Tag Archives: report

Increased usage at Wyoming’s parks demonstrates its important health role

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wkv.org

One of Wyoming’s Park and Recreation’s big accomplishments this year was the reopening of Jackson Park. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

If you wonder how much of a resource of health and public welfare the City of Wyoming’s parks have served during the pandemic, consider this: reservations at the parks was at 30,000 hours, a 77 percent increase over 2020.

This was part of the 2021 annual Community Impact Report released last week by the City of Wyoming Community Services Department’s Parks and Recreation.

“Today, access to recreation resources have never been more sought after or needed for public health and welfare,” said Rebecca Rynbrandt, director of community services for the City of Wyoming. “This report provides the public with the transparency needed to affirm we are investing tax dollars wisely, meeting, and in many ways exceeding, resident expectations in providing parks and recreation services during the pandemic.”

The community impact report highlights the ways parks and recreation programs from the past year promoted community health and wellness, child development, economic development, and provided many avenues to build unity and community strength.

 

Rynbrandt noted during the Dec. 13 city council work session that in 2020-2021 year, the department offered 251 programs. During the epicenter of the pandemic in 2020, it offered 158 programs.

“Of course we saw a significant increase in use of our parks and recreation resources and facilities because that is what [people] were encouraged to do, get outside in order to play,” Rynbrandt said.

Another example of increase parks and recreation was the softball program which had a record year of 1,200 participants during the spring and summer.

Rynbrandt said staff worked to adapt by offering virtual programs and working with outdoor programming. When programs were able to return inside, staff ensured that the required social distancing, mask requirements, etc, were met.

Many programs this past year were modified to ensure public safety during the pandemic and exemplified the ways that parks and recreation services are essential to community resiliency and sustainability. Once such an example of adaptability was the Rec at Home kits with families stopping by Wyoming’s city hall to pick up the kits.

“For those of you who may have been here we had people coming to the back door and picking up so that we were able to adapt and provide that family a positive time alternative they could do with their families in the presence of their home or they could go outside in a public park,” Rynbrandt said.

The City of Wyoming partners with Godwin, Godfrey, and Wyoming public schools for its TEAM 21 program. (courtesy photo)

Parks and recreation is critical to child development, Rynbrandt said. TEAM, 12, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s 21st Community Learning Centers grant, provides summer and after school programs for students in Godwin, Godfrey-Lee and Wyoming public schools. The program served about 900 children this year, which was down from pre-pandemic, which would average between 1,200 to 1,400 students per year.

Despite the limitations due to the pandemic, the program had 121 children on wait lists, according to Rynbrandt.

 

“[TEAM 21] is one of the most important programs where we impact the mental, physical, social, and scholastic health of our community’s children, Rynbrandt said.

The city also has an impact on the senior population. Through its partnership with the Meals on Wheels program, the city was able to provide 7,488 meals for socially isolated older adults. Rynbrand noted that this was a drive through program at the senior center.

 

Vaccine clinics and tree plantings were other activities provided through the Wyoming Department of Parks and Recreation.

 

As for the financial overview, about 52 percent of the Parks and Recreation budget goes directly into park facilities and maintenance, six percent is in the senior center, eight percent into recreation, and about 20 percent into TEAM 21, which is through the grant program.

 

The city features 23 parks and recreation facilities, including the Wyoming Senior Center, located throughout the city’s 700 acres of parkland.

To view the annual Community Impact Report, visit https://www.wyomingmi.gov/About-Wyoming/City-Departments/Parks-and-Recreation/Annual-Report.

For more information about Parks and Recreation programs and events please contact the City of Wyoming Parks and Recreation team by calling 616-530-3164, emailing parks_info@wyomingmi.gov, or visiting www.wyomingmi.gov

KDL celebrates year of change, resiliency and adaptability

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming,

By Katie Zuidema
Kent District Library

The Kent District Library 2020 Annual Report tells the story of a year of drastic change and major accomplishments. The annual report is available for download at kdl.org/AnnualReport, and highlights numerous community needs that were met during unprecedented times, including:

 

  • In response to having to cancel all in-person events, 1,402 live-streamed events were created to bring the library into homes and viewed 471,809 times.
  • While branches were closed to in-person visits, curbside service delivered 432,582 items for 125,024 pickups.
  • Though the circulation of physical materials decreased, the circulation of digital materials increased by 31%, to 1.7 million items.
  • 800 new Mobile WiFi Hotspots were added to the collection to meet the needs of at-home students and workers, and were checked out 2,888 times.
  • On January 24, 2020, the Men of Color Read initiative was launched in Kent County. Over 25 men met at the Martin Luther King Leadership Academy to read to small groups of children. The pandemic put a pause on in-school visits, but MOCR is continuing with a live-streamed program.
  • Talking Book & Braille Center circulation increased by 38%.


“Last year certainly brought its challenges, but we never allowed those challenges to stop us from serving our communities – our impact continued,” said Executive Director Lance Werner. “Our branches were closed for a time, but the library never closed.”

For more detailed information, including a breakdown of statistics by branch and municipality, check out the 2020 Impact Report at kdl.org/ImpactReport.

Kent District Library is pleased to launch a 2021-2023 Strategic Plan. The plan will guide KDL’s purpose to further all people by highlighting three strategic focuses: 1.) Equity, Diversity and Inclusion 2.) Engagement and Service and 3.) Sustainability. Details of the new strategic plan can be viewed at kdl.org/strategic-plan. 

Kent District Library celebrates year of growth, changes and record numbers

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, City of Kentwood, City of Wyoming, ,

By Katie Zuidema
Kent District Library

The Kent District Library 2019 Annual Report tells the story of another year of new initiatives and increases in the use of library resources. The annual report is available for download at kdl.org/2019AnnualReport, highlighting numerous community needs that are routinely met by the library, including:

  • Nearly 3,000 children (kindergarten through third grade) launched to reading success with Mission: Read. 
  • The total number of active library card holders increased by 7 percent, bringing the total to 174,795. 
  • KDL was the first library in the United States to offer MagnusCards, a resource for people with autism and other special cognitive needs. 
  • A record number of people completed the annual summer reading program. 
  • Late fines for unreturned materials are traditionally thought of as a way to encourage people to return items, but since going fine free, the library has experienced a sharp increase in the speed and volume of returns. 
  • The KDL Bookmobile completed its first full year on the road, serving 22,421 people. 
  • The library was recognized as one of West Michigan’s Best and Brightest Companies to work for, an honor that was raised to the national level earlier this year. 

“The needs in the community are constantly changing, and libraries are quick and agile in response,” said Lance Werner, KDL’s Executive Director. “Agility helped us to quickly respond to COVID-19. We’ve literally re-engineered the library, so people can enjoy nearly everything from the safety and convenience of their homes.” 


Since closing the library to public visits, KDL has pivoted to shift all programming online and launch curbside pickup. Additionally, the annual summer reading program has been totally reconfigured so people of all ages can fully participate from home using a workbook that was mailed to all cardholder households or through the new Beanstack app. 

 

In the months of May and June this year, circulation of digital materials increased 61 percent compared to the same months in 2019.