Parks & Recreation Advisory Board

Advisory Board Agenda Merriam Community Center, 6040 Slater St. January 27, 2026 - 6:00 PM If you require any accommodation (i.e. qualified interpreter, large print, reader, hearing assistance) in order to attend this meeting, please notify the Community Center at 913-322-5550 no later than 24 hours prior to the beginning of the meeting. 1. ROLL CALL/ATTENDANCE 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS Members of the public are encouraged to use this time to make comments about matters directly related to the City's programs and services. Please note: individuals making Public Comments will be limited to 3 minutes. 3. APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 25, 2025 MINUTES a. November 25, 2025 Minutes Parks & Recreation Advisory Board - Nov 25 2025 - Minutes 4. STAFF REPORTS a. Director's Report i. Community Center Update Director Update Dec-Jan ii. Monthly Community Center Membership Report Annual Visits Comparisons-Nov-Dec 2025 Visit Comparison-Nov-Dec2025 iii. Fall 2025 Recreation Report 2025 Fall Report iv. 2025 Annual Recreation Report 2025 Annual Report b. Assistant Director's Report i. Program Evaluations  1. High School Visual Arts Competition 2025 High School Art Show 2. Christmas in the Courtyard Christmas in the Courtyard 3. Breakfast with Santa Breakfast with Santa ii. Upcoming Events 1. "Diversity in Art " from the Heartland Guild Opening Reception February Reception Flyer iii. Program Updates 1. Art Committee 5. NEW BUSINESS a. Crestview Elementary Rental Request Crestview PTA Memo Crestview Elementary Rental Request 6. OTHER BUSINESS 7. ADJOURNMENT  MINUTES Advisory Board Meeting City of Merriam, Kansas Merriam Community Center Tuesday, November 25, 2025 6:00 PM 6040 Slater Street 1. ROLL CALL/ATTENDANCE The November meeting of the Merriam Parks & Recreation Advisory Board was called to order at 6:00pm by Chairperson George Vesel. Board members in attendance included: Tyson Boyer; Kathy Stull; Katie Leary; David Zukley; George Vesel; and Doug Murphy. Staff members in attendance were: Anna Slocum, Parks and Recreation Director; Dave Smothers, Assistant Parks and Recreation Director; and Abby Hall, Guest Services Coordinator. Christopher Leitch and Alex Supple notified staff and chairperson of their absence. 2. PUBLIC COMMENTS a. Crestview Elementary Rental Request Sara Fabien the co-chair of the event presented the request. Crestview is requesting a rate reduction for their fundraising event. Discussion:  This will be the second year to host the event at the community center. The group is proposing no changes to the event, Taco's and Trivia.  Fundraising staff are hoping to have 20 tables for their event. Participants are encouraged to have a themed table. Beverages will be served.  Proceeds from this event have helped purchase choir risers, new tables for the cafeteria, rock wall for the gym, and gaga pit. This is the main fundraising event for the school.  This event does extend past the operating hours of the facility on a Saturday night and would require an alcohol permit.  The room is already reserved and held with a deposit. The reduction in fee decision at the January meeting is within the timeframe for securing a room per the rental guidelines. b. Billy Croan inquired if only the director was deposed from the department in the civil rights lawsuit and if the city recorded the deposition. 3. APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 28, 2025 MINUTES Page 1 of 5 Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes – November 25, 2025 a. October 28, 2025 Minutes Board Member Stull made a motion to approve the October 28, 2025 minutes. Board Member Leary seconded and the motion was unanimously APPROVED. 4. STAFF REPORTS a. DIRECTOR'S REPORT i. Community Center Update A detailed memo was included in the packet. Updates to the information included:  Work continues to repair the controller on Bask. The goal is to have it on for Christmas in the Courtyard, even if has to be lit white instead of green and red. Discussion:  The library, based on their system wide operation, won't have lights on their building. They have agreed to allow the use of laser lights to be projected onto their building during Christmas in the Courtyard.  Members of the Board would like to note that our aquatics program is very inclusive. They are proud of the work the department does working closely with the KU Sensory Enhanced Programs.  Parks and Recreation are not involved with the installation of Christmas lights on buildings. This is a Public Works task. They likely do not know without measuring the linear feet of each building to calculate the number of lights installed.  Public Works Facilities team is managing the generator project. There has been one test of the system in preparation for it to be operational. How the generator operates under winter conditions will be managed by the Facilities team.  The approved fee letter will be mailed December 1st. A draft of the letter was sent to the Parks Advisory Committee after the September meeting for review. The communications team had a few minor changes but a final letter was not distributed to Park Board. Potential members between November 11, when the mail list was generated and January 1 when the new rates go into effect, are being told by staff about the rate increase in addition to receiving a copy of the letter. ii. Monthly Community Center Membership Report A detailed memo with reports were included in the packet. Updates to the information include:  Staff is forecasting that November visitation will remain consistent with visitation from 2024, averaging 339 visits/day.  November daily visitation is averaging 44 visits per day, which is consistent with 2024 visitation.  