TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Fee Hikes Planned For County Facilities

ADVERTISEMENT

By TONY MARRERO Hernando Today

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 9, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - County residents could be digging deeper to use county fields, boat ramps and other facilities.

In the face of less funding, county Parks and Recreation Director Pat Fagan is proposing a host of ways to bring in more revenue to keep facilities up to par. The county commission will consider the proposals at its land use hearing slated for 9 a.m. Wednesday at the Government Center, 20 N. Main St.

"It is our intent to continue to provide recreational opportunities for the general public to use and enjoy our parks and facilities at minimal or no cost," Fagan wrote in a memo to commissioners. "However, we find that we must recover some of the costs associated with providing specialized services and programs."

The new and higher fees are necessary, Fagan wrote, "to maintain an acceptable and safe level of service."

Among the proposals is a controversial $20 annual fee for each member of sports leagues that use county parks.
Fagan wasn't feeling well Monday, had left work and was unavailable for comment.

Others on his list of recommendations:

• A $5 fee for the use of the boat ramps at Bayport, Hernando Beach and Jenkins Creek. An annual pass would run $100. Users would get a sticker for the windshields of their vehicles, and county waterways staff could give out tickets for those caught using a ramp without one.

• Parking at Pine Island's Alfred McKethan Park would increase from $2 to $4 from February to November. The extra money would go to maintain the parks and pay the staff working at the gate. The same fee hike would apply at Rogers Park for March through September. Annual passes for the two parks would increase from $40 to $100.

• The annual flat fee for field lights charged to baseball, soccer and football teams would increase. For example, the fee to soccer leagues to use the lights at Anderson Snow Park would go from $15,000 to $18,750; for baseball leagues, $6,500 to $8,130.

• The rental fees for everything from picnic pavilions to large county buildings would go up. The fee to use a picnic pavilion for four hours or less, for example, would go from $30 to $50. The hourly charge to rent a large county building would go from $50 for the first hour and $20 for each additional hour to $75 for the first hour and $30 for each hour after that.

• The fee for the county's sports camp and Camp Funshine would go up $10 to $85. Financial assistance once offered by the county to attend the camps would no longer be available.

Billboards on baseball fields ... eventually, trash cans, too
Fagan also wants the ability to offer advertisers a place on outfield fences, with the option to expand to other areas such as dugouts and scoreboards. The rights to name a field could also be in the offing.

Advertising could come to other county parks on such items as trash cans, picnic pavilions and park benches, Fagan wrote in his memo to commissioners.

The program would be similar to those in other counties, Fagan wrote. The department expects to drum up enough business to bring in $15,000 this budget year.

"We have been asked for years by local businesses to be able to provide this opportunity," Fagan wrote.

Of the 24 athletic leagues surveyed by the county, 11 supported the $20 annual fee. Of 25 leagues surveyed, 14 said they would be willing to volunteer time to maintain the county's athletic fields.

Commissioner Rose Rocco said she was confident the county would work out an arrangement with the leagues - whether it be a fee or a volunteer program to ensure the fields are kept in good shape.

"A $20 fee per child is not really that exorbitant," she said. "You don't want to have a situation where your facilities look rundown. That's not good for the county."

Commissioner Dave Russell, a boater himself, said he thinks boating enthusiasts would be willing to pay for ramps if it means quality facilities with plenty of parking. But he said it will be difficult to convince him a $20 annual fee for sports league members is the way to go and wants to hear more options.

"I know we're under some pretty stringent budget constraints at this time," Russell said, "but people are being stressed to the limits with the cost to buy gas and groceries and everything else, and it'd be a shame to have to impose more fees on recreational activities for kids."

As for advertising at county parks, Russell said he was "all for it," though he allowed there would have to be discretion so as not to visually pollute some of the county's more serene settings.

"I'll be the first one to buy an ad," he said.

On the Web

To view the complete list of user fee hikes for county parks and facilities, go to http://www.hernandocounty.us/bocc/pdf/landuseagend.... Click on "G3" in the index window to the left and scroll to page 266.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT