The Greater Vallejo Recreation District

Greater Vallejo Recreation District
Annual Report 2013-2014
Our Mission:
Building community and enhancing
quality of life through people, parks,
and programs.
Year in Review
T
he past year has been a pleasant change from the previous 3-4 years. With the passing of Measure K we
had a fixed budget that we knew we could count on. We were able to concentrate on doing what we do
best, providing programs and parks. We have been able to make some substantial improvements to the parks,
both with repairs and also with more staff to clean and maintain them.
We have been able to look somewhat to the future as we look to follow the GVRD Master Plan and try to
anticipate needs. The Board has committed to applying for and receiving the “Certificate of Excellence for
Transparency for Public Agencies.” The District has continued its tradition of being flexible and taking
advantage of opportunities that benefit the City, even if they had not been planned for, such as the Admirals
Baseball team, and the Adult School program.
The District appreciates and welcomes feedback from our constituents and partners. GVRD recognizes that
it works for the residents of the community and will dedicate our time and resources to providing the best
programs and facilities possible.
General Manager Message
2
015! Can you believe it? We hope that you will begin to think of the
Greater Vallejo Recreation District as “My GVRD.” That is the message that we want to portray to you, the people who we work for, that
this is indeed “Your GVRD.”
This past summer, thanks to you, we were able to complete many projects that were only possible because of Measure K (the parcel tax) that
is allowing us to continue to provide you quality parks and programs.
Included in this list of projects is the paving of the parking lots and
driveways in Dan Foley Park, and the renovation of the tennis courts
on Amador Street.
We hope that you will be able to find a way to enjoy something offered
by GVRD. While this might be as simple as hiking in the hills, or something a little more complex such as taking a dance class; we are sure
you will be better off because of it.
We look forward to continued improvements in our parks and facilities
with the resources from both Measure K and the Participatory Budgeting money from the City of Vallejo.
For more details on GVRD please see our website at www.gvrd.org. If
you have any questions please call or email me
directly at smcaffee@gvrd.org.
Shane McAffee, General Manager
Greater Vallejo Recreation District
1
Greater Vallejo Recreation District Board of Directors
Left to right: Chairperson, Wendell Quigley; Vice-Chairperson, Karol Heppe;
Director Sheryl Pannell Lea; GVTA President, Chris Picone; Director Liat Meitzenheimer
and Director Gary Salvadori
The District appreciates and welcomes feedback from our
constituents and partners. GVRD recognizes that it works for
the residents of the community and will dedicate our time
and resources to providing the best programs and facilities
possible.
2
Mare Island Sports Center
G
VRD was contacted by Lennar
Mare Island to determine any
interest in operating the Sports Center
on Mare Island. GVRD and Lennar
entered into a short term agreement
to operate the facility for six months.
GVRD and Lennar used this period
to determine if both parties would like
to extend for a longer period of time.
GVRD and Lennar in the summer of
2014 entered into a longer term agreement. GVRD is currently operating
the 68,000 square foot sports center,
and treating it as an enterprise account.
The facility has two indoor soccer
fields, multiple volleyball and basketball courts, batting cages and a snack
bar and meeting room space. GVRD
and Lennar are working together to
make improvements to the facility
and hope to upgrade this in the
future. The facility is operating on
the revenues generated and has not
been supported by tax dollars.
3
Measure K Update
T
he passage of Measure K has provided approximately $2 million per year for operations and deferred
maintenance. When GVRD lost 30% of its property tax revenue, Measure K was passed by the residents
of Vallejo in order to prevent the closing of parks, facilities, and programs; while allowing for some deferred
maintenance projects to be completed. The Measure K funds are held in a separate account and are audited
annually by an outside independent auditor.
Two significant projects have been planned for the past two years and were begun this year. This is the repaving
of the Dan Foley Park parking lot, and the renovation and expansion of the tennis courts on Amador Street and
at Castlewood Park. GVRD set aside a portion of the Measure K funding from the first two years, to ensure that
these projects could be completed without taking on any debt.
Below is a list of some deferred maintenance projects that Measure K funding has been used for:
Dog park shade structure
New/used backhoe
Cunningham chlorine control
Dan Foley restroom floors
Artificial turf foul ball fencing
New flatbed dump truck
Cunningham pool heaters
SVCC new interior renovations
Dan Foley audio/visual system
Amador tennis courts
New 60” mower
Dan Foley and Cunningham Pool exterior paint
VCC renovation
VFD pump control at Pool
Wilson Park upgrade
A complete list is available at GVRD.org
4
Mayor’s Cup Funding
M
ayor Davis continues to organize fundraising that helps youth
programming at GVRD, seniors at the Florence Douglas Senior
Center, and reading programs at the Vallejo Branch library. Through
Mayor Davis’ efforts GVRD has been able to provide thousands of
hours of programming at no or low cost to hundreds of Vallejo youth.
