Olean budget discussion zeroes in on rec center repairs, fee increases and program cuts

At a budget meeting, Olean staff and council members discussed funding for recreation facilities and programs, proposed price increases at the William O. Smith Recreation Center and several repair needs that staff said should not be deferred.

City staff presented line-item updates for the recreation center and pools, noting uncertainty about future energy use and modest increases in utilities and maintenance. “How much power are we actually gonna use? We know we're gonna use more, but how much more?” said Chris, a staff member presenting the recreation budget, describing the difficulty of projecting electricity and heating costs tied to recent facility changes.

The presenter said the rec center is now eight years past renovation and several repairs are needed; the shallow-floor surfaces in parts of the rink “are looking pretty rough,” and replacement parts are required for the rink cooling tower’s water-purification system. Staff estimated cooling-tower parts at about $6,000; the cost to restore the floors had not been finalized. The presentation identified roughly $2,027,000 in the recreation-related budget for the year as presented.

Council members asked about using current-year savings to encumber funds for these repairs so work could begin before the new fiscal year. Chris said that could be done if the council directed it, and described options under consideration for the floors to avoid a short-term fix that would need replacement again in a few years.

On operations and staffing, the youth bureau line shows a personnel reduction after the city closed the only area youth court last October because participation had fallen; the youth-court coordinator position was eliminated and staff said remaining youth-bureau personnel will cover housing-court attendant duties during the summer.

The Bartlett House historical-property account was trimmed slightly after staff reviewed historical spending trends. Staff said the house has aging structures but no major capital projects were foreseen for the coming year; routine items such as parking-lot crack filling and sealing were cited as likely near-term needs. For the John Jay Ash Community Center (adult recreation), staff requested roughly a $2,000 increase in personnel services because usage has risen, while janitorial spending was revised to $42,000 after a math review.

Separately, staff proposed modest fee increases for programs at the William O. Smith Recreation Center to help match rising costs while keeping the facility competitive with other rinks in Western New York. The presentation defined “prime ice time” as weekdays after 5 p.m. and weekend mid-to-late hours; nonprime is daytime weekday and early-morning weekend hours. Proposed changes included a $1 increase in skate rentals and adjusted school-group rates (school-group admission with skates would be $4 under the proposal; regular admission plus skate-school was described as $6). Chris said the increases were intended to “keep pace with expenses” and noted school groups were often daytime users for whom staff and maintenance are already present.

Staff outlined timing for next steps: the intent is to refer the budget to the committee of the whole at the next meeting and aim for passage in April. Staff also reminded members that any water and sewer rate changes require a public hearing; the presenters said those hearings would be scheduled in advance of a final vote.

The meeting ended with a motion to adjourn that was seconded and approved by voice vote.

What happens next: staff said the budget will be placed on the committee agenda next week with a goal of final passage in April and with public hearings scheduled where legally required (for example, for water and sewer-rate changes).