Upload
others
View
2
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Council Report #2020-24
Town of Smiths Falls
Service Sustainability Review
Parks and Recreation Outdoor Facilities and Service
Date: May 19, 2020
Community Services
Parks and Recreation Department
Parks and Recreation Service Review 2019
Presented By: Art Manhire, Director of Community Services
Date: May 12, 2020
Council Report: #2020-24
“To systematically examine the Town of Smiths Falls’ existing service
delivery and develop options and strategies that will enable the Town to
match resources to services in the immediate and long-term future in a
sustainable way.”
-Purpose statement developed by Team
Team Members:
• Art Manhire, Director of Community Services
• Jennifer Miller, Manager of Economic Development
• Tana Torch, Scheduling and Administrative Clerk
• Nick Pilon, Community Development Clerk
• Chris Burns, Operations Supervisor
• Kyle Langdown – Arena Operator
• Greg Sonnenberg – Lead Hand
Purpose:
• To provide a comprehensive review of the Town of Smiths Falls’ Parks and
Recreation Department that outlines services, asset/s inventory and to provide a
benchmark for current services that will inform future operational management
decisions.
• This Report will also provide an overview of:
• Services
• Assets
• Organizational Structure
• Service Areas
• Complex Services
• Quality of Life
Background:
Currently, Parks and Recreation does not have a Parks and Recreation
Master Plan that guides its uses. However, a Parks and Recreational
Master Plan is currently being developed and is to be completed as part
of the Strategic Priorities of Council in the 2020 fiscal year.
The Parks and Recreation Department has developed “best practices”
around creating service campuses.
These campuses include:
Lower Reach Park – This campus is predominantly related to sport and active
participation activities
Municipal Arena Campus – This campus is predominantly related to recreational,
social facilities with the arena, senior’s activity centre, Gerry Lowe Memorial Rink
(outdoor rink), skate park, lawn bowling and tennis facilities.
Background Continued:
A “continuum of service” approach was the driving concept behind our
Service Review.
PUBLIC GOODPublic Community Events, free
of charge and open to all.
PRIVATE GOODFor Profit with limited public
benefit
Ie. Tournaments
Children’s Rates – Access for User Groups – Rentals for Events
Comparator Communities:
The following communities were examined based on similar services, assets, population, staffing, expenses, revenue, cost recovery and extended service.
Town of Perth
Town of Kemptville
Town of Carleton Place
Town of Arnprior
City of Brockville
Town of Gananoque
Comparator municipalities’ information was collected and summarized in the following tables and graphs.
Smiths Falls Kemptville Carleton Place Perth
Staffing
Full-time 3.3 FTE’s N/A 6.27 FTE’s 3.69 FTE’s
Assets 78.93 Acres 143 Acres Not Available 15 Acres
• Baseball Field 9 6 4 5
• Soccer Field 10 10 5 3
• Football Field 1
• Rugby Field
• Pickleball Court 9 2 8
• Tennis Court 6 4 3 4
• Basketball Court 3 4 2
• Skate Park 1 1 1 1
• Pump Track 1
• Outdoor Rink 1 2
• Lawn bowling 1
• Bocce Ball 1
• Volleyball Court 1 1
• Splash Pad 1 1 1 1
• Parks 21 2 20 3
• Dog Park 2 2
• Trails 3 9
• Beaches 1 2
• Boat Launches 2
• Public Docks 5 4
• Pool 1
• Play Structures 9 16 3
• Outdoor Fitness Station 1
Staffing V.S Assets
Smiths Falls Kemptville Carleton Place Perth
Expenses $155,873.00 $101,162.00 $2,101,060.00 $169,000.00
Revenue $20,389.00 $40,080.00 $1,336,033.00 $31,000.00
Cost Recovery 13% 39% 63% 18%
$155,873.00 $101,162.00
$2,101,060.00
$169,000.00
$20,389.00 $40,080.00
$1,336,033.00
$31,000.00 13% 39% 63% 18%
$-
$500,000.00
$1,000,000.00
$1,500,000.00
$2,000,000.00
$2,500,000.00
Expenses Revenue Cost Recovery
Graph 1 – Expenses, Revenue & Cost Recovery
Description of Service:
The Town of Smiths Falls owns and operates 78.93
acres of parkland throughout the community and
37.07 acres of land within Hillcrest Cemetery for a
total of one hundred and sixteen (116) acres.
