Change eyed for Toronto recreation levy
Trending
TORONTO -- Fourth Ward Councilman Greg Herrick attended Thursday's Toronto school board meeting to discuss a change to the city's five-year recreation levy.
Herrick, who chairs the city's recreation committee, said the tax rate for the levy, .50 mills or 5 cents for each $100 of assessed property, will remain the same.
But beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, revenue from the levy will reflect current assessed values for the property, not their values when the levy was introduced in 1974.
Herrick said as a result, the amount generated by the levy is expected to rise from $13,000 per year to $39,000 per year.
City officials have discussed revising the levy for more than a year, noting costs to operate the city's swimming pool and maintain its parks have risen in the last four decades while the city also has acquired the former Karafffa School, which it has converted into a recreation center.
They have estimated the city has subsidized the recreation department by $70,000 to $80,000 in most recent years.
Herrick said he and others hope the additional money will allow the city to maintain the facilities while also offering residents something more.
"We have seniors who use the recreation center for walking and we'd like to add exercise equipment there," he said, adding he and others hope fees charged to groups that use the building can be reduced or eliminated.
Board President Jay Foster told Herrick and Toronto Council President Frank McEwen, who accompanied him, "I think it's safe to say you have the board's support."
Foster said as the Nov. 7 general election nears, the board will help the city to promote it.
The board transferred the Karaffa building to the city for $1 in 2020 and board members serve with representatives of the city on a joint recreation board.
In other business, the board:
• Heard from Betsy Jones, principal of the junior-senior high school, who said 390 students have enrolled this year, up from 357 last year, and 66 seniors are expected to graduate in the spring while about 20 are working toward degrees through a partnership with Eastern Gateway Community College.
She said additions to the curriculum include a home economics course and the Rise Up program, which has been added to help students meet their graduation requirements and includes courses in customer service and retail fundamentals.
Superintendent Maureen Taggart said home economics had been offered in the past but the school district wasn't able to find a new teacher after the previous instructor left several years ago. She said students have been enjoying learning to cook while receiving information about food safety from new instructor Jessica Zeigler.
• Heard from Annie Silverthorn, principal of the elementary school, who said 360 children have enrolled there, up slightly from 357 last year. She noted a full-time teacher has been hired to instruct students in art, which was requested by parents last year; and a course on science, technology, engineering and math on an alternating basis.
She said an intervention specialist on staff is screening children in grades 1-3 for dyslexia and will be screening kindergarteners in January.
• Heard from Willy Luther, principal of the pre-school program, who said 27 children have been enrolled in the four-year-old class and 26 have been enrolled in the three-year-old class. He added five others are expected to participate through the Help Me Grow program.
Offered through the Jefferson County Educational Service Center, the program offers assistance to children 3 and under with special needs who can benefit from speech therapy, physical therapy and other services.
Luther noted an indoor playground has been established inside the building so inclement weather won't impede the pre-schoolers' play time.
• Approved the hiring of Mark Ferrell as the high school's athletic director; Cassandra Zimmerman as music instructor at the elementary and junior-senior high schools and assistant band director; Charlyn Martaus as assistant band director; Rick Daugherty and Michael Conlon as co-assistant senior high football coaches; and Lexie Berger as junior high assistant girls basketball coach.
• Observed a moment of silence for Charles Robert Reeves, a long-time Toronto educator who also served as a coach, athletic director and principal of Toronto High School as well as member, for eight years, of the Toronto school board.
Reeves, who died on Aug. 17 at age 75, is survived by his sons, Bobby and board member Andy; daughter, Katie Mills; and several grandchildren.