No free ride at rec center?
Recreation commission may end waivers for low-income students
By Scott Rochat
Monday, January 22, 2007
By Scott Rochat
rochat@emporiagazette.com
Free activities may soon be a thing of the past for low-income children at the Lee Beran Recreation Center.
On Monday, the Emporia Recreation Commission discussed charging a minimum $5 enrollment fee to children who qualified for free school lunches. Such children have been allowed to enroll for free in the past, while children who got reduced-price school lunches were charged half-price.
In some activities, this can get expensive for the recreation center. For example, in tennis or golf, the center pays an outside instructor but about 30 percent of the students qualify for waivers.
"Some families sign their kids up for $600 worth of activities," McEvoy said in December.
At Monday's meeting, McEvoy said he and his staff could see three solutions: either verify each student's economic status by checking W-2 forms, which could grow cumbersome; or limit the number of activities that would qualify for a waiver; or else charge a minimum fee.
"Why not combine number two and number three?" Recreation Commissioner Kevin Nelson asked.
Commissioner Jennifer Bennett agreed, saying that a minimum fee could also reduce absenteeism.
"It's a fact that if you have a financial stake in something, you're more likely to show up for class," she said.
One option McEvoy presented would limit the number of activities that could be waved to two per session, with a session consisting of either spring, summer, or fall activities. Another option would limit the number of waived activities to six a year, allowing families to enroll more heavily in the busy summer session.
The commissioners asked McEvoy to prepare a proposal that had both an activities limit and a minimum fee, to be voted on at the Feb. 19 meeting. If adopted, the new rules would become effective in April.
Not so hot
The pool at the recreation center still needs a new air handling unit -- and may have to wait still longer to get it.
The city and recreation commissions had agreed to replace the unit last March, which would allow the pool to be heated at therapy-pool temperatures without damaging the equipment. But delays followed on the city side. Now, McEvoy said, the engineer who was working on the project has left Lattimer Sommers and Associates in Topeka to teach at Kansas State University.
McEvoy said the firm would put another engineer on the project or else subcontract locally. Either, he said, would probably be faster than hiring another firm and having them start from scratch.
"Aren't costs increasing every day?" Bennett asked.
"Yes," McEvoy said. "I've been pointing that out."
According to an agreement approved by the recreation commission in May, the recreation commission would pay $279,000 for the system through bonds while the city would pay $62,550. Acting City Manager Mark McAnarney apologized for the delay last October.
"This is our one-year anniversary!" Recreation Commission President Roger Hartsook said sardonically, referring to when discussions started.
Play Day
More than 300 people came to the Family Play Day held by the recreation center on Saturday.
Barb Rourk of the recreation center staff said they might need a larger space for the next play day, which has not been scheduled. One possibility, she said, might be to work with students at Emporia State University and hold it there.
"The kids had a good time, the families had a good time and the kids want to know when we're doing it again," Rourk said.
yaku (anonymous) says...
Maybe by charging a minimum fee and limiting free sign ups for the low income families, it would keep some open spots for those who really want to participate in the activities and not take up a spot for those whom want a free babysitter. I'm afraid the rec center is known for the poor and troubled kids and a lot of families are hesitant to go to the rec center due to this. I've used the rec center for years and enjoy the variety of activities available. I would like to see the continued activities and improvements so we can enjoy this facility for years to come.
January 23, 2007 at 10:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )