Recreation director always looking for more ways for Penn-Trafford area to have fun

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Linda Bires loves coming up with fun new activities for Penn-Trafford area residents — and she’s got a knack for getting other people involved.

“The joke was that if you talked to me for more than five minutes, I’d either have you teaching something, participating in something or volunteering with something,” said Bires, director of the Penn-Trafford Area Recreation Commission.

The commission is a nonprofit that provides recreation programs for Penn Township, Manor, Trafford, Penn Borough and the Penn-Trafford School District.

These communities would struggle to afford recreation programs of their own, so the commission was created in 2001 to allow the municipalities to pool their resources.

“It’s just grown,” Bires said. “In 2001, we had 14 programs. In 2019, before the pandemic, we had 130 to 140 programs. We’ve branched out. We really just expanded all the programming.”

Programs include sports, swimming, exercise, art and music for all ages — from kids to senior citizens.

Bires was one of the commission’s first employees. She left in 2008 to pursue other careers — working as a school food service director and in restaurants — but returned to the commission in 2013. She was promoted to director the next year. “I’ve always loved PTARC,” she said. “I’ve loved coming up with the programs and finding instructors and dealing with the people and hanging out with the kids. It’s always been a lot of fun, so I came back.”

When she started as director, about 3,200 people took part in PTARC activities every year. In 2019, that number peaked at about 5,200.

Bires said low costs and wide appeal keep PTARC’s programs popular. She sees them as a “test-drive,” a way for families to try a sport or hobby at a low cost and without a demanding schedule.

Her long-term goal is to see PTARC become financially independent, no longer needing to rely on funding from the local governments it serves. Her dream is to someday build a recreation center for the community.

“We would have to be in a really good position financially to be able to go that route,” she said.

Currently, PTARC hosts its programs wherever it can find room — often in local schools. This can make scheduling difficult, she said.

A rec center would fix that problem, while providing residents — particularity seniors — with a fun social space.

“Our seniors need a place to go. They need a place that’s safe, comfortable and convenient,” she said.

That dream likely is years down the road. For now, Bires’ focus is on getting through the pandemic, which made 2020 a difficult year.

Many programs were canceled, bringing PTARC’s slate of nearly 140 offerings down to about 40. Prices were increased to help make up for lost revenue.

Bires said she hopes to see prices go down and the schedule fill up once the pandemic subsides.