04.03.23 PRAB Study Session Packet
STUDY SESSION AGENDA
All agenda times are approximate.
I. Approval of Agenda (2 minutes)
II. Items for Discussion/Information
A. Financial Overview (10 minutes)
B. Fee Policy Development (70 minutes)
C. Break (10 minutes)
D. BPR Capital Investment Strategy (CIS): 2023-2029 (90
minutes)
III. Next Board Meeting: 6:00 p.m. April 24, 2023, hybrid
IV. Adjourn
Parks & Recreation Advisory Board
Hybrid Study Session Meeting
6:00 p.m., April 3, 2023
Boulder Parks & Recreation
Advisory Board Members 2023
Andrew Bernstein
Charles Brock
Elliott Hood
Anita Speirs
Jason Unger
Anna Segur
Sarah van der Star
Mission Statement
BPRD will promote the health and
well- being of the entire Boulder
community by collaboratively
providing high-quality parks,
facilities and programs.
Vision Statement
We envision a community where
every member’s health and well-
being is founded on unparalleled
parks, facilities and programs.
Goals of the Master Plan
1. Community Health and Wellness
2. Taking Care of What We Have
3. Financial Sustainability
4. Building Community
5. Youth Engagement
6. Organizational Readiness
STUDY SESSION DATE: April 3, 2023
6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m.
TO: Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
FROM: Alison Rhodes, Director of Parks and Recreation
Scott Schuttenberg, Deputy Director
Bryan Beary, Senior Manager, Community Building and Partnerships
Mark Davison, Senior Manager, Planning
Regina Elsner, Senior Manager, Natural Resources
Jackson Hite, Senior Manager, Business Services
Stacie Hoffmann, Senior Budget Analyst
Megann Lohman, Senior Manager, Recreation
Stephanie Munro, Senior Manager, Regional Facilities
Deryn Wagner, Senior Landscape Architect
Dennis Warrington, Senior Manager, Urban Parks
SUBJECT: Study Session: BPR Fee Policy Development and BPR Capital Investment
Strategy (CIS): 2023-2029
As part of the City Charter, the PRAB shall “review the city manager’s proposed annual budget
relating to parks and recreation matters and submit its recommendations concerning that budget
to the council” and “to approve or disapprove expenditures or appropriations from the permanent
park and recreation fund and forward such recommendations to the city council”.
Following the introduction of BPAR’s 2024 Budget Strategy at the March business meeting, this
study session intends to provide more background on the department’s finances and spending. As
staff develop the operating and capital budgets, the PRAB’s input is critical to ensuring the
department’s budget submission aligns with community priorities and values.
The first half of the study session will focus on the Fee Policy Update (guiding how and when
BPR charges fees for services) and the second half of the meeting will focus on the BPR Capital
Investment Strategy (CIS) which will guide the staff capacity, budget development, and
community outreach and engagement strategies for Capital Investment Projects from 2023
through 2029.
Fee Policy Development
Through the 2024 budget development process, BPR intends to develop a fee policy to more
clearly and consistently guide when and where fees are charged for services comprehensively
across the department. At the March 20, 2023 PRAB meeting, staff introduced the Program
Types where set policy does exist and those program types where a fee policy does not exist.
The purpose of the study session will be to gather the PRAB’s input on the types of fees
identified by staff:
• Program Types – There were 7 types of programs introduced at the March PRAB meeting including: Facility Access, Golf Course, Recreation Services, Rentals & Access, Commercial Use, Facilitated Programming, and Grants, Philanthropy and Donations. The PRAB will be asked to confirm that the type identified by staff is accurate. Each program type will include a definition and various examples of existing programming.
• Benefit Level Associated with Program – Staff will provide the current benefit level associated with each of these program types. The PRAB’s input will inform where more analysis and work is appropriate.
• Current Cost Recovery – Staff will provide a current cost recovery target associated with each program type. Due to the lack of policy, some of the current ranges will be rather broad and may include overlap with other types of programs.
• Proposed Cost Recovery – Staff will seek PRAB’s input and guidance on how much subsidy should be provided to each program type, or in other words, what the cost recovery target should be by each different type based on who benefits.
• Policy Questions for the PRAB – Certain program types will have additional policy questions where the PRAB will be asked to provide their input and weigh in on questions that staff will have for the PRAB.
At the meeting, staff will be able to share the proposed program types, examples and definitions,
the associated benefit level, the current cost recovery for these types of programs, and any policy
questions where PRAB’s guidance would be helpful. To help inform these conversations, staff
will share a benchmarking exercise of other public agencies’ fee policies to help provide context
and other examples of how fee policies base their cost recovery targets on the various types of
programs.
In April, staff will return with PRAB’s input from the April Study Session to share what staff
heard and initial drafts. In May, the City Council will hear more about the proposed structure of
the fee policy and be asked for their input on the program types, benefit level associated with
each program, current cost recovery, proposed cost recovery, and policy questions that will
provide more specific guidance than what is currently provided in the BPR Master Plan.
