5.5. SR 03-11-2002TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
MEMORANDUM
Mayor and City Council
Michele Bergh, Recreation Manager
March I I, 2002
City Recreation Update
Item
;.5
For January and February 2001, we brought in $34,804 for Elk River programming including
arena programs. This year we have brought in over $67,000. This is in part due the spring
Breakaway Hockey League run through the arena where revenue has been collected earlier
than it was last year. Our projected revenue for 2002 averaged $6,700/month for programs
excluding the arena. We are at $20,000 for the first two months of the year. This is a
significant increase over last year and much higher than anticipated. Our programs are doing
well and we are very busy with registrations.
We are programming for summer and the brochure goes to the printer on March 13th. Our
programs include playground programs, t-ball, tennis, tumbling, adult fitness, entertainment
in the park and much more. Some of our new programs include kickboxing, lacrosse, an
afternoon playground program and entertainment in the park geared more for adults. We
will not be doing summer strength and speed or the football camp this summer as the high
school coaches will be doing them on their own.
We have moved and are operating out of Lions Park Center. Response has been very
positive about the new facility and we love it. We are working out some of the last minute
details and look forward to landscaping and completion of the project this spring. We have
reserved 498 hours of use so far in the new facility for a variety of programs including rec
programs, senior dance classes, support group meetings, brownie troops, Chamber
luncheons, Operation ER meetings, and a wedding. While most of the use has been for
local non-profit groups, we are seeing some uses coming through that include a fee, which is
needed to cover the operational expenses.
We are now officially at full staff in our office. Lana started on March 6th and we are als0
working on staffing summer programs. We will need to hire staff for our joint programming
with the YMCA as well as our other programs. We will be running an ad in the newspaper
and hope to have staffing completed by mid-April.
The YMCA cubicle is on order and will arrive within the next couple of weeks. Chad is
excited to have a presence in Elk River. We will be providing some joint programs this
summer that will take place at the Emporium. These programs will run from 6am-6pm.
The YMCA will use our old office area for check in and the large open space for
programming at the site. Most of the programming will be away from the building at parks,
other YMCA's and various other destinations. The program expenses include $900 for use
of the building and we will also receive a portion of any revenue earned. The YMCA will be
adding their look to the building with a banner and some interior decorating. We will also
be offering some adult classes in the evening at the Emporium. We will not be providing
concerts and special events for teens this summer at the Emporium. We are looking at
providing these on a smaller scale at Lions Park.
The Recreation department is running well and everyone is working very hard. I foresee a
need for additional staff due to the increase in our programming as well as the additional
responsibility of Lions Park Center but am taking a wait and see approach at this time. We
are hoping that things will calm down once all the litde details are wrapped up with the new
facility and will then have a more accurate view of our staff needs. Everyone on our staff is
upbeat and happy to be here and we are lucky to have such hard workers to get through
these changing hmes.