Intergovernmental Parks WG 101415

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Agenda Items / Notes (April 8, 2015) Call to order Chair Rich called the meeting to order at 5:35 PM 2. Introductions Introduction of members and staff 3. Update: Cedar Falls Artificial Turf Performance - Jim Orr- Director of Chapel Hill Parks and Recreation Jim read from a memo to the Chapel Hill Town Manager outlining the first year of the artificial fields at Cedar falls Park March 23, 2015 To: Roger Stancil, Manager From: Jim Orr, Parks and Recreation Director Subject: Cedar Falls Parks —First year of Artificial Turf On December 20, 2013, the new artificial turf fields at Cedar Falls Park were dedicated and opened for play. This project was a partnership between Orange County and the Town of Chapel Hill. As you can imagine, over the past year, the fields have received a tremendous amount of play and have become a popular venue of choice for local organizations as well as for informal "pick -up" games. hi this memo I will try to provide you a brief summary as to the extent of the successes that we have seen over this last year. The time period that this analysis covers is from December 21, 2013 through December 20, 2014: • 67,200 additional participants using the fields that were not using our fields at the same time the previous year. This information was gathered through our RECTRAC reservation system. All groups are required to reserve these fields through this system. It captures organization name/address and number of participants for every reserved time slot. This number does not take into consideration the Friday evenings from 4pm to lOpm and Sundays up until 4pm that can't be reserved and is for open play on a first come first serve basis. We are estimating that an additional 7,500 people used the fields during those hours through this time period. That brings the total usage to 74,700 participants. The hours that the fields are available for rental is M -Th. and Sat. from lam to IOpm; Fridays from lam to 4pm; Sundays from 4pm to dark. Open play is scheduled for Fridays from 4pm to IOpm and Sundays from lam to 4pm. If a field is not rented it can be used by any group or individuals on a first come first served basis at no charge. • Revenue that was received during this time period was $80,000. This was tracked through the RECTRAC software system from organizations and individuals. • The overall expenses for the fields were in 2 categories: (1) Materials, such as paint for lining fields for Rugby and Field Hockey since they couldn't use the permanent lines = $237.50 and(2) Labor; 103 man hours and an average hourly wage of $17.19 = $1,770.57. Total for labor and materials was $2,008.07. • During the first year, the net revenue was $78,000. • One expense item that will have to be budgeted for every 2 to 3 years will be an overall re -top dressing of the fields with the rubber infill. The timing will be determined by overall amount of play and how much the existing infill may have shifted overtime. The expense for the top dressing is approximately $10,000 conservatively. • Each year we can expect a slight increase in revenue based on increase in participation and we can expect the same level of expense ($10,000 more for the year the fields are top dressed. By the information that has been gathered for the first year of operation of the artificial turf fields, it seems reasonable to say that the project has been successful and was the `right" thing to do, based on the tremendous amount of field requests that the department had been receiving. The project took a non - revenue producing field and turned it into the most popular athletic complex the Town has as well as producing a net profit of $78,000 per year. Discussion followed: 1. How was attendance determined? Answer: Staff estimates it from snap shots taken every hour. 2. Funding came from? Answer: Chapel Hill and Orange County 3. When will it pay for itself? Answer: Less than ten years 4. Warranty? Answer: Eight years 5. Cost? Answer: $1,200,000 total (infrastructure plus fields); Fields $500,000- 600,000 6. Cost to rent? Answer: $45 an hour w/ lights $35 without 7. Any complaints about using artificial? Answer: Not yet; one comment it was too cushy 4. Presentation: UNC Recreation Master Plan & Colligate Recreation Bill Goa — Director of Campus Recreation at UNC Bill replaced Marty Pomerantz; Prior - worked for 28 years at Nebraska • UNC hired HOK to do a new Recreation Master Plan • 3 Areas of concentration: • Indoor • Outdoor • Carolina Outdoor Education Center