October revenue did not exceed 2024. Revenues fell by approximately $1,300. November revenue exceeded 2024 on November 20. Staff Page 2 of 5 Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes – November 25, 2025 anticipates exceeding 2024 department revenue by December 5th.  Insurance membership reimbursement is anticipated to exceed $95,000 for the calendar year. Reimbursement each month in 2025, with the exception of April, has been 5% more than 2024. Discussion:  Insurance visit reimbursement fees are set by the provider. Each visit is worth a certain fee to a determined number of visits. Once that visit number is reached, reimbursement is maximized but the user still retains access. Similar to a traditional membership, a member is not limited on the number of visits per month.  FitClass Pass has a wide range of users. A member must be 16 to participate, the majority are women. Staff would estimate a significant percentage of participants are insurance based members with an average age of 70. b. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR'S REPORT i. PROGRAM EVALUATIONS 1. 2025 Farmers' Market Season A detailed report was included in the packet. Discussion:  July 4th of next year is also a farmers market day. On this day the Farmers Market will close earlier than usual so that bands and set up for the 4th celebration can start to set up.  Once Overland Parks market is done, staff anticipates seeing a slight decrease in patronage/vendors coming to Merriams. 2. Merriam Drive Live Evaluation A detailed report was included in the packet. There was no discussion. 3. Holiday Sip and Shop Evaluation A detailed report was included in the packet. Discussion:  Crafters stalls were out in the hallways this year allowing for more vendors/shoppers. Staff was concerned about the floor plan being too crowded, but the event flow went smoothly. ii. UPCOMING EVENTS 1. 29th Annual High School Visual Art Competition An event flyer was included in the packet. Page 3 of 5 Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes – November 25, 2025 Discussion:  This year there are 17 schools participating from the Metro submitting a total of 415 works. There were 100 works accepted to the show. 2. Christmas in the Courtyard An event flyer was included in the packet. 3. Breakfast with Santa An event flyer was included in the packet. Discussion:  The event sold out on Monday, November 17. A waitlist of 20 people was created. There is currently no one on the wait list. iii. PROGRAM UPDATES 1. Art Committee Update Discussion:  In January the committee will start to look at a request for the next Art project. This should be an interactive project next to the trail. City Hall windows artist meeting will hopefully happen in the spring. 5. NEW BUSINESS a. Review of Annual Election Protocol A memo detailing the nomination process was included in the packet. Per the by-laws, the nomination and election process was reviewed at the meeting as a point of clarification. b. Election of Chairperson Discussion: George Vessel nominated Katie Leary. There were no other nominations. Board Member Vesel made a motion to nominate Katie Leary as Chairperson. Board Member Stull seconded and the motion was unanimously APPROVED. c. Election of Vice-Chairperson Discussion: Katie Leary nominated David Zukly. There were no other nominations. Board Member Leary made a motion to nominate David Zukley as Vice- Chairperson Board Member Vesel seconded and the motion was unanimously APPROVED. Page 4 of 5 Parks & Recreation Advisory Board Minutes – November 25, 2025 6. OTHER BUSINESS 7. ADJOURNMENT Board Member Zukley made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 6: 26 p.m. Board Member Murphy seconded and the motion was unanimously APPROVED. Page 5 of 5 TO: Merriam Parks and Recreation Advisory Board FROM: Anna Slocum, Parks and Recreation Director SUBJECT: Monthly Director’s Report DATE: January 27, 2026 HIGHLIGHTS Community Center Update • On Friday, November 28 a young patron broke the glass out of one of the vending machines. He was rocking the machine when the glass shattered. The vending machines are owned by the vending company. A police report was filed, and the company was contacted. The glass was replaced with plexiglass on Monday, December 1 but the machine did not come back online until Tuesday, December 2. The machine was also moved closer to the opening of the vending area to be more visible on the security cameras. • After the November meeting, staff wanted to verify statistics of the Fit Class Pass program. At the end of November there were 174 active participants in the program. The participants range in age from 18 to 93! The average age of participant is 61 with the median age being 66. There are 13 men that participate in the program. • On Thursday, December 11 the Community Center phones quit working at approximately 4 p.m. With the uncertainty at the time as to what was occurring, a message was sent out to patrons via RecConnect – email and text, as well as posts to social media. Until the issue could be solved, the phone was able to be redirected allowing patrons to leave a message. Staff were able to check messages each hour and return calls from a cell phone. The phones were once again operational by 10 a.m. on Friday, December 12. • On Saturday, December 20 to Sunday, December 21 there was a scheduled power outage with Evergy to finalize the connections to the generator. The connection started on Saturday at 6 p.m. at building close. When power was restored at 7 a.m. there were some issues with restart, specifically with the Desert Aire Unit. The unit came back on at 8:30 a.m. which provided ample time for the space to properly condition before the building opened at 10 a.m. • The manufacturer of the low voltage components of Bask has their engineer team working on a solution for Bask to light again. There