With spring sports underway, Erich Haas is settling in as the new Palisades Recreation Center director. ‘It’s a great center and a great community,’ Haas said Monday. Current sports include T-ball on Monday, 5-pitch on Friday, girls softball and roller hockey on Sunday, and basketball (girls and coed) on Saturday and Sunday. Girls softball, which was on hiatus for several years, has about 45 girls signed up and will also be offered this summer. Haas credits Karen Shirley, the girls’ sports coordinator, for bringing new guidance to the girls’ programs. She plans to have girls basketball clinics and other sports during the summer. Sign-ups for summer programs will take place in mid-May. Mike Dickerson is in charge of the boys’ program and Haas praises him for getting spring sports started on time. ‘He’s terrific,’ Haas said. ‘I’m excited to be here, it’s a change of pace for me,’ said Haas, whose last position was at Vineyard Recreation Center in South Los Angeles. He feels his strong point is his organizational ability and he plans to use that to improve existing programs and customer service. He said that parents would come to the Recreation Center, talk to one person in the office and get one answer, then speak to another person and get another answer. He wants to get his staff on the same page. Haas is also seeking community input. ‘Maybe there’s something people would like to have that we can offer.’ For class offerings and a registration form visit: www.laparks.org/dos/reccenter/facility/pdf/palisadesBro.pdf —SUE PASCOE
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