We have approximately 18,900.92 linear feet of
prime waterfrontage along the Rideau Canal – a
UNESCO World Heritage site.
The parklands along the canal are largely owned by
Parks Canada and in turn leased to the Town for public
use and enjoyment.
New Dock at Lower Reach
What does the Parks and Recreation Department take care of?:
Maintenance of 78.93 Acres of parkland
Maintenance of 37.07 Acres of Hillcrest Cemetery
The beach as well as the water inflatable located in Murphy Park
Booking of assets
Leveraging in-kind support to over sixty-five (65) community events per
year
Undertaking most strategic priorities of council
Quality of life
Waterfront development & place making
Sustainment of the Towns Building Services Department
Cleaning all facilities
Other duties that arise on an as needed basis
Performance Indicators:
The Parks and Recreation Department delivers services across the municipality in
a variety of facilities and spaces.
To further breakdown our performance measures we compare ourselves to other
municipalities using the following performance measures:
Employee Time/Staffing
Financial Sustainability
Planning for Growth
New Waterfront Inflatable – Murphy Park New Outdoor Fitness Equipment – Lower Reach
Findings:Parks Operations Include, but are not limited to:
Field Maintenance
Grading
Field Painting (ie: Soccer Lines)
Re-Sodding
Lawn/Park Maintenance
Cutting Grass
Weed Whacking
Pulling Weeds
Removing Brush/Debris
Litter Pick-up and Removal – Daily
Planting Trees
Repair and Inspections
Winter Maintenance
Cleaning and Maintenance of Facilities - Daily
Corralling and maintaining the safety of the
swans
Inspection of Watercourses and Debris Removal
Annual Inspections
Bridges and Associated Infrastructures
Natural Areas
Trails and Aprons
Managing Construction and/or Capital
improvement Projects that fall within the
Strategic Priorities of Council
Planting and Weeding all Horticultural Displays
Including 11 beds and 4 nodes
Leveraging 65 Community Events
Setting up Barricades
Delivering Chairs/Tables
Setting up Tents
Building Services – All Town Departments
Moving, fixing or installing items ie. Lights, desks,
boxes, filing cabinets etc.
Findings Continued:
All of the services listed in the previous slide are completed on a weekly
basis. The Operations Supervisor determines schedule based on weather and
service demands
The Parks and Recreation Department has also taken on additional services
and duties within the scope of the Public Works Department and the
Downtown Business Improvement Catchment area including:
Cutting Grass at:
Sewage Treatment Plant
Water Treatment Facility
Police Station
Sweeping Sidewalks
Boulevard Maintenance within the DBA Catchment
Findings Continued – Employee Time/Staffing
The Parks and Recreation Department has 3.3 Full Time Employees (FTE’s)
With an extensively large grass area to cut and whipper snip on a weekly basis it takes approximately 4.12 FTE’s employees per week to cut and maintain 78.93 acres of parkland.
Other services have become neglected or the level of service that has become expected has become unachievable.
Throughout the month of April and the month of August 1.3 FTE’s are also required to also maintain the Memorial Community Centre Ice Operations
Approximately 8.62 acres of new parkland has been added since 2013, with increasingly complex features, which was added for the needed demand and increase park use.
All additional acreage, assets and services has been untaken by the Parks and Recreation Department without additional funding, staffing or resources.
44%
4%
9%
4%
27%
Breakdown of staff allocation hours
Grass Cutting/Trimming
Public Works - Garbage/Grass
DBA - Grass Cutting/Sidewalk Maintenance
Special Events
Other
Employee Time/Staffing
Recommendations:
1. Hire additional seasonal staff to monitor assets, maintain and leverage increased
garbage within our parks due to increased tourism and usage, and to offset the
additional scope of work incurred with additions from Public Works and the
Downtown Business Improvement Association. Recommendation is to increase
staffing by two (2) full-time seasonal employees (April-September), for a total of
2 FTE’s.
This which would bring our staffing levels closer to our municipal comparators
thresholds and maintain the expected level of service. There is opportunity to
pursue supplementary/cost sharing opportunities to cover the cost of seasonal
employees.