are two nodes that are not functioning that need to be replaced. The engineers are approaching the repair from two options: a plug and play module that simply replaces the existing node as well as trying to determine if there is a way to bypass the nodes and rewire the system in place. The goal is to not only find a solution that works but works  long-term. The vendor is currently in the testing phase of the plug-in-play solution. If the testing is successful, the company hopes to have the required solution shipped next week. • The University of Kansas Sensory Aquatic Program staff are once again submitting for a research grant to compare different durations of program length (15, 40 and 80 lessons). The department has provided a letter of support for the grant application. • The generator is operational. The factory start-up, with 2-hour load bank-test was successful on January 21. • In early December staff started to notice issues with the air quality in the natatorium. According to the monitoring system, the Desert Aire unit was operating properly. When the stainless steel in the area started to show significant signs of corrosion, a deeper look into the Desert Aire unit revealed that one of the exhaust fans was unplugged due to a broken motor mount. Facility staff are addressing that concern with the vendor that completes preventative maintenance. On Thursday, January 22, the broken motor mounts were replaced, exhaust motor plugged back in, and air quality improved immediately. Aquatics staff will be working to clean all stainless. Due to the issues occurring with the motor mounts, Facilities staff are looking to reinforce or improve the existing mounts to improve durability. Park Updates • As part of the preliminary studies for the Army Corp of Engineers project, there were core samples completed December 29-31 at the western portion of Brown Park. • Staff were informed on Tuesday, January 6 that the Merriam Drainage District will be performing maintenance work in the Turkey Creek channel in late January requiring access through Waterfall Park. The maintenance includes removing debris from underneath the railroad and I-35 bridges to improve waterflow. The intense rainfall events in 2025 moved a great deal of material which was deposited under the bridges. Max Rieke will be completing the work and will minimize impact. As before, any damage that occurs will be addressed immediately once work is completed. • Staff will be completing the replacement of trash cans and picnic tables in 2026. This has been a multi-year replacement program. The final 6 trash cans and one picnic table have been ordered. In addition, a sign cabinet for Waterfall that was damaged was also ordered. Delivery will be in 6 weeks with Public Works working to install as time allows. Monthly Community Center Membership Report Included in the packet are the comparison reports for annual membership sales and daily visits for November and December. November total membership sales declined by 9 compared to 2024. The largest fluctuation in sales is seen in adult memberships. December total membership sales declined by 7 compared to 2024. The largest fluctuation is seen in employee memberships, which is a benefit to employees with little to any bearing on revenue generation. Membership cancellations in November decreased by 4, totaling 34 versus 38 in November 2024. Cancellation reasons: Medical – 0, Financial – 1, Non-Usage – 16, Relocation – 3, Other – 14. Membership cancellation in December decreased by 4, totaling 49 versus 52 in December 2024. Cancellation reasons: Medical-0, Financial-3, Non-Usage-18, Relocation-9, Other -19. The December installment payment exceeded the same period in 2025 by $590. For the year, installment billed memberships increased by $60,350 over 2024, a 9.5% increase. December had the smallest increase over 2024 with $590 whereas February had the largest increase with $8,120. The January installment payment exceeded the same period in 2025 by $6,639 (12%). Staff estimate that approximately $3,935 of the increase is due to the 5% increase in fees. As projected, November members’ visitation exceeded November 2024 visitation by 136 visits. The highest visitation day was Monday, November 10th with 525 visits. December members’ visitation dropped slightly compared to December 2024, a decrease of 185 visits. The highest visitation was Monday, December 29. Total visitation for the year increased 1,959 visits (1.4%). Daily visits increased 139 compared to November 2024. Daily visitation averaged 50/day compared to 46/day in 2024, with the highest single day sales on Saturday, November 15th (143- of which 81 were from Powell Community Center). Daily visits for December increased 43 compared to December 2024. Daily visitation averaged 54/day compared to 52/day with the highest single day sales on Tuesday, December 30. Total daily visitation for the year increased 289 visits (1.3%). For the first time all year, November insurance visits decreased (40) when compared to November 2024. The decrease was driven by Silver Sneakers and Renew Active categories. December insurance visits increased by 74 compared to December 2025. The increase was driven by Silver Sneakers and Active and Fit. Total insurance visits for the year increased 2,753 visits (7.1%) Recommendation: This memo was provided for your information. No action required. 