Recreation & Arena Advisory Commission

Recreation & Arena Commission Meeting January 12, 2026 Recreation Conference Room 1 Attendance: Lauren Krans, Sheila Colson, Dave Colson, Rhi Jeffrey, Kevin Barry, Dale Bickford, Dave Camire, Seph Warren, Lexi Van Binsbergen 1. Public Input No public input. 2. Introduction of Board Members Director Krans explained that the Mayor would appoint a City Council liaison to the board tomorrow evening at the January 13th City Council Meeting. Director Krans shared that day one of the City Council orientations took place on Friday, January 9th and the new council toured the Community Center and Rochester Arena. 3. Review December Minutes Dave Colson motioned to accept. Dave Camire seconded. Unanimous support. T AF DR 4. Review Revenue & Expense Reports Director Krans explained that the Recreation Part Time Seasonal Staff Account was 70% spent at the end of December and would be overspent at the end of the fiscal year. The underfunding of this account was due to changes made at the start of FY25. Director Krans discussed that this account was created at the start of FY25 to isolate part time seasonal staff wages of general recreation programs-this means all recreation programs outside of camp, pools. Before this change. Part time seasonal wages were mixed with the department’s two part time classified positions: Senior Services Coordinator and Community Center Attendant, making it challenging to track and forecast seasonal expenses. Director Krans stated that she would work to remedy this through the budgeting process. Director Krans explained that based on the current contracted ice schedule, the Arena is on track to achieve its FY26 proposed ice sales of $340,000. She indicated that user groups schedules can still change. Director Krans reviewed changes to the city’s contracts for natural gas and electricity.  After seven years of below market rates, there was a significant increase in both electricity and natural gas as of January 1. She reviewed the end-of-year forecast for the Arena Special Revenue Fund and anticipates that revenues will cover eighty-five to ninety percent of the FY26 Arena Operating Costs, assuming there are no unanticipated expenses that arise. Dave Colson motioned to accept Revenue and Expense reports as presented. Rhi seconded. Unanimous support. 5. FY27 Proposed Budget Overview Director Krans summarized the department’s requests for the FY27 budget process: Proposed Arena Operating O&M Summary: • Arena will see a sharp increase in electricity and heating fuel due to new utility rates. o Electricity: Supply will increase by around 50% o Heating Fuel: Natural gas increases by around 20% Proposed Arena Revenue Summary: DR AF T Proposed FY27 revenues are 3% higher than proposed FY26 revenues. Proposed Recreation Operating and Maintenance Budget Summary: Minor adjustments to several accounts for more effective planning and cost tracking. Increase in electricity for four outdoor pools. Rec Proposed Revenue Summary: Estimating FY27 revenues as 10% higher than proposed FY26 revenues. Proposed Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) FY27: Vehicle Replacement Program FY27: Zamboni Battery Replacement FY27: Arena Roof Safety System Upgrade: FY28: Arena Facility Improvement Plan Capital Improvement Projects With Department of Public Works: • Move Skate Park timeline out a year. • Aquatics Facility Assessments Dale Bickford inquired about the expected life span of outdoor pools. Lexi Van Binsbergen discussed that the pools were at the end of their expected life span based on what she has observed and given their length of service. • Site Analysis for Tennis Courts Dale Bickford inquired why there would be a site analysis for the Community Center Tennis Courts. Director Krans explained that in discussions with Public Works it was decided that a boring and engineering analysis would be the next best step for the location to ensure that any future investments are sustainable. The rate at which cracks are appearing is very high. Proposed Issues and Options Full Time Senior Services Coordinator Public Pools Water Quality and Equipment DR AF T Director Krans explained that she would be requesting additional funds for the pool operating budget. One of the rising costs continues to be chemicals, specifically chlorine. Seph Warren asked if non chlorine systems would be explored as alternatives in the future. Rhi Jeffrey shared information on alternative systems indicating that they were much more expensive than chlorine and would require new builds. Seph Warren recommended this is explored a part of long-term planning for the department’s facility needs. Rhi Jaffrey discussed multi use aquatics and ice facilities like the Boston Sports Institute. Other Weston and Sampson will present the Arena Facility Analysis at the Public Works Committee Meeting on Thursday, 1/15 6pm in City Hall Chambers. Anctil Cup game (Spaulding V Dover) will be on Wednesday, February 4th at 5pm at the Rochester Arena. Next meeting scheduled for February 9th – 6:00pm - Conference Room 1 at Community Center.