Pryor Creek Rec Center board advances surplus of gym bleachers, hears billing-system review and facility updates

The Pryor Creek Recreation Center Board on Sept. 11 voted to recommend the City Council declare a set of gymnasium bleachers surplus and heard staff briefings on a recently adopted billing system, a pool heater repair and the status of an HVAC purchase and Cherokee Nation payments.

Board members approved a motion to send the bleachers to the City Council for surplus and sale on the Purple Wave auction site after discussion about their condition and limited use. "They don't work very well," a board member said during the discussion, estimating repairs would cost "$1,500, $2,000" and noting the bleachers take up valuable floor space used by pickleball and other activities. The board voted in favor to forward the surplus recommendation to council.

The packet included a presentation from Kim Hines on the new recreation-center billing system, in place about a year. Hines told the board the system is "extremely user friendly" and has reduced staff time spent on billing and reporting. She said the system produces easier, more accurate reports for memberships, accounting and daily operations, which should help forecasting for staff and the board.

On data security, Hines said the center's setup uses multiple security layers and that the center does not "farm it out to a third party." She said the center does use a credit-card processor that is part of the billing product rather than an external vendor. Board members discussed the possibility of offering automatic withdrawals for memberships to reduce missed payments, noting current rules in the system prevent members from paying early and that doing so "could leave a little money on the table." A board member said card fees are about 4 percent and that the group had discussed ACH withdrawals as a lower-fee alternative.

In the director's report, staff described a pool pump failure that left the pool cooler for a few days; the pump repair cost about $5,100 and will appear in next month’s financial reports. On HVAC procurement, staff said the city procurement review had questioned whether bid-advertising requirements applied; after discussions with city staff and outside parties, the center was told the twice-publication bidding rule appears to apply only to construction projects and the HVAC procurement may return to council without a rebid. Staff noted the selected unit has four compressors but only two are currently functioning and that the vendor's lead time is about 14 weeks.

On finances, staff reported a bookkeeping issue that temporarily showed the center about $59,000 in the red because Cherokee Nation funds were debited on both the revenue and expense sides; accounting staff are correcting that error. Staff reported the center is still owed a Cherokee Nation check for roughly $20,006.60 for recent months. Membership and guest-pass revenue figures were discussed; staff said some variation is tied to third-party programs such as Renew Active and SilverSneakers and to evening staffing that has been increased to reduce unpaid guest access.

Board members also approved minutes from the Aug. 14, 2025 meeting. The meeting adjourned at 6:03 p.m.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve minutes of Aug. 14, 2025: motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote, "Aye"). - Motion to recommend council action to surplus the gymnasium bleachers and list them for sale on Purple Wave: motion made and seconded; outcome: approved (voice vote, "Aye").