2025 TOTAL VISITS JAN* FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 11,964 10,628 11,343 10,699 11,179 17,374 18,276 14,391 10,619 10,518 9,969 10,182 147,142 DAILY VISITS 1,526 1,723 1,878 1,300 2,220 3,832 3,251 2,031 813 922 1,460 1,613 22,569 GUEST PASSES 81 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 0 6 0 0 117 TOURS 10 11 20 9 3 6 0 1 0 16 10 3 89 2024 TOTAL VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 12,223 10,797 11,081 10,971 11,930 17,214 17,269 13,763 10,075 9,660 9,833 10,367 145,183 DAILY VISITS 1,736 1,379 1,820 1,404 2,171 3,793 3,428 2,107 901 650 1,321 1,570 22,280 GUEST PASSES 10 0 0 0 0 4 44 0 0 2 0 1 61 TOURS 32 31 11 0 33 28 13 3 0 11 20 7 189 2023 TOTAL VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 11,709 9,991 11,632 9,049 10,112 15,567 13,858 12,976 8,972 9,105 8,704 9,441 131,116 DAILY VISITS 1,465 1,241 1,790 1,122 2,037 3,478 2,814 2,116 1,052 751 957 1,511 20,334 GUEST PASSES 3 8 1 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 TOURS 35 18 10 10 26 43 26 28 18 8 3 5 230 2022 TOTAL VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 7,282 7,419 9,127 8,142 8,202 11,668 11,816 11,214 8,502 7,739 8,521 9,558 109,190 DAILY VISITS 739 1,067 1,449 1,045 1,649 3,051 3,079 1,836 750 569 906 1,137 17,277 GUEST PASSES 10 21 48 2 0 0 0 24 0 0 1 4 110 TOURS 45 32 45 55 4 49 37 61 30 20 12 0 390 2021 TOTAL VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 3,318 3,169 4,924 4,769 4,775 10,607 11,284 9,662 6,138 5,799 6,006 6,097 76,548 DAILY VISITS 185 211 482 386 576 2,148 2,055 1,774 496 401 590 661 9,965 GUEST PASSES 3 2 24 20 7 24 18 19 10 2 3 0 132 TOURS 77 38 93 85 102 90 107 65 27 83 33 28 828 *January 2025 facility was closed 2 days due to significant snowfall Visit Comparison 2021-2025 2025 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 590 604 529 530 596 907 967 735 502 488 525 513 MEMBERSHIP VISITS (Mon 20th) (Mon 17th) (Mon 10th) (Mon 21st) (Tues 27th) (Mon 16th) (Mon 14th) (Fri 8th) (Mon 15th) (Mon 20th) (Mon 10th) (Mon 29th) 132 151 146 89 128 246 152 148 79 93 142 114 DAILY VISITS (Thurs 2nd) (Sun 16th) (Thurs 20th) (Sat 5th) (Sat 31st) (Sat 21st) (Sun 27th) (Fri 8th) (Mon 1st) (Sat 4th) (Sat, 15th) (Tues 30th) 2024 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 558 566 548 532 635 827 828 656 484 486 511 523 MEMBERSHIP VISITS (Wed 24th) (Mon 19th) (Mon 25th) (Mon 1st) (Wed 29th) (Mon 17th) (Mon 15th) (Fri 2nd) (Mon 16th) (Mon 21st) (Mon 4th) (Mon 30th) 122 124 151 133 166 (Wed 181 186 220 128 49 91 137 DAILY VISITS (Tues 2nd) (Sat 10th) (Thurs 14th) (Sat 13th) 29th) (Mon 24th) (Sat 13th) (Sat 31st) (Sun 1st) (Fri 11) (Sat 2nd) (Mon 30th) 2023 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 581 512 548 434 561 892 707 588 462 463 460 525 MEMBERSHIP VISITS (Mon 23rd) (Mon 20th) (Mon 13th) (Mon 10th) (Wed 31st) (Mon 19th) (Mon 3rd) (Mon 21st) (Mon 4th) (Mon 30th) (Mon 27th) (Mon 18th) 95 113 178 73 182 252 224 174 140 46 65 119 DAILY VISITS (Sat 14th) (Sat 25th) (Tues 14th) (Sat 1st) (Mon 29th) (Mon 19th) (Sat 29th) (Sat 19th) (Sat 2nd) (Sat 21st) (Thurs 11th) (Thurs 28th) 2022 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 339 412 412 409 420 641 531 568 425 346 427 439 MEMBERSHIP VISITS (Mon 24th) (Mon 21st) (Mon 28th) (Mon 11th) (Wed 25th) (Mon 13th) (Wed 6th) (Mon 1st) (Mon 19th) (Wed 26th) (Mon 14th) (Mon 12th) 62 90 91 79 159 261 174 152 72 40 84 83 DAILY VISITS (Sat 29th) (Sat 26th) (Fri 18th) (Sun 3rd) (Mon 30th) (Sat 18th) (Sat 9th) (Sat 13th) (Mon 5th) (Fri 14th ) (Sun 20th) (Fri 30th) 2021 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 149 (Tues 159 (Tues 213 228 247 496 478 449 297 310 284 304 MEMBERSHIP VISITS 5th) 2nd) (Mon 15th) (Thurs 8th) (Wed 19th) (Wed 16th) (Tues 13th) (Mon 9th) (Mon 6th) (Mon 25th) (Tues, 2nd) (Mon 27th) 147 22 66 45 52 69 136 126 (Mon 9th / 78 29 81 51 DAILY VISITS (Sat 16th) (Thurs 25th) (Fri 19th) (Sat 10th) (Mon 31st) (Sun 13th) (Mon 5th) Wed 11th) (Mon 6th) (Fri 15th) (Sun 14th) (Tues 28th) Highest Attended Day Comparison 2021 - 2025 2025 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 1,357 1,219 1,400 1,417 1,340 1,492 1,724 1,685 1,475 1,485 1,307 1,343 17,244 Prime Fitness 202 190 193 168 208 222 243 195 150 178 163 174 2,286 Renew Active/OnePass 1,394 1,128 1,260 1,389 1,191 1,278 1,671 1,628 1,513 1,428 1,284 1,381 16,545 Silver & Fit 16 12 16 26 5 4 2 5 3 1 5 14 109 Active & Fit 336 286 345 343 336 401 525 434 398 386 334 299 4,423 PeerFit 109 106 85 89 52 106 108 78 57 74 52 73 989 2024 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 1,391 1,438 1,459 1,459 1,493 1,506 1,687 1,723 1,551 1,559 1,501 1,457 18,224 Prime Fitness 157 179 187 190 166 191 204 179 155 125 147 165 2,045 Renew Active/One Pass 1,047 980 1,014 1,060 1,007 1,097 1,303 1,414 1,226 1,173 1,139 1,171 13,631 Silver & Fit 0 11 12 3 1 1 19 19 2 18 17 21 124 Active & Fit 305 318 315 305 315 308 316 293 315 299 316 307 3,712 PeerFit 107 96 125 85 78 84 107 86 96 89 65 89 1,107 2023 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 1,364 1,262 1,497 1,178 1,189 1,259 1,237 1,464 1,302 1,275 1,148 1,277 15,452 Prime Fitness 173 150 134 128 130 188 161 180 112 116 111 132 1,715 Renew Active 787 683 891 726 743 710 816 917 735 884 859 1,001 9,752 Silver & Fit 17 15 10 4 11 8 16 11 7 6 8 1 114 Active & Fit 276 319 310 283 293 352 331 331 314 309 271 255 3,644 PeerFit 90 69 73 93 83 88 69 57 63 50 64 68 867 2022 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 831 788 1,114 950 792 944 986 1,065 978 956 956 1,048 11,408 Prime Fitness 103 96 117 134 143 151 153 189 145 144 140 129 1,644 Renew Active 419 470 594 573 489 561 666 645 580 523 622 654 6,796 Silver & Fit 45 43 42 22 20 18 20 26 34 14 16 13 313 Active & Fit 88 64 88 98 121 128 173 208 200 188 177 217 1,750 PeerFit 55 57 87 90 86 113 81 87 76 94 76 61 963 2021 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 328 347 443 437 410 475 595 811 557 645 773 738 6,559 Prime Fitness 24 17 35 56 53 52 118 112 69 72 59 76 743 Renew Active 136 138 254 286 291 299 330 349 298 309 315 386 3,391 Silver & Fit 8 8 13 12 18 22 24 48 9 10 33 34 239 Active & Fit 3 2 0 3 24 51 42 62 58 56 45 61 407 PeerFit 3 46 39 27 53 44 62 49 54 68 64 509 Insurance Visit Comparison 2021-2025 2025 TOTAL VISITS JAN* FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 11,964 10,628 11,343 10,699 11,179 17,374 18,276 14,391 10,619 10,518 9,969 10,182 147,142 DAILY VISITS 1,526 1,723 1,878 1,300 2,220 3,832 3,251 2,031 813 922 1,460 1,613 22,569 GUEST PASSES 81 0 0 0 0 0 0 30 0 6 0 0 117 TOURS 10 11 20 9 3 6 0 1 0 16 10 3 89 2024 TOTAL VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 12,223 10,797 11,081 10,971 11,930 17,214 17,269 13,763 10,075 9,660 9,833 10,367 145,183 DAILY VISITS 1,736 1,379 1,820 1,404 2,171 3,793 3,428 2,107 901 650 1,321 1,570 22,280 GUEST PASSES 10 0 0 0 0 4 44 0 0 2 0 1 61 TOURS 32 31 11 0 33 28 13 3 0 11 20 7 189 2023 TOTAL VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 11,709 9,991 11,632 9,049 10,112 15,567 13,858 12,976 8,972 9,105 8,704 9,441 131,116 DAILY VISITS 1,465 1,241 1,790 1,122 2,037 3,478 2,814 2,116 1,052 751 957 1,511 20,334 GUEST PASSES 3 8 1 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 TOURS 35 18 10 10 26 43 26 28 18 8 3 5 230 2022 TOTAL VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 7,282 7,419 9,127 8,142 8,202 11,668 11,816 11,214 8,502 7,739 8,521 9,558 109,190 DAILY VISITS 739 1,067 1,449 1,045 1,649 3,051 3,079 1,836 750 569 906 1,137 17,277 GUEST PASSES 10 21 48 2 0 0 0 24 0 0 1 4 110 TOURS 45 32 45 55 4 49 37 61 30 20 12 0 390 2021 TOTAL VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS MEMBERSHIP VISITS 3,318 3,169 4,924 4,769 4,775 10,607 11,284 9,662 6,138 5,799 6,006 6,097 76,548 DAILY VISITS 185 211 482 386 576 2,148 2,055 1,774 496 401 590 661 9,965 GUEST PASSES 3 2 24 20 7 24 18 19 10 2 3 0 132 TOURS 77 38 93 85 102 90 107 65 27 83 33 28 828 *January 2025 facility was closed 2 days due to significant snowfall Visit Comparison 2021-2025 2025 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 590 604 529 530 596 907 967 735 502 488 525 513 MEMBERSHIP VISITS (Mon 20th) (Mon 17th) (Mon 10th) (Mon 21st) (Tues 27th) (Mon 16th) (Mon 14th) (Fri 8th) (Mon 15th) (Mon 20th) (Mon 10th) (Mon 29th) 132 151 146 89 128 246 152 148 79 93 142 114 DAILY VISITS (Thurs 2nd) (Sun 16th) (Thurs 20th) (Sat 5th) (Sat 31st) (Sat 21st) (Sun 27th) (Fri 8th) (Mon 1st) (Sat 4th) (Sat, 15th) (Tues 30th) 2024 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 558 566 548 532 635 827 828 656 484 486 511 523 MEMBERSHIP VISITS (Wed 24th) (Mon 19th) (Mon 25th) (Mon 1st) (Wed 29th) (Mon 17th) (Mon 15th) (Fri 2nd) (Mon 16th) (Mon 21st) (Mon 4th) (Mon 30th) 122 124 151 133 166 (Wed 181 186 220 128 49 91 137 DAILY VISITS (Tues 2nd) (Sat 10th) (Thurs 14th) (Sat 13th) 29th) (Mon 24th) (Sat 13th) (Sat 31st) (Sun 1st) (Fri 11) (Sat 2nd) (Mon 30th) 2023 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 581 512 548 434 561 892 707 588 462 463 460 525 MEMBERSHIP VISITS (Mon 23rd) (Mon 20th) (Mon 13th) (Mon 10th) (Wed 31st) (Mon 19th) (Mon 3rd) (Mon 21st) (Mon 4th) (Mon 30th) (Mon 27th) (Mon 18th) 95 113 178 73 182 252 224 174 140 46 65 119 DAILY VISITS (Sat 14th) (Sat 25th) (Tues 14th) (Sat 1st) (Mon 29th) (Mon 19th) (Sat 29th) (Sat 19th) (Sat 2nd) (Sat 21st) (Thurs 11th) (Thurs 28th) 2022 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 339 412 412 409 420 641 531 568 425 346 427 439 MEMBERSHIP VISITS (Mon 24th) (Mon 21st) (Mon 28th) (Mon 11th) (Wed 25th) (Mon 13th) (Wed 6th) (Mon 1st) (Mon 19th) (Wed 26th) (Mon 14th) (Mon 12th) 62 90 91 79 159 261 174 152 72 40 84 83 DAILY VISITS (Sat 29th) (Sat 26th) (Fri 18th) (Sun 3rd) (Mon 30th) (Sat 18th) (Sat 9th) (Sat 13th) (Mon 5th) (Fri 14th ) (Sun 20th) (Fri 30th) 2021 Highest Attended Day JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC 149 (Tues 159 (Tues 213 228 247 496 478 449 297 310 284 304 MEMBERSHIP VISITS 5th) 2nd) (Mon 15th) (Thurs 8th) (Wed 19th) (Wed 16th) (Tues 13th) (Mon 9th) (Mon 6th) (Mon 25th) (Tues, 2nd) (Mon 27th) 147 22 66 45 52 69 136 126 (Mon 9th / 78 29 81 51 DAILY VISITS (Sat 16th) (Thurs 25th) (Fri 19th) (Sat 10th) (Mon 31st) (Sun 13th) (Mon 5th) Wed 11th) (Mon 6th) (Fri 15th) (Sun 14th) (Tues 28th) Highest Attended Day Comparison 2021 - 2025 2025 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 1,357 1,219 1,400 1,417 1,340 1,492 1,724 1,685 1,475 1,485 1,307 1,343 17,244 Prime Fitness 202 190 193 168 208 222 243 195 150 178 163 174 2,286 Renew Active/OnePass 1,394 1,128 1,260 1,389 1,191 1,278 1,671 1,628 1,513 1,428 1,284 1,381 16,545 Silver & Fit 16 12 16 26 5 4 2 5 3 1 5 14 109 Active & Fit 336 286 345 343 336 401 525 434 398 386 334 299 4,423 PeerFit 109 106 85 89 52 106 108 78 57 74 52 73 989 2024 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 1,391 1,438 1,459 1,459 1,493 1,506 1,687 1,723 1,551 1,559 1,501 1,457 18,224 Prime Fitness 157 179 187 190 166 191 204 179 155 125 147 165 2,045 Renew Active/One Pass 1,047 980 1,014 1,060 1,007 1,097 1,303 1,414 1,226 1,173 1,139 1,171 13,631 Silver & Fit 0 11 12 3 1 1 19 19 2 18 17 21 124 Active & Fit 305 318 315 305 315 308 316 293 315 299 316 307 3,712 PeerFit 107 96 125 85 78 84 107 86 96 89 65 89 1,107 2023 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 1,364 1,262 1,497 1,178 1,189 1,259 1,237 1,464 1,302 1,275 1,148 1,277 15,452 Prime Fitness 173 150 134 128 130 188 161 180 112 116 111 132 1,715 Renew Active 787 683 891 726 743 710 816 917 735 884 859 1,001 9,752 Silver & Fit 17 15 10 4 11 8 16 11 7 6 8 1 114 Active & Fit 276 319 310 283 293 352 331 331 314 309 271 255 3,644 PeerFit 90 69 73 93 83 88 69 57 63 50 64 68 867 2022 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 831 788 1,114 950 792 944 986 1,065 978 956 956 1,048 11,408 Prime Fitness 103 96 117 134 143 151 153 189 145 144 140 129 1,644 Renew Active 419 470 594 573 489 561 666 645 580 523 622 654 6,796 Silver & Fit 45 43 42 22 20 18 20 26 34 14 16 13 313 Active & Fit 88 64 88 98 121 128 173 208 200 188 177 217 1,750 PeerFit 55 57 87 90 86 113 81 87 76 94 76 61 963 2021 INSURANCE