FY 2021 ADOPTED BUDGET JULY 1, 2020 - JUNE 30, 2021 Instructions for navigating the FY21 Budget pdf document: Bookmarks for major sections are provided in the bookmark navigation pane on the left or in the top right hand corner. Click on the bookmark to jump directly to that section. The Table of Contents is hyperlinked. To jump to a specific page or subsection from the Table of Contents, hover on the link or page number and click the link. NOVA PARKS NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL PARK AUTHORITY 5400 OX ROAD FAIRFAX STATION, VIRGINIA 22039 703-352-5900 WWW.NOVAPARKS.COM BOARD MEMBERS Michael Nardolilli, Arlington County, NOVA Parks Chairman Cate Magennis Wyatt, Loudoun County, NOVA Parks Vice Chairman Paul Baldino, City of Falls Church, NOVA Parks Treasurer Paul Ferguson, Arlington County Stella Koch, Fairfax County Patricia Harrison, Fairfax County Jeffrey Tarbert, City of Falls Church Brian D. Knapp, City of Fairfax Mark Chandler, City of Fairfax Scott Price, City of Alexandria Sean Kumar, City of Alexandria James Bonfils, Loudoun County Paul A. Gilbert Executive Director GOVERNMENT FINANCE OFFICERS ASSOCIATION Distinguished Budget Presentation Award PRESENTED TO Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority Virginia For the Fiscal Year Beginning July 1, 2019 Executive Director The Government Finance Officers Association of United States and Canada (GFOA) presented a Distinguished Budget Presentation Award to Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, Virginia for its annual budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2019. In order to receive this award, a governmental unit must publish a budget document that meets program criteria as a policy document, as an operations guide, as a financial plan, and as a communications device. This award is valid for a period of one year only. We believe our current budget continues to conform to program requirements, and we are submitting it to GFOA to determine eligibility for another award. NOVA PARKS NORTHERN VIRGINIA REGIONAL PARK AUTHORITY FY 2021 ADOPTED BUDGET TABLE OF CONTENTS A - Executive Summary PAGE Budget Message from the Executive Director A-1 Budget-In-Brief A-5 Overall Financial Summaries A-10 Overall Revenue Summary & Analysis A-16 Fund Structure & Budget Process A-25 Budget Calendar A-28 Financial Guidelines & Practices A-29 Organization Chart A-33 NOVA Parks Facility Map A-34 B - General Fund Overall General Fund Summary by Category B-1 General Fund Revenue Summary B-2 General Fund Expenditure Summary B-3 General Fund Departments Headquarters B-4 Central Maintenance B-6 C - Enterprise Fund Overall Enterprise Fund Summary by Category C-1 Enterprise Fund Summaries by Facility C-2 Enterprise Fund Summaries by Category C-4 Enterprise Fund Departments Aldie Mill/MtDefiance/Goose Creek Historic Park C-8 Algonkian Regional Park C-10 Algonkian Golf Course C-12 Algonkian-Volcano Island Waterpark C-14 Algonkian-The Woodlands Meeting and Event Center C-16 Algonkian Cottages C-18 Beaverdam Property C-20 Blue Ridge Regional Park C-22 Brambleton Golf Course C-24 Bull Run Regional Park C-26 Bull Run Atlantis Waterpark C-28 Bull Run Special Events Center C-30 Bull Run Festival of Lights C-32 Bull Run Shooting Center C-34 Bull Run Marina C-36 Cameron Run Regional Park C-38 Ice & Lights - The Winter Village at Cameron Run C-40 Cameron Run Great Waves Waterpark C-42 Carlyle House Historic Park C-44 TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont.) PAGE Fountainhead Regional Park C-46 Hemlock Overlook C-48 Meadowlark Botanical Gardens C-50 Meadowlark Gardens Winter Walk of Lights C-52 Meadowlark Atrium & Event Services C-54 Mt Zion Historic Park/Gilbert’s Corner Regional Park C-56 Occoquan Regional Park C-58 The River View at Occoquan C-60 Brickmakers Café at Occoquan C-62 Brickmakers Catering & Event Services at Occoquan C-64 Pohick Bay Regional Park C-66 Pohick Bay Golf Course C-68 Pohick Bay Marina C-70 Pohick Bay-Pirate’s Cove Waterpark C-72 Potomac Overlook Regional Park C-74 Rust Sanctuary C-76 Sandy Run Regional Park C-78 Temple Hall Farm Regional Park C-80 Temple Hall Corn Maize C-82 Upper Potomac Properties & Springdale Regional Park C-84 Upton Hill Regional Park C-86 Upton Hill-Ocean Dunes Waterpark C-88 W&OD Railroad Regional Park C-90 White’s Ford Regional Park C-92 Administration-Enterprise C-94 D-Capital Capital Fund Budget Summary D-1 Operating Impact of Capital Projects D-2 Capital Fund Budget D-3 Summary of Capital Fund Projects D-8 E-Appendix History of NOVA Parks E-1 Facility Features E-2 Regional Demographics E-3 Consolidated Park Summary E-5 COVID-19 Potential Financial Impacts E-11 Debt Service E-14 Personnel Summary by Facility E-17 Glossary E-20 Fiscal Year 2021 Budget Message July 1, 2020 - June 30, 2021 Pandemic Update As the Coronavirus has swept through the world in the spring of 2020, expectations for the coming fiscal year have changed radically. NOVA Parks (Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority) is an entrepreneurial and agile organization. As an Authority, we are a form of local government, but we are one that normally generates 87% of our operating funds through a wide variety of park-based enterprises. As this budget is being adopted, most of our park operations and revenue production are at a standstill. While the Federal Government has provided assistance to many state and local governments, non-profits, and businesses during this time, NOVA Parks as an Authority does not benefit from these efforts. The only Federal assistance NOVA Parks is receiving is deferring some payroll tax to future years. Many estimate that this virus will be a significant issue for most of FY’2021 and maybe beyond. As we work to control the virus, there are chances our operations may ramp up and down in correlation to infection rates. Many of our operations are built around group and community activities. The unknown nature of how the pandemic may unfold, and how our customer base may react makes this budget less certain than any budget we have ever created. With the guiding principle of offering our customers and staff a safe environment, and adapting to rapidly changing information, the assumptions for this budget include: • We are offering the following services that have inherent social distancing potential for most of the year. ◦ Golf ◦ Shooting Center ◦ Family Camping & Cottages ◦ Boating ◦ Batting Cages ◦ Trails ◦ Light Shows A-1 NOVA Parks FY 2021 Adopted Budget • We are either not offering, or may have significant impacts on facilities/programs that generally rely on groups. ◦ Waterparks - there is a high likelihood of no season for the summer of 2020 ◦ Bull Run Special Events Center - like waterparks we do not anticipate a season for these large community events until a medical solution is found for the virus ◦ Group Camping - based on orders from the Governor on acceptable group sizes this part of our operations may see limitations ◦ Event venues and catering - we expect these social functions to resume in Phase III of the Governor’s reopening plan. But if future waves of the virus spike these events may be curtailed ◦ Picnic shelter - in Phase II and Phase III some shelter reservations are anticipated, but changing circumstances could affect this ◦ Summer Camps- we believe we can have a successful summer camp season, but that could be affected by a number of factors including Governor’s orders and available staff ◦ Other special events throughout our park system With the anticipated limits on our operations, we expect to lose $1,950,278 in this year. These losses will be covered by our reserves in our Designated Set-Aside Fund. Significant Cost Savings: With a projected loss of close to two million dollars, this is a time of great fiscal constraint. Some of the measures to control costs in this budget include: • No raises or cost of living increases for staff • Implementation of an early retirement plan that will reduce full-time staffing expense • Leaving some open positions unfilled that do not effect continuity of service • Significant reductions in part-time expense • Cuts to the marketing and communications budget • Numerous other cuts throughout the budget The net result of these and other cost controls on this budget vs. the budget proposed in March is $4,774,093 reduced from the Enterprise Fund and nearly $631,792 reduced from the General Fund. The new total operating budget (Enterprise + General) is $26,463,522. A-2 NOVA Parks FY 2021 Adopted Budget This austere budget has the goal of retaining essential functions through FY’2021 with a deficit that can be supported by reserves, putting NOVA Parks in a position to rebuild and grow again in FY’2022 and beyond. NOVA Parks is a success story. In our 60 year history, we have grown our parkland to over 12,200 acres. We continue to build stunning new facilities that serve our community in new and exciting ways. In the ten years prior to this, our entrepreneurial spirit has resulted in a 62% growth in revenues. Over 6% sustained annual growth would be the envy of most organizations. A large part of the NOVA Parks success story has always been making the choices that are best for long-term growth. Even faced with the worst economic conditions in our 60 year history, this budget maintains full funding for maintenance. This budget also fully funds the retirement plan at the actuarially recommended amount. With a lean, but well-maintained park system, and a nimble and enterprising staff, we will be ready for a new era of growth in the post-pandemic environment. Sincerely, Paul Gilbert Executive Director A-3 NOVA Parks FY 2021 Adopted Budget NOVA Parks Organizational Goals For the Pandemic and Recovery May 15, 2020 As the Coronavirus was bringing the world to a standstill in the spring of 2020, it shut down all activity other than trail use at NOVA Parks.