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Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes May 17, 2011 Page 2 Another item of discussion was the $8,000 that NSSA was willing to donate for an irrigation project at Hazelnut and the idea of donations in lieu of user fees. Committee Member Peck asked what kind of budgets they are looking at for park maintenance. Committee Member Peck questioned whether the City was putting more money into the fields as a result of additional wear. Ms. Olson indicated that the more use each field gets, the more repair and maintenance is needed. Having fees associated with the park, it would assist in managing what activity happens on each field. Committee Member Messerly questioned if Northwestern and Bethel capture revenues by organizing intramurals and then using the City's parks. He felt that if they are generating revenue and it is costing the City money for allowing those groups to use the fields, then maybe a flat seasonal fee should be charged. Ms. Olson indicated she believes Northwestern and Bethel are only charging enough to cover their costs and not as a revenue generator. Committee Member Peck questioned how much administrative expense the City will incur by collecting these fees. Ms. Olson did not think the adult fees would increase the workload or require additional staff since she already has to work with them, but did feel the youth activities might be a little more challenging. Committee Member O'Malley indicated she would prefer not to charge for youth activity and would just like the associations to make a donation each year in proportion to their use. Ms. Olson indicated there would have to be some sort of guideline on how much each group donated. Committee Member Peck agreed. Committee Member Kramlinger felt something should be charged since there was maintenance involved. Discussion ensued on possibly charging for the permit as opposed to having the permits free. Committee Member Michaelson felt that the users would have a different appreciation for a field they pay a fee for and also agreed that a fee should be charged. Committee Member O'Malley asked what a reasonable charge would be. Ms. Olson provided what the other cities charge and that most charge more for adults because their activity tends to be rougher on the fields. Discussion ensued on whether to charge hourly and possibly $20 in 2 -hour blocks. MOTION: Committee Member O'Malley moved seconded by Committee Member Peck that the committee recommend to Council the City not charge a youth fee but that the City ask the youth associations for an annual fee, averaging out to $5.00 per field per day and that for the adult fees the City charge $20 for a 2 -hour block for intramural or team use. The motion carried unanimously (8 -0)