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Sports complex drives parks' budget increase
Despite funding cutbacks in the fiscal 2009 budget proposed by County Administrator Paul McCulla last week, Fauquier County Parks and Recreation is penciled in for increased funding of $453,882 (14.6 percent), taking its budget from $3,117,513 to $3,571,395.Parks and Recreation, Lord Fairfax Community College and public libraries fall under “Culture” ? one of 11 fund categories in the budget proposal. Five of those 11 funds were cut or received no new funding in the FY 2009 budget proposal.
While funding for “Culture” increased 7.9 percent from $5,541, 224 to $5,978,369, Parks and Recreation is the sole beneficiary. Lord Fairfax received no new funding, and the county’s libraries took a $16,737 hit.
“It's more than in past years,” Parks and Recreation Director, Larry Miller said of the additional funding. “But the majority of it is going to the Northern Sports Complex.”
The opening of the Northern Sports Complex in Marshall, which is slated for the fall, is expected to account for $352,219 of the proposed new money. The funds will support two full-time and two part-time positions, as well as operational costs such as mowing, electricity, water and phone service.
Parks and Recreation officials anticipate that part of these costs will be offset by $28,000 in projected revenue from fees by the end of the 2009 fiscal year. “It's a tough year to have this coming down the line,” Miller said. “There are two new schools in the budget. A lot of things just seem to be coming up the same year.”
Temporary staff funding had previously been reduced in the FY 2008 budget, but this year an additional $43,646 was allotted to support increased working hours for existing part-time and temporary employees due to expanded use of facilities.
An additional $25,153 will cover the increased costs of contracts for services such as mowing, portable toilets, software maintenance, cellular phones, water and sewer, as well as adjustments to the equipment replacement and maintenance programs due to inflation.
Another $24,080 is broken down into smaller, albeit still significant costs, including $8,025 for expected increases in fuel prices, $7,555 for the installation of one ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessibility portable toilet at each Parks and Recreation facility, $5,000 for utilities and maintenance costs at the expanded facilities at Monroe Park in Goldvein, and $3,500 to support the board of supervisors’ approved maintenance of School House #18.
The remaining $8,804 net increase resulted from FY 2008 merit pay compensation adjustments and growth in health- and dental-care costs.
The fiscal 2009 budget proposal also includes a recurring $500,000 from the Capital Improvement Project's budget to support the completion of numerous small construction projects in the Parks and Recreation Department. The 10-year, $283.2 million CIP was approved by the county planning commission last week. The board of supervisors will review the CIP as part of the budget review this month.
Although not included in McCulla’s 2009 budget proposal, the CIP summary for the 2009 fiscal year also allots $636,000 in funding to cover infrastructure costs (roads, parking, utilities and associated facilities) for the Southern Sports Complex, and $2.7 million to complete the Northern Sports Complex swimming pool.
However, Miller said the chances of Parks and Recreation receiving this sum is unlikely.
I don't have a problem with more parks. I'd like to see more and bigger open spaces saved and if it means making more parks, so be it.
Posted by Lunker_Lander
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