Minutes - Parks and Recreation Commission - 10/12/2000

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Chairperson Cook stated that the joint powers agreement seems to be a great idea and suggested that the Park Commission receive a copy of the agreement also. Kelly Casey, RYAA Board Member, suggested that City staff should also have a copy of the joint powers agreement so that they could better answer questions for the residents. Parks/Utilities Supervisor Boos stated that the greatest annual need is assistance from the organization in recruiting seasonal staff. Kelly Casey, thinks that issue of the City waiving fees for the Association should be discussed at the upcoming meeting. Rick Quaal, presented the Commission with a letter stating that RYAA's consensus opinion is opposition to park usage fees. Because what RYAA does benefits the City as a whole, because of the amount of volunteer effort provided by members of RYAA it is felt that this offsets usage fees, if RYAA costs increase then they will lose registrants to other programs, and a usage fee implies that registrants are due an amount of service for their money. When RYAA can no longer argue that fees paid are returned to the registrant in the form of programming and equipment, they lose a crucial high ground that staves off burnout. Fees introduce a profit motive to a non-profit group and this runs counter to the spirit of volunteerism that keeps RYAA going. The consensus of the Commission was to take no action at this time. Case #4: City of Anoka Aquatic Center Funding Request Parks/Utilities Supervisor Boos stated that in 1997 the City Council appropriated Lawful Gambling Funds for the City of Anoka Aquatic Center which allowed residential rates for Ramsey pool-goers. The City has received a similar request from the City of Anoka for the next three years. They are requesting $4,000 per year for the years 2001 to 2003. Chairperson Cook stated that he is opposed to the request because he does not agree with subsidizing other cities. He thinks that the City would be better off keeping the $12,000 in the City and eventually offer the residents in Ramsey the same opportunity. Chairman Cook, Softball Commissioner of RYAA, stated that she agreed with Chairperson Cook. She stated that the City should be keeping the money in the City and growing their own City. She does not want to see the City spending money in another City. Commissioner Droegemueller stated that the City originally agreed to the original three years because discussions had begun regarding a Community Center and so at that time they felt it was important to offer the facilities to the residents of Ramsey. The City of Anoka has since dropped out of the community center discussion and for that reason he would not be in favor of giving the City of Anoka an additional $12,000. Chairman Cook, stated that she supports the soccer fields complex at Elmcrest Park, because it would not do any good to have one softball field. In regard to a usage fee she felt that the City of Ramsey has not done a lot for the youth in the City of Ramsey and to add a usage fee for the only Park and Recreation Commission/October 12, 2000 Page 4 of 7