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HomeMy WebLinkAboutARCmin.10022007w_~ .PARKS & RECREATION ~'a DRAFT ASPEN RECREATION CENTER ARC ADVISORY COMMITTEE Meeting Minutes October 2, 2007 In Attendance: Board Members: Scott Writer, Barbara Owen, Rick Newton, Gordon Gerson and Debbie Ware. Staff Member(s): Tim Anderson, Paul Kulik, Jojo Smith Guests: Toni Kronberg I. Call to Order -Scott called the meeting to order with a quorum present. Committee Comments: Gordon informed the AC that there was a swim meeting coming up in a couple weeks at the ARC which would host about 150 swimmers. Staff Comments: Staff mentioned the improvements made during the fall closure such as the new fitness room, painting, door repair, new cardio equipment and other minor improvements. The Sterling Cup had gone very well and is expected to grow next year, possibly a concert to be associated with the event. Staff was set to host 22 teams in the hockey mountain high adult tournament. Guest Comments: Toni requested a copy of the minutes from the September 4`h AC meeting since she could not attend. She informed the AC that the Crown Mountain Parks & Recreation District was looking into the possibility of constructing a pool and maybe the AC should look at helping them out in some way. Toni would like to see the 20 visit card between the ARC and the Snowmass Village Recreation Center pushed. Toni identified that all ARC Advisory Meetings need to be posted and noticed to the public. Perhaps this could happen at City Hall and in the ARC. II. Approval of Past Minutes: Debbie motioned to approve and Rick provided a second. All approved. III. Discussion Items: Mary Sloop Request for Ice: Mary Sloop has requested a donation of ice so that the Mother Puckers may play a fund raiser hockey game to raise money for the Right Door foundation. Brad Osborn operates this non profit and would appreciate the donation. The AC supports the donation of ice and asked staff to be sure that donations such as this are tracked for budget and informational purposes to both the public and Council. Outdoor Pools: Staff updated the AC regarding the progress on the organization of a design team for the outdoor pools final design. Tim Hagman will be the lead architectural firm and is lining up the team and pricing. The approval has been given to move forward with the survey of the site. Staff expects it to be January before we are able to go back to Council for final approval. Staff also identified that the funding source (excess property taxes under TABOR) has increased in availability, so we could request the use of those funds. Gordon Gerson requested that two lap lanes be included into the design of the outdoor pools. After much discussion the AC asked staff and the design team to come back with either a direction to include the two lanes or reasoning why it could not be incorporated into the design. What would be the impacts of adding two outdoor lap lanes, could we have the lanes available in the winter, what would be the added cost, what other issues might there be? Toni Kronberg also weighed in on the outdoor pools by adding that she feels the lap lanes should be considered in the design as well. Toni also informed the AC that she felt the ARC Advisory Committee should be realigned such that there was another swim representative. Scott informed Toni that the representation could not change without the approval of both City Council and the SPARC board. Monthly Financial Report: Staff presented a year to date and Sept. 06 to 07 comparison of revenue. September was down a bit due to a large corporate deposit in 06 and not 07, but daily fees were up for 07. Overall the ARC was up 5.8% over the same period over last year. A Long Range Plan for ARC operations was also presented to the AC. It was only a tool to show how much revenue collected would need to increase in coming years to meet the growing cost of operations. It was only a tool which staff uses in its retreat to identify how revenue goals will be accomplished. The AC asked that in November a marketing plan for the ARC be presented so they understood what steps were being taken to address the need to increase use and revenue. The AC members urged staff to look at all possibilities in meeting budget, increased use, fees where necessary, new facilities, effective and efficient operations. Gordon asked what the big picture goals were from Council, what do they want from this facility. Staff informed the AC that just the night before in a preliminary budget meeting, Council directed staff to maintain the current subsidy level with an inflationazy factor. Rick Newton suggested that staff set a goal of trying to increase usage by 5% in 2008. This will be discussed at the November retreat by staff. Several AC members felt that to continue to increase fees is problematic in that it will out price the ability of many users to continue at the ARC. Staff should pursue increased usage as a goal to meet revenue goals. The AC felt that business like practices such as bonuses to employees should be incorporated to promote increased usage, how can we partner or work with the users in getting more time in the building sold? The AC asked that this discussion be placed on the November agenda for discussion. 1. 2008 Proposed Fees: Staff presented the proposed fees for 2008 which included an across the board 4% increase to fees and a $10.00/hr. increase to ice fees which equated to either a 6 or 7% increase in ice fees. The AC identified that fees are now beginning to "pinch" user groups in providing programs for kids. The AC also informed staff that they wanted to ensure that Recreation and the ARC along with user groups were getting credit for economic impact created by events taking place in the ARC. At the same time it should be considered that a threshold of pricing could be reached to where there is a diminishing return of revenue as patrons decide the facility is no longer affordable and won't use it. The AC identified that the focus should be placed on increasing usage and not raising fees continuously. • Business Calendar: Staff presented this calendar with updated events and info. IV. Updates: • Energy Efficiency Project: No change, moving forwazd slowly. Concession Operations: Seem to be improving and working well with user groups on events. V. Actiou Item(s): • Board Terms: Gordon and Laura were approved by Council. VI. Other Business: The AC asked that the next meeting include: • A focus on retreat items for staff • Ask Nancy Lesley to attend and discuss marketing strategies • What should the goals of the ARC be? • Ideas on how the goals can be accomplished. The committee was adjourned and will meet again on November 6th, 2007.