Executive Summary The County of El Paso Parks, Golf and Aquatics Department Quarterly Performance Report Park, Golf and Aquatics operate under the four strategic objectives established in our 2005 business plan. Our general objectives are to: 1) increase program participation; 2) increase the number of strategic alliances with individuals, organizations, and corporations; 3) increase park, golf, and aquatics revenue; and, 4) keep operating costs stable. Our annual operational goals help us meet these objectives during each fiscal year. We are nearing completion of our CP Capital 01 projects. The Court allocated $1.5 million in capital resources in December 2006. We have encumbered all funds. The final two elements, the upgrading of the men and women s locker rooms at the golf course clubhouse to bring them up to ADA standards and the exterior plastering of the clubhouse and cart barn #1 are in the final phase. We inspected the locker rooms after we closed them for renovation. The facilities were dark and dank. The stale odor of urine was unmistakable. The walls were crumbling, the fixtures outdated, and neither locker room met current accessibility standards. As we inspected them on July 30, we saw a wonderful sight. The facilities now have an inviting look and feel. The contractor installed block glass in the men s locker room. It brightens this room with natural light. We are using the same tile that we selected for the clubhouse restrooms. This provides uniformity to all our clubhouse facilities. Both rooms now meet ADA accessibility standards. There are new lockers in place for use by golfers. Perhaps the greatest transformation occurred with the exterior plastering. The old plaster was crumbling from age and from various leaks. Prior to plastering, we addressed the water infiltration issues along the east clubhouse wall. Water penetrated the walls from the roof and from accumulation along the sidewalk. We addressed the roof leaks when we re-roofed the clubhouse. To complete our efforts, we focused on the water penetrating from the sidewalks. The sidewalks were cracked and uneven. Standing water ponded and damaged the walls. We removed all the sidewalks. The replacement sidewalks have a gradient that allows rainwater to flow down to our new storm water system in the parking lot. Once we cured the water infiltration, we began re-plastering the walls. The most intensive work addressed the severe damage on the east facing walls. The plastering August 2010 1
techniques for these walls remediated the structural damage. The work transformed the courtyard. The courtyard contains our putting greens and the view out to the putting greens and the lake beyond is lovely. We are very proud of what we have accomplished. Mission Statement The County of El Paso s Park, Golf, and Aquatics Department mission is to provide a safe, healthy, and enjoyable recreational environment for all El Pasoans. Highlights of Current, Recent and Future Activities Our second capital improvement project, (CPASCPKIM07) is well underway. CK Construction Co. began work on June 16, 2010. We elected to begin remodeling the Pro Shop and replace our ramp with a ramp that meets current ADA standards. Pro Shop staff moved out of the shop on June 15. They are in a temporary building in the parking lot. The building is small, cramped, and hot. Staff keeps their spirits up by thinking about moving back into a wonderful new facility. The Pro Shop remodeling is the most intensive part of this effort. We are upgrading the entire infrastructure. To begin this effort, CK has taken the space down to the studs. In addition to refreshing the area, we are adding secure storage for inventory and we will smooth out the look of various support columns. These minor changes improve security and as well as the visuals of the space. As with the locker rooms, we will refresh the look and feel of the space with new walls, paint, carpet, a new service counter, and a new security grill. We selected the wall texture with a view to future maintenance and repair. We have also selected the carpet for the public areas, vinyl for staff areas and color for the walls and trimming. The choices are driven by our desire to respect the age and feel of the building. RBM Engineering completed the design work for the lighting for the Ascarate Park walking trail. This project ensures that the County meets the new Dark Sky ordinance. In addition, we will light the portion of the trail near the fire academy that has no lighting. This design work includes energy saving features related to the bulb wattage that will give brighter light at less cost. The County awarded a landscaping bid to Sites Southwest, a landscape architectural firm, to create a new entrance to the park. This effort also includes new security fencing at the golf course to improve control for that area. The County will modify RBM Engineering s contract to include new lighting features for the park entrance. The County s Road and Bridge engineers will design a traffic-calming circle at the park entrance to improve vehicle flow. Internalizing this element allows the County to stretch its resources. August 2010 2
Ascarate Fishing Club hosted its third Kid Fishing event for this year on June 17. The club welcomed over 285 children and their family members who enjoyed fishing at the lake. After this event, Club members will begin work on their clubhouse. The County leases the former Western Playland ticket office to the club. Club members will donate their time to fix the facility and make it usable for club activities. This building is close to the park and makes setting up for future Kid Fishing events easier. The Ascarate Park pool hosted the Christian Castle Lifeguard Olympics on August 1. The City, County, and YMCA had teams of lifeguards that competed against each other in a variety of drowning prevention activities. The County s Angela Worsham was a first place winner in an individual skill event. This was a fun-filled event that commemorates the partnership forged by these organizations to bring public attention to the issue of pool safety. Progress on Major Projects Staffs from the Road and Bridge Department and the golf course completed the new fairway along Delta Drive adjacent to the Juvenile Justice Center. Park staff took advantage of the work necessary to create a storm water system for the Juvenile Justice Center expansion. Staff created this new fairway to address the issue of errant golf ball that occasionally strike cars on Delta Drive. The new fairway design minimizes those events. On June 21, Commissioners Court accepted a staff recommendation to award the park concession contract to Lumar Enterprises. The park