Recreation director outlines budget priorities: community center finish, arborist retention and synthetic turf planning

Robert Stowers, Recreation and Parks Director, presented the departments operating and capital budget priorities and described steps to finish construction of the new community recreation center and to sustain key staff and programs.

Stowers said the department is seeking approximately $2.5 million to complete construction of the recreation community center; that request was being considered through a special appropriation process and had passed three committees ahead of a finance committee review. "We were a little short in terms of the construction money, about 2,500,000," Stowers said when summarizing the facilitys funding gap and value-engineering that reduced about $1.2 million in scope.

Stowers described efforts to reduce costs by removing or replacing high-cost items (for example, some AV equipment and an overly large camera system) and said the department will still request some capital funds to restore deferred items. He said the department plans to hire a manager for the new community center and expects initial revenue from room rentals and programs; staff projected rental and program revenue in the first one to two years could approach $400,000 to $500,000 based on experience with comparable facilities, though those projections will depend on programming and management.

On staffing, Stowers said the department requested funding to retain its current arborist after grant funding ends and to convert other key part-time positions (systems analyst) to full time; he said the budget request included only half a year of salary for the arborist in recognition of the grant timeline. "We're only asking for half of a year salary for the arborist because her grant carries her to December 2025," Stowers said.

Stowers also urged the committee to begin planning now for replacement of synthetic turf fields, which he said typically have a 10-to-12-year life cycle and will require budgeting and scheduling for replacement across multiple fields. He described other capital priorities including continued work on Girard River complex, Cat/Calf Pasture Beach restroom improvements (including consideration of Portland Loo stainless steel units), sign project completion, and the parks garage at Tito Court.

Committee members praised staff for growth in recreation programming (more than 1,000 summer camp participants and a near one-third increase in camp revenue) and asked for follow-ups on specific capital projects and maintenance plans. Stowers asked the committee to consider forming an advisory council for the new community center to help with programming and fundraising.

No formal vote was required; the presentation was received for committee consideration and will inform upcoming budget deliberations.