VISITS JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC TOTAL VISITS Silver Sneakers 328 347 443 437 410 475 595 811 557 645 773 738 6,559 Prime Fitness 24 17 35 56 53 52 118 112 69 72 59 76 743 Renew Active 136 138 254 286 291 299 330 349 298 309 315 386 3,391 Silver & Fit 8 8 13 12 18 22 24 48 9 10 33 34 239 Active & Fit 3 2 0 3 24 51 42 62 58 56 45 61 407 PeerFit 3 46 39 27 53 44 62 49 54 68 64 509 Insurance Visit Comparison 2021-2025 FALL 2024 2025 YOUTH AQUATICS Class Enrolled Participation Enrolled Participation Parent/Child Swim Lessons 22 87 19 82 Preschool Swim Lessons 16 192 45 217 Youth Swim Lessons 10 114 42 189 Private / Semi Private Swim Lessons 28 125 17 57 Junior Dolphins 3 26 12 29 Infant Survival Swim - Non-Walker 0 0 0 0 Infant Survival Swim - Walker 0 0 0 0 SuperKids ALL LEVELS 283 1,465 286 1,278 MJ's Kids 125 502 125 536 KU Sensory Lessons 66 437 33 466 TOTAL 553 2,948 579 2,854 YOUTH EDUCATIONAL Aiki Kids Child/Parent Fundamentals 6 56 13 28 Build-A-Plush Workshop 34 34 20 20 Kawaii Kids Martial Arts 28 252 89 218 Preschool P.R.E.P. 1 208 10 142 Tumbling / Gymnastics 48 148 Tweens DIY / Workshops 0 0 TOTAL 130 729 132 408 ADULT FITNESS (LAND) 3V3 Basketball Tournament Beginner/Kickstart Pickleball 3 6 BARRE † 6 47 Cardio & Strength † 16 222 15 184 Cross Training † Fit Camp / Chisel † 0 54 7 67 Power HIIT † 0 74 Kettlebell & Core † 0 57 6 112 Morning Burn Bootcamp † 0 96 0 204 Shape Up † 0 109 0 151 Strengthen, Stretch & Breathe † 0 172 WERQ † 1 112 5 57 Zumba 9 94 TOTAL 26 744 42 1,246 Fall Rec Report 1 YOGA Animal Yoga (Puppy, Cat, Goat) 24 22 14 14 Ballet Yoga † 1 6 Gentle Iyengar Method 2 54 17 48 Healing Flow † 1 98 Iyengar Method Level 1 3 32 19 67 Iyengar Method Level 2 4 95 27 80 Mindful Yoga † Restorative Yoga † 0 134 0 111 TOTAL 34 343 78 418 ADULT MARTIAL ARTS Aikido Yoshinkan 3 60 13 44 The Ki Society 6 90 20 89 TOTAL 9 150 20 133 ADULT ED Adult DIY / One Day Workshops 52 78 20 20 TOTAL 52 78 20 20 WATER FITNESS Adult Swim Lessons 0 0 8 39 Aqua Fit † 0 255 Aqua Flow - A TaijiFit Experience † 9 822 1 864 Aqua Interval Fitness 9 142 52 227 Cardio Splash † 1 1,372 1 1,290 KU Sensory Enhanced Aquatics 10 100 18 100 Phyllis' Water Therapy Warm Water Therapy 3 60 2 3 Water Aerobics † 0 63 12 57 Water Walking / Therapy Fitness † 0 12 TOTAL 32 2,571 94 2,835 Fall Rec Report 2 50+ AARP Smart Driver Course Silver Screen Matinee 198 302 Flexercise / AFEP 492 553 Bingo 260 287 Silver Spades 163 Cardio Chair Drumming † 0 615 0 684 Easy Does It † Iyengar Chair Yoga 4 37 11 141 One Day Workshops / Lunch & Learns 40 56 103 170 Senior Strength † 0 267 SilverSneakers Classic 0 96 Tap Class † 6 46 9 100 TOTAL 50 1,704 123 3,050 SPECIAL EVENTS Turkey Creek Car and Motorcycle Show 353 4,000 304 6,000 Family Event Nights 10 160 0 150 Merriam Drive Live 1,325 1,375 Merriam Drive Live Cornhole Tourney Murder Mystery Night 31 31 29 29 Holiday Sip and Shop 35 230 230 Halloween Happenings 350 525 Christmas in the Courtyard 175 375 Breakfast with Santa 130 125 126 118 Art Gallery Receptions / Visitors 434 591 TOTAL 524 6,635 689 9,393 RENTALS Gym 150 2,507 74 2,121 Pool 1 5 7 81 City Meetings 224 433 Room 288 8,950 196 7,233 Birthday Parties(Pool) 80 1,746 97 1,819 Field Rentals 30 Shelter Rentals 12 TOTAL 561 13,432 374 11,687 DAILY VISITS Membership Visits 39,935 41,288 Daily Passes 4,442 4,808 Walking Track Punch Pass 350 379 Pickleball Punch Pass 530 466 Aqua Toddler Swim Time 29 9 Sensory Hour 0 3 Preschool Indoor Park 261 421 Child Watch Visits 390 457 Tours 38 29 Guest Passes 3 6 TOTAL 45,978 47,866 GRAND TOTAL 1,971 75,312 2,151 79,910 Fall Rec Report 3  MERRIAM PARKS & RECREATION Annual Comparison Report 2021* 2022 2023 2024 2025 Participation Participation Participation Participation Participation YOUTH AQUATIC / EDUCATION Winter / Spring 1,471 2,759 3,107 3,790 4,194 Summer 3,086 4,606 4,469 5,652 6,640 Fall 1,805 2,037 2,486 3,677 3,262 Total 6,362 9,402 10,062 13,119 14,096 ADULT FITNESS / YOGA/ MARTIAL ARTS Winter / Spring 1,194 1,314 1,335 1,433 1,666 Summer 903 2,055 1,407 1,323 1,421 Fall 1,123 1,771 1,131 1,237 1,797 Total 3,220 5,140 3,873 3,993 4,884 ADULT EDUCATION Winter / Spring 59 62 132 164 73 Summer 3 50 58 61 22 Fall 46 10 18 78 20 Total 108 122 208 303 115 50+ Winter / Spring 893 1,931 1,459 1,533 2,569 Summer 801 1,005 1,816 1,805 2,335 Fall 823 894 1,501 1,704 3,050 Total 2,517 3,830 4,776 5,042 7,954 WATER FITNESS Winter / Spring 192 1,004 1,831 2,105 2,471 Summer 249 1,149 1,345 2,219 3,195 Fall 489 1,378 1,991 2,571 2,835 Total 930 3,531 5,167 6,895 8,501 SPECIAL EVENTS Winter / Spring 349 588 612 709 656 Summer 1,271 6,285 9,760 7,287 8,171 Fall 5,943 9,144 9,799 6,635 9,373 Total 7,563 16,017 20,171 14,631 18,200 RENTALS Winter / Spring 1,750 5,748 10,734 9,817 12,863 Summer 1,750 5,701 9,822 12,793 11,278 Fall 3,825 8,755 10,508 13,432 11,687 Total 7,325 20,204 31,064 36,042 35,828 Annual Recreation Report Summary 1  2021* 2022 2023 2024 2,025 Participation Participation Participation Participation Participation DAILY VISITS Winter / Spring 23,802 49,762 49,428 53,081 53,245 Summer (IBFCC+MAC) 38,072 57,690 64,215 73,534 74,768 Fall 26,834 38,673 41,713 45,978 47,866 Total 88,708 146,125 155,356 172,593 175,879 GRAND TOTAL 116,733 204,371 230,677 252,618 265,457 *First year of programs at MCC due to Coronavirus Pandemic Annual Recreation Report Summary 2 Special Event Evaluation Form Event Name: 29th Annual High School Visual Art Competition Opening Reception Date: Thursday, December 4, 2025 Location: MCC –Tim Murphy Art Gallery Number of Registrants: 410 works submitted by 266 students from 17 schools 100 works accepted by 88 students from 14 schools Number in attendance: 275 Grades: 9-12 Cost of Event: FREE Revenue: $0 Expenses George Moeller (judging fee) $500 Hasty Awards (winner ribbons) $90 