Latest news with #ParksDepartment
CTV News
10 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Toronto searching for new Parks and Recreation head
The Toronto sign in Nathan Phillips Square is shown at city hall in Toronto on Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Buhler The City of Toronto is searching for a new head for its Parks & Recreation department following a sudden departure. Howie Dayton, who headed up the department since April 2024, is no longer in his role, sources told CTV News Toronto. The city did not comment on the change or provide any reason. Just a couple of weeks ago Dayton helped unveil a program to allow local residents to sign up early for recreation programs in some areas. However, his departure follows a year in which the department faced criticism multiple times. Last year, Toronto's auditor general released a pair of damning reports on the department. One of them revealed some parks staff were allegedly falsifying their time sheets, hanging out plazas, malls and restaurants for hours when they said they were doing maintenance work in city parks. City staff later told the audit committee that they made a 'business decision' not to install GPS trackers in some of the department's vehicles, even though doing so was relatively cheap. Another report found that it took months for some repairs to be made to park benches and playground equipment. In some cases, city staff failed to identify any problems at all at parks where there was rusty playground equipment and holes burned through park benches. The department was also responsible for overseeing procurement for two new electric ferries. It was revealed in July that while the cost of the ferry replacement had been budgeted at $25 million, the estimate for the purchase had ballooned to $92 million. Some city councillors suggested at the time that the department may have been in over its head when it came to handling the large purchase. Nevertheless, Mayor Olivia Chow's latest budget in February handed the department a 13 per cent increase, bringing its total budget to around $599 million. Some councillors slammed the move, but Chow's office defended the increase at the time, saying none of the additional funds would go to the failing parts of the department, but to instead hire 478 new staff to expand existing programs. Dayton was the director of community recreation at the city for nearly nine years before becoming the acting general manager of the Parks, Forestry and Recreation department in September 2023. Last year he made around $268,000 in his role, according to Ontario's public sector salary disclosure, also known as the Sunshine List. As of Tuesday afternoon, the city's website still listed him as head of the Parks and Recreation department. In an email, the city said Tom Azouz will serve as the Acting General Manager of Parks and Recreation 'effective while the recruitment process for the permanent GM of Parks and Recreation is underway.' Mayor Olivia Chow's office did not respond to an email asking if she was involved in discussions to pick a new head for the department. Dayton declined to comment on his departure. With files from CTV Toronto's Natalie Johnson
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
City partners with Goshen Schools to offer swimming this summer
GOSHEN — Public swimming will be available at Goshen Community Schools' indoor pool this summer while the Shanklin Park pool remains closed. From now through Aug. 1, residents can attend open swim and Red Cross-certified swim lessons at the Goshen Community Schools Aquatic Center, 1216 S. Indiana Ave. The indoor pool will serve as the city's main swim site after the closure of Shanklin Pool. 'Our city and schools always step up when the community needs us,' Mayor Gina Leichty said in the announcement from the city. 'While we don't yet know the fate of Shanklin Pool, we remain committed to working together in the best interest of our residents. Especially our kids.' The city paused the $12 million pool rehab project earlier this year thanks to uncertainty over the impact of funding cuts included in Indiana's new two-year budget and in Senate Bill 1. Goshen had completed design work and secured local support, but elected officials chose to delay construction until they better understood how the legislation will affect city finances. In the meantime, the Parks Department prioritized swim access for youth and families through the partnership with GCS, according to information from the city. Open swim runs Monday through Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Aquatic Center will not be available for open swim on June 7, June 19-20 and June 30 and on July 1-6, July 11-12 and July 18-26. Certified instructors will lead swim lessons Monday through Friday from 3:15 to 6 p.m. Sessions cost $55 and follow American Red Cross standards. Classes are available for beginners ages 5 and older, and for parents with children ages 1 to 5. Residents can register online at The site also allows daily pass purchases and waiver submission for youth ages 14 to 17 to attend without an adult, though a fee applies to all credit card purchases. Daily admission is $5 and children age 2 and under swim free. The city will not offer season passes in 2025. For more information, call Goshen Parks and Recreation at 574-534-2901. In addition to indoor swim options, the City of Goshen offers three free splash pads open daily through the summer. All three operate every day from noon to 8 p.m., May 25 through Aug. 25, weather permitting. Walnut Park Splash Pad is located on the city's north side at East Oakridge Avenue between Fifth and Sixth streets, Pringle Park Splash Pad is on West Lincoln Avenue between Greene Road and Indiana Avenue and Rieth Park Splash Pad is on 13th Street between Iowa and Illinois streets on the south side. City leaders around three years ago started looking at replacing Shanklin Pool, which was originally built in 1969. They settled on an overhaul plan that includes replacing the aging pool and support buildings that are beyond their functional lifespan with a modern facility. The design includes a beach entry, water slides, toddler bay, basketball goal, shaded lounging areas and cabanas. Construction was set to begin this year, but city council followed Leichty's recommendation in March and voted to pause the $14 million bond process and shift focus to fundraising and grant-writing.
