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Board approves $30,000 transfer to install automated gate at Washington County Park
Summary
Board approved a $30,000 transfer from reserves for an automated gate at Washington County Park to reduce unpaid after-hours access and recover lost gate fees; Park Authority chair estimated a 3–4 year payback and annual maintenance of $2,760; vote 7-0.
The Washington County Board of Supervisors approved a $30,000 budget transfer from the reserve for contingencies to fund an automated gate system at Washington County Park.
Steven Statz, chair of the Park Authority, said the automated gate will reduce after-hours arrivals that bypass payment and estimated the park is losing "somewhere in the neighborhood of 7 to $10,000 a year" in unpaid gate fees. Statz described the system as unmanned with RFID badges for regular users, a payment kiosk that accepts credit cards (staff confirmed Apple Pay is likely supported and the system is PCI-compliant), and a laser-based gate-raising system to avoid damaging trailers.
Statz said the project’s annual maintenance and cloud/software subscription is estimated at $2,760 per year. He described payback as roughly three to four years from recovered gate fees and improved operational control. County finance staff confirmed the transfer would reduce the reserve-for-contingencies balance from about $110,902.56 to approximately $80,902.56.
A motion to transfer $30,000 from the contingencies reserve to the park’s capital fund was moved and seconded; the Board approved the transfer by voice vote, 7-0. Statz said the additional revenue will help resume other capital work that had been paused for cost overruns, such as a splash pad project.
