AGENDA #9a

BUDGET WORKING PAPER

TO:                  W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

FROM:            Kathryn Spatz, Parks and Recreation Director

SUBJECT:       Special Events Recreation Specialist Position

DATE:             April 27, 2005

This memorandum is in response to the Parks and Recreation Commission’s recommendation that one of the Special Events Recreation Specialist positions be funded full-time.

We concur with the recommendation to increase the hours of one of the Recreation Specialist I positions from 30 hour per week to 37.5 hours per week. We believe that an increase in hours is needed primarily to adequately oversee and implement the expansion of Apple Chill. Planning for this event and working with the various groups involved is an all-year process.  The Special Events position will continue oversight management of Festifall as well as Apple chill, the July 4^th celebration, and various other Town-sponsored events, along with oversight management of the pottery or teen center after-school and summer program.  In addition, the Parks and Recreation Department has recently added employee appreciation activities, including the Employee Appreciation spring event, to its responsibilities.

On September 8, 2003, the Council unanimously adopted the recommendations of the Street Fair Review Committee, including the request to incorporate the historically non-sponsored activities related to Apple Chill in the actual event. This has literally doubled the size of the fair, now reaching from Henderson Street to Roberson Street. While the addition of an area for 500 parked motorcycles and accompanying stage and open walking space within the fair perimeters has been popular and effective in reaching out to our diverse community, the logistics of planning the event and coordinating support from the Police, Fire, Transportation, and Parking Services Town staff as well as County EMS and contracted services has more than doubled the workload for our two part-time Special Events Specialists.  A copy of the Council resolution adopting the recommendations of the Street Fair Review Committee is attached.