2004_0712_Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

City Manager's 2005 Budget Memo Page 18 of 27 Additionally, while the Nature Center is an amenity to the commu- nity, it is used less than other amenities. In challenging financial times such as these, limited resources ought to flow to programs that benefit a substantial number of residents if not the entire community. We cannot afford, I submit, to maintain amenities with smaller con- stituencies such as the Nature Center. These are the same reasons I recommend closing the Aggressive Skate Park and reducing the OVAL's skating season by three weeks. I still think the Nature Center can and should be kept open but under a reduced schedule. I still think some Nature Center programming can and should be conducted by part-time Naturalists, whose budget I have not touched. Sut in a time of dramatically reduced revenues, this full-time position has become a luxury we cannot afford given the attendance and revenues there. Council Action Recommendation #73: Council motion approving [disapproving] the elimination of one full-time employee in the Nature Center. Council Action Recommendation #74: Council motion approving [disapproving] the elimination of the Aggressive Skate Park. Council Action Recommendation #75: Council motion approving [disapproving] the shortening of the skating season at the OVAL by three weeks. Similarly, I don't think we can afford any longer the one full-time Custodial position in the City that is in the P&R budget. Instead, I think we need to refashion our custodial efforts to rely more on city employees cleaning their own workspaces and a more coordinated effort across city departments to contract together for custodial serv- ices in the public areas of city buildings. If we bid as one package all