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Kerri McEvoy has left a new comment on your post "comment":

Dear Lake Adventure,

I read this blog and it makes me sick to continually read the way you bash my mother’s position (the recreation director). If you think that all she does is slap some events and dates on a calendar. YOU ARE DEAD WRONG. Her position involves more than just a June, July and August schedule, believe me, she has been in this position for as long as I can remember. As a child growing up with her and now still seeing the work that she does, you should all be ashamed for your negativity and thinking that she doesn’t deserve benefits or a specific amount of money. I understand your concerns, especially now with the economy in the shamble that it is in. But it simply blows my mind that you are so quick to put another person out of a job, with no money and send them off without benefits. Do you realize that she is a person who is also trying to support a family…. Oh no not to you people. She just some recreation director who only works 2 months of the year, who only schedules a dozen activities and doesn’t have anything else to do for the rest of the year. You should be ashamed.

Do you think the activities can be planned in one day? Do you even now how many hours she spends a day, a week, a month in Lake Adventure? Believe I am sure if you paid her hourly for her work it would amount to much more than the salary she is provided with. The Social Committee makes the suggestions for the calendar, she is told what to put on the calendar and the board approves the calendar before it is sent to print. And it is to my recollection from living with her that the summer calendar is due in March for the board to review. I can also remember her wanting to travel to new places and have different activities available but I think she was always told NO. These new trips that you talk about it’s been tried and when they are put on the calendar no one signs up because no one is willing to pay to go on these trips, you expect to go for free. Sorry but you can’t get trips for 2 bucks or less. Where have you ever lived that you do not have to pay to go on trips, because I would like to live there.


Sweet deal huh? What a ridiculous comment. Where are you when the bathrooms need to be cleaned, or when the swim team needs things open at 6am? Or when people like to get their papers early on a Saturday morning? When a kitchen delivery is being made at the wee hours of the morning? You are still probably nestled in your bed while my mother is already there. And at night when you are sitting down and relaxing after a hard day of sitting at the pool in your political circles, my mother is still working. She just doesn’t do it because she is getting paid, she does is because she loves what she does. You would be sorry if you lost her because I can almost guarantee that no one will put the time, effort and devotion into this position as my mother has and continues to do. I have seen some of the recreation directors in the past in action and needless to say they are no longer there. They were never there after 4 and hardly there on the weekends (and that was during the summer, where were all you people then with your negative commentary?)

Let’s take a look at your salary, your work load, your hours, the people you have to deal with, really I would love to discuss what you do that makes you feel that you are so much better.

I understand Lake Adventure is very important to you all, and like everyone else in America, money is causing everyone to panic. But let’s remember that Lake Adventure is a community where people COME TOGETHER… not rip each other apart.

To all the anonymous “commenters” I love how you can come on here and rip someone apart and not even have the decency or the gumption to put your name with your comment.

Thanks to you Ron and the other anonymous person who appreciates what my mother does for Lake Adventure.

Thanks for your time,

comment + seasonal operations

Anonymous said...
I don't think anyone is debating whether we need a recreation director or not. Of course you have to have someone in that position if you are going to have social activities. I think the major concern is this: Why has this been a full-time position for so many years? It seems to be a bit extreme. Now all of a sudden the BOD can make it an 8-month job (and even entertain the thought of it as possibly a 6-month position). Doesn't that tell you something? If that person can do the same work in 6 or 8 months, why hasn't it been like that all along? And why haven't we had a longer calendar program than late June through August if it has been a full-time position all these years?

Plenty of people are at LA on the weekends. We open our trailer for the season at the end of April and don't close it until the end of October. I'm sure there are plenty of people who do the same thing. Wouldn't it be nice to have some simple clubhouse activities on Saturday nights in the early spring and after Labor Day (besides the one or two we already have)? There is usually a nice turn out for 'Meet the Candidates Night' in the spring and the Octoberfest is standing room only! Again, what does that tell you?

That brings us back to the point that during the off season most people are at Lake Adventure on the weekends - we're not a 9-5, Mon-Fri community. During the off season, the weekends are when we should have a presence of staff from each department and that includes recreation. Maybe then there wouldn't be as many gripes or complaints.

December 4, 2008 5:37 PM


Anonymous said...
15 Years ago we had a rec director who worked only full time in the summer and she also drove the bus to the trips. And we had more trips then we do now. Wonder where she found the time to do two jobs and both were considered part time and we now need someone full time to do one job.

