Minutes 08/13/2013 - Laserfiche WebLink

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August 13, 2013 - City Manager's Report - 13 - 332 -Adoption of an ordinance to amend Chapter 25 of the Code of the City of Portsmouth, Virginia (2006) by amending Section 25-91.2 and Appendix A thereof to eliminate the admission fee for the Neighborhood Facility Splash Park. Vision Principle: Neighborhoods and a Sense of Community. Background: • On July 6, 2012, the City opened Portsmouth's first Splash Park at Westbury Park. The Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority (PRHA) constructed this water recreation facility and adjoining 8-acre park as part of its commitment to provide open space and recreation amenities with the Westbury/Hope VI residential development. • The Splash Park has interactive water play features for children of all ages to enjoy, and is constructed on top of a safety surface which collects, cleans, and re- circulates the water in astate-of-the-art filtration system. • The splash park is designed with azero-depth entry enabling people with mobility impairments to use the same entrance as other visitors. Discussion: • The City established a $2.00/person entry fee by ordinance with the adoption of the Fee Schedule in the FY13 Budget. • During the 2012 season, a total of 1,642 persons visited the Splash Park and generated $1,290 in fee revenue. 60% of the visitors were Summer Galaxy participants who were not charged the fee. • The estimated annual cost to operate the Splash Park is $22,000, which includes staffing, security, facility operation and maintenance. • The Splash Park is an asset that improves the quality of life in Portsmouth. By design, its operating costs are negligible when compared to other aquatic facilities. The intrinsic value of participation and exposure to this quality-of-life asset is greater than the revenue potential of entry fees. Financial Impact: • The FY14 Budget includes $4,000 for Splash Park Fee revenue. $287 was collected prior to July 13, 2013. This will cause a shortfall of $3,713 in the General Fund. Staff Recommends: • Adoption of the ordinance. Vision Principle: Neighborhoods and a Sense of Community. Motion by Mr. Moody, and seconded by Mr. Meeks, to adopt the following ordinance, and was adopted by the following vote: "ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 25 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA (2006) BY AMENDING SECTION 25-91.2 AND APPENDIX A THEREOF TO ELIMINATE THE ADMISSION FEE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD FACILITY SPLASH PARK." Ayes: Edmonds, Meeks, Moody, Psimas, Randall, Cherry Nays: None 13 - 333 -Adoption of an ordinance accepting a grant in the amount of $323,872 from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and appropriating said amount in the FY 2013-14 Grants Fund for use by the Commonwealth's Attorney's Office for the Victim Witness Program. Vision Principle: Neighborhoods and a Sense of Community.