2. Examine service levels to establish thresholds for service expectations and
determine when growth levels trigger the need for additional resources.
Findings: Sustainability
Revenue has remained consistent since 2013, with the exception of 2018
when Operations closed down Aboud Field (football field) for field
renovations.
Key Performance Measures Revenue Per Year (Sports Fields)
2013 $12,396.00
2014 $11,197.00
2015 $12,325.00
2016 $12,917.00
2017 $12,024.00
2018 (Football Field Renovation) $8,497.00
2019 $13,090.00
Reviewing the chart in the next slide in comparison with our comparator
municipalities are fees and charges are significantly lower than lose of our
neighbouring communities.
Service Review
Parks and Recreation 2019Sports Fields, Diamonds & Pavilion Rentals Breakdown
Smith
s Falls
Arnprior
Brockv
ille
Carleton Place
Ganan
oque
Kemptville
Perth
Youth Game $79 per team $15.20 Hour $12.00 Hour
Youth Tournament $95 Day $152.00 Day $179.00 Day
Youth Tournament Friday/Sunday $48 Day (Friday) $228.00 Day $179.00 Day
Youth - Up to (200 Min) $35.48 per child
Youth - 400 Min. $32.21 per child
Adult Game $264 per Team $22.27 Hour $46.00 Game $455.05 per team
Adult Tournament $169 Day $222.70 Day $262.00 Day
Adult Tournament Friday/Sunday $65 Day (Friday) $334.05 Day $262.00 Day
Non-Resident $20.00 Hour
With Lights $17.75 Hour $64.75 Hour
Without Lights $13.75 Hour $47.58 Hour
Youth Game $79 per team $15.20 Hour $15.00 Game $9.00 Hour
Youth Game - Non League Lights $25.76 Hour
Youth Game - Non League unlit) $15.59 Hour
Youth Tournament $95 Day $152.00 Day $91.25 Day $78.75 Day $179.00 Day
Youth Tournament Friday/Sunday $48 Day (Friday) $228.00 Day $179.00 Day
Youth/Little League up to (200 min) $35.48 per Child
Youth/Little League after (200 min) $19.32 per Child
Adult Game $264 per Team $22.27 Hour $15.00 Game $37.00 Game
Adult Game - Non league Lights $38.99 Hour
Adult Game - Non League unlit $25.99 Hour
Adult Tournament $169 Day $222.70 Day $91.25 Day $267.00 Day
Adult Tournament Friday/Sunday $65 Day (Friday) $334.05 Day $267.00 Day
Men's Lob Ball $455.05 per team
Mixed Slo-Pitch $455.05 per team
Non-Resident N/A $20 Hour
With Lights $17.75 Hour
Without Lights $13.75 Hour
Hard Ball Fields $13.75 Hour
School Tournaments $233.46
With Lights $4.63 Hour
Without Lights $2.94 Hour
Non-Contributing Township Annual Fee $96.05
Soccer Fields
Called for
info
May 27, 2019
Follow up
May 29, 2019
Called for
info May 27,
2019
Followed Up
May 29, 2019
Tennis
Ball Diamonds
All Rentals
$78.75 Per
Day
RATES Please Note: Tournament Rates are Per Field, Per Day
Comparator Asset Fee’s Breakdown
TYPE Smiths Falls Kemptville Arnprior Perth
Tournament Rate – Youth $95 Per Day $179 Per Day $152 Per Day Not Available
Tournament Rate - Adult $169 Per Day $262 Per Day $222.70 Per Day $455.05 Per Team
Team Fee’s – Youth $79 Per Team $12 Per Hour $15.20 Per Hour $35.48 Per Child
Team Fee’s Adult $264 Per Team $46 Per Game $22.27 Per Hour $47.58 Per Hour
TYPE Smiths Falls Brockville Perth
Rates without Lights Not Applicable $13.75 Per Hour $38.99 Per Hour
Rates with Lights Not Applicable $17.78 Per Hour $25.99 Per Hour
Tennis/Pickleball – Without Lights Not Applicable Not Applicable $4.63 Per Hour
Tennis/Pickleball – With Lights Not Applicable Not Applicable $2.94 Per Hour
As you can see from the below charts, many of the comparator municipalities use an hourly fee to charge
user groups to help recuperate operating costs.
