Which one I rather do.

No, I know I rather hear the work.

I got two more days that I can go through if I can get the final three time.

I wouldn't want the math sale for I'm ready for it.

And then we couldn't get the one girls.

I'm glad you let me know because the email is what I need to fix on my laptop this morning.

Good morning.

We're gonna get started with uh our department update uh meeting this morning.

And uh so I'm calling the meeting to order and Councilman Reynolds will give the imitation and lead us in the pledge.

Dear God, thank you for today.

Thank you for watching over us.

Uh watch over us and how we treat others as we go through the rest of our week.

Thank you for everything you give us.

Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

So clerk will call the roll.

So today is uh another annual department update and we're gonna hear from Cody to begin with and his team, and we appreciate uh parks and I know the community appreciates uh the efforts of the parks department.

So rather than in with good comments, I'm gonna start off and say it's greatly appreciated as far as what goes on throughout the city on the parks and the activity, the maintenance, the upkeep from there, the pre-planning, the dealing with new construction dealing with uh flip-flop of policy from now on from off and on, all those good things.

Cody, appreciate it.

Thank you, Sweden.

It's yours.

Councilman uh Bills and City Council, thank you for uh time this morning to give the presentation for our annual update for Napa Parks and Recreation Department.

Cody Swander, director of the facility of the department um in this role now just at a year point.

So it's been a great year for me.

I'm excited to uh have such a great team to work with.

Um I have my management team with me here today as we kind of go through the slides.

Um we'll kind of introduce those.

If you want to go ahead and flip ahead, Jennifer.

Um we have uh representation from our recreation outdoor pools um with uh Courtney Mills.

Courtney is our new recreation manager.

Um she replaced Beech Johnson in February of this year.

Uh she might look like a new face to some, but she has been with the City of NAMPA in previous roles in the past.

We're serving as the manager of the Harwood Recreation Center, and prior to that in recreation department with programming and uh some of the youth programs.

We also have um Tony Blazius, he is our golf manager with us today.

He oversees for the four golf divisions.

Um Burkey is the current uh Harwood Recreation Center manager.

Um Jennifer Ayala Vanderpool is the our business manager for our our department.

And Tim Zofrin is our parks and grounds manager, and he's fairly new in his role.

He backfilled my previous position overseeing the maintenance teams with uh parks, forestry, and cemetery.

All right.

Um today's topics, we're gonna go over.

We're gonna go over several things.

Um part of that is gonna be discussion of our master plan goals.

Um we're gonna talk about how those from our 2024 master plan planning exercise our department underwent and how we're working to implement those.

Um we're gonna talk about who we are and what we do and our de and how our department is taking a conscious look at the services we provide, how we're doing and whether we're doing the right things.

We're gonna look at efficiencies, and that section is going to look at our how our department is doing the most work we can within our budgets and looking at how much tax subsidy is needed to provide our services.

We're gonna highlight each of the divisions' responsibilities and accomplishments as we go through each of them.

We're also gonna look at our department's future planning for each division's areas, both long and short term.

And then we're gonna go through our fiscal year 27 um capital requests.

All right, looking at the master plan goals, um we have four, so it takes up two slides here.

Continuation uh of improvement organizational efficiencies and maintaining and improving facilities and amenities.

We have four broad-based goals from our parks and rec master plan that drive our thinking and shape our priorities.

These four allow staff uh to measure whether their decisions, projects, and services are achieving what is important to our customers, the citizens of NAMPA.

Under each of these four goals, we have placed some specific bullet points from our budgeted projects, operations, or capital that work toward that achievement.

Number one, improving efficiency is the cornerstone of how we succeed with providing expected services to our ever growing population of citizens with our modest budgets.

And then number two, maintaining and improving facilities and amenities is a base expectation from our customers.

Clean, safe, and usable facilities and amenities are clearly called out in the master plan as paramount to our citizens with little room for exception.

And like I said, we go through some of those bullet points with continuation of our integrated pest management plan, which limits um dictates how herbicide is applied to our parks, um, continuation of our staff training so that our staff is well prepared to provide the services safely to our customers, um, improve improving workflow efficiencies with continued implementation of a software asset management uh system.

We've been working with IT for a couple of years to get that dialed in and usable for our departments.

Um we uh adding a project manager to help us achieve some of our planning and construction goals and uh utilizing a new GIS parks dashboard that was developed in partnership with GIS division to help us keep track of all of our important data points that we take care of in the parks.

And then uh maintaining and improving the facilities had a few bullet points there, renovating, replacing aging infrastructure and amenities, um, which is something that you'll see in the capital sheets and uh request requested uh equipment replacements such as vehicles, mowers, those sorts of things.

All right, goals number three uh continue to improve program and service delivery.

Improving programs and service delivery is how we measure ourselves, whether we are funded for new amenities or not, ensuring that we capture the interest of our city, uh, our citizens in exciting programs and events show that we have a good understanding of what recreational needs exist in our community.

Being able to develop programs that build excitement, interest, and ultimately uh registrations is the best barometer for our success.

Being able to provide recreational opportunities that NAMPA wants and is willing to pay for justifies our existence.

Um then uh increasing financial opportunities, increasing those opportunities is the other half of the equation.

Unlike other city departments, the products that we offer are a choice for our customers rather than a necessity.

Increasing competition from neighboring communities, the private sector, and other city departments require us to fight for the limited dollars to operate.

Identifying new revenue streams, marketing efforts, grant applications, and other forms of increasing other forms of uh of increasing our financial opportunities must be explored.

As we go through some of those program service deliveries, innovation, new recreation programs, Courtney's bringing a lot to the table with new fresh ideas, coordination with service groups, volunteers, and other departments.

We get a lot of assistance from the public works department, especially in the grant uh arena and cooperation with community partners such as NAMPA School District and others, where we utilize a lot of their recreational spaces for our programming needs.

And then increased financial opportunities.

We're always looking for new fundraising partnerships.

We'll have a whole section on that as we go forward.

We're utilizing contracted services to acquire grants for pathways, which is uh a new Fourier for us to look for funding dollars and leveraging our new marketing campaign to increase program registration and revenue, and we'll talk about that as we go on.

President Beals.

Do you want us to hold out questions until after the presentation or during the uh let's uh get through Cody's portion and then we'll ask him so as each person, because I'm assuming you got part of your leadership is good.

Councilman President uh Bill's I was planning to present for the entire department.

Okay.

So um happy to take questions as we go through each section if that works best.

Let's get through the section and then we'll ask the questions.

When you get to the budget section, that's what I'm referring to.

Yeah.

Okay, thank you.

Thanks, Councilman Rodriguez.

Okay, the next section of my presentation is um who are we and what do we do?

Um you can read the our mission statement, but it's a broad and it encompasses multiple facets that include details like landscape maintenance, offering quality amenities and programming for sports and events and recreational opportunities.

However, it's the why that I like to focus on.

Um we are really here to provide a sense of community, health, wellness, and quality of life.

One day I'd like to update our mission statement, and I'm sure that'll take hours of wordsmithing and deliberation with my team, but I really like the idea that perhaps it's a simple highlighting of how NAMPA is supposed to be a place to play and to have fun.

And uh we'll talk about it later in the presentation, but we started a new marketing slogan of play NAMPA, which may just encompass it all.

Um the next section, listening to our customers and uh what our customers want is how we want to know how did people of NAMPA want to play.

So, what do our customers value?

Well, our master plan tells us that large destination-style parks with splash pad courts, walking loops, playgrounds, and moderate amenities are things that they want.

And that's what we're placing our focus on as we develop new park facilities such as Midway Park and Orabrant Park.

Um, amenity spread throughout the community is something our master plan tells us that is important, and then connection of our of our pathway system.

But what do our sports affiliate uh user groups tell us?

Um, of course, they want to see more team sports fields for soccer, baseball, softball, and inclusion uh recreation, inclusive recreation opportunities.

And then lastly, what does the interactions with the public tell us when the staff is out and we have all 400 of our employees through that have touch points with our customers throughout the year?

Um, what do they tell us?

They tell us that they want to see uh us to maintain current infrastructure and keep our assets in good condition, perform deferred maintenance and keep costs affordable.

