Great Bend Recreation Commission Monthly Board Meeting
Nov. 9, 2026
Old Business Items:
Reports
ENRICHMENT REPORTS- Garet Fitzpatrick, Enrichment /Activity Center Director
We offered the Birds & Bugs Kids Day Out on Friday, October 16, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm for students in 1st through 6th grade. Young naturalists embarked on a journey through Cheyenne Bottoms, a haven for migratory birds and aquatic life. Campers toured the wetlands with binoculars in hand, spotting and identifying a wide variety of bird species that call this unique ecosystem home. They also waded into the marsh for hands-on exploration, searching for dragonfly nymphs, blood worms and more – learning how these tiny creatures play a big role in the marsh food web. Then around noon they headed back to the Activity Center for pizza and beverages. The afternoon was spent at the Activity Center doing crafts and other organized activities. Instructors were Mandy Kern and Jenn Rader, KWEC Program Specialists, and GB Rec Staff. We had 21 participants enrolled.
School got out early on Thursday, October 22, so we offered an afternoon of making some fun Halloween crafts and some yummy snacks. We had 7 participants registered.
No school on Friday, October 23 so we took 21 kids to Salina for a fun day of bouncing off the walls at the Salina Sky Trampoline Park.
Come on, give it a guess, and let us know how many Candy Corn are in this jar. On Friday, October 16, we posted a Facebook post on the Great Bend Rec Facebook page with a photo of a jar full of Candy Corn. Then Facebook friends could comment on how many Candy Corns were in the jar. The person closest to the number of Candy Corns won the jar of Candy Corn and a gift card. We ended up with 281 guesses. Melissa Morgan was the winner with the closest to the actual amount. The jar contained 711 candy corn and Melissa guessed 703.
It’s always fun to see all the creative pumpkins everyone decorates for Halloween. Participants just need to post a photo of their Jack-O-Lantern in the comment session on our Facebook post. We randomly picked 3 entries that received a Halloween package. We ended up with 32 Jack-O-Lanters this year.
The catch tagged fish continues with 12 fish left in each Vet’s Lake and Stone Lake for our Fish Tagging program that will run until all the fish are caught.
Once again, this fall we will be offering free drop in Stop N Learn programs starting at Noon at the Activity Center. This year’s programs include: Flu Shots (October 7) 2 participants, Fall Prep For Spring Landscapes (October 7) 3 participants, Bonding Thru Board Games (October 14) 0 participants, Safe Sleep Recommendations for Parents & Grandparents
(October 21) 0 participants, Community Developmental Disability Organization (October 28) 1 participant, Hidden In the Plains Sights: Recognizing Human Trafficking in Rural Kansas (November 11), Basic First Aid & Stop the Bleed (November 18), and Documents Needed for Tax Season (December 16).
Been ordering and working on other tasks for the Great Bend Rec’s 30th Annual Santa’s Workshop that will be held on Monday, December 7.
It’s also that time of year when I work on our Winter / Spring line up of classes that will be starting February 1.
ENRICHMENT REPORTS: Enrichment, Aquatic, Marketing Director-Megan Hammeke:
October Adaptive Activities:
10/6-10/27 – SN Bowling. Bowling met 4 times and had 125 participate in the weekly bowling program.
10/8 – Easy Cooking – Pumpkin. We had 7enrolled in this holiday craft class.
10/14 – Pumpkin Decorating. We had 12 enrolled in this holiday craft class.
10/16 – SN Halloween Dance. We had 73 participants in our annual Halloween costume party.
10/28 – Fall Acorn. We had 9 enrolled in this holiday craft class.
October 50 Plus Activities:
10/7 – 50 Plus Craft. We had 7 enrolled in this craft class.
10/15 – Coffee & Craft – Fall Acorn. We had 2 enrolled in this holiday craft class.
10/30 – Halloween Party at the Senior Center. We had a great crowd join us for this event and the Park Elementary school Kindergartners were our performers for the day.
November Adaptive Activities:
11/3-11/24 – SN Bowling.
11/11 – Mason Jar Lid Wreath
11/13 – SN Thanksgiving Dance
11/19 – Easy Cooking – Apple
November 50 Plus Activities:
11/4 – USD 428 Vocal Music Showcase & Coffee
11/4 – 50 Plus Craft
11/12 – Coffee & Craft – Mason Jar Lid Wreath
October Activities:
10/5-10/30 – Fit for Life exercise Class met 12 times and had 427 participants.
10/5-10/29 – Midday Stretch met 12 times and had 262 participants.
10/5-10/28 – Yoga met 8 times and had 62 participants.
10/5-10/28 – Cardio Blast met 7 times and had 12 participants.
