Amenity Update: Setup fees, gas bill, kitchen upgrades

Kathy Thayer

Recreation Manager

New free proposed

Next Tuesday, the GRF board will hold the final vote on collecting fees for excessive setups in the clubhouses. While a significant percentage of clubs won’t have their regular meetings impacted by this policy change, many of the larger organizations and special events will. This can be mitigated to a certain extent by meeting with staff at the Recreation Office to go over a club’s current sketch to see if there are ways to avoid unnecessary equipment.

In addition to charging the end-user when they exceed 60 minutes of combined setup, teardown and cleaning time, clubs may be fined for failing to adhere to their scheduled time frame, failing to cancel a reservation resulting in an unnecessary setup (and excluding others from reserving the space), or failing to clean up the area prior to leaving.

The custodial contractor has been busy timing each setup. Their reports are very telling. Some groups require as much as six hours. That doesn’t include the time they have exclusive use of a facility. This not only impacts the use of the custodial staff but prevents other residents from using the space.

Normally, Recreation leaves an hour between reservations, but people can begin to see why this isn’t always sufficient. To accommodate a large gathering, either more time must be allotted, or extra staff must be utilized. All of this factors into custodial costs.

Massive gas bill hits Aquatic Center Sticker shock hit the department recently when it received a $17,000 gas bill at the Aquatic Center for one month. Based on previous assumptions, the budget for the whole year is $23,000. This became the impetus for the Recreation Committee to work with Physical Property to look into pricing pool covers. Recently, a new cover was deployed at the spa, but it is the large pool that presents some issues.

It is much larger than the old pool and will necessitate additional staffing time and personnel to perform these duties if that technology is chosen. As it stands now, residents are asked to vacate the spa and pool by 8:45 p.m. to allow the attendant time for closing procedures. If new covers are purchased, the pool will close at 8:30 p.m. and the Aquatic Center itself by 9.

Another related issue with the pool is the temperature. Opinions differ, but by policy, the pool is to be kept between 82-84 degrees and the spa no higher than 104. This has been a challenge with the cold, wet winter, and going forward it might have to be revisited if the energy bills continue to escalate.

One solution under consideration is to lower the temperature to offset this rise in cost. GRF will soon look at whether the solution is to pay for the covers and additional staff time, to lower the temperatures or both.

Potential upgrades to Clubhouse 3 kitchens

Next Tuesday, the GRF board will vote on modernizing the Clubhouse 3 kitchens. Clubs that have storage in the kitchens of Rooms 1-8 will need to remove their belongings during the renovation. The Recreation Department will keep the clubs apprised as information becomes available, but plan now for alternate accommodations. Some cancellations will likely be necessary.

Amenities Questionnaire

The department also gives a special thanks to all 1,900-plus residents who responded to the New Amenities Questionnaire. Recreation will be culling and analyzing the results and expect to report the findings in May. Approximately 21% of the community gave their opinions, which is impressive for a tool that ordinarily draws 5-10% response. Residents have proven they care about our future and GRF will hear their voices.

For further information, contact kathyt@lwsb.com.