West Miami board sets preliminary recreation center fees, hours and access rules

The City of West Miami Parks and Recreation Advisory Board finalized several preliminary rates and operational policies for the new recreation center and agreed to keep some items under review as staff develops registration, check‑in and security systems.

At the meeting, the board adopted a teacher‑planning‑day daily rate of $10 for residents and $20 for nonresidents. The board also approved the resident gym fee structure recommended by management: a $5 daily drop‑in rate, $30 monthly membership and $300 annual membership for residents. Management recommended those figures to cover maintenance and staffing costs; Mr. Hunter (staff) told the board the annual $300 recommendation equates to about $18 a month and would help pay for facility upkeep.

Nonresident rates were discussed but not fully finalized; the board left the monthly nonresident fee at $50 and discussed a $10 daily nonresident drop‑in rate but did not record a final, definitive annual nonresident price in the meeting record. The board asked staff to revisit nonresident annual pricing if traffic and revenue data justify adjustment.

Pickleball and tennis: the board agreed to set court rental pricing as follows: $20 per hour per court for residents and $40 per hour per court for nonresidents for pickleball; tennis pricing was discussed as a per‑person rate and the board recorded $5 per person per hour for residents and $10 per person per hour for nonresidents, with the board deferring precise enforcement details to facilities staff and the IT registration system.

Childcare and classes: the board set a childcare rate at $15 per hour per child for ages 3–8; staff said children must be potty trained and must be registered with the facility. Staff and board members emphasized that the childcare service will be tied to on‑site activities (for example, parents using the gym or attending a class) and not to function as a general drop‑off babysitting service.

Other fees and offerings: indoor yoga was set at $10 per class for residents (staff also noted a $20 monthly resident option); ballet and some vendor‑provided specialty classes and multipurpose room rentals were left pending while staff develops vendor agreements and registration procedures. The board asked that vendors proposing recurring classes provide registration lists and their plan for participant check‑in.

Access control, registration and hours: staff described plans for a single point of entry to the recreation center, a check‑in kiosk or barcode system, and cameras at exterior doors. IT and management will develop an online registration/reservation system so residents can book courts and classes in advance. The board tentatively approved gym hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, with shorter weekend hours (Saturday and Sunday hours to follow the park schedule), subject to staffing and final security procedures. The after‑school program hours were adjusted in the meeting record to start earlier (staff suggested a 1 p.m. start for pickup on school days) and the teacher planning day hours were set at 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Why it matters: the adopted fees and access rules will govern who can use the facility, how the city recovers operating costs, and how the city manages security and child safety; staff will return to the board with implementation details and any required legal or IT changes.

Next steps: staff will implement an online registration and check‑in system, coordinate with IT on kiosks and cameras, confirm nonresident annual pricing after usage modeling, and bring vendor agreements and rental fee proposals back to the board for approval.