In May, the department will share recommendations for 2024 service levels and/or fees based
upon April PRAB input. Additionally, the staff will ask the PRAB to recommend a Fee Policy
structure which will help guide 2024 budget development and future year’s fee development.
The PRAB’s role on fee policy is advisory and the board’s input is valued and respected as the
department’s budget is reviewed with the city’s Executive Budget Team, different boards and
commissions and ultimately, City Council. Staff will also utilize the city’s Racial Equity
Instrument to evaluate the impacts of the draft fee policy, and are working to coordinate other
community input (such as from the Community Connectors in Residence).
BPR Capital Investment Strategy (CIS): 2023-2029
Overview of Capital Investment Approach
The purpose of this memo is to provide information on the process for the upcoming Study
Session on the Boulder Parks and Recreation (BPR) Capital Investment Strategy (CIS). The CIS
provides a framework to support park design and construction as well as asset management
recommendations for the enhancement of Boulder’s system of parks and facilities. This practice
is not new to BPR, the last plan was completed in February 2016. This latest update will focus on
2023 to 2029 and integrates the policy direction from the BPR Master Plan approved by PRAB
and Council in 2022. The CIS will provide an updated workplan for the department and will be
used to develop the 2024-2029 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budget. There are three main
areas of focus for this work plan:
CIS Framework
The CIS for BPR is based on community needs identified through the recent 2022 Master Plan,
the maturing Asset Management Program, and planning efforts covering System and Park Plans.
The structure of the CIS has three focus areas:
to identify a long-term capital work plan and aligned investment strategy through 2029,
provide detail around capital actions to be taken by the department over the next two years, 2023 to 2024, and
identify unfunded and underfunded projects that can improve services across the system
Identifying in more detail the work needed for the 2023-24 projects will enable the Department
to prepare robust project management plans with associated engagement planning as well as
updated cost estimates. 2023 funding is already appropriated from 2023-28 CIP that was
approved by PRAB and City Council in 2022, while the 2024 appropriation will occur as part of
the 2024-2029 CIP budget development that PRAB will recommend in June 2023, and City
Council will adopt in October 2023. As we look out to 2025-29, we will scope projects with the
development of charters. The charters include a basic scope, schedule, rough cost estimates and
project purpose. Unfunded and underfunded projects that are identified but don’t fall within the
seven year timeframe will have a basic scope and preliminary cost estimate with no schedule
identified at this point. As we further develop our asset management system and update our
current replacement value (CRV), we will be able to better identify a deferred list that describes
where we need greater capital investment to retain or expand service levels for the community.
Integrating with Policy Guidance from the 2022 Master Plan
This comprehensive approach to BPR’s capital investment strategy is founded on implementing
the key themes of the BPR Master Plan described in the graphic on the left.
All six themes provide guidance to the CIS. Of critical importance
to maintaining our assets is Taking Care of What We Have. We
also look to the themes of Community Health and Wellness, and
Youth Engagement & Activity in order to ensure we are providing
the best facilities, amenities, and infrastructure to retain or expand
upon our service levels. In addition, we will consider the most
efficient, sustainable, and robust approach to managing our assets
across the system and implement the policy as it applies in the
Financial Sustainability and Organizational Readiness themes. As
we look to improve levels of service we will also continue in our
approach to Building Community & Relationships. As PRAB and
City Council agreed in developing the plan, the concepts of equity
(considering who benefits and who is impacted by our work) and
sustainability and resilience (understanding how we are preparing
for and mitigating against climate change) are woven through every
aspect of the work.
In addition to being guided by the themes from a policy perspective, the master plan also
provides clear direction on community identified needs for facilities, parks, and major asset
categories across the system including courts, athletic fields, aquatics, parking and accessibility.
Balancing the community’s desires with BPR’s financial reality requires that the department
prioritize what can be accomplished over the next six years. The following two graphics
summarize the major CIP projects that BPR will need to work on and includes the three
budgeting scenarios in which future projects and programs are prioritized. Following city
practice, the scenarios are organized around possible resources: in the Fiscally Constrained
scenario, resources are stagnant. In the Action and Vision levels, services can increase with
additional funding. BPR’s CIS is almost entirely composed of Fiscally Constrained projects.
Fig 1. Table highlighting overarching guidance for park investment in the BPR capital program
Fig 2. Table highlighting overarching guidance for facility investment in the BPR capital program
assets, in this case trees, and work events for managing them
Study Session
The CIS presentation and discussion is organized around sections that enable PRAB to consider: 1) Capital planning process and PRAB’s role 2) Ongoing process improvements and updates to the 2023 CIP 3) Proposed 2024 CIS projects to be appropriated with 2024 – 2029 CIP 4) Discuss alignment with the BPR master plan for 2025-29 projects and prioritization of unfunded needs
Next steps:
The schedule for developing the CIS is as follows:
2023
April: Study session with PRAB for input on 2023-2029 CIS
April: PRAB Review CIS Plan for 2023-2029
April: 2024 CIP preview of 2023
May: 2024 CIP Discussion for 2024-2029
June: 2023 CIP Recommendation for 2024-2029
November: PRAB update for 2024-2030 CIS