With fall on the horizon, the Recreation and Parks Commission spent time at its Sept. 23 meeting reviewing past successful summer events and discussing those upcoming on the calendar. To start the meeting, Meena Janmohamed, the city’s emergency management manager, reviewed plans to test the outdoor warning systems on Sept. 29 and Oct. 17. The outdoor warning systems were installed to increase public safety, making announcements in English, Farsi and Spanish. While the system was primarily designed for wildlife safety, the hope is that it will be used for many disaster warnings. The commission noted that this would be one of the strategies used to promote public safety along with texts, calls and radio announcements.
Librarian Andy Leinbach discussed the success of the recent Summer Reading Club, which has experienced a 20% increase from previous years. The club celebrated over 287 participants who completed the program, ranging from middle and high school students to adults. The program encouraged participants to come to the library to complete reading logs in exchange for prizes such as a free book. Other features of the Summer Reading Club included a teen volunteer-led craft lab and a storytime led by Nami, the police dog, which boasted 103 attendees.