The Mayor’s dedication to the youth of Vallejo is exemplary and uplifting. The Mayor’s program gives youth an opportunity to participate
when they would not normally get to.
The past two years Mayor Davis and his committee has provided
$25,000 to fund recreation opportunities for youth in the community
that are less fortunate.
Highlands Park
W
ith the development of Bordoni
Ranch, the “old” Highlands
Park was demolished. Because of the
recession that ensued, the park was not
rebuilt for five years. The new park
was completed and a ribbon cutting
ceremony was held on April 2, 2014.
Working with the residents of the area,
a second and more important dedication was held on April 12, 2014. The
residents planned the event once it
was a very successful way to get to
know their neighbors and to make new
friends. The park has been very popular
from the day it opened. It includes
three covered picnic areas, a walking
path, large turf area, playground,
Highlands Park Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
restrooms, a basketball court, and
bocce ball courts.
The park was completed as part of a three way agreement between the developer, the City of Vallejo, and the
Greater Vallejo Recreation District. Instead of paying permit fees on the individual homes, the developer agreed
with the city and GVRD to build the park instead.
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Board Member Update
G
VRD is an “independent special district.” The five board members are appointed
by the City Council and the County Board of Supervisors. The City appoints
three members and the County appoints two members. Each member is appointed
to a four year term, and the appointments are staggered as to ensure that all terms
do not expire at the same time.
Sheryl Pannell Lea was appointed by Solano County Supervisor Erin Hannigan
to serve as a Director for GVRD. Liat Meitzenheimer was appointed by the City
of Vallejo. Liat is now serving for a fourth term. The Directors for GVRD have
an important role as they are a “policy” board and are responsible to ensure that
the District is managed in a fiscally responsible manner. They also ensure that
the business of the District is conducted in a transparent and open manner.
Renovation of the Basketball
Court at North Vallejo Park
G
VRD was approached by the C.C. Sabathia’s PitCCh
in Foundation along with the Good Tidings Foundation. These two foundations wanted to invest in north
Vallejo and renovate the outdoor basketball court in the
North Vallejo Park. GVRD agreed to work with these
foundations and the result is a beautiful new surface with
new glass backboards. The court was opened at a grand
opening and the new court was named in honor of
Demetrius Davis.
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Special Events
T
his past year GVRD continued to provide
special events here in Vallejo. One of
the favorites is the “Fishing in the City”
program. GVRD partners with the Vallejo
Rotary Club and the California Department
of Fish and Game to offer this program. Up
to 100 youth learn about the environment,
ethics, and how to catch fish. Several
thousand trout are planted into a netted area
of Lake Chabot in Dan Foley Park, and kids
are allowed to catch them. The nets are then
removed and the next day a family fishing
derby is held. Rotary members and volunteers
teach and mentor the youth during the event
In addition to the Fishing events. GVRD added a new “Color Vibe” 10k and 5k run at Mare Island. Other
events include the annual Easter Egg Hunt, Christmas Tree Lighting, Breakfast with Santa, Vallejo Celebrates
Youth and several others.
GVRD’s Annual Sports Hall of Fame completed its first “decade” of inducting worthy athletes from Vallejo into
the local hall of fame. At first, staff wondered if GVRD would run out of worthy candidates to adopt into the
hall of fame. Each year there have been many well-qualified candidates nominated. GVRD commits to keeping this hall of fame relevant and up to date. Look forward to attending this event in the spring of 2015.
City of Vallejo –
Participatory
Budgeting
A
s part of the first round of Particpatory Budgeting with the City of
Vallejo, the residents voted for $370,000
worth of improvements to various parks
in Vallejo. These improvements included
projects such as new playgrounds, picnic
tables, walking paths, benches, trees,
restroom repairs, improvements at the
bocce ball courts, and more. These projects were begun at the end of the fiscal
year and will be finished in the Fall of
2015. Thanks to all the residents that
voted for these improvements.
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Tax Sharing Agreement with the City of Vallejo
W
hen Glen Cove was annexed into the City of Vallejo, there was an administrative oversight and the
Glen Cove area was not annexed into the Greater Vallejo Recreation District boundaries. This eliminated
GVRD from receiving its share of the property tax revenue. The tax that GVRD would have received was split
among the other government agencies such as the City, County, and School District. The state law provides that
government agencies, do not have to give up property tax as a result of an annexation. So, because of the high
cost of conducting the annexation with no promise of any revenue in return, the Glen Cove area had not been
annexed into the GVRD boundaries.
