Recreation Advisory Commission

Recreation Advisory Commission April 12, 2023 Call To Order: A meeting of the Durham Recreation Advisory Commission was held on this day in person, April 12, 2023. Chairperson Stracks-Mullem called the meeting to order at 7:35 am. Attendance was confirmed by roll call. Councilmember Holsey-Hyman was not present via Zoom. Commissioners Johnston and Barnes were excused absences. Commissioner Rawlings left the meeting at 8:25 AM. Commissioner Sundaramoorthy requested an excused absence for the May 10 meeting. I. Adjustments to the Agenda/Special Announcements None II. Public Comment None III. RAC Community Engagement Events (Reporting items) Hillandale Advisory Commission (Lesley Stracks-Mullem) None DOST Report (Karthik Sundaramoorthy) Two presentations were received  Updates on the Waterbird Colony near the Glennstone development in Northeast Durham  Comprehensive Plan updates Durham Parks Foundation (Girija Mahajan) DPF updates were shared  Action Item: voted in favor of organizing a fundraising campaign to raise over $1 million dollars over the next 2-3 yrs.  DPF Donor Thank You Celebration on Thursday, April 20 (6:30 pm – 8:30 pm) at Forest Hills Neighborhood Clubhouse  Highlights from a Greensboro Park tour to learn more about their inclusive playground and community garden, Tom - there will be a native planting opportunity at Merrick Moore Park on May 11, more details to come. IV. Approval of Minutes Cedric made a motion to approve the March 8, 2023, meeting minutes; seconded by Jill; no further changes, whereupon motion duly made, seconded and unanimously adopted, the minutes were approved as presented. V. Fee Waivers (April) Girija made a motion to accept all fee waivers as recommended by staff; seconded by Cedric. All in favor, motion passes unanimously. 1. Walltown Community Association Event: Community Meetings / Walltown Reunion Event Facility Request: Walltown Park Recreation Center Various Dates: June 2023 – June 2024 Recreation Advisory Commission April 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 1  VI. Old Business/New Business  BCCT Funding/Spring Park Tour Options for a park tour were discussed and some interest in hosting one or two meetings a year in a park location. Wade will have staff propose a list of park sites for consideration and commission approval. Commissioners expressed an interest in selecting a fall date for a park tour. Staff will propose two options for consideration with varying times and locations. One option to include a tour of parks, ending at Spruce Pine Lodge for a working dinner meeting and possible board training component. Tom - DOST is hosting a park tour on May 10, and commissioners are invited to join. Stay tuned more information to follow.  RAC Presentation - FY24 Proposed Fees and Charges (Joy Guy) Staff identified a need to implement a market analysis review to determine DPR’s ability to maintain our facilities, while remaining accessible for our residents. Staff have submitted a request to update the Fees and Charges Schedule as part of the FY24 Budget process that includes fee increases. Staff are requesting full support from this commission to approve and adopt the FY24 Proposed Fees and Charges. o Our primary focus was on rental facilities and program fees implemented for new/changed programs since our last adopted fees and charges. o The current adopted rental fees (centers, athletic fields, shelters, and special use facilities) have not been reviewed or changed since at least FY10. o Since our last review, personnel wages were $7.25 per hour, compared to a rate of nearly $16 per hour today and the cost to do business in the private and public sector has increased in the last few years. o A combination of variables was used to determine cost recovery and market analysis. o Joy provided an overview of DPR revenues for the current year (FY23) and our proposal for next year (FY24), with a specific focus on rental fees and revenue. o Cost recovery (revenue to operating expenditures) is averaging around 6% across the board. What does cost recovery look like for our industry? A performance review showed 1,000 agencies across the U.S.at 23.6%; 10 agencies in NC at 11.0%. We have historically been at the lower end of the spectrum. o Two illustrated examples were used to demonstrate the methodology and metrics used during the evaluation process, (1) The Durham Armory and (2) Athletic Fields o Athletic Fields example – Joy provided an overview of operational costs per rental hour while comparing benchmarks / local market – review of adopted fees (June 2017) vs. FY24 proposed fees. o Joy provided a review of DPR’s Fee Schedule effective: January 1, 2024 Action Item: After some discussion and feedback was shared, Jill made a motion to approve and adopt DPR’s FY24 Proposed Fees and Charges; seconded by Cedric. All in favor, motion passes unanimously.  Feedback from Commissioners o Do we have a breakdown or percentage of general public, vs. non-profit vs. business use for the Armory? Joy will collect this information and report back. o Concerns that the Armory rental fees are too low. Should we phase in an increase? o Are we maximizing space and filling up our time slots? o There was overwhelming support and approval to adopt FY24 Proposed Fees and Recreation Advisory Commission April 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 2 Next Steps:  Community engagement work to raise awareness for proposed fees and charges.  Support from commissioners as we anticipate possible push back from residents. Wade invited commissioners to attend the PAC1 meeting at Holton Career & Resource Center, he reported on the Equitable and Green Infrastructure project designed to prioritize investment in historically disinvested communities. Merrick-Moore is a project that could benefit from this funding for improvements near the front entrance, playground area, bathrooms and a community garden. VII. Director’s Report  A copy of the April director’s report was included in each RAC packet that members received. Upon your review, send Wade any questions you may have regarding its content. Open Discussion None Lesley adjourned the meeting at 9:09AM. Next RAC Meeting: Wednesday, May 10, 2023 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by Lynda Merritt Recreation Advisory Commission April 2023 Meeting Minutes Page 3