The opening of the GBRC Activity Center last October tops the list of highlights for the Great Bend Recreation Commission, which released its 2009-10 annual report this week.
The recreation commission is funded by user fees, grants and property taxes collected in its service area, which corresponds to Great Bend Unified School District 428.
A total of 15,484 people enrolled in recreational activities. In this report, a person is counted one time for "enrollment." A person may be counted multiple times as a "participant" or "spectator." For example, if 10 people attended a six-week exercise course twice a week, that would be recorded as 120 participating (10 x 6 x 2).
GBRC programs had 155,483 participants plus 65,345 spectators, for a total of 220,906. This number has grown each year since 2006-07 (the earliest date referenced in the report), when the total was 178,176.
The GBRC provided 15,095 hours of supervised recreation programs, using 156 part-time and seasonal staff to provide hundreds of recreation programs. The average cost per enrollee was $12.93.
GBRC provided $18,587 in scholarships for economically challenged individuals or senior discounts. This figure was down from $20,035 the previous year, but higher than the $16,373 in 2007-08.
Other highlights of the past year include:
• 96 teams participated in the Walk Kansas program, cosponsored by the Barton County Extension Council.
• The Lite & Lively program for special needs populations completed its third year, with 813 participating. This fitness program was initiated through a grant from the Golden Belt Community Foundation.
• GBRC provided the sponsorship for the Hap Dumont Tournament in July. Hap Dumont baseball tournaments for boys 11 years old and younger were also offered in April and June. A total of 1,001 youths and their families participated.
• GBRC provided 1,040 hours of youth sports practices for its teams. A total of 26,003 youth actively participated in these practices.
• The STEPS exercise classes were offered at no charge to people 60 years of age and older. Due to popular demand, two sessions were offered this past year. STEPS is sponsored by a grant from the Kansas Department on Aging. A total of 5,432 adults participated.
• Stop ‘N Learn sessions provided 408 hour hours of educational information through collaboration of local businesses and government agencies. A total of 1,054 people attended these sessions at the Recreation Center or Senior Center.
• Beauty and the Beast was the summer children’s theater production, viewed by 252 people at the Crest Theater.
