Rec Commission imposes fees on low-income kids
By Scott Rochat
Originally published 06:41 p.m., April 9, 2007
Updated 01:43 p.m., April 10, 2007
For some low-income children, the Emporia Recreation Center has gone from free to fee.
The center will now charge an enrollment fee of $5 per child per activity to families who qualify for free school lunches. Those children had been allowed to enroll for free in the past.
The Emporia Recreation Commission approved the fee on Monday. Children who qualify for reduced-price school lunches will still pay half price for activities.
Fee waivers have been expensive for the recreation center because so many children qualify. In tennis or golf, for example, 30 percent of the children involved may be eligible for a price break.
A student can take any number of activities and still qualify for a waiver. Earlier discussions had suggested a limit, but that was never adopted.
As in prior years, the waivers do not apply to tackle football. There, free-lunch students get a 50 percent price break and reduced-lunch students get a 25 percent break.
Pool proposal
The city and recreation commission are coming closer to an agreement on the Jones Aquatic Center. And this time, recreation centers may have more of a stake in making the pool profitable.
Under a current draft, the city would pay the recreation commission a $15,000 service fee for the aquatic center. After that, if the aquatic center loses money for the summer, 75 percent of the loss would be covered by the city and 25 percent by the recreation commission. If it makes money, 75 percent of the profit would go to the recreation commission.
Recreation director Tom McEvoy said he had no problem with being held accountable for the aquatic center’s performance.
“In the long run, this is something I think we’ve needed,” he said. “I don’t mind having the incentive.”
In other action:
• Plumbing and sewer work has been completed for the concession stand at Whittier Park, McEvoy said, and poles have been put up for the electrical service. A concrete slab for the stand has not yet been poured because of bad weather.
• A detailed cost report on the heating and cooling unit for the pool at the recreation center should be ready by May.
• Three sets of blueprints have been prepared for a proposed office renovation at the recreation center and the work could be bid on this summer. The work is driven by the latest auditor’s report, which said the center’s office workers needed more space.
• The commission may take bids for insurance sooner than usual, to start coverage by July 1. Usually, the recreation center’s insurance runs from February to February, but shifting it to July would match the state’s budget year.
mythoughts (anonymous) says...
As an adult, I have found the aquatic center completely unusable. The hours that it is open do not accommodate my 9 - 5 work schedule, and the times left are so packed full of unruly children it's impossible to enjoy. I'm really sorry I voted for it, since I cannot have any reasonable use of it. I propose a "21 and over" adult swim period from 5 to 8 p.m. and another time set aside for adult lap swimming, say 6 - 7:30 am? Grown-ups deserve to have fun, too.
April 10, 2007 at 8:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
food4thought (anonymous) says...
I totally agree!!!! The adults do not get to use it even though we are paying for it. I have been there several times to swim either not open or packed full of young kids. There needs to be adult hours or we need a YMCA that you have to have a membership and that would take care of those unruly kids.
April 10, 2007 at 11:28 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MelissaE (anonymous) says...
I have no opinion on the adult/kid use of the pool but I find this disturbing.
It seems to be another way to make poor people stay poor and exclude the poor children from the others. In other words, it's like pointing a finger at the poor kid and making fun of them because they can't afford to come inside.......disgraceful.
But Emporia has been pretty disgraceful in lots of areas for a while.
M
April 10, 2007 at 1:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
wannavoice (anonymous) says...
I just happen to know in the current reczette (brochure) the jones aquatic center will now offer lap swim in the mornings from 6:00 - 7:00am Monday - Friday and then again from 6:30 - 8:00pm. along with the lap swim their are many new exciting programs being offered...not just swim lessons for the kids. You should check it out!
April 10, 2007 at 2:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
hjcary (anonymous) says...
I don't think it punishes poor families. If you get everything free your whole life you will come to expect it. I am assuming by activites you are talking sports activities etc. There is no reason these kids can't take some responsibility and save birthday money, collect aluminum cans, mow a neighbors lawn etc. That is how I did activities as a child.I don't think its fair to offer it free to any one. In my opinion activities at the rec. center are a privilage or treat. My husband and I have 4 children and we do not qualify for discount anything but we live on a budget and things that these other children would get for free we can't participate in. Our children are very young and we are still trying to figure out how we will handle it when they are older do they get to pick one activity each year. Can they play an instrument or is that too expensive.... If its free people will never learn to handle money, make choices, budget, prioritize etc. We cannot teach responsibility in this society if we just give people everything. Thanks to the public school system parents don't even have to think about whether they can afford another child heck ya they can afford it. WIC provides the formula and food for the baby and toddler then once they are in school they have before and after school care, free breakfast, free lunch and wow I never knew free rec center privilages. Makes a person want to quit their job or step down to a lower paying position. In some cases if taking a demotion would make a family fall into a lower income bracket to get free food for two meals a day for their kids it might just be worth it. hmmmmm makes you think....
April 10, 2007 at 3:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )