Program cuts expected for Bay Oaks
To the editor:
All the good folks who belong to the Bay Oaks Recreation Center and are worried about the impending transition from county to town ownership, you need to know what was said at a council meeting on Monday.
Town Manager Scott Janke said not all of the services you have been used to will be provided by the town. He said the after-school program for kids will be kept but it’s unclear at this point what programs would be abandoned.
And the $130,000 the council discussed adding to the town’s next budget for the center and other recreation facilities is not in the current proposed budget.
Janke also said the town has learned from an inspection of the center that it is in worse shape than he was aware of when the town asked the county for $220,000 for capital improvements in the ownership transition.
“I see a significant problem ….we are facing significant costs to bring the facilities into an acceptable state of repair…” he told the council.
Among the damages listed in the report: There are electrical safety hazards the fire department should inspect; the tennis courts lights are twisted and inoperative; the roof has numerous areas of potential leaks and is in need of either significant repairs or total replacement; and there is water damage in some buildings.
But the town doesn’t know yet what the full cost will be to fix everything.
The reason the center needs a lot of work is because the county for years hasn’t provided the appropriate maintenance. It skimped on keeping up the property. The town shouldn’t accept that building until the county fixes all of it.
At this point the town seems to be relying on Ray Judah’s claim that the county will fix the roof when or before the county hands it off to the town. But the county staff’s version of the transition agreement has the county giving the town only $200,000 in capital funds and the county would take the cost of fixing the roof out of that. Town officials are worried that the county’s offer will leave the town short on fixing everything else reported in the inspection report.
The other four commissioners, who must approve such expenses, haven’t weighed in yet on what they will or won’t pay to fix.
Even if the county eventually agrees to pay to fix everything, the reduction in programs is still on the town’s agenda. That’s because the town is struggling to balance next year’s budget in a terrible economic time.
There’s also plans to reduce pool hours and the pool needs repairs.
Even cutting things out of next year’s budget as Janke has, the center’s operation – aside from the question on who will pay the full cost of repairs – adds a significant expense to the budget.
Almost each day brings more questions as the town races to meet the Oct. 1 deadline the county has insisted on setting for the town takeover of Bay Oaks.
Councilman Herb Acken suggested putting off the transition for a year and leaving the center’s operations in county hands until the town can have a much clearer picture of how to finance and operate the center properly. He didn’t get much response from the other council members.
Those who love and belong to the center and its programs should consider supporting Mr. Acken’s suggestion. At the very least, they should begin attending every council meeting from now on until it’s clear how much money the center will need for fixes, how much the county will pay and what programs will be cut.
Mayor Larry Kiker, who has held talks about the center with Judah, told me after the council meeting Monday that he believes the county would agree to operate the center for another year. That seems to make Mr. Acken’s suggestion a timely one.
Lee County government is in a much better financial position to operate that center over the next year than our tiny town is. The county has millions upon millions in un-committed reserve funds . Some of that money could help the center through a tough year until the town can get its own financial act together so that not a single service or popular program would need to disappear.
It’s the center members, users and supporters who will be the victims of service cuts. It’s their fight now and they need to take it up right now.
Lee Melsek
Fort Myers Beach