Agenda - 11-20-2017 - 8-d - Termination of Lease and Joint Use Agreement with Orange County Schools

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Orange County Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation PO Box 8181 Hillsborough, NC 27278 Phone: (919) 245-2510 Fax: (919) 644-3351 members of the Orange Tennis Club. In 2009, players on these teams approached Durham about the possibility of finding courts in the Hillsborough area for some of their matches, so they would not always have to drive to Durham. City of Durham staff made contact with Orange County staff about court availability. Subsequent discussions between OCS, the local players and the County led to the arrangement to allow reservation of the OHS tennis courts for this purpose. It is my understanding the Orange Tennis Club was formed in 2008, and uses the courts at Cedar Ridge High School in some capacity. Many members of the OTC also play in the Durham/USTA league using the Orange High courts. Under the agreement between OCS and the County for the OHS tennis courts, the County pays the bills for lighting (year-round). Maintenance of the courts, nets and related court fixtures is split by OCS (which does the maintenance while school is in) and the County’s Parks division of DEAPR (while school is out). The County also arranges for the opening and closing of the gate to the tennis courts. OCS is responsible for maintaining the lighting. At an initial meeting in 2009 to explore the possible use at OHS, Orange County Schools staff, County staff, Durham Parks and Recreation staff and members of the tennis teams playing in the Durham/USTA league discussed how to address use of the facility. Since the County (with no courts of its own at that time) had no fee schedule for use of tennis courts, but had utility and maintenance costs that would be significantly impacted by the use of the courts by the Durham league teams, arrangements were made to provide for the scheduling of the courts through the County. Staff examined the cost of lights and maintenance and determined that a fee of $150/team would be appropriate to help cover the County’s costs. This fee was established consistent with the BOCC-approved fee schedule for adult recreation programs (recovering 100% of direct costs). At this meeting it was noted for all parties that there were no restrooms on site that were accessible for the public. The closest restrooms are the on the visitor’s side of the adjacent football stadium, but these are inside the stadium fence and locked when not in use for school functions. The tennis league participants present at this meeting were apprised of this situation. Current Issues Raised Fees for Usage During the past year or so, staff has fielded occasional inquiries about the nature of the per-team fees. It is our understanding that the tennis players in the league also pay a registration fee to USTA and the City of Durham (of which the City Parks and Recreation Department receives a percentage for administering the USTA league). 9