AGENDA #1h

MEMORANDUM

TO:	Mayor and Town Council
FROM:	Terry Blalock, Chair, Parks and Recreation Commission
SUBJECT:	Parks and Recreation Commission’s Budget Recommendations
DATE:	February 28, 2007

The Commission voted unanimously (8-0) to recommend that the Council make maintenance a top priority in FY 2007-08 and in future years. We believe that deferred maintenance has resulted in deteriorating parks and buildings. The poor conditions of many of our facilities can result in lower user satisfaction and in higher costs for major renovations. Recent examples of facilities that underwent major renovations include the Hargraves Center, Community Center, and tennis courts.

The Commission believes that it is in the Town’s interest to invest in the maintenance and upkeep of our current inventory of facilities. To do this we recommend that additional funding should be provided for the following programs:

• An assessment program for parks could provide the factual basis for developing a routine maintenance and renovation plan for outdoor facilities. Such an assessment could help us develop schedules for routine maintenance and for replacement of major facilities, systems, and equipment.
• Funding should be increased for routine maintenance of buildings and parks. We believe that funds spent on routine maintenance will lessen the costs associated with large renovation or re-build projects.
• Once established, the Town should adhere to a plan for replacement of facilities, equipment and systems when they reach the end of their useful life spans. Such a program, if followed, could have the potential to lessen costs in the long run and reduce the time that major facilities must be closed for major renovations.
• We also support targeted renovations for parks that have deteriorated to the point where major renovation and replacement would make more sense than routine repair and maintenance. Examples of parks that could benefit from major renovation efforts are Oakwood, Umstead, Hargraves, and Westwood Parks.

The Commission understands that there are always many competing needs for a limited number of funds. However, we believe that as the Town inventory of facilities both grow and age that maintenance must become a greater priority. 

Thank you for your consideration of our recommendations.

Present: Terry Blalock, Chair; Faith Nager, Vice-Chair; Betsey Anderson; Neal Bench; Cory Brooks; Eugene Farrar; Joan Guilkey; and Diane VandenBroek

Absent: Bob Broad, Pete Schwartz, and Andre Wesson.      A quorum was present.