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.?

comment + seasonal operations

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

I totally agree with using mostly seasonal staffing. I think though, some of the full time off-season employees should not be working a M-F schedule because property owners mainly go to LA only on the weekends during that time period. There should be some kind of weekend coverage. For example, Thanksgiving weekend is a four day weekend for a lot of people. If the weather stays relatively mild, quite a few might show up at LA sometime over that weekend. But will anyone be available if there is an emergency with the electric or water (which seems to be happening more often)? The office and maintenance will both be closed. It would be interesting to see a survey of what everyone thinks about staffing--what should be seasonal, full-time vs. part-time, weekends vs. weekday, etc.

You also made a very good point about activities. There is so much more that could be happening at LA, especially on the weekends and without costing property owners any added expense for admission to the activity. Maybe it's me, but it seems you have to pay to go to just about any activity that is provided by LA. The natural elements and features of the park are not being used to their fullest potential.


anon -- yes i agree that between labor day and the spring the most member usage is weekends and the thanksgiving holiday--- there should be a winter schedule off season schedule for the maintebance operations that covers 7 days a week-- office operations should be 8am to 12n everyday 7 days a week -- i come from a background of employment for which we were responsible to operate 365 days a year and 24 hours a day -- there had to always be coverage no matter what happened -- we always had several hundred people working on the off shifts and 5000 on the day shift -- we never closed so i know how you run a facility that is here for the members and not for the employees -- members come first and everyone else next -- that is not the practice here at la and that's wrong and should be corrected

hell i worked 15 years every weekend and holidays and had thursday off --the only day we closed in that 15 years was the day jfk was buried -- we closed--- it was great but you know that's the way our business ran and you just did what you had to do-- it was the job

yes activities here at la could be so much better without a lot of extra cost but with a little direction and planning and proper distribution of labor it could be better -- if the community members are engaged in activities they then are more interested in getting to la more frequently-- now it is only busy memorial day, 4tth of july, la day and labor day holidays -- that's pathetic that la is becoming a nothing in members lives -- we need an improvement!!!!!

comment + seasonal operations

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

It seems like most of the property owners share the same views about staff during the off season. The position of manager, which is most critical, is overlooked and we keep a recreation director all year For what, organize dances for the Chipmunks and Turkeys? Come on people we are spending money like it's going out of style on these people. The office manager and asst. are necessary but the other positions are just draining the budget, but, no one on the board cares where the money goes because if they want more they will raise the dues again. This board is going to bankrupt us the way they are going with no one accountable of spending or management of the staff and until they hire a real manager, at this point we NEED a manager. Wake up other property owners and verse your opinions.


anon -- i think la should operate on a seasonal basis with full time staffing with seasonal part time help being on board from may through labor day -- after labor day la should go out of season staffing with reduced operating schedules and reduced staffing to reflect the community usage - a considerable amount of payroll could be reduced during the out of season operations -- this reduction could be used to enhance the in season staffing to pump up the summer activities schedules-- get activities that expand on the la features and add some new activity features to reflect the interests of people today --expanded activities could be scheduled for weekends all summer -- they could be expanded water features such as canoe racing. kayak racing, inflatables racing, water polo, enhanced sports such as pick up games for volley ball. basketball, t ball games, softball games, mountain bike races, tennis clinics and pick up games, summer weekend sport clinics for various youth groups -- this would be in addition to the other activities that la has had in other seasons -- the biggest and best being the wildly successful dolphins swim team activity--
additional people would be necessary for these activities but there are plenty of people that can be hired part time and seasonal in teaching fields, sports programs and outdoor activity programs to staff these operations throughout the summer-- this would then be more relevant activities schedules for the entire family with men and their children having a selection of la sponsored activities-- the expansion of la activities should get more members involved in la and that would be good for the entire community

la needs to be more interesting to the whole family not just kids, seniors, and the dolphins program (the dolphins program is an excellent model for what can happen when la offers programs that the members are interested in and want to participate with their children)

#69