RECREATION

1996 Annual Report of Department Activities

The Township Recreation Department offers year round activities and services to residents young and old.

In 1996, very popular programs such as Sports & Arts, and Summer Day Camps, kindergym, toddlekins, creative dance, swim and exercise classes, golf, wrestling, open basketball and volleyball, gymnastics, aerobics, arts & crafts, tennis, track, weight lifting, and the playground program generated the interest of over 7,000 children and adults. With the onset of each season, the Recreation Department offered a new session of classes. Each season an average of 30 different programs were offered with the exception of summer in which as many as 50 different programs were offered and facilities such as pools, ballfields, wading pools and picnic areas were available for use.

At the Teaneck Recreation Center (1425 Teaneck Road), the Recreation Department offers a Toddler Nursery Program for ages 3 & 4 and an After School Child Care Program for children in grades kindergarten through grade seven. These two programs run daily from September through June and observe the Teaneck Public Schools closing schedule. A total of 175 township children are served from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Daily activities at the center include arts & crafts, cooking, sports and games, special story times and home work times. There were special event days in addition to a trip to Green Meadows Farm for the Toddlers. In November a Thanksgiving Feast was prepared with the help of all parents, serving a variety of specialty foods from many different cultures. The children held a parade and performed songs they had learned while parents and family enjoyed soup prepared by the children and enjoyed the foods from the many different homes of the children. The end of the year toddler party, held in Votee Park, began as a bar-b-que from children and their families and ended with performances by the children and a graduation ceremony for 30 kids moving on to kindergarten the following Fall. Happy tears, good-byes, and lots of see-ya's marked the end of another successful year.

At the Senior Citizens Center, the Recreation Department offered a wide range of activities for older adults. The Center's goal, to provide comprehensive, therapeutic, recreational programs as well as a daily nutrition program. Highlights of the past year included classes in low impact aerobics, chair exercises, clay sculpting, water color painting, quilting, wood carving, bridge instruction, ceramics, ballroom and line dancing, yiddish instruction and doll designing. Monthly trips to Atlantic City were taken during the year in addition to special event trips to other Centers, local schools to see children's' performances, and educational seminars. At the end of each month the Center celebrates all the birthdays of the month with a special birthday party complete with cake, balloons and singing. An intergenerational program was developed out of Whittier School to teach groups of seniors the wonders of computers. Students taught and demonstrated their skills to the eager to learn seniors who had fun navigating through programs. Each activity offered at the Center was designed to provide older adults with an outlet to continue to grow, learn and feel challenged while interacting with their peers, with an emphasis on health promotion and prevention. In addition, services in geriatric assessment, health consultations, counseling, information and assistance and telephone reassurances were regularly offered. More than 750 senior residents participated in the activities offered at the center. The Bergen County Division on aging funds the nutrition program that provided hot lunches Monday through Friday delivered fresh daily to the Town House. A homebound nutrition program was also in effect for those needing home delivery. During some of our severe snow storms, when County vehicles were not driving, our community police officers helped out by delivering these important homebound meals. Bergen County Department of Special Transportation provided daily transportation for those needing assistance to and from the Center.

The Bergen Pines Medical Outreach Clinic, located in the Town House, provides primary health care to senior patients. The clinic accepts appointments each Friday and is open from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. The Doctor can either treat the patient or recommend primary care which may have to be met outside of the clinic. 'Me Doctor is capable of treating up to 16 patients a day, and the outreach clinic treated over 200 patients in 1996.

The Township van provided transportation four days a week for disabled and senior residents for shopping and medical appointments. On Tuesdays and Fridays the van was scheduled for medical appointments to local Doctors, hospitals and clinics. On Wednesday and Thursdays trips were taken to the Pathmark in Bergenfield for food shopping. At Pathmark, each member of our Teaneck group is given a $2.00 shopping coupon, courtesy of the store manager. Upon returning to their homes, door to door service is guaranteed as each shopper has their bags carried in for them by our drivers. Over 2500 senior and disabled residents took advantage of the free transportation service offered in 1996.

Through the recreation component of the High School FORUM, the Recreation Department provided supervisors, transportation and admission fees for its special events and held open gym throughout the year and summer. Several of the trips that were taken included: Action Park, Great Adventure, Liberty State Park, Horse Back Riding, Nets Basketball Games, and Ice Skating.

Each summer the Recreation Department puts on the Summer Band Concert Series at the Votee Park Bandshell. The Band consists of over 100 volunteer local musicians who spend their summer rehearsing and performing weekly (Wednesday night, 8:30 p.m.) concerts 1 1/2 hours in length. Each evening highlighted a special guest soloist. With no rain dates in 1996, the concerts drew audiences of up to 250, who all brought their blankets and lawn chairs to relax under the stars in Votee Park and listen to conductor Thomas Winter lead the band through classic after classic. There is no better way to enjoy a summer evening in Teaneck.

The Township pools, located in Votee Park (in-ground), Hawthorne Park (above ground), and Phelps Park (above ground) were kept busy during the summer months by over 4,000 residents who obtained badges to use the facilities. The thirteen wading pools, located in various parks were all staffed with attendants and well attended by children of all ages just looking to cool off. Work began on resurfacing the tennis courts located in Phelps Park. Over 400 Tennis badges were sold to both student and adult residents for use of the other 15 courts in town. The Fourth of July Celebration in Votee Park marked the Departments 5th year of hosting the post parade party near the bandshell area. 1996 was the biggest celebration yet. Children were treated to magic, comedy and puppet shows, face painters, train rides, pony rides, Balloon makers, a moonwalk, a sea of balls and more. Special guests on site were an Uncle Sam stilt walker, Barney the Dinosaur, walk around clowns, magicians and Minnie Mouse. The Department of Public Works had a Packer Truck on display and raffled off chipper and shredder machines. Other attractions included demonstrations by Teaneck Firemen and their trucks, and close up looks at Police vehicles including their new motorcycle. Several hundred people were drawn to the activities offered in the park to celebrate the holiday.

Later in July of 1996, the Saturn Automobile Company of Englewood erected a $40,000 Kingdom for Kids playground structure in the south end of Votee Park. The local car dealer approached the Township with the offer to donate the Kompan structure and allow members of their own team to build it under the supervision of the Kompan Company. The construction lasted two days. The Saturn employees did an outstanding job while their families and Teaneck residents were welcomed to the entertainment they provided. Open to the public was a D.J., moonwalk, Bar-B-Que, prizes, giveaways and various games throughout the two days of work.

In October, construction began at the Richard Rodda Center for Recreation. Once completed the location will house the Recreation Offices, Nursery School and After School Child Care, Senior Citizen Services Center, Bergen Pines Medical Outreach Clinic, a second gymnasium, meeting rooms, dance room, game room and multi-purpose rooms.