Recreation director in Presque Isle seeks $15,000 program-income adjustment, outlines adult programming push

Steve Samson, Presque Isle’s recreation director, told the council on Oct. 15 that he is proposing a $15,000 increase in program income and a corresponding rise in program expenditures to accurately reflect third-party recreation revenue and contracts.

"My name is Steve Samson. I'm the recreation director for the city," Samson said as he opened his budget remarks and explained that revenue increases would be matched by higher program supplies and equipment costs to reflect third-party vendors that run dog-obedience classes, Brazilian soccer camps and other offerings.

Samson also described plans to buy additional staff shirts and uniforms, contract out fertilization for the soccer and baseball fields because of licensing requirements, and expand adult programming — including a planned men’s league and more senior trips and services. He said rental revenue has some upside but that winter months are already highly subscribed and summertime rentals remain underused because patrons use parks and picnic shelters instead.

Councilors suggested sponsorship signage in gyms and reviewed the history of resident vs. nonresident pricing, noting past attempts at nonresident rates required administrative tracking and produced mixed results. Samson said he would continue exploring sponsorships and modest rental-rate adjustments while being mindful of staffing and facility capacity constraints.

Samson concluded that the department intends to be conservative in estimates while aligning revenue and expense accounts so that third-party program income is reported as revenue and corresponding distributions are reflected as expenditures.

Next steps: Samson will return with any follow-up details and estimates as budget decisions proceed.