MONTEREY COUNTY LAKES OPERATION PLAN DRAFT DOCUMENT – NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION DRAFT County of Monterey -Resource Management Agency [Email address] Table of Contents Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................................... 2 RMA Vision ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 Parks Mission ................................................................................................................................................. 4 History of Monterey County Lakes ................................................................................................................ 5 Strategic Overview ....................................................................................................................................... 11 Capital Improvement and Operations Plan ................................................................................................. 13 South Shore – Park Description ............................................................................................................... 20 South Shore - Projects and Operations Narratives .................................................................................. 24 North Shore – Park Description ............................................................................................................... 33 North Shore – Projects and Operational Narratives................................................................................ 35 Capital Projects at Nacimiento ................................................................................................................ 38 Nacimiento – Park Description ................................................................................................................ 38 Nacimiento – Project Narratives.............................................................................................................. 46 Financial Plan ............................................................................................................................................... 49 Staffing Plan ................................................................................................................................................. 72 Long-term Staffing Needs ........................................................................................................................ 72 Position Justifications .............................................................................................................................. 74 Staffing Graphs and Tables ...................................................................................................................... 75 Short Term Transition Plan for LSA .......................................................................................................... 82 Marketing................................................................................................................................................. 87 Events ....................................................................................................................................................... 88 Community Outreach .................................................................................................................................. 90 DRAFT 1 Executive Summary The County of Monterey operates three recreational facilities at two reservoirs: Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio (collectively, “Lakes”). Lake San Antonio (LSA) is physically divided into two facilities; South Shore and North Shore. Lake Nacimiento (Nacimiento) encompasses about 1,800 acres of recreation area and is located in northern San Luis Obispo County. LSA recreation areas encompass about 4,200 acres (3,020 acres South Shore, 1,180 acres North Shore) and are located in southern Monterey County. Location of Lake San Antonio (North)DRAFT and Lake Nacimiento (South) in relation to Monterey County In January 2019, the County of Monterey (County) began to transition management and operations of LSA to operate more as a regional park under the current County park system. Nacimiento continues to operate more as a resort under a third-party management agreement working as an extension of County staff. Under a management agreement, County retains control of the property and facilities (capital, infrastructure) at Nacimiento, while the vendor manages the operations (marina, stores, restaurants, lodges, security, lake patrol, campgrounds, janitorial, maintenance, etc.). 2 This Plan provides a business analysis and plan of operations for North Shore and South Shore to serve as a regional park that includes overnight camping, boating and events. Some reference is also made to Nacimiento operations as County staff will have responsibility for strict oversight of that management agreement and all capital improvements. A history of the reservoirs, various resort operations and the financial impact of the Lakes on the County is discussed in the History of Monterey County Lakes and Finance sections. Revenues and County subsides have historically been unpredictable under the enterprise fund. Financial sustainability first requires a detailed understanding of costs. Past budgets likely understate the actual costs for the Lakes because cost accounting, needed to capture all direct and indirect costs for the facility, was not utilized. Going forward, cost accounting will be helpful tracking the true cost of operating the Lakes and for setting fees. Budgets should be modified to differentiate between one-time and ongoing expenditures and revenues to aid in management and policy decisions. Historically, the Lakes have operated with an average annual subsidy from the County of over two million dollars. This Plan addresses current funding levels and investment needs for LSA. The Plan also outlines a strategy for the ongoing management and maintenance expenses of operations at LSA, and capital improvements at Nacimiento. A separate operations plan for Nacimiento will be developed as part of the third-party management agreement. This analysis proposes to show the anticipated impacts of immediate changes to reduce operating expenses, exploring market trends and productive partnerships to increase patronage to the Lakes, and obtain funding to grow advantageous revenue-generating centers. Immediate intervention and cost cutting will begin in 2019 and continue into the following two years. The subsequent two years will see exploration of market trends learned in the previous years and focus on enhancing user experience. This type of planning is expected to increase expenses that may not immediately see returns of investment however, diligent marketing and word of mouth should be reflect positively in the bottom line of the profit and loss statement. DRAFT 3 RMA Vision The Vision of the Monterey County Resource Management Agency is to enhance the quality of life and economic health of the community by providing responsive, efficient, and high-quality public services and to promote good stewardship of natural and man-made resources. Parks Mission The Monterey County Parks Division, within the Resource Management Agency, maintains stewardship over a system of County parks. These outdoor recreation resources will be managed in an entrepreneurial, financially sustainable way to preserve, promote, and interpret the natural environment, encourage healthy recreation activities, inform people about the richness of Monterey County’s history and provide recreational opportunities that will create lifelong memories that will build family and community. View from Lake San Antonio - South Shore overlooking Beach Area DRAFT 4 History of Monterey County Lakes 1954 – Monterey County Flood Control and Water Conservation District received water rights to the Nacimiento River. 1955-1957 – Nacimiento Dam was constructed by Monterey County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 2 at a cost of $7,000,000. 1958 – Nacimiento Lake filled due to extremely wet winter and flowed 4.5 over its spillway. • There were no facilities the first couple of years, old roads were used to launch boats • A small marina was constructed at North Shore • A Fish and Game grant supplied funds to construct two (2) launch ramps, access roads and parking areas at North and South Shores • A second concession was constructed at South Shore. It consisted of a store, marina, and gas station. Flood Control operated the toll gates, campgrounds and boat patrol • The first crew of park employees was hired. They were called “patrolmen” (Rangers) and “attendants” (Park Aides) 1964-1965 – San Antonio Dam was constructed by Monterey County Flood Control and Water Conservation District at a cost of $13,500,000. A recreation area at the lake was constructed at the same time. Apr. 1966 – Monterey County Parks Department was formed. Monterey County Flood Control and Water Conservation District decided they did not want to be in recreation business. Jun. 1966 – Monterey County Parks Commission was formed. 1967 – San Antonio Recreation Area opened to the public. Cost $4,500,000. Lakes recreation areas, including camping areas and marina, are managed by 3rd party (s). Mid 1980’s – Monterey County enters into Concessionaire Agreement with Water World. Concessionaire builds infrastructure including lodges, restrooms, store/restaurants, water systems and