New York Post
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Retta reveals details about 'Parks and Rec' cast group chat
The 'Parks and Recreation' cast will always be family. Retta, who played Donna Meagle on the hit NBC sitcom, exclusively told The Post that the cast is still in touch — and often. 'We have a group text where everyone shares graduations, birthdays, running into old crew members, because everyone ends up working with the crew from the original show, and so whenever we're with somebody else from the crew, we send pictures,' she said. 9 Retta in Season 4 of 'Parks and Recreation.' ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection 9 Nick Offerman, Aubrey Plaza, Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Amy Poehler, Jim O'Heir, Rashida Jones, Chris Pratt, Retta, Rob Lowe in 'Parks and Rec.' ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection Retta, Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Paul Schneider and Jim O'Heir starred in the mockumentary series about a fictional Indiana town's Parks Department. After seven seasons, the series ended in Feb. 2015. Retta, who spoke to The Post about the new season of HGTV's 'Ugliest House in America,' confirmed that she would 'of course' do a 'Parks and Recreation' reunion project. 9 Retta speaks at the 'Hit Man' screening in New York in June 2024. Getty Images for Netflix The 'Good Girls' alum also revealed that she watched Scott's hit Apple TV+ drama series 'Severance.' 'I just finished it yesterday,' she told The Post. Nearly the entire 'Parks' cast has spoken about their infamous group chat since the show ended. 9 Retta, Adam Scott, Amy Poehler, Chris Pratt, Aubrey Plaza, Nick Offerman in 'Parks and Rec.' ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection 9 Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, Retta in 'Parks and Rec.' ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection On Monday, Offerman, 54, revealed that the cast was texting 'all day' about co-star Jonathan Joss' tragic death. Joss, who played Chief Ken Hotate, was shot and killed Sunday night at his property in San Antonio, Texas, following an alleged dispute with his neighbor. 'We're just heartbroken,' Offferman said in a statement to People. 9 Jonathan Joss in 'Parks and Rec.' NBC 9 Nick Offerman in 'Parks and Rec.' Mitchell Haaseth/NBC In November, O'Heir, who played Jerry Gergich, said on NPR's 'Book of the Day' podcast about the group chat, 'It's generally, like, Retta is the queen of history, and Retta will just post some random thing that happened.' 'She goes, 'This was 10 years ago today,' and then we all just go on a rant about whatever that was about,'' the 63-year-old shared. O'Heir added: 'It's just personal. It's people who, to this day, are good friends, and we love each other.' 9 Rashida Jones, Amy Poehler, Retta in 'Parks and Rec.' ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection Last July, Jones, 49, confirmed on 'Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen' that the text chain was 'very active.' Meanwhile, Scott, 52, said in a 2022 interview with Access Hollywood, 'Everybody's in pretty close contact. It's a tight group.' Earlier this year, Jones told GoldDerby that she's 'ready any time' to join a 'Parks and Recreation' revival. 9 Amy Poehler, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Nick Offerman, Retta, Aziz Ansari in 'Parks and Recreation' Season 6. ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection 'Oh man, I hope sometime soon,' said Jones, who played Ann Perkins. 'I know [creator] Mike Schur was like, 'There has to be a reason for us to do it. We can't just do it.' But I would love that.' Schur, for his part, addressed the possibility of a revival with Variety in 2019. 'I don't feel like we left anything on the table. I would never ever say never,' Schur stated. 'The chance to do it again, should it arise, would be incredible, but we would only do it if we all felt like there was something compelling us to do it.' 'If one single person said no, we wouldn't do it,' he added.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
County to celebrate renovation of Gallegos Skatepark
