Corona Parks & Recreation lays out summer events, senior programs and new park trash cans

Donna Finch, director of Community Services, and recreation staff presented a month-by-month recap and forward schedule for Recreation and Parks programs. Miss Leon highlighted that the City’s spring and early-May events included an open-house spring expo and a senior travel trip to the Carlsbad Village Fair. "Our attendance was about 2,000 spread out through the day" at the April music and arts festival, Leon said, and indoor youth soccer drew about 146 players.

Officials announced the summer street fair concerts will run Thursdays from July 9 through Aug. 6 (vendors at 6 p.m.; music at 7 p.m.) and movies in the park will be held at rotating sites Monday–Friday (Village Park, Brentwood, Fairview and Jameson) with films beginning at 8:15 p.m. Splash pads are scheduled to open over Memorial Day weekend and operate through Labor Day.

Parks staff said the first batch of 100 city-branded trash cans, featuring the yellow City of Corona logo, will be installed at Border, Mountain Gate, Fairview, Victoria, Sheridan, Promenade and River Road parks; if older cans are in good condition those will be repurposed to other parks. Finch also told the commission the city will accept a $4,000 community improvement designation grant from Riverside County District 2 to subsidize senior center trips, reducing participant cost.

Staff noted operational details and asked commissioners for any feedback on program capacity. Commissioner Olsen asked whether popular senior classes have wait lists; staff said facility capacity for seating is about 70 and that wait-list numbers were not available during the meeting. The commission congratulated Miss McDaniel on a promotion to deputy director of finance and heard about new acting parks and trails manager Paul Lichtenberger.