Kent, Public Information Officer

RFPRA Professionals The Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreational Authority employ six Certified Parks and Recreational Professionals including all managers and supervisors who are required to earn education credits annually to maintain certification. Tammy Bryant l Maria DeArmoun l Richard Garland l Rick Haase Betsy Hampson l Todd Wofford

New Hires In 2013, The Rome-Floyd Parks and Recreational Authority welcomed three new professionals to the staff:David Araiza joined the athletic staff as Tennis Operations Coordinator; Jen Weathington joined the athletic staff as a Sports Coordinator; and Rebecca Wood joined the recreation staff as Program Coordinator.

Board Member Appointment CommitteesJerry Lee County Chairman, Executive (C)David Mathis County Vice- Chairman, Finance, Personnel(C), ExecutiveSonya Blankenship County Finance (C), ExecutiveCaroline Blaylock City Programs (C), Finance, ExecutiveJerry Collins County FacilitiesLarry Hestley Cave Spring/County Facilities (C), ExecutiveLarry Maxey County FacilitiesWillie Montgomery City ProgramsMilton Slack, III City ProgramsFaith Collins City BOE Ex OfficioSam Sprewell County BOE Ex Officio

2013 Officers: Chairman* – Jerry Lee Vice-Chairman – David Mathis, Executive Director – Richard Garland *Board Chairman serves as ex-officio on all Committees and appoints the Nomination Committee at the November meeting. **Director is staff representative to all Committees. (C) – Represents Chairman of the Committee

Leadership Support&

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Staff & VolunteersIn 2013, the RFPRA employed 223 people to include thirty-nine full time staff and 191 part-time staff. The majority of the part-time staff employed provided first time employment for teens. RFPRA utilized the support of over 1,232 volunteers who gave over 50,315 working hours to support youth sports, senior programs, special needs programs and community events.

In 2013, the RFPRA worked with 95 different partners. The strength of these partnerships in combination with the hard work of volunteers and staff build a stronger community in Rome and Floyd County.

AARP EtowahAdvance RedmondArea Council on the AgingArmuchee MiddleArmuchee RuitanAustin GattenbyBerry CollegeBobby GoolsbyBoys & Girls ClubBoys & Girls ScoutsCave Spring Activites CommitteeChamber of CommerceChick-Fil-A Dwarf HouseChick-Fil-A Mount BerryCity of RomeCoca-ColaConnection ClubCoosa River Basin InitiativeCoosa Valley Credit UnionCoosa Valley SignsCoosa Valley Tennis AssociationGreater Rome Convention & Visitors BureauCycle TherapyDIGS (Developing Independence, Growth and Security) Downtown Development AuthorityEagle RockFuddruckersGeorgia Department of Natural ResourcesFloyd CountyFloyd County Emergency ManagementFloyd County Police DepartmentFloyd County Public Works

Floyd County Sheriff DepartmentFloyd County Sheriff ’s PoseeFloyd County Wildlife Association Floyd County Youth InitiativeFloyd Medical CenterGeorgia Recreation and Parks AssocationGo Go RunningHarbin ClinicHi Tech SignsJust as I am ChoirJustin FortenberryKansas City Barbeque SocietyKeep Rome-Floyd BeautifulKellogg’sKing & Queen SalonLyndon HuckabeeModel MiddleModel RuitanModel YoungLifeModern Woodmen of AmericaNAIA Chamionship CommittteeNational Recreation and Parks AssicoationNational Youth Sports AllianceNational Youth Sports Coaches AssocaitionNorth Georgia United SoccerOlive GardenOne Step at a Time Dance ClubPaneraParker SystemsPurple HeartsProvino’sRedmond Regional Medical CenterRelay for LifeRetired Teachers

Rome Athletic ClubRome Braves Rome City Police Rome City Public WorksRome Coca ColaRome Floyd Commission on Children and YouthRome-Floyd Sports Hall of Fame MembersRome HighRome Police DepartmentRome Radio PartnersRome Soccer LeagueRome YMCASenior Advisory CouncilSenior Promotions CouncilShorter UniversityShunerSilver SneakersSmax PhotographySnap Happy Camara ClubSweet Frog Frozen YogertTeam 360Telephone PioneersThe American LegionThe ForumTRED (Trails for Recreation and Economic Development of Rome Floyd CountyTrout UnlimitedUnited States Gymanstics FederationUnited States Tennis AssociationUniversity of AlabamaUSA Football

Partners

2013 Special Citation & Volunteer of the Year Award RecipientsKids vs Wild Camp volunteers and participants.

ROME-FLOYD PARKS & RECREATION AUTHORITY 2013