Idaho Falls

Idaho Falls Parks & Rec Spring 2018

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2 IDAHO FALLS PARKS & REC SPRING/SUMMER 2018 Spring & summer in Idaho Falls means bicycling, softball games at Tautphaus Park, walks around the river and a wide array of outdoor festivals and other community events. We are very fortunate to have city leaders and community members who understand what parks provide for our community – a green space to exercise, places to gather with friends and family, clean air and water, and the interaction with nature. Our city is growing and so too is the need to ensure that we are providing ade- quate facilities and parks to meet community needs. With the River Walk improvements between John's Hole Bridge and Broadway now complete, staff in the Parks & Recreation Department will shift some of their focus to two exciting projects – the construction of the city's newest park, Heritage Park, and construction of the Maeck Family Foundation Education Center at the Idaho Falls Zoo. Back in the winter of 2014, our city received a very gener- ous gift of 11.18 acres of undeveloped, prime, riverfront prop- erty to build a new park just south of Snake River Landing. Valued at approximately $2 million, Idaho Falls citizens received land, in-kind donations and cash from Stafford & Woody Smith, Ball Ventures and the Rotary Club of Idaho Falls. Heritage Park will be built in phases. We expect to break ground on Phase I this spring. Stay tuned for more announce- ments as the summer progresses. The Idaho Falls Zoo has seen remarkable growth and demand for programing over the past few years. In fact, the zoo provided organized educational programs for over 2,000 guests last year. More than 7,700 school students visited the zoo on field trips. Unfortunately, due to the extreme limita- tions of the current facility, which consists of only 140 square feet, only 400 guests were able to participate in zoo educa- tion classes. The proposed design of the new Maeck Family Foundation Education Center will include three classrooms that will accommodate more than 200 students as well as storage and office space, for a total of approximately 4,500 square feet. We expect to open the new education center in October 2018. All other recreational favorites – the recreation center, golf courses, Wes Deist Aquatic Center and other Parks & Recreation facilities will be in full swing this summer. Stay connected by "liking" and "sharing" the Idaho Falls Parks & Recreation Facebook Pages or by visiting our website at www. idahofallsidaho.gov and clicking on the Parks & Recreation but- ton in the center of the page. On behalf of grateful citizens and happy tourists, I extend a heartfelt thank you to the many volunteers and staff members in the Parks & Recreation Department for offering so many parks & recreational opportunities. PARKS AND RECREATION OFFICE 520 Memorial Drive Idaho Falls, Idaho 83402 (208) 612-8480 - www.ifrec.org MISSION OF OUR DEPARTMENT The mission of the City of Idaho Falls Department of Parks and Recreation is to provide quality parks and recreation opportu- nities based upon cost efficiency and community needs. CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS City Council meetings are held on the second and fourth Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm at the City Annex Building. 680 Park Avenue, Idaho Falls, Idaho. Livestream meetings by visiting www.idahofallsidaho.gov/city/live- stream.html Rebecca Casper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mayor Thomas Hally . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Council President John Radford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Council Member Michelle Ziel-Dingman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Council Member Jim Freeman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Council Member Jim Francis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Council Member Shelly Smede. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Council Member PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Commission meetings are held on the first Monday of each month at 12 pm at the Idaho Falls Activity Center. 1575 N. Skyline Dr. For other Parks and Recreation committee meet- ings, visit www.ifrec.org. PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Greg A. Weitzel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director of Parks & Recreation PJ Holm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Superintendent of Recreation Chris Horsley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recreation Supervisor Rhonda Newman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aquatic Manager Jennifer Stewart . . . . . . . . Sponsorship/Marketing Coordinator Brent Martin . . . . . . . . . . Superintendent of Parks & Cemeteries Ronnie Campbell . . Asst. Superintendent of Parks & Cemeteries Joseph Hansen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parks Foreman Josh Stephens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Weed & Environmental Control Delbert Lloyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Horticulture/Urban Forester David Pennock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zoo Executive Director Tim Reinke . . . Manager of Golf Operations/Pinecrest Golf Pro John Graham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sand Creek Golf Pro Galen Denning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sage Lakes Golf Pro Mason Handke . . . . . . . . . Special Event/Volunteer Coordinator Staff member email addresses are listed at www.ifrec.org Mayor Rebecca Casper, City of Idaho Falls Bill Combo, Chair Wendy Johnson Jeffrey Forbes Jim Hammon Tom Hersh Matt Hill Kyler Hope John LoBuono Kerry Martin Kris Milgate Dave Radford A MESSAGE FROM REBECCA CASPER PARKS AND RECREATION MAYOR, CITY OF IDAHO FALLS (208) 612-8480 - www.ifrec.org Be healthy! Be active! Enjoy Idaho Falls!

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