See You at the BORC – the Ongoing Transition of Bay Oaks
With all the talk about Bay Oaks being taken over by the Town, there has been some concern amongst our readers that their favorite programs would be discontinued, or that they would no longer be able to use the facility as they once did. The Sand Paper decided to speak to a few folks who are working directly with the takeover to let our readers know exactly what to expect.
Nicole Olsen is the Public Services Supervisor for the Town of Fort Myers Beach. She has served in that capacity for the past three and a half years, taking care of the pool contract, the Farmer's Market and special events. It's no wonder then that she was tapped to be the Bay Oaks Transition Coordinator, and it is she who is responsible for reporting to Town Council as to what is happening with Bay Oaks.
“People should be excited because this is an opportunity to build something that's focused on our community and what our community wants,” she said of the transition. “Way back when Ft. Myers Beach incorporated, the County intended to one day turn Bay Oaks over to us, and the Town has been partially funding it all this time.”
Nicole told us that as of October 1st, all property buildings and equipment will belong to the Town. “Now, the Town needs to figure out how we're going to make up the difference, money wise,” she said.
“The Council has instructed to staff to move forward as ‘all-systems-go',” said Olsen. “All programs are going to stay. There may be some changes that will come about as we learn to be creative in respect to the budget, but just because something changes, that doesn't mean it has to be a bad change, just a change.”
She assured us that the Town fully intends on continuing programs like Bay Oaks Social Seniors, summer camp, Club Rec and athletic leagues like Little League and flag football.
“Some of these programs are currently run by city employees, with Little League, flag football and soccer run by volunteers,” said Nicole. “The Town will be looking for as many volunteers as possible, and will post both volunteer and paid jobs on our website – www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov. We are looking first at island residents during the hiring process, although former county employees are welcome to apply.”
As far as those who are nervous about who might be hired to work with kids, Nicole assured us that the Town takes safety very seriously.
“We do a thorough background check on everyone – even our street performers,” she said.
“I would like to have the new staff (ours) in place a couple of weeks before the Town takes over on October 1st so that they can start interacting with people and the kids can get used to the new faces,” she said. “Town staff is working with the Council to make that happen.”
Olsen sent the Sand Paper a copy of a memo that she composed on Wednesday to update the Council, Public Works Director Jack Green, and Town Manager Scott Janke as to the staff's progress with the transition.
“Staff is working hard to establish a full package for the Town's acquisition of the Bay Oaks Recreational Campus (BORC) to ensure a smooth transition for the public and a successful program going forward that can evolve based on community needs and interests,” she wrote. “Below is a summary of some of the activities staff has been involved in:
“Based on Council discussions, the proposed budget has been amended to include more pool hours, a part time senior program coordinator, and a contingency for more staffing if needed.”
“Connections have been made through the Chamber of Commerce to tie the BORC into large, established events on the Beach, bringing awareness and potential customers directly to the center. Some considerations include the Pirate Festival, Calusa Blueway Paddling Festival, Sandsculpting Festival, and others.”
“A Bay Oaks Social Seniors (BOSS) “Steering Committee” is in the works and is slated to meet the third Thursday of each month at 11:30am at the BORC. The first meeting will be held July 16th. The purpose of this committee is to give BOSS members a chance to directly participate in the future of their group by allowing them to bring their suggestions and concerns to staff members and to help with the preparation of the monthly BOSS activities calendar.”
“Job descriptions are being developed based on expected Town need and current County descriptions for similar positions.”
“A potential programming and events calendar is beginning to take shape dependent on budget approval and a signed interlocal agreement.”
“Staff met with a FL League of Cities representative specializing in risk management to determine the feasibility, risk and insurance requirements for various activities under consideration including kayak rentals, lock-ins, field trips, etc. This meeting shed light on the exposure associated with special events, the use of Town vehicles to transport participants, and other issues pertinent to BORC operations. All of this information will be considered for programming, operations and policy development.”
“Work has begun with local printers to find economical, interesting merchandise to develop and strengthen the BORC brand.”
“Development has begun on the BORC section of the Town's website, which will come online after the interlocal agreement is signed and Council has approved the proposed budget.”
“Staff continues to meet and work with County staff and observe County programs and employee training in an effort to garner as much institutional knowledge as possible.”
“The Bay Oaks Advisory Committee (BOAC) will meet at BORC this month with Town staff. It is hopeful that the committee will be able to work with staff in public awareness efforts and program development.”
“The building inspection and mold testing of the recreation center and out buildings was completed on June 25th by Able Home Inspections. Major repairs indicated on the inspection report include the gymnasium roof. The inspector found evidence of active roof leakage and recommends major repairs or complete replacement including the replacement of the insulation. Other major repairs include the extensive repair or replacement of gutters, repairs and maintenance to exterior support columns that are deteriorating, and attention to siding and soffit to include repairs and replacement of some panels. Also listed as a major repair are the replacement of the water heater, extensive repair or replacement of the concession stand and restrooms roofs, and the repair to tennis court lights that are twisted and inoperable. No elevated mold conditions were found inside the recreation center. The building inspection report is available for review at Town Hall.”
Nicole wanted folks to make note of the fact that what is happening with the Fort Myers Beach Community Pool has nothing to do with Bay Oaks.
“I've had people ask me, “so you're sacrificing the pool to save Bay Oaks”,” she said. “Nothing could be further from the truth, and we are not sacrificing anything. The decision to terminate management of the pool and run it with Town staff was made months ago before Bay Oaks was even on the table. We have now decided to make the pool part of the Bay Oaks Recreational Campus (B.O.R.C.). After August, the pool will remain open on the weekends, and for certain scheduled times during the week for lap swimmers and special events. The reason we decided to do this is because we looked at the number of attendees and realized there were a lot of times during the winter months that we were paying someone to be there and very few people showed up to use it. We do plan on having it open every day during the week between Christmas and New Years and again in the summer months.”
Nicole told us that she welcomes any and all public input.
“Bay Oaks will be run by islanders for the first time,” she said. “That's why it's important for people to share their comments and suggestions with us. My door is always open – even for complaints. I want to make sure I know what our residents want. We are going to take this change and make it positive.”
Councilwoman Jo List told us that the most important thing to know is that Bay Oaks will stay open.
“I want to applaud the people on our staff,” she said. “They have done a phenomenal job of taking this over in mid-flight. We were told by County Staff just a couple of months ago that – no matter what – Bay Oaks was going to be ours as of October 1st. Now the county commissioners are aware that this service (Bay Oaks) is important to their constituents and they've told us that they're not going to let it just close down. But we, as a Town, are going to move forward with this transition because the less they (County) has to help us with staffing, the more help we'll get in other areas.”
Lee County Commission Chairman Ray Judah echoed List's words, saying that the County would help in several areas.
“We are going to provide capital dollars to ensure that the Town has enough money for the transition of Bay Oaks,” he told us. “We're going to be repairing the roof at County cost, and provide operational dollars to help them through this phase.”
“We are going to keep Bay Oaks open, period,” agreed List.
The Town Council will hold the next of several of public workshops on the budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year on Monday, July 13th. To reach Nicole Olsen, email her at nicole@fortmyersbeachfl.gov or call 765-0909, extension 103.
Keri Hendry