The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting met at noon on Tuesday, September 2, in the Admin conference room at City Hall.
The new Aquatics Director will begin on Monday, Oct. 6. Kyle Roberts looks forward to moving here from Wyoming. He has family in the area. With more than 15 years of experience, he knows what it takes to run a facility. He will hire an assistant when he is ready,” Executive Director Chuck Eddington said.
In old business, Eddington said they were going to ask the public to contact his office and fill out a reservation form from the website when they wanted to host a 5K at Lake Harrison or the Trail at the Anstaff Complex. “Usually they just call me,” he said. “We don’t charge for that, but we need the contact person's name in case there is an update, and sometimes the contact person changes from the original phone call. We need to know if there is anything the staff needs to do for them. If there is a scheduling conflict, we can work it out. Most of these are non-profit fundraisers, so I don’t want to begin charging for this.”
CFO Luke Feighert reported the Parks' payroll is still the most significant expense. Chairman Bo Phillips asked what the percentage was for payroll.
“Between payroll and benefits, it runs between 70%-80%,” Feighert said. “We spent $24,000 on outdoor pool lifeguards in July.”
“Will there be a point when we try to break even, or is that even possible?” Mayor Jerry Jackson asked.
“It’s possible, but probably we’d have to be at 8,000 members,” Feighert said. Current membership is 5,152 members.
Phillips reminded the group that Parks has always lost money, and the city has usually contributed around $600,000.
“We hope to break even. That may not be realistic, and if not, then we need to accept that,” Jackson said.
“It would be good to have a goal as to what is acceptable,” Phillips said.
Jackson agreed. “Terrific. I’m a supporter.”
Feighert said this year is already budgeted for 2025.
Phillips said, "The $1.6 million budget was a healthy budget several years ago. Everything was getting done. But we’ve added Creekside and a lot of projects. If you look at it, you can see where the expenses are.”
Feighert said there is still new equipment being purchased for Creekside, too. “We are trying to monitor the payroll as best we can while making it as safe as possible and a good place to be.”
Committee member Josh Earl asked how many members are getting a discount.
It was discussed that information is difficult to extrapolate, but Administrative Assistant Kim Fulton said she’d be happy to find it.
Eddington said the staff is planning additional activities for “members only.”
Eddington also updated the Committee on the policy for sponsorships. “We will allow sponsorships as long as it is not a permanent fixture in Creekside. So if someone wants to put their logo on pickleballs, volleyballs, or baseballs, that will save us money on equipment,” he said. The items must be approved before being ordered.
School leagues are starting soon, as well as flag football and soccer. Eddington said he was working on a master schedule for baseball, softball, and volleyball. He hopes to hear that Harrison was chosen for a wrestling tournament in November. That would bring in 400 participants.”
The Creekside staff is planning a first anniversary celebration on Oct. 24 with many free activities for members. Stay tuned for more information.