LIHU‘E — The county Parks and Recreation Department presented Tuesday to the Kaua‘i County Council its plans for the upcoming fiscal year and operational budget, which is slightly smaller than its current budget. The department is proposing a $10.26 million
LIHU‘E — The county Parks and Recreation Department presented Tuesday to the Kaua‘i County Council its plans for the upcoming fiscal year and operational budget, which is slightly smaller than its current budget.
The department is proposing a $10.26 million for Fiscal Year 2014, which starts July 1. Its budget for the current FY 2013 was $10.27 million, or $3,078 more than what Parks and Recreation Director Lenny Rapozo is proposing.
Rapozo’s proposal is $1 million more than the department’s FY 2012 actual expenditures and $1.74 million more than what was spent in FY 2011. Actual expenditures for FY 2013, which ends June 30, will be released later this year, likely in December, with the Comprehensive Annual Finance Report.
The department was created in 2007 by a County Charter amendment approved by voters in the 2006 elections.
Rapozo said the department, which has seven divisions, continues to evolve to find its own identity, organizational structure, daily operations and a place in county government.
The department’s largest expenses are with payroll. Salaries and wages in FY 2014 are budgeted at $4.84 million, and benefits are estimated at $2.73 million.
Operation costs will take a $1.38 million chunk of the budget, cost for utilities are budgeted at $1.04 million, and leases for vehicles and equipment is forecasted to be $260,340.
Rapozo ran a lengthy presentation to the council, highlighting several of the department’s achievements during the current fiscal year, such as replacing 1,095 seats at Kaua‘i Memorial Convention Hall in Lihu‘e.
Improvements to KMCH also included renovating the air conditioning system, stage curtains, commercial kitchen, maintenance equipment and the cleaning of the top of the 30-foot-high stage drops ceilings — something that had never been done in the theater’s 48-year existence.
Among several improvements proposed for KMCH in FY 2014, the department plans to replace 6,300 square feet of carpeting.
Other successes and achievements mentioned by Rapozo include completion of park improvements and design islandwide, improved communication and customer service, the acquisition of Blackpot Beach Park in Hanalei, keiki and kupuna programs, and managing the ongoing Adopt-A-Park and Ho‘olokahi volunteer programs.
Some construction projects that are in progress or have been completed by the Planning and Development Division include new locker rooms and improvements to the football field at Kapa‘a New Town Park, ADA improvements at Waimea Canyon and Kekaha Faye parks, playground resurfacing at Kalawai and Koloa parks, parking lot resurfacing at Waimea Canyon Park and Hanapepe Neighborhood Center, basketball court resurfacing at Laukona, Wiliko, Anahola and Hanapepe parks and upgrades to bleachers at various parks.
Regarding design and plans, the projects at Parks include repairs for Kilauea Gym’s roof, a shoreline erosion study and sand replenishment on Po‘ipu Beach, improvements to Kaua‘i Veterans Cemetery, lighting retrofits for various ball fields, improvements to Kekaha Gardens, update to Parks Master Plan, a new storage at Kaumakani Park, field improvements at Vidinha Stadium, an environmental assessment for motocross track in Kalepa and a dog park in Wailua Homesteads.
Parks Deputy Director Ian Costa said the staff at Wailua Golf Course completed the conversion of all greens from Bermuda to seashore paspalum, which resulted in 30 percent less water usage, 40 percent less fertilizer, 50 percent less fungicide and ceasing herbicide use.
The golf course staff also completed conversion of 50 percent of all tee areas from Bermuda to seashore paspalum, Costa said.
Challenges
But the golf course — and other aging county park facilities — still have many challenges, according to county officials.
The golf course’s restaurant closed more than a year ago, and the pro shop closed March 31. Neither facility has a new tenant yet.
The seven county park rangers (soon to be eight) have six vehicles, with two trucks being passed over for replacement in the last two budgets, resulting in bi-monthly trips to the repair shop.
As far as maintaining park grounds, filing vacant positions made a big difference in re-establishing programs this year, according to Rapozo. But additional vacancies were created after staff retirement and one death.
Maintaining aging facilities — and their infrastructure — will be increasingly more difficult and costly over time, he said, and the department will need council support in the operational and capital improvement project budgets to upkeep.
Communication with staff is done through private cell phones, and Rapozo said when the budget allows for it, the Parks Division would like to have county-issued cell phones or hand-held radios.
Demand for the Kapa‘a and Waimea county swimming pools increased dramatically over the last few years — 102,889 people used those pools in FY 2012 — but there are four full-time staff at those pools.
The growing demand for the pools resulted in increased employee absences, work injury, workers’ compensation, overtime and closures. Overtime and temporary hires cost $15,712, and workers’ compensation cost $17,667 in FY 2012, according to Rapozo.
Breakdown
Here’s the breakdown of how much each Parks division plans to use in FY 2014 and a comparison with FY 2013 budget:
• Administration: $496,345 (FY 2013: $552,452)
• Fiscal: $986,597 (FY 2013: $909,889)
• Planning and Development: $257,979 (FY 2013: $241,418)
• Recreation: $2.16 million (FY 2013: $2.41 million)
• Parks Maintenance: $4.43 million (FY 2013: $4.06 million)
• Beautification: $911,575 (FY 2013: $1.01 million)
• Stadiums: $642,451 (FY 2013: $649,164)
• Convention Hall: $375,056 (FY 2013: $430,712)
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-0452 or lazambuja@ thegardenisland.com.
