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6B - Update on Changes to the Approved Recreation Program and Facilities Plan CITY OF BOULDER PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY BOARD AGENDA ITEM MEETING DATE: June 28, 2010 AGENDA TITLE: Update on Changes to the Approved Recreation Program and Facilities Plan to Clarify Program and Facility Partnership Information PRESENTERS: Kirk W. Kincannon, CPRP, Director Sarah DeSouza, Senior Manager for Marketing, Communication and Partnerships EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: The purpose of this item is to update the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) on changes that are being made to the Recreation Program and Facilities Plan (RPFP) based on the comments received at the March 15th Public Hearing. The RPFP provides the City with a clear vision, purpose and philosophy related to providing sustainable recreation services in Boulder that will meet the community's needs. The plan establishes guiding principles for providing recreation, defines program objectives for recreation services, creates a pricing policy and methodology for determining fees, and identifies an implementation strategy for the overall plan. The completion of the RPFP fulfills one of the recommendations from the Department's Master Plan. A Public Hearing on the RPFP was held at the March 15`h, 2010 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Meeting. (See Comments and Plan Revisions in Attachment A.) At the meeting, PRAB members commented on the need for the RPFP to more accurately and concisely document the Department's commitment to pursuing future programmatic and facility partnerships and to provide information regarding the partnership process. The purpose of this item is to provide the PRAB information regarding the changes that are being made to the RPFP. ANALYSIS: The City of Boulder Parks and Recreation Department, with involvement from the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB), City Council, and the community, has developed the Recreation Program and Facilities Plan (RPFP) to guide future decisions AGENDA ITEM # V-A PAGE 1 related to program offerings, facility management, facility renovation and development, and the allocation of available financial resources. As presented to the PRAB on March 15, the RPFP contains many references to partnerships and the City's desire to pursue partnerships as a means of leveraging resources to better provide recreation services. Based on the comments received at the meeting, the Board requested that information about partnerships be given greater emphasis in the plan. Per this request, the following information will be incorporated into the RPFP document. Parks and Recreation Department Partnership Philosophy As noted by the recent Blue Ribbon Commission II (BRC II) report, the financial condition of the City has become increasingly constrained with the long-term trend showing that revenue growth will not keep pace with the growth in expenditures. The current economic trend indicates that the Parks and Recreation Department will need to reduce expenses again in 2010 and in future years. One of the key recommendations identified in the BRC II report relates to the efficient delivery of City services and emphasizes the need to coordinate services through community non-profits or outside organizations and, where appropriate, consider a strategy to be a partner rather than a service provider. Partnership Goals In light of the current economic climate and in support of the efficient delivery of service recommendation of the BRC II report, the Department is pursuing program and facility partnerships that achieve one or more of the following goals: • Increase Department revenues; • Decrease Department expenses; and/or • Provide additional, desired programs and services to the public that support the Department's mission, vision and values at no cost to the City or Department. Facility Partnerships While the Parks and Recreation Department has significant experience partnering with external groups on programmatic offerings for the community, it has more recently entered into partnering with outside organizations on the development of new facilities. In 2007, Department staff worked with community members to develop a Parks and Recreation Facility and Amenity Partnership Process (Partnership Process). Information on the process may be found at: www.bouldercolorado.gov > Parks & Recreation > About Parks & Recreation > Parks & Recreation Facility and Amenity Partnerships This process established clearly defined steps that enabled community groups or organizations to propose future facilities and/or amenities that supplement the existing Parks and Recreation system. The Department has been contacted by several entities interested in pursuing facility or amenity partnerships. Unfortunately, many of the AGENDA ITEM # V-A PAGE 2 proposed partnerships have not been successful as they have involved significant financial commitments from the Department. As a result, in 2010 the Department will update the existing Partnership Process in order to: • Encourage and promote mutually beneficial program and facility partnerships that meet the Department's partnership and sustainability goals; • Identify high priority partnerships