Fire Creek Rec Center board approves disposal of worn adaptive trainer, reviews spike in utilities and unpaid Cherokee Nation funds

The Fire Creek Rec Center board voted Thursday to surplus an adaptive trainer and spent the meeting reviewing facility repairs and rising utility costs that may strain the center's budget.

The board convened at 5:35 p.m. and first approved the minutes from the April 10, 2025, meeting. The approval passed on a voice vote after a motion and a second; Cook provided the second. Later, the board considered a recommendation to surplus a piece of equipment listed as “Petcor ATM 100 ID number 04363.” After discussion about the machine's condition, Kemp, a board member, moved to dispose of the item; Daphne seconded. The motion passed on a voice vote.

The item discussed as the surplus was described by staff as an adaptive trainer that is failing. Mr. Moore, director of the rec center, described the machine’s condition: “It's got duct tape on it, and the the grease is leaking out of where the there's some hinge there, and the plastic's decaying.” Board members discussed possible disposal methods, including gifting the unit to a frequent user and placing it at the curb for immediate pickup. Kemp moved, and Daphne seconded, to remove the item from inventory; the motion carried.

Most of the meeting focused on the director's operations and financial report. Mr. Moore reported recent maintenance work — mirror repairs, pool-heater plumbing fixes and quarterly HVAC service — and said a stair climber delivery is scheduled for the following week. He told the board he had asked the utility provider to review unusually high bills and that the center has four leaking roof valves scheduled for repair.

Moore flagged two specific utility concerns: a month last December in which gas usage “is more than double” compared with the previous year, and a roughly 30% increase in electric costs year over year despite recent installation of LED lighting. He said one rooftop fan used to circulate pool-area air appears to be running constantly and could be contributing to higher electric consumption. Moore said he would seek a utility-rate schedule from the city and follow up with city staff and technicians.

The board reviewed budget figures and collections. Moore said the center budgeted $196,000 for utilities last year. He reported the center has spent portions of its utilities budget and that balancing the year will be tight, though he said he expects to manage through the fiscal year. The presentation included an unexplained jump in sales-tax assessments on reported revenue; Moore said staff member Hannah is researching tax and revenue records to reconcile the figures.

Moore also reported that Cherokee Nation has not paid a roughly $48,000 balance the rec center is expecting. He said previous payments to the center had been made using ARPA funds but that the current arrangement has lapsed and no memorandum of understanding is in place. Moore said he has been contacting Cherokee Nation staff, including Danny and Canaan Duncan, to obtain the MOU and resolve the outstanding payments; he told the board, “they owe us almost $50.” He said he will escalate follow-up if necessary but noted the center currently has about $60,000 in expected receipts (including amounts due from a high school and other sources) that would cover the shortfall if collected.

Other operational items in the director's report included lifeguard staffing and pay increases (lifeguard wages were raised to $15 per hour), planned family swim events and swim-party activity, a summer basketball camp hosted with the Boys & Girls Club, a planned active-shooter drill, lifeguard-certification training hosted for New Life Ranch, and outreach to local schools to expand water-safety programming. Moore also urged board members to inspect locker rooms and showers; he described rust and failing tiles in the men's locker room and said he will collect repair estimates.

The meeting concluded with a motion to adjourn that passed. No board action was taken on long-term capital projects or changes to membership pricing during the session.