And then, of course, everybody requests more or addition of their personal favorite recreational amenity, whatever that might be.

It could be something uh popular or something very obscure, but whatever they're into, of course, is what they want to see more of.

Okay, are we meeting these expectations?

Well, how are we doing?

Um taking time to really listen and reflect on what we hear back is the only way to know how to keep going and where to improve.

So new facilities and amenities are well received in the community, or a brand park, midway, the centennial golf course, clubhouse renovation, and parking lot, et cetera, all very well received.

We we appreciate hearing nice kudos on new projects.

However, sometimes immediate needs can feel far off for citizens.

When somebody wants more pickleball courts, splash pads, soccer, baseball facilities, rec center additions, um, and when you're talking with them and you tell them that it's in a planning process and it could still several years out, that can be a disappointment and feel far off.

And then maintenance and upkeep, it's a mixed bag.

I think we do a fantastic job at our rec center and golf courses.

We receive high prey.

However, high staff turnover for the park's maintenance has impacted consistent quality out in the parks, and we'll talk about that a little bit later when we get to the parks section.

Okay, so how do we improve?

Um giving the citizens what they ask for is not always a fast turnaround.

New program uh offerings through partnerships with other agencies along with building new amenities and facilities often require long planning, funding, and construction periods.

However, we continue to build long-range plans to address the needs.

One of the first steps is to identify needs and create conceptual plans on how to address it.

Through our planning process, we have identified several opportunities to advance toward the improvements identified by our customers.

The foundation of continued success of keeping our golf courses and rec center self-funded is good financial stewardship.

Continuously monitoring fees, expenses, and program successes allow us to make swift reactions to market conditions and ensure tax dollars are not needed to support recreational facilities that are capable of being supported by the users that enjoy them.

Continued long uh strong returns from impact fee fund uh fund park growth, leverage of grants through CDBG continue to support ADA improvements and amenity replacements, and um help from the public works department continue to assist with grants for pathway improvements and creative partnerships with our neighboring agencies, continue to yield results and providing what our customers demand.

Um you can kind of see some bullet points there as some with some details to what we what we plan to do to improve.

Okay, the next section of the presentation I'd like to step into is highlighting some of parks and recreation divisions efficiencies.

Efficiency is always important to every department, but parks and rec has some unique ways of squeezing more out of each dollar.

I think uh the big takeaway from this slide is how parks and rec department heavily relies on part-time and seasonal employees to succeed.

With those positions saving roughly $23,500 over a full-time benefited employee, we can enjoy efficiency built into our employment model.

With 84% of our staff being part-time or seasonal, we enjoy significant savings and labor costs to provide services to NAMPA citizens.

And the example that you see on the screen there, the $15 per hour is for an entry-level part-time or seasonal position.

And our total it takes 416 people to operate our organization, with only 65 of those being full-time employees.

All right.

Um parks and rec staffing needs within our entire department.

Um, I there's there's one need that kind of steps into the forefront, um, and that would be um some assistance with some project management for construction projects.

Um, our department would greatly benefit uh from having a project manager access to a project manager position.

Whether that person is housed under parks and recs umbrella or as housed in another department within the city that but can has has time to focus their efforts on parks and recreation project, would really improve us as that is a weak point.

Um, we expect uh an expert in the construction field will allow us to avoid third-party contractors, which would create efficiencies for construction administration services.

It would also reduce reliance on public works department for management of contracting building permits, requests for information, change orders, pay application, materials testing, and inspection.

Um parks and rec has experienced construct construction project deficiencies in quality of work, paperwork permitting handling, and just lack of expertise that my division has to oversee these projects.

Um, this can cause downtime at expense and um sometimes result in inferior product quality at the end.

And um, it sounds like the city is addressing project managers across the board, not just in parks and recreation.

So we're happy to have a seat at the table and express our needs and and assist in any way we can.

Looking forward to a future um parks and parks project manager.

Okay, continuing on with efficiencies.

Um, according to National Recreation and Parks Association's 2025 annual metrics report, NAMPAS spends 45% less than national average median cost per acre to maintain its park properties in cities between uh 100 uh and 150,000 residents.

The cost per acre of grounds maintenance is determined using the most current approved maintenance and operation budget minus the capital, and then divided by the acres maintained.

So, as you can see in the graph on the left under the photo, um, the median um across the nation for cities around our size is about twelve thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight dollars per acre.

Nampa is able to maintain our grounds for six thousand nine hundred and thirty-seven dollars per acre, which is forty-five percent.

I feel like that's pretty good efficiency.

Okay.

Um volunteer work also allows NAMPA parks and rec to enjoy help from citizens uh that are interested in giving back to their community.

Between all the divisions, Parks and Rec employs over eight additional FTEs made up from volunteers.

You can kind of see the breakdown on the on the left of where those hours come in.

Our um it's it's a it's an amazing thing when you have a basketball program or course officials on the golf course or somebody that's out there just doing it because they want to give back to the community or that they love the the internal uh reward that they receive from giving their time to the community.

Um we always do our best to offer an opportunity for anybody within parks and recreation that wants to give back an opportunity to do so, and um that saves over eight people the work that they provide if we were to hire them in-house.

Another efficiency is savings from work that we do in-house.

In-house labor allows our staff uh teams to showcase their talents with skills that often surpass hired contractors while saving hired labor costs.

Highlights from this year include renovations on the grounds on all the golf courses, improvements in parks on construction projects, as well as irrigate irrigation upgrades for centralized controlling, uh allowing water savings and reduced staff time required to adjust irrigation systems.

All right.

Um not all parks and rec divisions are able to fund themselves in a way that the golf courses and the recenter does.

Reliance on property taxes is a necessity for both the recreation and the parks division.

However, NAMPA offers a lot of services and amenities for a relatively low subsidy rate.

Um this slide shows how much tax subsidy was needed for the recreation division in fiscal year 25 per capita.

We believe that it's a tremendous value to our citizens to have access to all the youth, adult, and senior programming offered for three dollars and seventy-four cents per capita.

This includes swimming lessons, outdoor pools, movies, music in the park, sports leaks, et cetera.

Um the 1232 20 number was um achieved from the compass data is where we got that population estimate.

Okay, this next slide uh shows the amount of tax subsidy needed for parks uh division for the uh in the fiscal year 25 per capita.

Again, 26.58 cents per capita.

We feel uh that access for all of the parks, pathways, cemetery, and forestry services is a good value for NAMPA citizens.

So if you take those two numbers, recreation and parks, and combine them together, uh what you get is uh total tax subsidy per capita of thirty dollars and thirty-two cents.

Nampa enjoys what is it what is expected from a full service city in terms of parks and recreation offerings at a reasonable rate uh per capita for its subsidized uh dollars from the general fund.

This low figure is only possible due to the successful business model that is practices practiced at the golf courses and the rec center.

By those amenities remaining self-funded, less tax subsidies required to fund the entire parks and rec full service offerings.

It's very common in other in other municipalities who feature golf and indoor recreation centers to subsidize them at least partially.

NAMPA parks and recreation achieves 74 percent cost recovery among all divisions using the 2025 actuals.

This means 74 percent of operational expenses are covered by user fees, with the remaining 26 percent being tax subsidized.

We feel this is efficient use of property tax funds.

Okay, I'm gonna step into the administration division and go through these divisions one by one now.

Are there any questions on kind of just the some of the detailed slides that I had previous?

Uh President Beals, I do have a question, a couple of questions.

Thank you.

I'm trying to refine the public the public sector of our of our city.

So here's more going to be toward Jennifer than you, sorry, Cody.

Okay.

But here's a question.

Every time that we raise our fees for our community, does the fee for credit card usage, administrative cost increase as well?

And if so, is that a is that a net balance or just uh to stay in balance?

No, do we make any money when we do that?

I'm excluding the golf courses.

Those are different.

Thank you, uh Councilman Rodriguez.

Jennifer Ayala, I'm the business manager for Parks and Recreation.

So we uh our our credit card fees are built into our charges.

So when we charge a day pass or a membership or a season pass, um the credit card fees are built into that expense that we charge the customer.

