Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: JANUARY 17, 2023
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: DAISY PEREZ, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
PREPARED BY: ALICE LOYA, DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION SUBJECT: MAPLE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER OPERATIONS
SUMMARY
City Council directed staff to hold a community meeting at Lemon Park to gather input from the community regarding programs and services they would like to see offered at the Maple Neighborhood Center. Staff held a community meeting on January 11, 2023 in the Maple Neighborhood Center at Lemon Park and most of the community members, in attendance, want to see a non-profit organization such as the YMCA provide free and affordable programs/activities and for this organization to also provide a rental program to Fullerton residents.
RECOMMENDATION
Option 1. Authorize City Manager, or designee, to negotiate a lease agreement with the YMCA of Orange County to operate the Maple Neighborhood Center and provide neighborhood services and an after-hours private rental program using City Council-approved policies and fees and execute and administer agreements and related documents, in a form approved by the City Attorney.
Or choose an alternative option:
Option 2: Direct the Parks and Recreation Department to operate the Maple Neighborhood Center solely as a private rental facility. Approve an additional $114,790 appropriation in the Parks and Recreation Department operating budget for the remaining seven months of FY 2022-23 and approve transferring $60,910 of the appropriations from the General Fund and $53,880 from rental revenue.
Option 3: Direct the Parks and Recreation Department to operate the Maple Neighborhood Center as a private rental facility and provide a youth program. Approve an additional $197,950 appropriation in the Parks and Recreation Department operating budget for the remaining seven months of FY 2022-23 and approve transferring $144,170 of the appropriations from the General Fund and $58,880 from rental revenue.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
None.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statements:
Infrastructure and City Assets
Fiscal and Organization Stability.
FISCAL IMPACT
Option 1: A lease with the YMCA of Orange County would provide approximately $52,000 in annual General Fund savings as the lessee would assume responsibility for building maintenance, liability insurance, phone and custodial costs.
Option 2: The estimated annual cost for operating a private rental program totals $277,600 for salaries, program support, building costs and includes $10,000 one-time costs for tables and chairs. Staff estimates annual $92,370 revenue for a total $195,230 net cost. The Parks and Recreation operating budget has $80,790 approved funding for rental staffing supervision currently working in Parks and Recreation, building maintenance, electricity and insurance. This option requires $104,420 in additional annual appropriations from the General Fund.
Option 3: The annual cost for operating a private rental program and providing a youth program totals $309,940 for salaries, program support, building costs and includes $10,000 one-time costs for tables and chairs. Staff estimates $92,370 annual revenue for a $217,570 total net cost. The Parks and Recreation operating budget has $62,970 approved funding for building maintenance, electricity and insurance. This option would require $144,070 in additional annual appropriations from the General Fund.
DISCUSSION
Parks and Recreation Department staff received direction to hold a community meeting to gather input on what the community wants to see implemented at the Maple Neighborhood Center. Staff held a community meeting on January 11, 2023 at Lemon Park. About 60 community members attended the meeting and received a survey with options and suggested programs and activities not on the list. The survey results showed that most of the community members in attendance want to see a non-profit organization such as the YMCA provide free and affordable programs and activities and for this organization to also provide a rental program to Fullerton residents.
The types of programming that the residents requested included: youth programs including afterschool, tutoring, day camps, leadership and mentorship, dance, music, sports and boxing; adult programs including group exercise and dance classes, parenting classes and ESL classes; health and wellness classes including active older adults, wellness and nutrition and community support programs and workshops. The YMCA management staff attended the meeting and has agreed to ensuring that, if selected as the City’s partner, they would provide the programs most requested by the community at no or reduced costs. The YMCA has also committed to working with the group of parents starting a local boxing club.
Maple Center Background
The Parks and Recreation Department has operated the Maple Center since 1945. The programs offered at the center over the years included senior services and programs, youth after school programs, youth summer programs, gang prevention programs, social services, document assistance and recreation classes. As the City began experiencing financial constraints, social services and document assistance became referral services to other agencies and the City transferred senior services to the Senior Center and then to the newly constructed Fullerton Community Center.
The Parks and Recreation Department began private after-hours rentals at the Maple Center to generate additional revenue and supplement funding for remaining programs. The Center became a moderately popular venue for private rentals on most weekends following the 2011 Maple Center improvements, with a $71,600 gross revenue in FY 2019-20.
The City issued a request for bids (RFB) in January 2021 soliciting proposals from qualified agencies to lease neighborhood and recreation facilities to provide programming and services to the community. The RFB sought partners to continue to provide programming in place programming staffed and funded by Parks and Recreation. The review committee chose Friendly Center, Inc. to provide neighborhood service programs. The Friendly Center could not provide private rentals as requested by the community. City Council did not approve the lease with the Friendly Center at its May 17, 2022 meeting and directed staff to provide costs for operating the Maple Center as a private rental facility.
Staff explored several options to provide private rentals to the community at the Maple Center. FY 2021-22 and 2022-23 budget reductions in the Parks and Recreation Department included staffing and programming costs dedicated to the four neighborhood centers including Maple. Some of the options would require additional funding for staff and operations. There remains a need to provide services to the Maple neighborhood. Maple School currently has a waiting list of well over 100 students needing an afterschool program. Some of the options include providing neighborhood services.
Option 1: YMCA Providing Neighborhood Services and Private Rentals The YMCA of Orange County submitted a strong proposal for operating the Maple Neighborhood Center for the City’s RFP. The review committee ranked them similarly to the Friendly Center. The YMCA is still very interested in operating the Maple Neighborhood Center and providing neighborhood services, including an afterschool program with Maple School and providing the community with a private rental program. The YMCA runs a private rental program at the local YMCA sites including the Fullerton Family YMCA. If City Council selects this option, an agreement term with the YMCA would require following the adopted Parks and Recreation policies and fees. Essentially, the YMCA would provide the same rental program that the City staff provided.
This option would not require any staff or additional funding for the Maple Neighborhood Center. The City would realize an additional $52,000 savings since the YMCA would take over the building maintenance and liability insurance costs from the City.
If City Council selects this option, the agreement between the City and YMCA will discuss specific requested programs to offer at no cost or at an affordable rate to residents.
Option 2: City Operating a Private Rental Facility
This option would require the Parks and Recreation Rental Coordinator to devote 20% of their time to soliciting and coordinating rentals at the Maple Center and a Parks and Recreation Assistant at 50%. Each rental would require at least two part-time staff, depending on the size and type of rental (alcohol, music, etc.). The estimated annual cost for this option total approximately $267,570, plus $10,000 one-time costs for tables and chairs and less $92,3600 anticipated revenue for an annual $185,210 net City cost.
Option 3: City Providing Minimal Youth Services and Operating Private Rental Facility This option would require a full time Parks and Recreation Rental Coordinator to staff and operate the youth programs and solicit and coordinate rentals at the Maple Center. Both the youth programs and the rental program will need part-time staff. The estimated annual cost for this option totals approximately $299,940, plus $10,000 one-time costs for tables and chairs, and less $92,370 anticipated revenue for an annual $217,580 net City cost.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – FY2022-23 Adopted Fee Schedule
Maple Neighborhood Center Operations
January 17, 2023 - Page 3