by Richard Westlund

     The Collins Town Council held a special meeting Monday evening, March 14 as a follow-up on the last regular meeting, when several complaints were registered against the youth recreation program by a group of residents.

     At the beginning of the meeting,Youth Services Director Cliff Wheeler spoke at length, explaining his criteria in running the programs. He felt the staff has been doing a good job in a program that is very beneficial to the town and its youth. He said he enjoys his participation in it. He said he has never, to his knowledge, failed to respond to phone calls. This was one accusation previously leveled.

     A number of people then spoke in defense of the recreation program, pointing out the hundreds of children who take part in it on a weekly basis and compared that to a few complaints. It was suggested that this was the result of a personality clash. They felt that the Collins Youth Program is one of the best in the area.

     Some of the attendees expressed their disappointment in the newspaper coverage of the first meeting, feeling that the negative publicity misrepresented the program as a whole. It was stated that the complaints should have been taken to the Recreation Commission before being publicly aired at the town council meeting.

     After adjourning to an executive session, the board returned and:

   •  Appointed Julie Gernatt as a second head counselor in the Youth and Recreation Program for the remainder of the season, which runs until May.
   •  Announced that Cliff Wheeler has been working on a youth field trip for April 18 to the Splash Lagoon in Erie, PA. Further information forthcoming.
   •  Announced some minor staffing adjustments on the recreation program are to be made, that have been in the works for some time.
   •  Appointed Mary Peglowski as chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Commission, replacing the previously retired Mark McHale.
   •  Appointed Mary Clark, Dave Tessmer and Alan Butzer to interview applicants for the two vacancies on the Parks and Recreation Commission.
   •  Accepted the resignation of Chris Cooper from the Parks and Recreation Program.

     The next regular meeting of the Collins Town Council will be held on Monday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in the Collins Town Hall.