for programs, facilities and/or amenities; • Develop a RFP-based process for seeking program partnerships; and • Simplify the application process. While the Department has not entered into a partnership for the development of a facility not already identified in the Department's Capital Improvement Program (CIP), other partnerships are currently underway. Most notable is the Department's ongoing partnership with the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance (BMA) for the development of the Valmont Bike Park at Valmont City Park. As the result of the partnership with BMA, over $400,000 of donated funds has been added to the project budget, thereby allowing the inclusion of additional amenities in the park design. Preliminary facility partnership discussions are occurring with a number of other organizations involving tennis and rowing. Staff will continue to work with these and other potential partners to achieve the Department's partnership goals. Program Partnerships The Parks and Recreation Department is currently partnering with a number of non-profit and outside agencies such as Skyhawks Sports Academy, Gonzo Tennis and the Boulder Nordic Club to provide programs and services to the Boulder community. These, and other partnerships, are helping the Department provide recreation services to the Boulder community with the City serving as a partner, rather than the provider of these services. CONCLUSION: The Parks and Recreation Department strongly supports the program and facility partnership concept as a mechanism to make Department programs and facilities more effective and more financially sustainable. The Department recognizes that in light of the new economic reality, more program and facility partnerships will need to be pursued in the foreseeable future. Staff will refine the RPFP to clarify the importance of partnerships and the goals of the partnership process. The Department is committed to developing both program and facility partnerships now and in the future. The Parks and Recreation Facility and Amenity Partnership Process will continually be updated to meet changing economic and community needs. ATTACHMENT: Attachment A: Recreation Program and Facilities Plan PRAB Public Hearing Notes AGENDA ITEM # V-A PAGE 3 Attachment A Recreation Program and Facilities Plan PRAB Public Hearing Notes March 15, 2010 Public Participation Christy Gunter Friends of the Pottery Lab We think Pottery should be a "social core/public good" and meets the criteria (page 20) p. 18 and 24-Senior Pottery is not listed p. 22-Arts should be included along with health and fitness. Need better space, layout is not Operational hours are different because of use of kilns. Tonya Whaley Pottery benefits people with disabilities and seniors Parking is difficult Eliminated cleaning budget, now staff have to clean instead of teach Not able to do physical activity Al Gunter Subsidy is not available to recreation; instead it goes to Housing, Development, and Social Programs Don't look at Area 3 yet, too soon, but don't give it to OSMP Look at how we handle our overhead (used baseball supervisors as example) PRAB Comments Marcelee Gralapp Department Director should lobby for money Drop programs, contract with someone else There is no process to let people know what to do for Public/Private Partnerships for programs Liz Hansen could help strategize Add a chapter on Public/Private partnerships Frasier Meadows Manor has a wellness program-could be a partnership Todd Bryan Public/Private Partnership process exists, describe it better Valmont Park is a model Frances Hartogh AGENDA ITEM # V-A PAGE 4 Is there a link on the website to the partnership process. We (PRAB) hear the Pottery Lab patrons concerns, open to ideas Pete Weber There are other types of partnerships-those described are geared to facilities not programs p. 13, 37Sidebars, list website Add MOU or other documents to website as models (BMA partnership) Rick Thayer Tremendous plan. Need assessment tools and metrics to gauge the progress State in plan that these will be developed to keep on track Todd Bryan Optimistic about shift toward partnering. Renter vs. program partner not clear on distinction p. 20 diagram-change codified fees for individuals-more at market rate PRAB should lobby to get the City of pay for Recreation 4 years ago cost recovery was 65%; tax support was 35%, now it's 80/20 No program should charge more than the cost of the program Don't treat for profit and non-profits groups the same. Marcelee Gralapp Compared to other cities, COB puts more money into OSMP, transit, etc instead of P&R. If programs are going to pay 100%, why are they City programs? Transit Village and 29a' St. residents will also need P&R services Chad Julian p. 32-Should skatepark lights be included p. 27-Do partnerships have to be at City facilities? p. 54-Like the overview and broad reference to 2006 Master Plan and other city plans p. 23-Like flow chart and simplifying classifications Annual update for the Program, Service and Facility Viability Report Every 2 years need outreach Will changes come back to PRAB? Adopt RPFP with additions: 1. Information on how to initiate Public Private Partnership process 2. Development of assessment tool for measuring program progress as RPFP is implemented. AGENDA ITEM # V-A PAGE 5