Reception food/drink $136.87 Brooke Mertz (live music) $200 Award & teacher gift cards $1,491.35 Amazon (certificate holders) $11.19 Family Tree Nursery (poinsettias for reception) $19.18 Total Expenses $2,448.59 2025 Award Winners Special Items Needed: High top tables with decor, chairs, bar, soft drinks, table cloths, plates, napkins, cups, serving ware, big trash cans on wheels with skirts, beverage dispenser, name tags for students, teachers, judge & volunteers, award certificates with holders, gift certificates, ribbons, podium, lavalier microphone, laptop, flash drive with slide shows, check for musician. Modes of Publicity: Brochure, Facebook, Brightsigns, eMerriam, ArtsKCGo, emailed teachers and students, postcards/email invite to gallery patrons, city staff, City Council & Park Board. Volunteers: Sharon Yoder, Diane Austin, Ruben Cozmyer, Jacob Laha, George Vesel, Katie Taylor, Nancy Hupp, Chris Evans-Hands Staff: Ingrid Berg, Anna Slocum, Dave Smothers, Renee Jenkins Strengths: Live music by Brooke Mertz was lovely. George Moeller was the judge this year and did a thorough and thoughtful job. Eleven of the 12 winners were in attendance this year. Provided a $200 gift card drawing for teachers in attendance. Todd Poteet of Lawrence High School won this year. Great attendance and volunteerism. Taking the award winner picture on the south end of the gallery by the Christmas tree worked and eliminated extra congestion around the main lobby as people are readying to leave. Volunteers organized finalist certificates, so they were more visible making the pick-up process easier. Weaknesses: Submissions were quite a bit lower this year. Looking at streamlining the process to take a lot of the work off the teachers and putting it into the students’ hands. Opportunities: Teachers appreciated being emailed to encourage award winning students to be in attendance. For 2026 staff will consider eliminating the DIP category, as it is always the smallest (only eight accepted this year). Evaluating the possibility to increase the award compensation in 2027. Special Event Evaluation Form Event Name: Christmas in the Courtyard Date: Friday, December 5, 2025 Location: MCC – Founders Room Number of Registrants: N/A Number of participants: 275 Ages: ALL Cost of Event: FREE Expenses: Creative Carnivals $400.00 Balloon artist $175.00 Sister Act Entertainment $847.50 Amazon – event supplies $172.79 Home Depot $212.78 Hobby Lobby $40.73 Walmart $9.76 Total expenses $1,858.56 Special Items Needed: Speakers, speaker stand, microphone for Merriam Park & Crestview Elementary, tables/chairs for activities and crafts. Rented chair for Santa (delivered/rented by the SA Entertainment), stanchions for crowd control for Santa, Mayor’s remote for lights, all items for hot chocolate station. Modes of Publicity: Highlights, Fliers at parks, City Hall, outdoor sign, Brightsigns, Facebook®, MPRD website, Calendars on: iFamily KC. Volunteers: Shawnee PARC (Shawnee Post Acute & Rehab Center) they manned the hot chocolate station and providing the hot chocolate, Doug Murphy with his wife and son, and Max Isaac (SMN) Staff: Ingrid, Dave, Anna, Chloe, Lisa, Logan and Xavier Strengths: We added The Grinch and Cindy Loo Hoo this year, worked out perfectly as a photo- op in front of the gingerbread backdrop. Having both elementary schools ensured a larger crowd, despite the bitter, cold weather. Having the kids staged in Esther Brown worked out perfectly. It was the perfect way for them to enter the courtyard area directly from the room. Weaknesses: Bask not being lit internally requiring the art work to not be accessible with the exterior spotlights - the trellis lights also did not work which made the staging dark, there were complaints from parents not being able to see kids singing - evaluate the need to light the staging area even if trellis is working -keep the overhead string lights on and not have them be part of the lighting? Opportunities: Are there other opportunities to use other areas of the building, i.e. Esther Brown for other activities to spread the crowd throughout the building. Maybe not have the schools sing separate songs but everything together so that all the kids can go on the staging - Pre-event using Esther Brown for gathering worked great - teachers need to be on the move prior to 6 pm to get everyone in position so the event starts on time - have them moving at 5:55 - possibly assign a staff to keep them on time like a production assistant giving them their time cues to get them going. Teachers need to adjust their arrival time in order be show ready at 6p. Added laser lights to the library in addition to working with them to shut off some of the security lighting - still not enough - consider shutting off interior lights that are not security related - art gallery - use the laser lights and exterior spotlights that facilities have -there are 8 of them to add more color to the library. Have Mayor hold microphone closer to be able to hear him better. Assign a staff member to great Santa and get him into the building. A few quick hellos and then a friendly “everyone follow Santa inside for more fun activities”. Have Loomis be an exit only door - when coming straight in from outside the line out the door for hot chocolate was crazy — push everyone down the hall to Campbell or Kessler to keep the hallway clear especially with the temp walls up. Possibility of a louder wireless sound system?? Thoughts: Invest in a lighted mic stand/podium/music stand for Mayor when he is giving his speech, prior to him lighting the tree. Special Event Evaluation Form Event Name: Breakfast w/Santa Date: Saturday, December 6, 2025 Location: MCC – Founders’ Room Number of Registrants: 131 Number in attendance: 118 Ages: ALL Cost of Event: $8 / person Revenue: 131 X $8 = $1,048 Expenses