Um and then the credit card fees are a percentage of that fee.

So yes, in theory, if if the cost of a pass goes up, you would pay us a slightly larger amount because the percentage would be a little bit higher based on that.

But the percentage does not change.

Yeah, and that's what I was thinking.

Uh when when you have the fees increase, then then we don't really save any money doing it that way because administrative costs go up as well.

But it's the same business, the same the same work.

You see what I mean?

How can we fix that?

Okay.

Yeah, well, Councilman Rodriguez, um, the way we view it and have historically in our department, or we know that there are bank fees associated with people utilizing their cards.

And rather than tacking on a separate bank fee, like here's the fee for the service, and now here's the added bank fee.

We like to build that in to the fee just so that it's uh it's more of a customer service uh for friendly forward facing look to have one fee rather than several fees listed.

Um yeah, it might motivate some to pay with cash or other methods uh rather than using their card if they they see that.

But when we come to you with the fees we for like a fee increase and we're asking council to approve a fee increase, we understand that that increase um is going to encompass that bank fee, added bank fee on there.

I don't know what the percentages are, but I think the vast majority of our sales are through credit cards that were there is a bank processing fee.

That's correct.

Follow-up uh President Beals.

Yes.

This is regarding the golf courses now.

The golf courses with their fees increase every year, and the same function that we increase our fees, green fees and all everything else.

And we don't really make, let's say out of a dollar we're paying 10 cents, now we're paying 20 for that increase.

That's what that's just an example.

I know that's not the numbers, but that just shows you an idea that we always have to account for other people's administrative costs, and I and I and I'm trying to figure a way not to do that.

So Tony, if you want to climb in on that one.

Councilman Rodriguez, go ahead, Jen.

Uh if I if I might just chime in.

Um Councilman Rodriguez.

So the cost of the credit card fees is is less than a penny per dollar.

Oh, we have to do that.

Um it's it's very small.

But the cost of all of our expenses, you know, staffing, the the cost to um mow the grass, to do all of those things, those are all built into the fees that we charge.

So to try to pull out individual fees and charge them each time a customer has to run a swipe a credit card, we feel like would would hurt our customer service.

Um it's better for us to build that into the overall cost, the same as we do for all the fees that it costs to run the golf course.

And the credit card fees are are so minuscule.

They really are.

I think last year they were about $50,000 to the golf courses, is that right?

Higher than that.

It is higher than that, yes.

Really?

Um, yeah, but it's it's about uh a quarter of a percent of our of our overall revenue.

So it's I mean it's very small amount compared to the revenue.

Okay.

One more question, I'm done, sir.

Um what about self-service?

Do you think that would be beneficial to us to just do it ourselves, go to the golf courses or to the rec center and just pay with card instead of go through an employee to have them do it?

Especially the golf courses.

So councilman Rodriguez, uh I don't see that as a good thing for the golf courses.

I think we still see as our customer service and our customer um touch on the customer as vital as running the golf course.

We need to know who's there, who will be next on the first T, who's got call golf cart 32.

We need to know those things, and I think that's important.

Okay, I'm just trying to cut costs on employees.

Not that I don't want to increase employees, but would they be a viable option for parks and rec or to rent a uh uh a park?

Uh thank you, Councilman Rodriguez.

Um so currently we we do uh utilize online registration and very significantly for park reservations.

I I don't have the amount of the park reservations that come through online, but I would say primarily they come through online.

Uh so that is zero touch point for us from a staffing um side.

And so then it would just be you know cleaning the facility and making sure that it's good once they get to the park.

But we do utilize online registration, and that's a significant um piece of our registration.

Okay, just one add ideas.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, um, I'm gonna step into administration.

Excuse me.

Oh, yes, Councilman.

Don't worry about I have a uh comment more than anything about the project manager.

I understand the need for the project manager for this many as many projects as parks has going.

Um however, I think that part of a larger discussion is having uh an overall facilities building real estate department that has all the project managers sitting in it.

And then um seems to me like uh each uh other department would pay in on percentage of use or however it would work, but that way all the project managers are sitting under one roof and one uh supervisor role.

Um but anyway, I understand your part of that.

Do you do you have a cost for that FTE?

I don't.

I was working with HR.

I um I think that it's been communicated that this is not a likely funded position for this year, so I didn't put a bunch of time into that, but I know that that model exists out there that we could find.

Uh it's not a low-paying job.

If you want a skilled person, you know, you're in into this 80,000 plus per year easily uh on that type of position.

But Councilman Reynolds, thank you.

I appreciate that, and I support that idea um too.

We just want the support earmarked for some of the parks projects so that we don't feel like we're tugging on a shirt tail of another department um asking for help, which is sort of the position I've been in in a in the past.

Thank you.

Yeah, the past two years haven't gone real well.

Yeah, and and we're and I'm apologetic to that it didn't work out as planned.

But I think we're gonna figure out a uh a future pathway.

And so I appreciate you bringing it up.

Sounds good.

I just wanted to have it in the presentation.

The original thought was for parks and rec to ask for this, and I think that things are continuing to evolve, and um, we're on board however that actually fleshes out.

So it just depends on how we actually uh organize for the future.

Certainly.

But it's good that you put it in your presentation.

Thanks, Councilman Bills.

Good.

Yes.

Uh thank you.

Clay Long, uh Chief of Staff.

We have had conversation with Cody as well and the team.

The goal is to have all of the project managers under the umbrella.

One roof.

Um, and we've we've begun the conversation of what can we do positionally to not create a new position, um, but perhaps repurpose an existing position and elevate it to a more senior level that would allow us to bring someone in with more skills and experience for those complex projects.

Yeah.

Yep.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thanks.

Great questions, everybody.

All right, moving on into our administration division.

You can kind of see the org chart here.

Um Jennifer Ayala Vanderpool oversees our administrative division and a strong team of marketing, graphics, social media, and sponsorship um management.

Some of the divisions, uh, responsibilities.

Uh the admin division exists only to support the other parks and recreation um department divisions.

They handle things such as budgeting, cash handling, marketing communications, um, contract record reporting, program registration, business operations, public information record support, and sponsorship procurement.

Um partnerships and sponsorships are an important resource for our department and represent one of the revenue streams necessary to operate.

We partner with more than 180 businesses.

Our marketing team hits the streets in search of business support that benefits both agencies.

Local businesses want to be associated with the fun and exciting atmosphere that we work in, and we want to promote companies that value giving back to the people of the community that they operate in.

Uh represent a few of our larger sponsors and donors.

They support us with both in kind donations, such as products that would have to be purchased by the department otherwise, as well as cash sponsorships that directly offset funds that would uh need to be generated by tax subsidy or other sources.

So as you can see, our last within our last five years, um, we've had um growth in both in-kind and cash sponsorship, but primarily that cash sponsorship, which is excellent offsetting to uh to other fund needed funds.

All right, our new brand uh our brand new marketing campaign launched uh April 1st of this year, and it features uh Nampa Parks and Rec department's new slogan, play Nampa, and our first ever mascot, Parks and Recs, the duck.

Um and uh the point of Parks and Rec uh Recs and the the slogan is to create continue uh uh continuity between parks and rec divisions, create a fun and engaging imagery to bring renewed uh awareness and depart to our department facilities, offerings and amenities, and use imagery branding to create a front of mind awareness to better convey our department mission and role in the municipal government.

And um, with him just being kind of rolled out fresh, we are still ordering some of the fund swag.

So you may see cardboard cutouts of recs or his image on t-shirts and choskies that we hand out balls and stickers to the kids during programming um with the ultimate plan um of eventually getting an actual mascot costume that can be worn for ribbon cuttings, public events where he can make an appearance at the golf courses at the parks, at the rec center, and um bring that sense of unity um uh for all of the branded services that we our department provides under one friendly cartoon face.

Excellent.

That's excellent.

Yeah.

That's a positive move.

He was a lot of fun.

Our team, I think, had a good time uh putting him together.

So okay, I'm gonna step into parks.

Uh that was the administration division.

Are there any questions specific to that?

I know Natalie is probably councilwoman Jangular is probably gonna want to have the first opportunity to be in Rex.

To be to be Rex, yeah.

