Concord’s Park & Rec creates new style of programs
CONCORD, CA—With challenge comes opportunity, and this pandemic has certainly forced many organizations to get creative about how they offer programs and services to our community. One such group that has had to be innovative this year is our city’s Parks & Recreation Department.
Developing personal relationships and interacting with community members through classes and activities is what they do best. When COVID-19 forced the city to make the difficult decision to cancel most summer programming, close facilities and shut down Camp Concord for the season, it was devastating not just for our residents, but for our staff as well.
Our dedicated staff did not lose hope, though, and they figured out how to add value to our Concord community given the rules and regulations of our new reality. Staff modified summer day camps at Centre Concord, Markham Nature Park and Willow Pass Park to follow health department guidelines, meeting in small cohorts and eliminating field trips.
Knowing that many residents wanted to continue to be active with yoga, Zumba, line dancing and more, we introduced virtual recreation classes through a variety of free pre-recorded videos. Many of our in-person classes have gone virtual with Zoom, featuring dozens of exercise and enrichment classes led by qualified instructors. Fall classes are just getting started, and the new catalog is online at cityofconcord.org/894/Activity-e-Guide.
Our parks and open space continue to be well-loved and used for dog walking, hiking, picnics and other same-household activities. Health order restrictions continue to prevent us from allowing large gatherings such as games and tournaments, but some small teams (fewer than 14 kids) can request athletic field permits for team practices.
Reserve time to swim
In addition, lap swimming in our beautiful, Olympic-size pool is a popular fitness option. Our new online reservation system allows swimmers to reserve a 45-minute time slot. Concord residents and lap swim pass holders can sign up for the upcoming week after 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Understanding that working families need help during the week, our Parks & Rec team recently launched Explore N’ More, a temporary full-day child-care program. The program, for children in TK-8th grade, is designed to assist families in distance learning, provide supervision for youth and teens and offer recreational activities during the week. It runs 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Friday at the Willow Pass Community Center, and spots are still available for the October session. Explore N’ More will also provide an after-school program 2-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Register at cityofconcord.org/452/Youth-Adult-Programs.
While many people (my family included) were bummed to miss family camp at Camp Concord this year, our staff used the opportunity to perform maintenance work, including building new cabin decks. Although our partner, the nonprofit Friends of Camp Concord, had to cancel its annual golf tournament fundraiser, they came up with a creative new way to connect with supporters by hosting a virtual campout on Saturday, Oct. 24. Visit friendsofcampconcord.org/smore/. We continue to be very grateful for their longstanding support.
Lastly, I am excited about the prospect of bringing Esports to Concord. Esports is a competition using video games. I pitched this idea to our Parks & Rec team earlier this year, and we are working on a pilot program that will be rolled out before the end of 2020. Stay tuned for more details.
These are just some examples of how our hard-working and creative city staff is keeping life moving in Concord. Please join me in thanking them.
Mayor Tim McGallian can be reached at 925.671.2489 or email Tim.McGallian@cityofconcord.org