Amazon (tablecloths, craft) $79.96 Target (gingerbread houses for giveaway) $36 HyVee (juice and milk) $35.56 Boy Scout Troop 247 (pancakes) 131 X $5 = $655 SAE (Santa and bench) $517.50 Total Expenses $1,172.50 Net: ($127.50) Special Items Needed: Microphone, tables, craft supplies, trash cans, liners, tablecloths, placemats, themed décor. Brick wall panels, trees (lights, no ornaments), red carpet. Modes of Publicity: Fall Highlights, Fliers at parks, City Hall and Antioch Library, Outdoor sign, Brightsigns, Facebook®, MPRD website, Calendars on: Macaroni Kid, iFamily KC & Johnson County, KC Star calendar, KC Parent. Volunteers: Max Isaac (SMN NHS) Staff: Ingrid Berg, Dave Smothers, Logan Dunn, (breakdown help: Albert Lopez, Ben Oehlert) Strengths: Attendees voiced their enjoyment and loved the pancakes the Boy Scouts made and served. The Santa from SAE was perfect for this event (and his wife was super helpful). The penguin ornament craft was a hit and parents voiced enjoying something different each year. The HS helper did a great job. Having him, Albert and Ben help breakdown the team was able flip the room pretty quickly. Weaknesses: There were three families that didn’t show up. Ran out of orange juice pretty quickly. Opportunities: Try having the same Santa for both Friday and Saturday.  “DIVERSITY IN ART FE B RUARY 5 – 2 8 H E ARTL AN D ART G U I LD OPENING RECEPTION Thursday, February 5, 2026 7–8:30 p.m. GALLERY HOURS M-TH 5 a.m.– 9 p.m. F 5 a.m.– 8 p.m. SAT 8 a.m.– 6 p.m. SUN 10 a.m.– 6 p.m. MERRIAM COMMUNITY CENTER 6040 Slater St. // 913-322-5550 Merriam.org/artgallery TO: Merriam Parks and Recreation Advisory Board FROM: Anna Slocum, Director of Parks and Recreation SUBJECT: Crestview PTA Request DATE: January 27, 2026 At the November 2025 Park Board Meeting, Crestview Elementary submitted a request for a reduction in the room rental rate for the Merriam Community Center for their annual fundraiser, “Tacos & Trivia Night”. The event date is scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026. The goal of this process, requesting a reduction in fees, is to determine if the group making the request is adequately prepared to host a successful event. In addition, it is important to evaluate the event and ensure it meets not only the mission of the City of Merriam but also the department. Historically, the organization requesting the reduction is either a non-profit or holds a 501c3 distinction. Crestview Elementary held this event at the community center for the first time in 2025. Previously, the event had been held at the Shawnee Knights of Columbus. The change in location was twofold, ideally to host the event within the city and reduce expenses thus increasing the amount of funds the PTA raises to help the school. Their fundraising goal is to net $6,500. After last year’s event, funds were used to purchase risers for the performing arts, cafeteria tables and equipment for the physical education teacher. The formal request made by Crestview PTA is attached. Below is a breakdown of anticipated costs for the rental based upon resident and commercial rates to show a comparison of savings. Space Resident Fees Commercial Fees Founders Room 1 p.m.-11 p.m. $ 950.00 $ 1,450.00 Alcohol Permit $ 25.00 $ 25.00 Security Officers $50/hr x 2 (6-10 p.m) $ 400.00 $ 400.00 Additional Staff ($20/hr.) 2 Facility Attendants 6 -11 p.m. $ 200.00 $ 200.00 Total Event Package $ 1,575.00 $ 2,075.00 As in past requests, it is imperative to follow precedent established for other requests. Typically, costs of rental that are directly associated with the event are costs not waived. For this request, these costs include the alcohol permit, security and staff required to remain after the hours of operation of the facility. These costs, totaling $625, are directly associated with the event and would be a direct expense to the department. Staff recommend Park Board waive the fee for the Founders Room with Crestview Elementary responsible only for direct costs, approximately $625, associated with the event (alcohol permit, security and after-hour staffing costs). 20 November 2025 City of Merriam Parks & Recreation Board 9001 W 62nd St Merriam KS 66202 Dear Board, I am writing on behalf of the Crestview Elementary PTA and am requesting a reduction in the room rental rate for the Merriam Community Center. Every year, our PTA hosts a fundraiser called Tacos & Trivia Night. For the last several years, we have held our event at the Shawnee Knights of Columbus. However, since our school is located in Merriam, this last year we had the privilege of having our event in Merriam and would love to continue this tradition again this year at this fabulous location. The participants raved about the space in the Community Center and how we were so excited to be hosting this spectacular event in Merriam as it was such a huge success. We have scheduled Tacos & Trivia to be held on Saturday, February 21, 2026 for this school year. Our Tacos and Trivia Night is one of our top fundraisers every year. We anticipate approximately 160 guests to attend a fun night full of tacos and trivia. We start our night with a taco buffet and then play 10 rounds of trivia. During the night, there is a silent auction filled with items donated from local businesses. Our fundraising goal for the event is raising $9,500 with expenses of $3,000, netting $6,500. In order to do this, we keep our expenses as low as possible. To that end, we are requesting a reduction in the room rental rate. We are so appreciative of all of the ways that the City of Merriam supports our school, and we would love to continue to partner together for Tacos & Trivia Night. Thank you for your consideration, Sara L. Fabian Crestview Elementary Vice President PTA, Tacos & Trivia Night Committee Co-Chair 6101 Craig St Merriam KS 66202