January 10, 2017 City of New Rochelle Parks and Recreation Department Parks and Open Space Study Final Summary Report We are grateful to the Prepared by the Jomake Group, Inc. Westchester Community Foundation For their generous support of this project About the Jomake Group, Inc. The Jomake Group, Inc., established in 2010 provides management consulting, leadership training, operations and facility assessments for municipal parks and recreation departments and not for profit groups. Joseph Stout, President of the Jomake Group, Inc., led the Park and Open Space Study for the City of New Rochelle. Mr. Stout has more than 35 years in the management of park and recreation systems and not for profit partners. He is the former Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Conservation for Westchester County, former Superintendent of Recreation and Parks for the Town of New Castle and former Superintendent of Recreation and Parks for the Village of Hastings on Hudson, and started his career as a Recreation Supervisor for the Town of Harrison. Under his direction, Westchester County Parks became the first County in New York to be nationally accredited by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA). Currently the Jomake Group provides management services to the Westchester Parks Foundation, the leading citizen advocacy group supporting the world class Westchester County Park system. The Foundation manages assets of 2 million dollars and has raised and donated nearly $2 million to the county park system since 2013. 1 Contents 1. Purpose ........................................................................................................................................................................... 3 2. A good place to start ..................................................................................................................................................... 4 3. Summary ........................................................................................................................................................................ 6 4. Process ............................................................................................................................................................................ 6 5. Omni Card Survey ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 Change the current Omni Card System .............................................................................................................................. 7 6. Resident Experience ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 Opportunities exist for enhanced interactions .................................................................................................................... 8 7. Asset Management ........................................................................................................................................................ 8 Performance based system will save time and money ........................................................................................................ 8 8. Recommendations ....................................................................................................................................................... 10 2 1. Purpose Chapter C, Article VII of the New Rochelle Charter establishes the provision of a department of Parks and Recreation as a city purpose and outlines the scope of authority for both the management and policy activities for that purpose. The Commissioner of Parks and Recreation shall be the head of the Department of Parks and Recreation. He or she shall be appointed by the City Manager and responsible to the City Manager in accordance with the Civil Service Law. The Department shall be responsible for the creation, equipment, operation, maintenance and use of playgrounds, recreation centers and public parks. The Commissioner engaged the Jomake Group, Inc. to conduct an analysis of the existing park facilities and open space fee schedules and usage data; examine resident/non-resident and visitor experience interfacing with the department and obtaining information and services; and evaluate facilities and asset management structure to provide assessments for consideration and strategies for implementation. The mission of the department of parks and recreation is to provide a wide variety of recreational opportunities for all ages and abilities and to manage parks, playgrounds, community centers, beaches, athletic fields, municipal marina and other open spaces to improve the quality of life for all residents of New Rochelle. Parks and Recreation services are offered through our five bureaus: Marina, providing a variety of services for all recreational boaters; Office for the Aging, offering a wide range of opportunities, including daily nutrition, focused on senior adults over age 60; Parks, consisting of over 30 diversely unique properties; Recreation, featuring programs from toddlers to seniors that include day camps, tennis, softball, basketball, special events and trips; and Youth Bureau providing positive youth development for residents under 21 years of age. These facilities and the significant program offerings of the department present substantial management and resource allocation challenges in order to provide outstanding services to the public at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer and user. Many challenges are enumerated in this study including: Omni Card fee structure and usefulness; Analysis of facility user fees, particularly fields and picnic areas; Performance based facility and asset management systems; The resident and visitor experience interfacing with the department and obtaining information and services. Several reports informed the department to address these issues in addition to the staff’s own experiences. These include; New Rochelle Citizens Panel on Sustainable Budgets - 2012 – F-3 New Rochelle Comprehensive Plan – Chapter 9 LWRP – Section 2 Inventory and Analysis – City Council presentation 5-10-16 3 2. A good place to start The 2016 Field Report of the National Recreation and Park Association provides a snapshot of certain data that can be used to compare New Rochelle Parks and Recreation to nearly 1,000 other agencies nationwide. This data can be useful for benchmarking purposes but only with the understanding that each and every jurisdiction that provides parks and recreation services is unique and has a specific set of obligations that may not be exactly the same as even neighboring agencies. A copy of the report is appended. National Recreation and Park Association 2016 Field Report New 50,000 - Rochelle 99,000 79,637 Median Residents per park 2,396 2,152 Acres of Parkland per 1000 residents 9.2 3.9 Full Time Equivalent Staffing 57.2 32 FTE per 1,000 population 8.6 2.5 Average Distribution of Full Time Staff Administration 18% 14% Operations 27% 16% Maintenance 30% 31% Program 22% 39% Capital Development 1% 0% Other 2% 0% Average Annual Operating Expenditures $5,500,000 $6,480,872 37 Parks – 311 acres 4 National Recreation and Park Association 2016 Field Report New Over Rochelle 2,500 per 6,033 Sq. Mile Per Sq Mile Operating Expenditures per FTE $108,135 $195,136 Average Distribution of Operating Expenditures Personnel Services 55% 63% Operating Expenses 37% 37% Capital - Not in CIP 6% 0% Other 3% 0% Average Source of Operating Expenditures General Fund tax 60% 56% Earned/Generated income 25% 11% Dedicated Levies 9% 0% Other (for New Rochelle this is Grants and Marina Revenues) 6% 33% Revenue per Capita $29.23 $35.50 Revenue as a percentage of Expenditure 32% 44% 5 3. Summary The study and interviews reveal opportunities for increased efficiency and revenue, implementing an unbiased performance based management system for facility maintenance and capital projects and the review of policies regarding the department’s ability to edit specific portions of the web pages for its services. Modifying the current Omni Card system will result in a better user experience; Increasing user fees to recover more of the actual costs for maintaining ballfields and picnic areas and bring them in line with what surrounding communities charge; Implementing a performance based management (PBM) process to increase focus on preventive maintenance and optimal park conditions; The PBM will also assist in prioritizing the needed capital investments; Permit the department to access certain portions of their web pages in order to provide better information for the public, implement the use of a more interactive software program for program registrations and facility reservations. Specific recommendations are also highlighted in the text of the report. 4. Process Between September 14, 2016 and January 6, 2017 interviews were conducted with New Rochelle staff. Interview topics included the general areas contained in the scope of this management study, i.e. Omni Card fee structure and usefulness; analysis of facility user fees; performance based facility and asset management systems; the resident and visitor experience interfacing with the department and obtaining information and services. An analysis of existing procedures regarding facility and asset management was conducted and site visits were made to the following parks and facilities: City (Flowers Park) Joseph E. Curtis Five Islands Park Hudson Park