Anybody willing to put our sense.

Um, I'm just curious who created RECs, who designed RECs.

Um, our marketing team uh did.

Um Jennifer oversees the marketing team.

Um we have a graphic designer and uh a marketing man or uh super marketing supervisor that put the work in and um and I we got to uh a stage of three options and then I brought in a manager team, and so it was a department-wide effort to kind of go through a selection process for both the slogan and the and the mascot himself.

So welcome.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, parks, forestry, and cemetery divisions.

Um parks and forestry are lumped together in one uh budget and cemetery has its own.

Um, this slide represents the parks division and forestry divisions orb chart.

Um Tim Zofrin oversees the parks and forestry divisions.

His team is responsible for keeping NAMPA's publicly owned landscapes and plant life well maintained, safe and usable for the public.

Um Tim is new to his position, um, been there um right about a year at this point, but he's not new to the city.

He's worked for the city for uh several years, I think since 2012 as uh parks supervisor.

So in his new role, he oversees forestry and uh parks and cemetery.

The um forestry division is very stable with a solid base of employees that report to our city forester.

However, the parks division suffers from high turnover on full-time and part-time employees.

Uh in the past three years, the parks division has turned over 21 of its 26 employees.

Our longest tenured parks maintenance technician began in January of 2024 with only 27 months of on-the-job experience.

So when I spoke earlier about some of our challenges on um park maintenance, I think uh high employee turnover um contributes to that.

Okay.

Um responsibilities of the parks and forestry division.

Uh the name parks division can lead people to think that their only work is in the parks system.

However, it encompasses landscaped right-of-way areas, pathways, city campuses, such as City Hall, and others.

Uh, we measure our maintained areas and acres, including our pathways.

This is a consistent way to know how we are utilizing our budget dollars across all the areas this division is responsible for.

Uh, you will see in later slides that keeping track of how many acres we have and what levels of maintenance each receives is a harder task than you might think.

However, with our best information, Nampa Parks Division maintains 366 acres of parks, 80 acres of pathways, and 67 acres of city campuses and facilities.

Council President, I apologize.

I know this is midsection, but I think relevant for right now.

Okay, question.

In terms of the acreage at the Fort Idaho Center, have they contracted a new company to be maintaining that space, or is the city of Napa still foot in the bill for that?

Good question, Councilman Griffin.

Um the City of Napa is still continuing to uh service that uh facility.

Uh our contract is through the end of June, which I believe is the end of the school district's um fiscal year.

They have reached out for an extension of that um contract, and um I am have communications with um chief of staff um long to discuss the possibility of going forward with that.

I think the ultimate plan is for them to hire private contractor to perform that services, um, but their extension request is for one more uh fiscal year of the school district.

And you can you explain to me how the school district factors into all this?

I'm sorry.

Um CWI.

Thank you.

Uh I don't I might be using the wrong terminology, university district or whatever.

So can I add a uh clarification in there as well?

Um they they are paying us for our services, so that is not um a cost to the city or the taxpayers.

So yes, appreciate it.

That was the the biggest that was that was gonna be the follow-up question.

So important, thank you for correcting that.

Um yeah, they so we took our fee that we were charging the Oak View group for the services on it.

We've broken it up into a monthly cost, and that we're invoicing them monthly for that service.

And is that uh the we've had the conversation on their request to extend one of the options for extension?

Uh we have staff employed.

Uh we anticipate by the time Midway Park gets on, this would give us an opportunity to keep that staff member on staff at the expense of the institution.

And then when midway's on, that contract should be expired by that point.

So that staff member could switch over to maintain those parks, and we don't have to let someone go and then rehire next fall.

Thank you.

On that vein, Midway looks exceptional, Cody.

I emailed you about it.

I take my kids there multiple times a week, and it's always pristine, so I appreciate that.

Thank you.

And I appreciate hearing that.

So thank you very much.

Okay, um, parks and forestry accomplishments.

As you can see, we have a lot of great accomplishments either already achieved or in process for fiscal year 26.

Exciting projects funded through the general fund include a start on Midway Parks phase three, playground and shelter replacements, irrigation upgrades, and a brand new horseshoe, cornhole, and bocce ball court uh coming soon to West Park.

CDBG funding also contributes to the continued accomplishments in the parks division.

This past year it built uh CDBG funds rebuilt Creatures Court at Lakeview Park to replace the old cracked asphalt.

Um surfacing with new smooth concrete surfacing and um a new playground unit at Optimus Park is on its way, uh which will feature universally accessible artificial turf safety surfacing, which will be a first for NAMPA parks to have an art playground with the artificial um fall attenuation surfacing.

Um a new restroom at West Park that is connected to the city sewer system so that when big events like tournaments increase restroom use, the toilets do not back up is a wonderful improvement and was funded through both the city's general fund and uh CDBG grant funding.

Umpa's first permanent AED units were added to three parks, so when medical emergencies occur, help is already on site without ha having to wait for EMS to arrive.

This project was made possible from donations from NAPA Fire District.

Um and those are one of those is Midway Park and located on the building.

They're a fantastic addition, and we uh striving to get those into more parks into the future.

Um we've also celebrated our 28th year as a tree city USA just uh um last week with uh uh a couple of our council members representing uh out there uh went very well.

We partner with uh CWI on that event each year, too.

Councilman Rodriguez.

Cody, you says here not that you don't need it, but I'm just gonna question you on it.

Uh promote a third crew lead to better management training staff.

Oh, yes.

What what what is about that?

So um we didn't add any positions, but we um in our high turnover at the parks division, um, one of our high achievers was promoted from a tech to a lead position, adding a third so that we can split the teams into smaller units with more direct supervision over kind of our new um inexperienced technicians that we brought on.

So far, it's um you know beginning stages, but it's starting to yield results as far as um less direct reports and and having more assistance from our I guess greener employees when they come on.

So that's just a that's just a better direction to keep the new employees trained on how to do their job.

Yes.

Unfortunately, that's a high turnover.

Yes, sir.

Yeah, okay.

Thank you.

I think that's great.

Yes.

Cody, what was the optimist park timeline you said?

Um for the playground.

That um from my understanding, I haven't been out there, but I think that the old playground is removed.

They're working on the base material now.

Um, because of this the need to stretch that carpeting, uh, that artificial turf surfacing, they have to have certain temperature gradients.

So I've been hesitant to give a ribbon cutting date until I hear more from our contractor when that's complete, but we'll certainly advertise a ribbon cutting to come.

Um there there are some coming up that are Maple Wood Park, a different park that has just the wood fiber.

Um, but I imagine it will be um into later May or maybe beginning of June at the latest.

I get asked about that one all the time, so thank you.

Yes.

Okay, this next um slide, although it's not our flat flashiest accomplishment that is visible to the public, it's very important.

The graphic on the left shows a screenshot of our new parks dashboard developed by NAMPA's GIS team.

So I appreciate Craig and his team's help with this.

This useful tool was developed to ensure that all data stored by parks division is accurate and accessible, easily accessible to anybody looking to learn details about the vast quantities of information used to maintain NAPAS parks.

Its interface shows a graphic representation and location of all pertinent information from small details like sprinkler valves and dog poop bag dispensers all the way up to large uh assets like ball fields and playgrounds.

Staff uh reorganization allows parks to promote a staff member to the third crew to a third crew lead position, like uh Councilman Rodriguez was asking about.

And we've also have hired an in-house mechanic position which helps support parks maintenance technician positions by providing improved training and hopefully increase employee retention.

And irrigation uh conversion from traditional controllers to centralized controllers, allow easier adjustment to irrigation schedules so staff can make seasonal adjustments to reduce water use from one location instead of walking to every control valve and controller among the thousands throughout the city.

Some of our accomplishments there.

Okay, looking ahead at future at the future for parks and forestry division.

Um, this slide represents some of the future projects of the parks division, both near term and further out into the future.

Of course, funding plays a major role in making these projects a reality, but knowing that where we want to go will help us and the public know the priorities going forward into the coming years.

A soccer park remains high priority and has the potential for a successful property exchange with NAMPA School District.

If that is not able to be achieved, utilizing impact fees to purchase property would be necessary.

