Great Bend Recreation Commission Monthly Board Meeting
Sept. 14, 2026
Old Business Items:
Reports
ENRICHMENT REPORTS- Garet Fitzpatrick, Enrichment /Activity Center Director
On Wednesday, Sept. 9, Shane, Aarron, Joe, Megan and I were the Wings of Welcome greeters at Eisenhower School from 7:25 to 8:00 a.m. It was a fun morning of high fives, fist bumps and positive comments to kids as they entered the school. We also showed off our amazing singing talent by singing happy birthday to a couple of kids celebrating their birthdays.
We co-sponsored a Kansas Hunter Education Class on class on Saturday, Sept. 5. This class meet from 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. The class was for students 11 and older and was held at the Great Bend Police Training Facility (995 K Ave.). The local Ducks Unlimited Chapter provided a light lunch, and the Rec provided drinks and desserts along with helping to organize the course. Tim Boxberger was once again the lead instructor along with other certified Kansas Hunter Education instructors. The maximum enrollment number of 21 was met with 19 students showing up for the class. Every one of the participants passed the class.
Load up the kids and enjoy the My BackYard Playground. The Rec will have activities set up and special handouts while supplies last. This is a free drop-in program that will run from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. If inclement weather should arise, the event will be moved inside. The first opportunity to enjoy this activity was Sept. 2.
We started out with 20 tagged fish at both Vet’s Lake and Stone Lake for our new Fish Tagging program that will run until all the fish are caught. We still have 12 tagged fish in Stone and Vet’s Lake.
Participants that catch a tagged fish need to take a photo of the fish and themselves and e-mail it to the following e-mail address (gfitzpatrick@gbrec.net) which is on the tag along with the tag number printed on the tag. Participants will receive an e-mail back within a couple of days informing them how to collect their prize. After taking the photo and getting the tag number you may cut the tag off and release the fish or keep it if you like. Each tag number will be assigned a prize for that particular tag. In order to participate in this event all participants must follow all the regulations and Kansas licensing requirements for fishing in the state of Kansas set by the Kansas Wildlife & Parks Department. Prizes will vary from gift cards, fishing tackle, outdoor gear, and more. These donations will be provided by the Great Bend Rec.
August and September was also a time to plan another exciting program lineup for Fall along with hiring and scheduling staff. I’ve also continued working on the 30th Annual Santa’s Workshop that will be held on Monday, December 7th. Fall classes will start on the first of October and run through December.
ENRICHMENT REPORTS: Enrichment, Aquatic, Marketing Director-Megan Hammeke:
August Adaptive Activities:
8/4-8/25 – SN Bowling. Bowling met 4 times and had 123 participating in the weekly bowling program.
August Adaptive & 50 Plus Activities:
There was no other August activities planned as we began preparing for our Fall programming.
September Adaptive & 50 Plus Activities:
SN Bowling will meet at its regularly scheduled times for our Adaptive programming.
Fall programs will kick off on October 5th for our Adaptive and 50 Plus Enrichment areas.
August Activities:
We took the month of August off for Facility maintenance. Classes will resume the week of August 31st.
September Activities:
The last summer session of Fitness classes began the week of August 31st. Below is a list of offered Fitness classes:
Fit for Life
AM HIIT
Yoga, Sunrise Yoga, Gentle Yoga, & Chair Yoga
Cardio Blast
Midday Stretch & Strength
Tai Chi Beginners & Intermediate
Spin Strength & Stretch
AM & PM Rhythm Ride
The fall fitness classes will begin the week of Oct. 5.
SPORTS REPORT-Shane Sandberg- Sports Director:
Adult Coed Softball played their playoff games on Friday, Aug. 28. Eddy lbarra's team won the recreational bracket, and Javier Chavez was the manager for the open bracket champion, La Pasadita Carniceria. La Pasadita Carniceria has won the open bracket for Men's league and Coed league for 3 years in a row.
Adult Volleyball leagues are all back up and running. There are 5 teams in Monday Women's Competitive, 4 teams in Monday Women's Intermediate, 4 teams in Monday Women's Recreational, 5 teams in Wednesday Coed Spiking, and 4 teams in Friday Coed Recreational.
Outdoor Soccer teams played their practice games on Saturday, Aug. 29. We took the weekend off for Labor Day and regular season games started Saturday, Sept. 12. This year there are 6 K-1st grade teams, 6 2nd-3rd grade teams, 4 4th-5th grade teams and 3 6th-8th grade teams.
Flag Football teams played their practice games on Sept. 8 and Sept. 10 and regular season games start on Monday, Sept. 14. This year there are 6 K-1s1 grade teams, 6 2nd-3rd grade teams, and 4 4th-6th grade teams.
Instructional Outdoor Soccer for the 4- and 5-year-olds and Lil' Setters volleyball both started on Tuesday, Sept. 1. There are 21 participants in Lil' Setters and 28 participants in Instructional Outdoor Soccer.
Attendance Report- Joe Henry, Business Director:
In the month of August, there were 203 people enrolled in programs sponsored by the Recreation Commission. Total participation for the month was 3,191 and of that total, 1,058 were spectators. For the month, a total of 1,088 hours of supervised activities were offered.
Last year there were 254 people enrolled in programs with total participation of 5,828 and included 2,322 spectators.
The year-over-year decrease in attendance is due to differences in program timing. Last August, The Rec offered water aerobics, and soccer practices had already started. This August, water aerobics finished in July, and soccer practices had not yet begun.
NEW BUSINESS: Chris Umphres, Executive Director
1. Golf Course Truck: Action Item
The golf course staff will need a truck to continue to make improvements out at the course. The GBRC Foundation was able to get a good deal and a used truck from the Fastenal dealership. We would need to approve the transfer of ownership from the GBRC Foundation to GBRC.
2. Golf Course Pond Liner: Action Item
The golf course irrigation pond will need to be lined to hold the stock pile of water. This water will be a feature piece on the course and also be the sole means to pull water from to irrigate the grass. DP Waters will provide this service and GBRC will need to approve this being provided by GBRC Foundation.