Minutes - Parks and Recreation Commission - 01/09/2020

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Parks & Assistant Public Works SuperintendentRiverbloodnoted he has a dog-eared copy of The Last Child in the Woodsand concurredwith the importance of highlighting the aspects of child development in the recreation plan. Commissioner Barnes also suggested offering nature hikes and night hikes in the woods for children with their parents, to help children learn not to be afraid outdoors and to observe wildlife. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood concurred with this sentiment, highlighting the importance of creating opportunities locally for both structured and unstructured outdoor play. Chair Bennett thanked Recreation Specialist Proulx for the tremendous amount of detail and hard work. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood added that Recreation Specialist Proulx worked hard to synthesize a lot of material and data to make just the first three sections. Recreation Specialist Proulx then introduced the next three sections she will be working on: State of Programs, Vision \[programs and policy\], Plan/Goals & Strategies. She discussed the factors in setting programming fees: Access, Responsibility, Anticipated Impacts, Social Value, and Benefit. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood discussed the complexities of cost recovery, and provided several examples of Ramsey events, the cost of the event, per participant charge, and the amount actually collected. Examples included the concert in the park series, starwatch party, movie in the park, art in the park, yoga, bingo, and Zumba. Recreation Specialist Proulx indicated she is currently researching a Ramsey recreation pass, which will be a great way to balance accessibility and cost. She discussed possible options and benefits for residents and non-residents. The first and foremost goal is to serve residents but also to serve neighboring communities. She noted that fee setting and cost recovery is necessary to remove barriers for residents to participate. Commissioner Barnes commented on the necessity of making sure some fee assistance is available for those who cannot afford it. Chair Bennett noted that some residents are unaware of the many existing programs available by the City. Affordable and well-advertised programs will be used by the residents. He expressed support for the idea of a recreation pass. Commissioner Sis suggested looking at areas of collaboration with nearby communities; perhaps some reciprocal arrangement could be made. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood thanked the Commission for the feedback. Park and Recreation Commission/January 9, 2020 Page 3 of 4