Please note that the tennis/pickleball court with lights and without lights are also charged membership fees
in addition to the light charges
The revenue generated through sport field rentals goes to help offset the total unit operational
cost, with a cost recovery of 8%.
With the current revenue we are receiving for sports fields and with the increase of additional
facilities throughout our parks, budgeting pressures have left many park service plan
enhancements without funding. This in turn will make it difficult to achieve park users’
expectations and maintain the high level of service which has become expected.
Many users are using the facilities/assets without booking through the parks and recreation
department, which causes additional work for operations to clean up unwanted garbage,
replace/fix picnic tables and garbage cans and replace locks within buildings.
Previously, staff provided tables, chairs, bleachers, power cables, tents, trailers and man power to
support the 65+ community events per year, free of charge.
New processes have been implemented and community event organizers are now required to go
through the community grant process should they be seeking “free” services.
If the event is granted through the community grant process, an internal transfer from the community
grant budget will be transferred to the parks and recreation department for services
If the event is denied through the community grant process the event has an option of pay for the services
they require.
By changing this process, the operations team is able to leverage community events and help
increase revenue and cost recovery.
Findings: Sustainability Continued
Financial Sustainability
Recommendations:
1. Currently our market value for asset rentals is significantly lower than our
neighbouring municipalities. Asset fees and charges in Smiths Falls have remained
the same for over ten (10) years. With little change in cost recovery, it has become
increasing difficult to maintain, upgrade and resurface assets within our catchment.
As our current rates are the lowest of any comparator, a full rate comparison will
be completed to determine appropriate rate changes to make our rates
competitive with those of surrounding municipalities. Any proposed rate changes
would be phased in over an appropriate period of time. Any rate changes would
come to Council for approval with revisions of the fees and charges bylaw. It is
prudent to improve resource availability and level the playing field for all of the
community.
Additional Considerations:
1. With the increase of assets and equipment there is little room for storage. A new
Storage facility may be required to house equipment and assets should the
existing one on Old Mill Road come unavailable due to redevelopment of the
former water treatment plant and surrounding land.
Findings: Planning and Growth
To help create a better life for residents and visitors alike by leveraging the
wonderful assets we have within our facilities and parks by creating more
opportunities recreational or social activities.
Fostering relationships and partnerships to help level the support needed.
This approach assist the community organizers to achieve a public good and
take ownership for the event or activity.
New Outdoor Fitness Equipment – Lower ReachNew Dock at Lower Reach
Planning and Growth Continued:
Public good is a measure that is, and could be, used as rationale for allocating
department resources and setting fees.
Presumably the greater the public good the more worthy the Town investment.
From a fees perspective the items with the greatest public good would be provided
at the lowest cost while private use of public resources would be charged at a rate
that is based on market value and has the capacity to contribute positive resource
to offset the cost of Department Operations.
The maps below identify maintained parkland as well as all assets within our
community. These maps will be a new feature that will be incorporated into our
new booking software – PerfectMind.
The new booking software will enable users to click on an asset identified by an
icon, and book that space. Not only will this new software enhance the users
experience, it will also provide a visual characteristic of the asset.
This map outlines all community assets and will be a new feature that will be incorporated
into our new booking software – PerfectMind. This software is projected to be available to
users on July 2, 2020. This map will also be incorporated into the Community Services,
Parks and Recreation page on our website for all users to view.
This map identifies maintained parkland as well as Hillcrest
Cemetery. This map will be incorporated into the Town of Smiths
Falls’ website for users to see all of the beautiful parkland within our
community.
Planning and Growth
Recommendations:
1. The first priority is to complete the Parks and Recreation Master Plan to inform
planning decisions and operational needs.
2. Continue to promote Town-wide casual and drop in opportunities (trails, parks,
skate park, outdoor fitness equipment etc.) for residents, families and visitors.
3. Address opportunities within 78.93 acres of parkland through community
partnerships, development, growth and assets.
QUESTIONS?