10/5-10/29 – Gentle Yoga met 8 times and had 120 participants in the 3pm class and met 8 times and had 54 participants in the 6:30 pm class.
10/5-10/28 – Chair Yoga met 8 times and had 205 participants.
10/5-10/28 – AM HIIT Suspension Training met 8 times and had 75 participants.
10/6-10/29 – Sunrise Yoga met 8 times and had 63 participants.
10/6-10/29 – Tai Chi Intermediate met 8 times and had 41 participants.
10/6-10/29 – Tai Chi Beginners met 8 times and had 112 participants.
10/5-10/28 – Rhythm Ride (PM) met 8 times and had 32 participants.
10/5-10/28 - Spin Strength Stretch met 8 times and had 35 participants.
10/6-10/29 – Rhythm Ride (AM) met 8 times and had 40 participants.
November Activities:
The next session of Fitness classes began the week of November 30th. Below is a list of offered Fitness classes:
Fit for Life
AM HIIT Express
AM Renewed Yoga, Yoga, Chair Yoga & Gentle Yoga
Cardio Blast
Midday Stretch & Strength
Cycling Classes
Tai Chi Advance, Beginners, & Intermediate
SPORTS REPORT-Shane Sandberg- Sports Director:
Elementary volleyball for the 3rd – 6th graders wrapped up on October 24th. There were 49 participants between our rec league and the 5th/6th grade team that we put in the travel rec league. The girls always wish the season was longer and I already have 3 teams worth of girls interested in joining the travel league teams next year.
Youth Outdoor Soccer and Flag Football also finished in late October. Congratulations to Miguel Holguin (K-1), Dan Quillen (2-3), and Dan Holinde (4-6) for coaching our football champions. Congratulations to Brayden Clark (K-1), Rafael Espinosa (2-3), Bette Hartshorn (4-5), and Jose Enriquez (6-8) for coaching the soccer champs.
All 5 of our Fall Adult Volleyball Leagues completed session 1 during October. Congratulations to Yamile Hernandez and her team for winning the Women’s Recreational League in their inaugural season. Fall Session 2 starts 11/9 and we will be up to 27 teams across the 5 leagues.
All of our indoor soccer teams started practice during the first week of November. We have 42 youth teams again this year and our overall participation went up to 404 players, up from 382 last year. We will have 9 adult men’s teams, and the high school girls league is coming back after a few years. We will have 3 high school girls teams.
Attendance Report- Joe Henry, Business Director:
The Great Bend Recreation Commission recorded 12,137 total attendance visits during October 2026, compared to 12,552 in October 2025, representing a slight decrease of 3.3%.
Overall enrollment increased 2.3% to 2,123, while spectator attendance increased 13.2% to 4,968. Participant attendance decreased 12.2%, and the number of program meetings decreased 21.8% compared to the previous year.
Youth Sports continued to be the largest contributor to attendance, accounting for 6,789 visits, followed by Wellness with 2,898 visits. These two program areas represented approximately 80% of total October attendance.
Despite fewer program meetings and scheduled hours, overall attendance remained relatively stable. Increased enrollment and spectator attendance were positive indicators of continued community engagement in recreation programs and activities.
NEW BUSINESS: Chris Umphres, Executive Director
1. 2025-2026 Audit Presentation: Action Item
Adams Brown Strategic Allies and CPA’s will be presenting the 2025-2026 audit for approval.
2. Winter Timeline: Information Item
3. Santa’s Workshop December 7th: Information Item
4. Golf Course Survey Services: Action Item
One of the Golf Course phases is to have the land and maps surveyed and staked for construction. I would like to get board approval to have EBH Services here in town complete the work. They have provided a projected cost breakdown. However, there have been changes to the plan that have changed some of those projections. Discussion will be open at the meeting.
5. Golf Course Sprayer: Action Item
The Golf Course property needs to purchase/lease a sprayer. We were able to find a good used progator and a new sprayer attachment from Van Wall (our golf course equipment vendor). We will discuss options at the meeting.
6. Golden Belt Community Grant: Information Item
The Great Bend Recreation Commission has been awarded a $5,500 pickleball and golf grant from the Golden Belt Community Foundation. This grant will help with equipment use or scholarship memberships for youth in the area. We will discuss at the meeting.
7. Dorothy Morrison Foundation Grant: Information Item
The Great Bend Recreation Commission has been awarded a $89,000 golf course grant from the Golden Belt Community Foundation. This grant will help with the golf construction project. We will discuss at the meeting.
8. GBRC Foundation Funds Transfer: Action Item
There are projects that GBRC can help fund on the Golf Course but would need to transfer funds to the Foundation. Discussion will be held.