When Measure K was passed, there was now incentive to annex Glen Cove into GVRD. The annexation now
allowed GVRD to collect the parcel tax. Glen Cove was annexed into GVRD. GVRD and the City came to an
agreement where the City would give up the portion of the property tax that would have originally gone to
GVRD. This was not an increase in property tax, but rather a shifting of where part of the property tax went.
Instead of going to the City, a portion of the property tax now comes to GVRD. This amounts to approximately
$75,000 per year. GVRD is extremely grateful to the city and the staff for helping this come about.
Finances
The District’s general fund revenue resources in 2013 – 14 totaled $8.6 million, which is 18% greater than the
previous year. The increase is primarily attributed to Measure K carryover from the previous year in the amount
of one million dollars.
The District wide operating and capital expenditures totaled $7.3 million in the fiscal year 2013-14 compared to
the previous year of $5.9 million. This represents a 24% increase from the prior year. This is primarily due to
increased growth in capital projects and deferred maintenance of facilities. This was funded primarily with
Measure K money.
GVRD’s sources of funds include property taxes, grants, program fees, interest, rental income, and other local
revenues. The District’s capacity to provide park and recreational opportunities for a growing population has
required careful strategic planning and projection of long-term financial conditions in spite of economic and
legislative uncertainties.
GVRD continues to be prudent and conservative in future financial planning. These plans focus on preserving
the resources while maintaining the quality of our programs and services. GVRD also keeps a strong financial
plan while maintaining our fund balance reserve as dictated by policy set by our Board of Directors.
Measure K revenues and expenditures are kept in a separate account and were audited as part of the annual
2013-14 fiscal audit for GVRD.
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GVRD Finances - Revenues and Expenses
Property
Property Taxes
Taxes &
Local
Local R
Revenues
evenues
38%
Revenues
Park Feess &
Parking
g
3%
Measure K
36%
Recreation
23%
Expenditures
Expenditures
Measure
Measure K
26%
Recreation
R
29%
General Support
upport
25%
Buildings
4%
Pa
rk Maintenance
Maintenance
Park
23%
Ma
Maintenance
intenance &
Development
Development
2%
9
Greater Vallejo Recreation District
BUDGET SUMMARY
2013-2014 Actual
Revenue
Property Taxes & Local Revenues
Park Fees & Parking
Recreation
Measure K
Measure K Carryover (prev. year)
3,293,301
270,032
1,945,328
2,058,545
999,970
8,567,176
Expenses
General Support
Maintenance & Dev
Park Maintenance
Buildings
Recreation
Measure K
2,109,744
105,114
778,494
281,142
2,162,772
1,947,259
7,384,525
Net Rev Over (Exp)
1,182,651*
* Includes “Measure K” carry over to 2014/15 FY of $1,111,256 to be used for
capital improvements and deferred maintenance.
10
Recreation Division Facility Attendance and Revenue
The Recreation Services Divison consists of several departments including Community
Centers, Aquatics Sports, After School Programs, and more that provide recreational
services directly to thousands of participants annually. During the past three years,
most facilities and programs have shown a marginal increase in facility/program usage,
and revenue generation. Some programs centers, such as Cunningham Pool, have
experienced increases resulting from adding additional programming in the fall and
spring sessions, and Sports which includes Mare Island Sport Center programming
added in February 2014.
11
Purchase of Colusa Street Property
1110 Colusa Street
W
The new facility is in the center of the town, and
will allow all the equipment and maintenance
offices to be located in the same location. It will
also allow for some modern amenities such as real
restrooms, rather than the porta-potty now being
used. GVRD was able to use general fund reserves
to pay for the facility without incurring any debt. It
is anticipated that improvements to the new facility
will begin in late fall / early winter 2015-2016.
hen GVRD completed its master plan in
2007, one of the identified priorities was to
find a new location for a corporation yard for the
parks division. Currently, the parks division is
housed in an outdated facility in the middle of
Richardson Park. This site also has a demolished
pool adjacent to the corporation yard and this
prevents the park from being fully developed. By
finding a new location for the park division, GVRD
will now be able to move forward with the complete
demolition of the pool and allow for master planning for the park.
12
Certificate of Excellence
n 2014, GVRD applied for a Certificate of Transparency from the Special District Leadership
Foundation. The District completed a rigorous application to begin the process and was awarded
the certification the first year it was offered by the SDLF. The District has been and will always be
dedicated to being a transparent agency.
I
Greater Vallejo
Recreation District
395 Amador Street, Vallejo, Ca 94590
(707) 648-4600
FAX (707) 648-4616
www.gvrd.org