Whether or not a property exchange with Napa School District happens, a new skate park is necessary to replace the old one at Stampede Park that is beyond its useful life cycle.

Completion of Midway Parks phase three and four will complete the green up of this large urban park and create more opportunity for baseball and softball programming and private affiliate sport group usage.

The picnic shelter at Lakeview Park is um showing extreme signs of wear with rusted through holes visible in the metal support structure.

A new and larger shelter in this same location would serve more of customers and give this large urban park a more desired location for reservation events comparable to our newer facilities, such as Midway and Aura Brandt Parks.

Continued replacement of equipment and other amenities throughout the park system help serve the needs of the citizens and keep deferred maintenance from building up and costing more later down the road.

Okay, our next slide is um parks capital request for fiscal year 27.

Most parks division capital requests focus on replacement of old equipment and infrastructure.

Staying true to what our citizens value from parks master planning exercise we performed in 2024, keeping our current facilities in good condition is a priority.

You'll notice that half the requested funds are a grant for construction on the ore pathway in West Nampa.

Um we're working with public works on this.

Um we believe that some funds, I'm uncertain on the exact amount at this point, will be reimbursed to the city from the grant in future years, fiscal year 28.

Um skid steer, the pickup trucks, the mid-sized mowers are all identified on the fleet division's replacement schedule.

Asphalt maintenance is an annual request that uh we ask for for tree root intrusion repairs, seal coating um on asphalt uh asphalt pathways or parking lots, just different um repairs and maintenance that's needed across the asphalt in the parks.

Um West Park irrigation replacement is the third year of funding to get that park's um 1970s design um replaced with better head spacing and more modern equipment.

Um the rose garden gazebo at Lakeview.

The current gazebo is old and in need of replacement.

Um the cost on this might look a little high for the size of it, but the idea with asking for it in fiscal year 27 is because we wanted to have it newly replaced by the time 2028 gets here because that would be the hundredth year anniversary for Lakeview Park.

Um, and we have asked a local um contractor to get us a quote on what it would take to create the shelter to look very similar or have a similar look to the turreted um porch that was on the original house in the park um back um a hundred years ago when that house existed there.

So adding that historical art feature to this gazebo adds cost um to for that replacement, but we felt it would be a nice nod for the to the history and to the ongoing future of the wedding gazebo at the Rose Garden.

Skyview Playground replacement, and then uh of course that that grant construction.

So that's our capital.

Um but parks is made up of more than one just funding source.

And so the next slide um represents the impact fee capital requests.

Uh, have seven million dollars on here for midway phase three and four.

I know that sounds like a high number, but fit uh phase three um needs uh some rework done, and then phase four is going to feature two uh premier 90 foot base path fields and that we are hoping to install it with artificial turf and then include lighting in these phases for the fields too.

Um Midway construction administration listed at 200,000 for the contractor to assist with that, and then um a soccer park concept design for 50,000.

Our expected fund balance uh beginning of the fiscal year is expected to be around 11.3 million.

And then the last budget in the on parks is our special fund capital.

Um dog enthusiasts help support Napas dog parks each year by donating and participating in our dog-friendly uh special events, like the spring food truck rally goes to the dogs and the summer's pooch party at Lakeview Park.

These funds take time to accumulate, but our earmarks for dog park specific projects.

Amity Dog Park would benefit from rezoning the irrigation system so the maintenance team can focus water on the dry areas without flooding out other areas, which will help keep the park from being muddy in some places, which is a current issue.

Uh future years um this we anticipate utilizing um this fund to pave the pathways, and so they would go from gravel to asphalt in that park.

Okay, uh moving on to cemetery division.

Um, are there any questions regarding parks?

Councilmember?

Um, I have a question.

I it's funny that I get this from uh constituents, but about the dog park.

I know the sign on the small dog area has been changed a little bit, but there's still a lot of issues with bigger dogs going in where the little dogs are supposed to be.

And these little dogs are like children to people.

And so is there a way to make that so that it's absolutely no dogs over a certain size to go in with the small dogs?

That's a great question, and I get it too, Councilwoman Scog.

Um, it's very hard to police.

The other thing is that area is actually set up as a small dog and senior dog.

And so a lot of people have dogs of a certain age that don't like to play rough anymore and prefer the lower tempo, I'd say, of the small dog area or senior dog area, and some of them are larger dogs, and so it's it's a challenge.

Um, I think the one-off cases is where we'll send staff out to just ask somebody that might have a rambunctious dog that's large in that area to remove, and we've had pretty good compliance with individuals, but yeah, we don't have staff on site to uh babysit out there, so it's it's a hard, it's hard to catch all of them.

Yeah.

Prison bills.

Yes.

Uniquely enough, I've had to deal with this at the prosecutor's office.

So it's something that has gone through the the entire process.

Um I would recommend to leave the ambiguity of old or senior dog out of it and strictly make it a small dog area.

Uh the reason being my dog's five years old.

What's old?

Is she old?

Is she not old?

She could still have energy.

I think for people, they could use that as an avenue of saying, I want my big dog in this space away from all the other dogs.

He's she's old.

Uh so I I understand where the councilwoman's coming from.

I've seen it firsthand.

What can happen when they do mix, even an old dog can still have some uh whatever the phrase is, some kick in its step or whatever you want to call it, still a little bit of bite with their bark.

So I just uh any way to avoid the ambiguity of allowing somebody to potentially game it, I think would be wise.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um I'm gonna move on to the cemetery division.

Here is uh the org chart for that.

Um here's our slide showing the responsibilities of the cemetery.

Uh cemetery staff perform a balance of business like operations with space sales, interments, and customer service, all while maintaining a landscape uh for a serene final resting place for NAMPA's loved ones.

Um so they're they're doing two things um and they do it very well out at it.

Uh we're lucky to have the team that we have out at the Kohler Lawn Cemetery for NAMPA.

Um moving the wrong thing here, I'm sorry.

Um President Beals back to here.

Cody, I just have one huge request.

When are we gonna build another billion out there for for uh office for an office or to greet people and meet people and those guys can rhyme can actually have an area where you can just sit and talk?

That is so small.

It's yeah, it's amazing.

Yeah, Councilman Rodriguez, that's not in our future planning to do that.

I mean, um, I don't know if it's the size that's the limiting factor, maybe it just needs a refresh.

Um, I think maybe some reconfiguration of within the existing footprint might be uh more feasible possibility, but you know, we can certainly look at that for future planning.

That's a follow-up.

Uh but thing about it is is uh uh we've we've uh again increased our rates, but but the more uh that people are showing up there that they have to squeeze into that office.

And it it is comforting when you have a bigger, better facility to handle that.

Certainly.

Because families can't go in.

There only one or two people that represent the families are able to go in and discuss the burial and and uh and and I think uh doesn't the impact fee doesn't that will won't that pay for it?

I'm looking at Jennifer.

So I know Councilman Rodriguez, that that's not an identified um project on our capital impact fee um CIP.

It's not in unfortunate CIP.

Dang it.

But I I recognize what you're saying, absolutely, and and I I have heard from Ryan that there's times where the space can be tight.

Okay, thank you.

Okay.

All right, sorry it took me a minute to get to this slide notes, but uh Kohler Lawn holds pride in being a publicly owned cemetery with reasonable fee structure, creative ideas, and internment options for everybody.

Progression of the scattering garden design is an exciting accomplishment setting us up for the next phase of the project, bidding and construction.

In fact, I plan to come before you this body on May 18th with uh a request to go to bid for the Scattering Garden Project.

We enjoy our partnerships with daughters of the American Revolution and their help in placing wreaths for the wreaths across America campaign.

Um NAMPA citizens enjoy the cemetery's leaf and Christmas tree recycling programs each year with hundreds of visits to our compost area to drop material off.

Our site was reaching the limits of what it could hold this year.

So we removed over a thousand cubic yards of recycled uh compost material and delivered it to the city's golf courses for their use.

Memorial day is celebrated celebration is coming up at Kohler Lawn, and it always puts a fantastic program together, which is supported by multiple community partners each year, and it's a long-standing tradition that is well attended and enjoyed by the community.

