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It’s not the program, it’s opening the doors that’s the problem

Heather Good is asking for parks board support and space in the community center to have her highly successful summer arts program grow into a year-round kid’s program. “The parents and the kids have expressed a real interest in having it continue,” Good told the board of the Point Roberts parks district at their October 6 meeting, asking to use the local community center to run a new kids’ program.

Good ran a busy girl scout program during the last school year but, after having boys join in for the summer arts program held in a Bloomer’s Nursery, she wants to expand to keep them included. “The boys need something too,” Good told commissioners. She also wants to expand what the program offers, to include field trips and outdoor sports along with indoor art projects. “We have a lot of our own art materials and sporting equipment now,” she said.

Rather than an after-school program, Good hopes to use the community center Sunday afternoons. “The problem with the old pattern of after school programs is it kept kids out too late and it was dark,” she explained. “We want to fit it in after church and lunch, make it a family time so parents can be involved too,” she said. “I have much more parental participation for this than I did for girl scouts,” she added, and anticipates an even higher parent/child ratio than the national girl scout organization requires.

Parks board member Irene Waters was concerned about insurance for the program, and wasn’t too keen on the time being proposed. “Sunday’s not really a day we like to come down and check the building,” she said. “We’re all volunteers.” Representing the Arts Foundation, Pam Oakley addressed the concern over insurance, saying her group was ready to shoulder the burden of insurance for the program. “We need some kind of document from your insurance company,” Waters said, before the district could allow the new program to use the center. Commissioner Shelley Damewood also wanted the group to commit to flexibility in case some other group wanted to use the center for a tea or a lunch on Sunday.

Oakley gave board members advance notice of her intention to propose a “dry” New Year’s Eve party at the community center. Waters was again less than enthusiastic about the timing. “To come down and do a New Year’s Eve check-out is not something I’d like to do,” she said. Current district policy is for board members to open and close the facility before and after an event and to ensure the facility is left safe and in good condition.

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