Recommend Council approve Recreation Specialist, Senior Citizens Programs - Full Time

Bottom Line Up Front: Programs and Services for Seniors requires as full-time Recreation Specialist and there is a revenue stream to support it.

Issue: City Council approval is required to add full-time positions

Discussion:  

Carla Kress’s superior stewardship of programs and services for seniors has grown available resources available to support those programs and services by establishing strategic partnerships, leveraging proactive creative marketing, and approaching community engagement strategic intentionality.  As a result of Carla’s efforts, the community saw a dramatic increase in participation from 2017 to 2018 without increasing the budget requirements.

The strategic partnerships Carla has established have provided key resources and infrastructure in order to reduce barriers to access that have historically prevented many of Shakopee’s seniors from participating in community events.  Carla was able to broker an agreement with All Saints Senior Living (POC Lori Gerval) through the assistance of proactive Shakopee leaders, whereby All Saints 15 pax ADA bus is now available (at no cost) to support our programs. She is also in negotiations with Benedictine Health System to secure a brand-new bus connected to the new Windermere development (POC Kay Groevel) as well as permissions to use a bus currently supporting St. Gertrude’s Health and Rehab Center (POC Yvonne Anderson). 

These transportation assets effectively eliminate the high cost of travel expenses for each trip and special event, saving between $300 and $800 per event depending on the number of participants.  In addition, Carla has become an active partner in a collaborative group of Scott/Carver County Senior Providers (CSSP).  These CSSP partners have provided quality presentations and supported special events which have reduced or outright eliminated the cost of these opportunities for Shakopee Seniors.  Carla continues to pursue opportunities to expand these partnerships in order to offer Shakopee Seniors valuable opportunities that significantly improve their quality of life without having to increase the budget for senior programs and services. Conversations continue with BHS and with Scott County CDA (Terri Kosse) on ways to grow emerging partnerships, and we need to increase Carla’s availability to pursue those partnerships by bringing her full-time. 

Chaska is a city almost ½ the size of Shakopee, they offer fewer programs for seniors, yet they’re able to their senior programs with two full-time staff.

The Ice Arena is successfully generating revenues as a result of the efforts of staff and council and the focus on Ice Arena revenue generation.  By choosing to leverage Ice Arena revenues to plug the gap between part-time and full-time, the council provides Carla with more time to pursue and maintain our important strategic partnerships, more time to develop creative solutions which lower operating costs, more time to identify ways and means of improving the quality of services we offer our citizens.  Choosing to bring Carla full-time gives citizens more time to benefit from her legacy of amazing support for Shakopee Seniors.