The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Common Council reviews Parks and Recreation policy
ONEIDA, N.Y. » The City of Oneida Common Council met for a special meeting Tuesday to review the Parks and Recreation policy with the help of Luke Griff, director of the City of Oneida Parks and Recreation Department.
The meeting was solely for discussion about potential updates, and no official changes have yet been made.
Items discussed included making sure a full list of rental items is easily seen on the policy, adding associated fees in a clear manner, and investigating the current rental rates compared to other recreation centers to ensure the prices
are in line with the market.
A few topics of discussion resulted in several minutes of debate. One such topic, determining what age an individual can be considered a “supervisor” of a recreation area or can rent the area out themselves, had the council bouncing between 18 years of age and 21. It was determined that for all areas, besides the Kallet Civic Center, 18 was adequate. The Kallet Civic Center should be 21 due to its probability of alcohol involvement, the group concluded.
Ward 3 Councilor Jim Coulthart proposed to add “charitable event” as part of the nonprofit rental fee category, to help out the “do good” events, such as those that raise money for an organ transplant, by allowing them the lower rental fee.
This topic was also met with much debate — What guidelines would constitute a charitable event from a non-charitable event? After much deliberation, it was decided that Coulthart’s idea would not move forward due to the many discrepancies over what events would qualify as charitable to receive the lower nonprofit rental fee.
Volunteer policy was brought up by Ward 1 Councilor Carrie Earl, to which Mayor Helen Acker added that the police department will now be conducting background checks on all recreational volunteers prior to their service. This was decided much prior to Tuesday’s meeting, Acker said. Volunteers needing a background check would include coaches, who make up the majority of regular volunteers.
A member of the public voiced her concerns about sportsmanship and good behavior by volunteers, parents, and staff at recreational events, asking that a code of conduct be added to the policy. Additionally, she praised the decision to start running background checks on volunteers, adding, “I want to make sure that our kids are safe.”
Other topics discussed included adding an exit plan for recreational buildings, going over the insurance policies, updating the website, and adding a separate section to address policies specific to the Kallet Civic Center.
COVID-19 related policies are on hold until more guidance comes from the State or the County Health Department. However, residents should expect guidelines related to wearing a face covering, social distancing, and having no more than 50 people to a group per the state’s guidance.
Residents should also note that the pool will remain closed for the remainder of the summer, according to the Parks and Recreation website.