Recreation Center Governing Board

CITY OF TALLMADGE Recreation Center Governing Board Special Meeting October 24, 2022 10:00 a.m. Council Chambers Meeting Chaired By: Department of Public Service Mike Rorar Minutes: Tish Rowland I. Call to Order: Director of Public Service Rorar called the meeting to order at 10:04 a.m. II. Voting Members Present: Law Director Megan Raber, Director of Finance Mollie Gilbride, Director of Public Service Rorar, School Member Bill Johnson III. Non-Voting Members: Parks and Recreation Superintendent Jessica Simons, Administrative Assistant Dan Enos IV. Adoption of Minutes for September 1, 2022: Megan Raber moved to approve the minutes of September 1st meeting; seconded by Mollie Gilbride. Vote to approve: 4/0. V. Old Business: a. Past Event Updates: Jessica: We had the Fall Festival, the weather was excellent and the turnout, especially with families, was great. Well change the live music to attract an older crowd as well and shorten the hours and turn it into a money-making event. The Moonlight Movie was last weekend and was well attended with 30-40 cars in the parking lot. Community All Star League registrations started two weeks ago and is not as positive as we’d hoped, we’ll rearrange some things on that. b. Staff Updates: Jessica: We are consistently trying to hire the right people for each position. Schedules are covered but back up staff is low when someone is out. VI. New Business: a. Price Changes – Recommendations for Council Grid: Jessica: Due to incidents at halls we have re-examined rental fees. We are asking to institute a non-resident fee for the Community Center, Ritchie Hall, halls, and pavilions. Residents pay taxes but the majority of rentals are by non-residents. This reflects them paying a fair share. Grants received at Memorial and Maca Parks permit a two to one ratio for non- resident vs. resident rates. We factored in security, which is included in Community Center rates when alcohol is present, so it is not part of this. We adjusted rental hours at Ritchie Shelter House since it’s an alcohol-free facility. Ending at 9 or 10 pm, including clean up time, is sufficient for a get together. We’re also asking for a $5 increase for baseball field rentals because our costs have gone up. Teams that are 60% residents receive 50% off field rentals already.  Discussion: Raber: I will vote in favor so Council can review. Rorar: Did Maca memberships change? Simons: No, most members were residents. Non-resident rates are already 50% higher and we don’t have typically have issues at Maca like other parks. Enos: Our department and city benefit from residents and non-resident renters and this is a huge, huge increase from other renters in the area. People are worried about putting food on the table, especially with inflation, so this is not a good time for an increase. We benefit from people renting these facilities and this will prevent a lot of prospective renters from coming here. If this came up six months ago and it was meant to be a revenue gainer, it would make sense. But I don’t see this preventing any renter issues. This won’t force renters to abide by rental agreements and we already withhold deposits in those cases. I agree with the time adjustment, not the price increases. Gilbride: I agree with Dan, this hinders tourism and will stop visitors from using other Tallmadge businesses. Our amenities cannot be supported by residents alone. I will vote for it so Council can review it publicly. Simons: I don’t disagree with you; this was asked for and we are presenting it. Mollie Gilbride moved to approve; seconded by Mike Rorar. Vote to approve 4/0. VII. Monthly Reports a. TRC Membership Report: Jessica: Memberships continue to increase. Non-insurance- based memberships are up 25% from September 2021. Silver Sneakers generally increases, we do not remove anyone unless notified by the insurance company. b. Financial Report: Jessica: Net loss has continued to decrease. Membership revenue is up due to all memberships increasing and a significant increase in walk in fees. Revenue is up about 50% from last year and our expenses are up about 18%. We’re $104,000 ahead of where we were last year but still operating at a net loss. c. Donation Request Report: No donation report Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 10:19 a.m.