This year, the Park District has made addressing its registration software issues a top priority. In July, the outside IT consultant, Noventech, Inc., was hired to help the District select a new software vendor that is capable of meeting the community’s needs.
Beginning in August, Noventech, Inc. engaged with staff to review software needs and wants and conducted online demonstrations of registration software vendors. At the Monday, September 12 Park Board meeting, Noventech, Inc. presented its recommendations to the Park Board and identified three vendors to consider for further investigation. The Board gave consensus to move forward with examining the three vendors further. Following the meeting, next steps are now underway to schedule detailed demonstration days with each of the vendors, giving the staff an opportunity to understand application functionality and each vendor module as it applies to current and future community needs.
Meanwhile, the District is also working on a plan for Winter Registration, with the intention of alleviating the frustrations that the community has felt during previous high volume registration days. While the process of finding a new vendor is moving forward, the timeline of fully switching to a new software can take up to 18 months, so staff wants to ensure upcoming registration events go smoothly.
Previously, the District had taken steps, including implementing duplicate login alerts as well as a virtual waiting room feature to manage high volume events. The District also chose to separate gymnastics registration to reduce traffic volume on the day of registration.
Staff will communicate with residents when an alternative plan for the first day of registration has been decided upon.
