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
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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
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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
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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.
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