This summer, Bill Kiernan has big plans for area park and recreation programs. The chairman of the Santa Clara/Pacific Beach Park and Recreation Council plans to draw families back to the local facilities. “We want to bring the families of Pacific Beach and Mission Beach back to the Park and Rec Center and utilize our resources here — Park and Rec, the beach and the bay,” Kiernan said. A volunteer on the council for 15 years and president for the past couple years, Kiernan had been lamenting with fellow parents about the PB Recreation Center being closed on Sundays when he decided to do something about it. The Pacific Beach facility is now open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays, and has gymnastics equipment and a slide. “Surprisingly, not being open on Sundays was an accepted attitude, and rather than just accept that attitude, I asked the Park and Rec Council to give me a little leeway and a little budget and let me try to bring Sundays back to a family day,” Kiernan said. In April, the council started the TODDLERS program on Sundays at the PB Recreation Center. TODDLERS is an acronym for Together Opportunities to Discover and Develop Literacy, Enrichment and Recreation Skills, and is a free parent and toddler activity group. “The idea is to give (toddlers) a place to socialize and intermix before they are in school,” Kiernan said. “A lot of parents don’t have them in any kind of school or program at that point, and they want to give them some skills for getting along with each other.” While the program for toddlers is the main element of Sundays at PB Recreation Center, Kiernan said he hopes to keep the facility open until 5 p.m. those days to include. Kiernan said the council needs volunteers and will take donations of time, money or equipment. For the July 4 holiday weekend, Kiernan hopes the city will keep PB Recreation Center open on July 4 itself for a family festival. “When you look inside and you see the kids playing, it’s the smiles on the kids’ faces and the smiles on the parents’ faces that keeps me active and wanting to do more,” he said. To volunteer or for more information, call (619) 920-1032.