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Consultants, staff outline revenue and reorganization options for EPIC Recreation; council asks for data and a follow-up briefing
Summary
LT Sports Consulting presented operational and revenue recommendations for the EPIC recreational facility, including staffing reorganizations, membership price increases, camp-hour changes and space repurposing; council asked staff for more data and to return with recommendations at the October briefing.
Consultants from LT Sports Consulting and EPIC Recreation staff presented a multi-page operational review and a revenue-impact model for EPIC Recreation (the Epic) and recommended a mix of organizational changes and price adjustments intended to reduce the facility’s subsidy.
Ray Serta, Grand Prairie parks, arts and recreation director, introduced LT Sports’ presentation, which highlighted strengths — cleanliness, staff culture and high-demand offerings — and identified opportunities to increase revenue and cut losses without large operational disruptions.
Consultant Trevor Armstrong and LT Sports’ Larry Oth and team said the Epic showed strong demand for specific services (summer camp, rentals, swim lessons and certain meeting-room spaces) and proposed several operational changes already under way, including quarterly staffing/scheduling reviews to reduce labor costs and relocating CrossFit equipment upstairs to free multipurpose court time. The consultants recommended reorganizations through attrition that could save payroll costs and the addition of some full-time positions to reduce part-time churn and improve retention.
On revenue, the consultants proposed incremental membership increases (a recommended $15 increase for individuals and $25 for family plans in their high-end scenario), a modest camp price rise and new add-on fees (for early/late drop-off). They also recommended clearer rental-time rules, tighter party capacity limits, additional meeting-room consolidation and new point-of-sale merchandise at the front desk. Consultants estimated a potential revenue uplift that could materially reduce the facility’s subsidy but did not present a formal council-approved budget change at the meeting.
Council members questioned the equity effects of price increases on families and asked for more granular modeling. One councilor said the council should avoid “pricing families out” and proposed prioritizing member and family subsidies. Others supported small, phased increases and incremental service expansions to avoid a single large jump after seven years without changes.
Council members also asked for additional data: the financial impact of converting part-time positions to full-time roles; more detail on expected member attrition at suggested price levels; and confirmation of projected net revenue from the proposed membership and program adjustments. Staff said they would provide the requested numbers and return with an October briefing or a more detailed recommendation.
No formal vote was taken. The council directed staff to collect the requested analyses and bring back concrete, data-driven policy choices at the next briefing so members could decide whether to adopt any proposed price or staffing changes.