Looking forward at the cemetery uh projections, Kohler Lawn's future includes uh completion of the long-awaited cremation scattering gardens and continued our tradition of excellent customer service.

The unique amit this unique amenity will give NAMPA an internment option not commonly available in our office in our area.

It offers families a lower cost options to have a memorial setting for their loved ones.

The capital requests for the cemetery budget are of course the scattering gardens, which is the third year of the funding request.

It was much like the West Park irrigation system, it was a three-year request um budget request cycle at 478,483, and then 30,000 for asphalt repairs.

Um if you've been out there, you see that there's a lot of private roads uh throughout the that facility that require some seal coating, crack fixing and pothole repair.

Okay, that brings me to the Harvard Rec Center.

Are there questions about the other questions about the cemetery?

Okay, moving on.

Um's the organizational chart for the Harvard Rec Center.

John Burkey oversees comprehensive Harvard Rec Center and his team manages over the half million visitors this facility receives each year with excellent customer service, exciting fitness and recreation opportunities.

Operating the facility like a self-funded business is the goal with over 32 years of proven success.

Um this next slide shows the responsibilities of the Harvard Rec Center.

Managing overcrowding in a responsible way along with maintaining the facility in a like new condition are an ongoing challenge for us.

However, NAPA citizens often cite reasonable fees, quality amenities, and uh that are a big draw for the Harvard Rec Center, which has been described as a gem in our community.

Some of our accomplishments.

We have had continued updates uh to our aging facility that are required to overcome newer and uh newer private facilities that enter the market.

Updated fitness equipment and building infrastructures keep customers coming back because they feel like their membership dollars are used to reinvest into the building and provide them with new fitness options.

Creative membership options, such as the new silver and fit program through Blue Cross of Idaho's insurance company, which started this past March, is helping draw new membership sales and increase revenue.

Facility upgrades include modernization of our elevator and replacing the worn-out carpet in the weight room with a durable rubber surfacing.

Uh serving over half million visitors annually and increasing the revenue by 3% in a time of all-time high expenses is a result of good management and close attention to market conditions.

You can kind of see some of the figures there on the right hand side of the slide.

Okay, as costs to operate the facility increase with inflation, continued revenue growth is needed to continue operations.

Labor costs have risen dramatically over the past few years.

To ensure quality staff, the rec center must pay competitively.

By leveraging part-time and seasonal employees, we continue to grow revenue with modest price increases that keep us an affordable option for indoor recreation pursuits.

As NAPA's population continues to grow, space constraints are beginning to hamper customer service and our growth opportunity.

These two sharp charts just kind of show our revenue and our admittance.

Revenue is growing, but our remittance is growing faster.

So, what is the future for the Harwood Rec Center?

NAMPA's population growth has added strain to the limited square footage of the Harvard Rec Center.

The same facility that served 40,000 people in 1994 when it was built now serves 123,000 people.

So it is to be expected that there are periods of heavy use in the facility that impacts customer satisfaction, staffing needs, and wear and tear.

We have a concept design for an expansion to the facility that would add over 15,000 square feet.

But for this uh to progress beyond this phase, impact fee dollars and the rec center's fund balance would need signific would need to significantly increase unless other creative funding is identified.

With the transfer of the Ford Idaho Center to CWI earlier this fiscal year, Napa Parks and Recreation Department intends to pursue the promise CWI made to provide a public recreation center on their community campus in North Nappa.

A combined student and public recreation center would be the most cost-effective way for the city to provide access to residents in a different region of the city from our current rec center.

Involvement in that facility's design, programming, and use will be paramount in our department as it's uh developed in the coming years with the college.

All right, this list shows uh capital requests for the Harvard Rec Center.

Updates to equipment and repairs to infrastructure are the focus of our capital expenditures for 27.

Fitness equipment uh replacement is an annual practice that ensures the rec center has newer modern equipment that's in good working condition.

Out-of-order signs are an immediate turn off for our customers.

Swimming pools are notoriously maintenance heavy and expensive to operate and maintain.

Replacements of the spa filters and boilers are necessary to keep it operational.

The pool surfacing in the rec pool and the hydro pool have been patched multiple times, and they're at the end of life.

A new gunite plaster shell coat is needed to refresh the surfacing and bring the pool back to like new condition.

The biggest concern regarding the rec center pools, however, is the leak in the lap pool.

The 250,000 budget uh request is to identify the exact location of this leak and to make the repair.

The location at this point is uh known.

Um, so the we're anticipating um the 250, we're hoping uh that it's less.

Um there are two customer service desks at the rec center.

One serves the members of the center, and the other serves customers for the recreation division programs.

Our goal is to combine both desks into one to serve all parks and recreation customers.

This desk would be uh one of our current desks is made from cubicle pieces and is old and unattractive, and the other one is the 32-year-old original with worn for Micah and an outdated appearance.

The $25,000 budget request represented here is only half of the total cost.

The other half you'll see in the recreation division capital request because we split that between the two divisions.

Okay.

Um questions for the Harvard Rec Center.

They are so old.

Those 500,000 visitors hands over that stuff over the last 32 years of shown wear.

Okay, moving on to the recreation and outdoor pools.

Umsees the recreation division with her small team of recreation professionals to provide outstanding programming through Nampus Parks facilities and throughout partnerships with local agencies and organization.

And then this is the one that was split.

Uh John Burke oversees the outdoor pools because of his supervision of our established and well-trained aquatics team who administer the outdoor pools during the summer season, in addition to their year-round roles inside the Harvard Recreation Center Aquatics area.

Okay, recreation division responsibilities.

Perhaps our most visible and interconnected division within Parks and Recreation Department.

The recreation division establishes relationships and provides services for thousands of NAMPA citizens through our affiliate sports programs, special events, trips and tours, youth and adult sports programs, and partnerships with our local agencies.

Give NAMPA citizens the recreational outlet they need right here in their hometown.

It also builds relationships between the participants, creating lifelong friendships with coaches and kids who mentor and inspire each other between business sponsors and the buying public, between local agencies who provide the gym space and filled allocations for these relationships to generate in the first place and then to flourish into strong community ties.

Growth and program registrations represent a major accomplishment for this division.

New programs this year included the Run Santa Run and the Sun Sunshine and Sound Bites, which were both popular and included a schedule to return next year.

Giving the older pool a refair a refreshing new appearance that will carry it forward for the next 30 years.

Continuation of their accomplishments.

Finding a balance and providing enriching programming and minimizing tax subsidized subsidy all while meeting community demands requires continual monitoring and review of the program statistics to uh uh and outcomes.

You can see that overall program participation has increased year over year for the last three years.

Okay, what is the future look like for the recreation division?

New infrastructure in new infrastructure such as baseball fields at Midway Park and access to existing infrastructure such as gym space in more schools within NAMPA provide opportunity for increasing program registration and revenue.

We also want to focus on community health programming such as swimming lessons and adapt adaptive sports to make NAMPA safe and inclusive place to call home.

Um interesting fact is national statistics show that youth engaged in sports or other recreational activities are less inclined to become involved in criminal activity.

We believe that when kids are busy and having uh fun uh learning skills in sports and recreation, um, it's it's a healthier outcome.

New grant funds are in place this year that will provide 175 swimming lessons annually for the next five years.

That was just a recent grant that uh parks and recreation was to uh able to achieve, which will provide a safer environment for our young people.

Moving on to the recreation capital requests.

Moving on to the recreation capital requests, um keeping the facilities in good working order and giving our patrons good customer service experience is our focus for the capital requests for this year.

Lincoln Pool also suffers from a leak, smaller one.

Um investigation into that leak and can and uh repair is requested for this fiscal year.

And uh this is where the other half of the customer service desk at the department's office inside the Harvard Rec Center location was uh budgeted.

And then uh we also have a van request replacement of an existing van.

Um the rec division is very good at trips and tours.

We have a large senior population that participate in those.

So one of our requests is a higher roofed van so that those uh those folks can stand up and enter and exit the van much easier.

Okay, moving on to golf.

Are there any questions about the recreation division or outdoor pools?

Okay.

Um, here is our org chart for the golf division.

Tony Blazius oversees both Centennial and Ridgecrest golf courses for the city.