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — El Paso County will celebrate the renovation of Gallegos Skatepark with a ceremony this weekend. The ribbon-cutting celebration will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 31, at 7361 Bosque Rd. in Canutillo. Community members are encouraged to join County leaders as they unveil a dynamic new recreational space designed with local skaters in mind, according to the news release by the County. The County said the project was completed as part of the County's 2021 Parks Master Plan and partially funded by a Texas Parks and Wildlife Grant. It features an expansive new skate layout and a brand-new adventure course. 'This celebration also highlights the recent passage of the 2024 Capital Improvement Bond, which will bring even more improvements to Gallegos Park and parks countywide,' read the news release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Popular Bellingham trail will be closed into the fall for fish ladder project
Part of a popular Bellingham hiking and biking path will close for several months starting in June as part of a project to replace an aging fish ladder and culverts that limit access for spawning salmon and other native fish on Padden Creek. A detour is planned around the closure on the Interurban Trail, which connects the Fairhaven business district with Fairhaven Park, the Hundred Acre Wood and also with Larrabee State Park and beyond. A section of the Interurban Trail will close between 12th and 14th streets south of Old Fairhaven Parkway. City officials are planning an open house to discuss the $4.3 million project from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. June 9 at Happy Valley Elementary School, 1041 24th St. A grant from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife is paying for nearly all the cost of design and construction, according to a memo from the Public Works Department. City Council members unanimously approved a construction contract May 19. Analiese Burns, the habitat and restoration manager in the Natural Resources Division of Public Works, said the trail closure is required while in-stream work is being done from late June through fall. 'We know that's also a busy time for trail users. We've been coordinating with the Parks Department to make sure that (the public is) aware. Luckily, there are quite a few sidewalks that people can use alternative routes,' Burns told a City Council committee on May 19. Work should be done by February, she said. To allow salmon and other fish better access upstream to spawn, a culvert will be removed near 14th Street and replaced with an arch, providing daylight for Padden Creek. At 12th Street, a fish ladder will be replace with a natural-looking sloped boulder field. 'This fish ladder was installed many decades ago and we hoped that that would be a fix for fish. We now know that a lot of fish cannot make it up that barrier,' Burns told the committee. After construction is complete, the city will keep an eye on how fish are using the boulder field, Burns said. 'This is a little bit of a tricky spot in that the stream is fairly steep in this region. We've all decided, including the tribes and Department of Fish and Wildlife, this is the best path forward. This project will have more than a normal feel from the fish perspective,' Burns said. Padden Creek, which runs from Lake Padden to a lagoon on the Fairhaven waterfront, is home to several species of salmon and other natives fish, Public Works Department spokeswoman Stefanie Cilinceon told The Herald. 'This project will benefit all fish species present in Padden Creek, including chum, coho, Chinook, steelhead and sea-run cutthroat trout. Padden Creek is primarily a chum salmon stream and the existing barriers have impacted chum more than other fish because of their relatively weak swimming and jumping abilities. Therefore, chum salmon are likely to benefit the most,' Cilinceon said in an email. 'A roughened channel design composed of slightly larger stream bed material will help maintain stability throughout the re-constructed channel and boulders will be used to create pools, small resting areas, and force multiple flow paths throughout this steep stream reach. Larger pools will also be constructed — providing additional resting opportunities for fish — and large logs will be incorporated to provide additional stability and stream channel complexity, as well as to help maintain scour pools over the shallow bedrock. Collectively, all of these habitat features will serve to improve fish passage,' she said.