December 4, 2008 4:23 PM



#46

comment + seasonal operations

Anonymous said...
I agree, the position is needed and as I said a lot of behind the scenes work goes into planning before the actual event. Just an ice cream night takes planning, contacting vendors, coordinating times, dates and costs, etc. arranging tables, clean up. Seems like just a little ice cream but a lot of time goes into planning. I worked as an admisistrative admin for years and it took at least an hour or two just to plan a lunch meeting for 10 people so planning something for hundreds, estimating turnout and costs is a lot of work. There are a lot of headaches doing this full time and I and my family appreciate the effort the Rec Director puts in.

December 4, 2008 10:52 AM


Anonymous said...
Up till several years ago the rec director was a seasonal job which had full time hours just for July and August and all the activities were similar. So why does it now take a full time employee or a seasonal employee for 8 months to now do the same job? As far as what activities occur this decision is made by the social committee not the rec director.

December 4, 2008 11:31 AM

comment + seasonal operations

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "comment":


COORDINATING SCHEDULES???? Just take out the calendar for the past few years. How many DIFFERENT items are on there from year to year? Get real!!! You could basically just change the year on the printout and call it your current schedule! If the trips were new and different, maybe there wouldn't be cancelled trips due to lack of participation. And she SHOULD work on Saturday and Sunday, especially during May, June, September and October so there would be activities because the majority of the people who are up at LA those months are there for the weekends! As far as the stress and long hours during the summer - she has a STAFF! It's not a one-person department! An assistant to the director and the actual director should be alternating their hours so that neither one is stuck having to work overtime. It should be the rare occasion such as Lake Adventure Day that anyone on the recreation staff has an overtime schedule.

I'd like to know what board member proposed this glam 8-month deal when originally in August it was proposed as a 6-month CONTRACT position. A contract position would save us money: first 2 months of unnecessary wages, payroll taxes (subcontracted personnel pay their own payroll taxes), and they are not usually eligible for benefits or unemployment.

One last thing, what role does the Social Committee have in regard to the Recreation Department - personnel, activities, etc.?

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Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "comment":

OK YOU ALL PROBLY BEAT UP THE RECS POSITION PRETTY GOOD.KATIE AND HER CREW DO A GREAT JOB AND I THINK ALL OF YOU RUDE AND THOUGHTLESS PEOPLE PROBLY MADE HER THINK HOW LITTLE YOU CARE ABOUT HER JOB AND HER CREW.SHE MIGHT NOT RETURN,WHICH WOULD BE A MAJOR LOSS FOR LA.WE COME UP EVERY WEEKEND AND AT 7AM I GET MY PAPER AND SHES THERE AND AT NIGHT I SEE HER THERE AFTER 8 SOMETIMES,DO THE MATH SHE DOESNT WORK A 40 HOUR WEEK LIKE OTHER DEPARTMENTS,AND ATLEAST I SEE RESULTS,WHICH OUR DAUGHTER ENJOYS,AND ISNT THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.HER AND HER CREW ARE WORTH EVERY PENNY,SO LETS NOT TRY TO LOOSE THEM RON S 66 BLUE ASPEN

comment + 12' wide issue

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "comment + 12' wide issue":

I agree. It seems the town is playing hard ball so before I do anything next spring I'll get a survey. I'm interested in the actual dimensions of my lot anyway so this is a good time to have one done. Appreciate your help.

comment

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "comment + seasonal operations":


What long hours, how many times have we seen her at an activity. Isn't there an assistant rec director that also helps out. Our season is not in June it does not start to the very end of June it is really just July and August which is no more then 10 weeks even with the last week of June and first week of Sept. What exactly would the Rec Director do in the off season we don't have any trips or even activities on the weekends after Labor Day. Just keeping the clubhouse open doesn't count. This whole thing seems very fishy



Anonymous said...
I think the rec director has to start working in late winter/early spring to start coordinating schedules, etc so things for June are probably scheduled in May and researched in April. I also think when working on these things she most likely doesn't work a straight 9-5 Mon-Fri week, she may be working on Sat and Sun depending on what is in the works. If you look at the calendars there is something planned in almost every date. If you ever planned a birthday party for your children you would realize how much work goes into one little afternoon of fun and games so I can't fault the hours as she plans things right into Christmas. The salary, maybe a little high compare to the stress, responsibility and work load of the office workers but given I wouldn't want to do it maybe the salary is justified. Did I read correctly, Total Recreation only sold 4 trailers to LA? $250 each kickback to LA. If 12 wides passed the community stands to make a good amount of money from the dealer. I know a few came in from other dealers.

December 3, 2008 10:20 PM