His professional and dedicated teams manage operation and ground maintenance, which provide fantastic quality public golfing conditions and customer service.

And there's four divisions within the golf um uh budgets.

There are each course has an operations budget and a maintenance budget.

Golf division responsibilities.

Since the golf uh since the city purchased the golf courses in 2023, we have tackled a large backlog of deferred maintenance uh items with many still to come.

Balancing competitive fees, maintaining a course with quality playing conditions, and bringing the course up to modern standards is a big task.

With the golf industry on an upswing, revenue continues to support our ability to manage capital improvement projects and reasonable fees so that courses can uh continue on offering the playing conditions and amenities that our customers expect.

Some of the accomplishments in house uh completion of playing surface improvements and both courses provide cost efficient improvements that are noticeable and impactful for our customers.

The sport of golf continues an upward trend in the valley with numbers of rounds increasing annually.

You can see here we're on target for 128,000 rounds for this fiscal year.

Renovations on both courses for irrigation systems, T complex and uh bridge repairs, give golf course customers visible confirmation that their investment into the courses are going toward infrastructure to improve their experience.

And um, like those bridge repairs and the inlet rebuilding the inlet to the pond at Centennial and some of the T complex improvements represent examples of that in-house work we talked about at the beginning of the presentation.

I don't think anybody could do them better than our own team.

Um replacements of uh customer touch points, such as the golf course replacement or the golf cart replacements and tea and green renovations, give golfers the confidence that their fees are being used uh on projects that directly improve their golfing experience.

Renovation of 17th green at Ridgecrest has been popular.

Installation of nursery greens and uh extension of the driving range at Ridgecrest have also been uh extremely popular.

Adding new treat complexes at Centennial and uh has been warranted, and then the replacement of the 50 golf carts at Ridgecrest has been well received.

Rounds of golf sold continue to increase each year over the past three years.

The golf fund balance um large uh supports large capital projects.

Over the the chart on the left shows that fund balance increases and decreases.

Over the past four years, we have dipped into the fund balance for those capital improvement projects that we discussed earlier, like the Centennial Clubhouse remodel, parking lot rebuild, and irrigation system, and the ridge crest irrigation well.

The fund balance is expected to begin fiscal year 27 uh with three million dollars.

Okay, looking ahead at the golf course futures, uh future, some expensive but needed capital projects are on the horizon for NAMFAS golf courses.

In addition to the continued improvements for on course conditions, some revenue generating additions are planned, including a large golf training facility, golf simulators that include golf simulators, and an 18-hole disc golf course on the executive nine, which will add to the appeal of the facility and provide uh requested services from the public while adding a revenue opportunity.

Um this image on the left uh shows that um it's a mock-up with the brown roof, shows the potential location for um that golf uh training facility with the simulators located inside.

Okay, we're gonna look at Centennial Golf uh capital requests for fiscal year 27.

Continued improvements on to the grounds and facilities as well as replacement of equipment will continue to provide great conditions for play.

The autonomous mowers for the driving range are new additions that have become more common at the golf course around golf courses in the valley.

They can mow while the driving range is open, allowing continuous play without shutting down.

This allows staff to focus efforts elsewhere on the course and allows golfers uh continuous use.

Um the maintenance storage building at Centennial is not a traditional building, but rather utilizes shipping containers with a span of tarp covered archways used to cover the maintenance equipment.

Um storing equipment inside this structure will reduce sun and other weather damage and extend its lifespan.

Currently, equipment is uh many of the equipment pieces are just stored outside.

The cart storage facility repairs include painting, structural and lighting upgrades to the building, customers rent to store their golf carts.

Reinvestment into this building will demonstrate that rental fees are used to improve the conditions that the renters utilize.

Continued replacement of aged out equipment as well as addition of new maintenance equipment ensures good playing conditions continue at the courses.

So I think those are self-explanatory.

So we'll move on.

Um the next slide is Ridgecrest's um capital request for fiscal year 27.

Apart from Ridgecrest's need for replacement maintenance and equipment and of re maintenance equipment and course improvements, Nampa Parks and Recreation Department would like to begin design of a training facility building.

Ridgecrest has a unique opportunity to place our training facility on the driving range that to allow for roll-up doors where balls can be hit out onto the range.

Additionally, the building can remain closed and play can commence with golf simulators during the off season.

Demand is expected to be high for use of the training facility and golf simulators.

So the 150,000 on the request is for the design purposes for that facility that we showed in the previous image.

Continued um T renovation course improvements for 20,000, the autonomous mowers for the driving range.

Ridgecrest requires three just due to the size of the uh driving range being larger than Centennials.

A tractor and a pole behind mower to mow, which would replace a more expensive um wing deck drop-down unit.

And then the sticker shock on this to me was the 107,000 dollars for the bed knife grinder, but that is the tool utilized to sharpen the real mower blades that cut the greens.

And so those are out every single day, and our existing one is at its end of life, and a new one is needed.

Just kind of surprised on the cost.

President Beals.

Yes.

So I see that there's not a in the Centennial Golf Capital request.

A simulator.

Is it not going to be at Centennial?

Just only at Ridgecrest.

That um Councilman Rodriguez, that is the plan.

And talking with Tony and the team, it seemed like expense-wise adding one to Centennial would require major modifications to the facility if we were to add it to the existing clubhouse building.

We felt that it would be better utilized more economically to build if we were to just build one facility at Ridgecrest where we have ample space and and uh area to do that.

Okay, I don't know, I don't agree with that, but okay.

Follow-up, Council President, if I could as well.

Uh Tony, I know we had spoken about two years ago about that extension patio where these two simulators that Councilman Rodriguez is going to uh was alluding to is that no longer we're not doing the patio, we're not doing the expansions.

Uh councilman Griffin, uh, as Cody said, I I think the most efficient use of our money right now is to do the building at Ridgecrest, where there will be four simulators.

Um I think it's not out of the question to go to Centennial in in the coming years to see how that project uh morphs into you know uh instruction, simulator play, and club uh fitting for sales.

So it it's not out of question, absolutely.

Is Ridge Ridgecrest a higher sale location than Centennial when it comes to terms of fittings and sales being done for for kits or units or whatever you'll call them?

I think that it's not necessarily the the traffic, but I think the the location for the building uh and and like I said, being able to put four simulators in there that can do multiple things, uh I think is a better use of our money.

Sure.

Thank you.

And I I'm excited about the project.

I know Councilman Rodriguez is excited about the project.

We're just excited about seeing it at both locations, but I understand the the phase out for starting at Ridgecrest.

Yeah, certainly, and that's our thoughts too is we don't want to start two at once if there's not the demand that we may expect at the first one.

And uh this is a new um frontier for city of Nampa with this the training facility and the simulators, and so I think we wanted to um pick the one that made the most economical sense.

And then to to go back to your question earlier, you know, uh revenue wise.

I don't know about actual sales of equipment, but revenue wise, Ridgecrest is the is the predominant revenue driver for the between the two courses.

And one final follow-up, if I could, Council President.

This is a pretty pretty price tag that we have before us.

Is it anticipated?

I know you said there's an uptick and more of a demand to be able to go and golf, and that's great.

And I know you're your own fund.

So really for me, this more semantics than anything.

Are you going to foresee having to do a significant increase to be able to offset the amount of costs that we plan to request in 2027?

Um, like I we look at our fees every year.

I know it's getting harder and tighter.

The economy's tightening up, and so we watch all of that as we go forward.

Um I don't want to say we won't increase fees because we look at several market conditions, but we aren't planning these projects with the mind that a fee increase is what is going to fund them.

Um we're utilizing our fund balance and and prioritizing our projects based on what how much we were able to add to our fund balance each year or pull from our fund balance each year and and still remain uh maintain a healthy um base uh uh for emergencies.

So even with this, you still have two and a half million dollars, it looks like so it should be good.

It's three million currently to date.

Um that is our expected fund balance at the beginning of the fiscal year.

Thank you.

And I think that um as one thing that drives a lot of the pace on some of these golf course and rec center uh projects are how well the revenues doing is what the interest in is in the sport of golf.

Right now it's hot.

