Recreation Dept. provides many activities for residents to enjoy

Whew! I hope you like the heat! If you are not a regular user, now would be a great time to check out the City Pool. I’m sure we can squeeze everyone in there if we try hard enough!

 Our daughter and son-in-law have bought and set up a new above ground swimming pool in their backyard. Now we hardly see our grandsons because they are spending so much of their time in their new water playground. When we do get to interact with them, if we give them a hug, it is like squeezing a wet prune! Oh well, I guess we have to take them as they are!

 Speaking of pools, this week I would like to highlight your Weiser Recreation Department manager, Ken Anderson. Ken is all about the pool. If the heater goes out, he gets it fixed. If tiles come loose, he gets it fixed. If the chlorinator goes out, he gets it fixed. 

 Ken is the one responsible for getting the new pool lift purchased and installed for those unable to use the stairs. This year Aimee Wootton is providing Ken with a lot of help with the pool and giving Ken a bit of a break, but Ken has done the heavy lifting for years. 

 But the pool is only a fraction of Ken’s duties. Do you like how the baseball fields are lined out and leveled for games? You guessed it, Ken. 

Ken is responsible for keeping the soccer field lined, mowed, and for setting up and taking down goals for the season.

 Ken does the same thing for the kids’ recreation league football teams. Of course, there is more than one age group, so the scheduling has to be juggled to accommodate everyone with the limited field space. 

 And then there is the boys’ and girls’ basketball programs, the volleyball programs, the adult basketball league, the adult volleyball league, the swim team, the “camps” for each of the sports’ preseason and on and on and on. (This last part is because I know I am forgetting something.)

 Ken is also responsible for all the equipment needed to make each of these programs work. Each year he sorts through the helmets, pads, balls, nets, and whatever else is needed for you to enjoy the sports in town, buys replacements as needed, and makes sure it is all distributed to where it needs to go. 

 Oh, Ken also lines up the referees, umpires, coaches, and whoever else is needed.

 In addition to all of this, Ken is responsible for coordinating with other towns and leagues for the teams to compete. 

 Oh, and in his “spare time” Ken helps out when needed to set up and take down events in the Vendome. Other than this, Ken doesn’t do much. 

 Ken is helped by his more than capable assistant Jhonna Eldridge. Jhonna is mainly responsible for registering participants in all of these activities and helping Ken keep his head on straight.

 Weiser is truly fortunate to have people like Ken and Jhonna who work hard and in a professional manner to help bring fun to our little piece of earth.

 Well, that’s it for this week. I hope you check out the pool and see what a treasure we have for cooling down. Weiser really is a great place to live, work, and play!