has been without concession services after the Court terminated its contract with KISS Concessions in September 2009. In recognition of a difficult business climate, the Court will not require a percentage of the gross from the concessionaire. This change acknowledges the need to have a viable vendor in place to manage a successful concession. Lumar is the County s concessionaire at the Courthouse, the Sportspark, and the 18 th Hole Restaurant at the golf course. The County Attorney s office will prepare a contract for this concession. The new handball courts are complete. Road and Bridge did the design work and the County s JOC contract, Basic IDIQ, oversaw the work. A contractor demolished the old courts to make way for re-designed baseball fields. Road and Bridge staff designed the fields to make them uniform in size. It is not a traditional wagon wheel configuration but it will ensure four perfect baseball fields. Park maintenance staff is completing installation of irrigation for the new fields. Once this is complete, Mirador Enterprises will install the new backstops, covered dugouts and fencing for the fields. This is the final step in refreshing the fields for a better sports experience. August 2010 3
We have begun our work on improvements to the Sportspark. We will upgrade our lighting system to meet Dark Sky compliance. We are also ordering new scoreboards and a new batting cage system. We have an initial quote for the construction of new restrooms for the upper fields. These restrooms meet demand at the upper fields and will allow us to eliminate the use of portables for our customers. The Purchasing Department is working on the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for an architect to refresh the main facility and design a new administration building. These are major elements to upgrading the Sportspark. We will also address the need for additional parking for our patrons. Budget Analysis/Financial Status Park, Golf and Aquatics staff is within its current budget. All staff is taking WOP hours to meet their budget reduction target. This put a strain on our temporary employee pool at the park. We do not close the park so we must use temporary staff to fill in for regular staff with reduced hours and for the four WOP holidays required this year. The park temp pool is almost exhausted. We will rely on adult and juvenile probation volunteers to help us with park maintenance for the remainder of this fiscal year. We had a good experience with the YMCA of Greater El Paso. The County entered into a Swim Lessons/Aquatic Activities Agreement with the YMCA to enhance utilization of our pools with minimal additional expense to the County. It is the Court s wish to explore other opportunities with the YMCA to reduce the cost of operating our pools. This Agreement is the first step in that relationship. We will work with the YMCA to see if we can develop a management arrangement that allows the County to minimize its financial exposure over time. If successful, the County can maintain its aquatics assets while expanding programming for the community. Grant Status The County must provide an annual reporting to the Texas Parks and Wildlife on the River Park Trail. The City and the County continue to manage their respective portions of the trail within existing resources. We are required to ensure that this asset remains open to the public as part of our responsibility for the receipt of these funds. The El Paso County Historical Commission will place some interpretative monuments along the trail near the City s Valley Creek Park. These monuments will explain the importance of the river to the historical and cultural development of this area. The County made improvements to Ascarate Park with Texas Parks and Wildlife funds in 2001. Its work with RBM to refresh the lighting at the entrance provides an opportunity to comply with a Parks and Wildlife agreement to bury electrical lines. We did bury lines along the walking trail but Parks and Wildlife requires us to bury other lines whenever the opportunity presents itself. This project helps us meet that requirement. August 2010 4
Contract Status Commissioners Court granted the Ascarate Fishing Club a one-year renewal of its Services Agreement for the use of a facility in the park on July 19, 2010. This is the first of four one-year renewals allowed in the Agreement. The Club reported serving 1,400 children to date. The club has one more Kid Fishing event in October. It works closely with other youth serving organizations in the community. Club members also help staff monitor the lake for fishing violations or illegal dumping. The County entered into a Service Agreement and Extended Warranty with Toro for the hardware and software that supports our irrigation system. The agreement provides the necessary equipment to control our irrigation system. The County moved to an automated system in 2004. This has enhanced our ability to control the watering of the course to a greater degree than was possible with a manual system. Using an automated system improves course appearance by allowing staff to focus its watering where needed. Staff developed the specification for a Request for Qualifications for a Golf Professional in conjunction with HR, the Auditor and the County Attorney s office. This spring, Commissioner Court granted approval to a change in the relationship with its golf professional from employment to a contract for services. This arrangement allows the County to avoid potential conflict with FLSA standards. It provides the professional with a monetary base and the opportunity to earn lesson income. This lesson income encourages the professional toward entrepreneurial activities that benefit the golf course and its patrons. This arrangement will probably begin with the new fiscal year. The timing of this change coincides with many of the improvements to the golf course to improve its profitability. Performance Summary Staff continues to work hard under difficult circumstances. They remain focused on our operational goals for the year. We anticipate some retirements this year as highly tenured employees can receive more in retirement benefits than they are earning in salaries reduced by WOP hours and unpaid holidays. Departures create challenges as we struggle to maintain adequate staffing for all areas of the park. Training Status Staff continues to attend mandatory training. In addition, the Park Supervisor completed his training on pesticide management. With scarce resources, we are rely on in-house training opportunities for staff. August 2010 5
Board, Advisory Board or Commission Status The Department does not have an advisory board. August 2010 6