It's hard to get a tea time, and uh, but I've been here long enough to see when golf wasn't hot and uh revenue wasn't coming in.

And so um sometimes there's a time to let your foot off the gas and and um things stabilize and the projects um are just pushed down the road a little further.

Thank you.

Okay, well, that actually brings me to the end of the presentation.

So uh I'll stand for any questions.

Another question, Cody would be on the golf side.

Have you guys put together a spreadsheet of courses throughout the Treasure Valley here?

And where so I I'm I'm assuming you track those fees and what people are charging and so forth.

Can council get a copy of that spreadsheet or can councilman?

So that we track that.

We're staying in tune.

Correct.

Yeah, I assume that you were tracking it, it would just be nice for us to have a copy.

Yeah, we uh we feel it's vital for for the golf department uh for Ridgecrest and Centennial to know where we stand in the Treasure Valley.

Right.

Um centennials fees are 20% below everybody else.

Uh Ridgecrest fees are about three percent below.

So with the popularity of golf, um, we're very cognizant of where our fees are and what we feel we have to put out there.

Um we feel that you know the projects that we have we have to prioritize with the money that we have.

We don't we don't go into a season looking to raise the fees.

Uh councilman bills, that tool is one of the metrics we utilize when we're you know uh coming before you with our any requests on fees.

I figure so it'd just be helpful if we um I think Tony can get that sent to sent to the group.

Yes, thank you.

That'd be great.

Councilman Jills?

Yes.

Um, Cody, do you I do you have a total amount and you may have said this and I missed it of deferred maintenance fees?

Uh Councilman Scog, I have not totaled that.

I I think there's um that could be an exercise we participate in and and get a a better number, but um we probably have to go through that for each of the different divisions, of course, and some will be much higher than others, but yeah, we uh I don't have a number for you, Teddy.

It'd be helpful if if the team could have that before we head into the actual budget stuff just to know what's out there, be aware of it.

Yeah, we have a five-year um look ahead on our you know that the city has as part of the budget process for capital needs, and so um, but they're not necessarily all deferred maintenance items.

So we could we can line those out.

It'd be helpful.

Okay, yes.

I I think I've asked this in previous years, and I just can't remember.

At the golf courses, do we have a way the uh figure out who is an actual NAMPA resident and who is just uh somebody coming to play tea time from out of city limits?

Uh Councilman Griffin, we really only track we can only really track uh our season pass holders.

Um less than half of our season pass uh holder is from uh NAMPA.

Um we've got a tremendous amount of uh Ada County players.

Right, but yeah, as far as daily green fee, uh we really don't.

One of the initially, I I have two initial reactions hearing that we're 20% below the rest of the the market at Centennial.

My first being good, I'm glad we are because it's a city park and a city facility that the taxpayers are funding, they should be able to utilize it.

Similar to the Civic Center, of which I've already expressed saying, is it really a community benefit or are we in the money making business?

That's the one side.

I'm glad that we're there for city residents.

On the flip side, if 50% of our seasoned pass holders are out of the county, I'd like to see that at market rate for those individuals.

And maybe that shores down the demand of usage.

If we can't get a tea time at Centennial and it's all 80 county folks getting 20% less than any other place, maybe uh a little economics in this, we increase those rates, maybe it drops the initial season pass collection.

The bet the revenues are still there because we offset the amount, and then maybe we drive down a little bit of the tea time.

I for you all to figure out just my initial thoughts are if we're able to find out if city residents are utilizing it even in a day.

I know it's difficult and maybe too tedious for its worth, but 20% less is pretty significant.

I'd like to see it that way for residents, not for people outside of the city of Napa.

Yeah, that's uh it's a point we've considered, uh councilman in the past.

One of the the issues I have is you know, if we do this something like that for the golf courses, where do you stop?

Do we start asking people that come into the rec center or their residency on their passes?

And so that's been the hesitation a little bit.

Um program registrations and and other opportunities through parks and recreation.

Um, you know, where does it maybe program registrations is different, and maybe it's similar to the golf course.

I know we want to generate youth activity in the golf at courses, and similarly, we want competition at the rec center.

So if we price out people to not play T-ball or little basketball or whatever, that's also difficult.

Difficult question.

I'm not asking for an answer right now.

Uh I frankly like what you all are doing at the golf courses.

I get excited every time I go out there to see what's happening.

Uh, but I'm also trying to think about what's best for NAMPA.

Certainly.

And uh for a long time, and it's going to change, I think, in a lot of areas.

We're not going to be footing the bill for the rest of the valley to have the benefit of the city on a number of areas.

So thank you.

But I think uh clarification is what would help, I think this discussion is there property tax money from the citizens of NAPA subsidizing the golf courses, the rec center.

Thank you, Councilman uh president.

Uh that's what I was just gonna chime in.

Um we don't currently take any tax dollars at the golf courses or at the rec center.

And so there is no um city subsidy for either of those courses, and that's one of the reasons that we feel like charging uh a NAMPA resident less than a non-NAMPA resident wouldn't really make sense um simply because there are no tax dollars that are going towards those courses, the courses or the rec center, yeah.

I think the the aspect of NAMPA getting involved in the golf courses back when uh when the state wanted to develop the lands there, and that opportunity came forward, NAMPA took that on the standpoint of making sure the citizens at large had the opportunity to continue to uh frequent those courses.

And so from my side, they should be standalone operations in a sense.

And if they're slightly lower competitive wise, uh etc.

I think that's part of the market part of it.

Uh if we had Gengov money going there and other things, it'd be a different story.

But I think it's well that those three operations are continue to basically be self-sufficient self-sufficient.

So our staff walks a fine balance because if we you know we want to be sympathetic to to the fees and make it as affordable as as possible, all while staying uh self-sufficient.

And so if we were to not think about the citizens and just bring it to market value, what we know the course could bring in, we're gonna have upset golfers that have enjoyed low rates.

And if we keep fees low where everybody can get there, then we crowd out the tea times, and then we don't bring enough into revenue to tackle some of these deferred maintenance projects.

So it's a balancing act that that Tony walks, and it's not easy, and um there's always criticism that it should have gone more this way than that, and so it's it's not an easy um, it's just not an easy cut and dry thing on that initial purchase.

Was that used with gengov dollars, or had we created such a surplus in our recreation and parks budget that we were able to pay cash for that?

Um we're still paying for it.

I don't know where the initial so uh we purchased the land um three three years ago, three and a half years ago.

Uh and so part of that purchase price was paid out of our fund balance.

Half of it was paid out of fund balance, the other half was borrowed from city funds, and we are currently paying that back on a 10-year loan with interest.

So it's still been paid by the city of Napa taxpayers in one way or another.

Uh the city of Nampa is a is our bank.

We are paying interest on it.

So yeah.

They took they took surplus fund balance and said we have the money set aside, so we'll use that to purchase, and then each year the operations out of the golf course reimbursed the city back.

Um so it was done with the idea that it wasn't going to be property tax use is my recollection.

So I think you're correct, Council President.

Um I think it's been a good move for the city and for users.

There's I know I think it was last year or the prior year, we had demographics as far as where people were coming from.

And it's amazing how many come from both 80 county, but also I I recollect there was a few out of Hawaii County and Caldwell and you know the other side of Caldwell, etc.

Uh so I think it I think it's also uh speaks well to the operation and that people want to come to those courses.

Part of it's price-driven, but part of it's also uh they like the course, and they like the uh camaraderie.

I think uh councilman Rodriguez would speak too that goes on with the particular golfers.

If I picked up on any of those cues, I guess that's what I would say.

Yeah, thank you, Chris.

So we appreciate the the uh presentation this morning and uh very informative.

So good job on your part.

Thank you.

Glad for your first year going well.

Yes, few challenges, but we're grateful that you're in the in the shoes and team.

We we appreciate everybody's efforts, so just want you to know that.

And uh we like the uh the time to get updated.

Okay, very good.

Thank you so much.

I appreciate everybody's time this morning.

Have a good day.

Great, and with that, uh we're gonna adjourn the meeting.

We need a motion.

Second, second.

All in favor?

Aye.

Aye.

Yeah.

Oh my god, my gosh.