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Parks and trails director highlights nature-center growth, revenue shifts and theater contract talks
Summary
Parks staff said the new Sterling Nature Center and increased grant and donor funding have expanded programming, but daily parking revenue has not returned to pre-pandemic levels; negotiations over theater operations and a proposed pavilion revenue policy were discussed.
Doug, a county parks and trails staff member, briefed the Cayuga County Legislature on the department’s portfolio, revenue trends and grant activity, noting the Sterling Nature Center opened in 2024 and that grant and donation revenue has grown year-over-year. "We have a 3 year agreement with the Emerson Foundation... that goes from 45 to 50 to $55,000 over 3 years," he said.
Why it matters: parks generate user and event revenue and host major county attractions; changes in the department’s revenue model, grant awards and contracts for pavilion/theater operations affect county budgeting and reserves for facility repairs.
Details: Doug said the department manages Emerson Park, the Sterling Nature Center (5,000 square feet and 1,400 acres of property with trails), a pavilion and a theater. He summarized a 10-year revenue trend showing saleable items (parking, boat launches, rentals and pavilion vendor revenue) averaged roughly $214,000 in early years, fell sharply during the pandemic and have partially recovered; daily parking is no longer charged outside of special, park‑wide events. He said parking revenue pre-pandemic averaged $75,000–$80,000 and last year reached about $35,000 under the current event-only approach.
Emerson Foundation and pavilion/theater: Doug said the Emerson Foundation is providing stepped support to the parks for programming (45k, 50k, 55k over three years) to supplant daily-parking revenue the county no longer collects. He said theater negotiations have progressed to the point a contract was just distributed to the operator this week and the department expects forecasted theater rental revenue to appear in next year’s budget as a forecasted figure; the exact contract had not been executed during the meeting.
Grants and projects: Doug reviewed recent grant-backed capital projects, including a $3.8 million state grant used for the Sterling Nature Center, and said the department pursues a mix of small and large grants to support programming, accessibility and capital work (examples included a proposed $2 million bridge replacement grant request). He said the department tracks park improvements and professional services line items that move each year depending on projects selected.
Outlook: staff said they would continue to seek grants and work with partners (friends groups, Emerson Foundation) to build reserves and cover future capital repairs; parking and theater-rental policy will be considered as revenues and capital needs evolve.
