Danville-Boyle Parks and Rec approves budget

Published 6:46 am Friday, June 22, 2018

The Danville-Boyle County Recreation Board of Directors approved its third — and hopefully final — budget proposal for 2018-19 fiscal year in its regular monthly meeting Wednesday evening.

When presenting the budget, which totals $644,500, Parks & Rec Director John Drake said it was a comprehensive budget for all three areas the agency oversees — Parks & Rec programs, Millennium Park and the Bunny Davis fitness center and pool.

“All of the numbers line up,” Drake said. “The only thing that is not as healthy is auxiliary parks, based on the city’s decrease in funding which was $43,000. The biggest hit for the reduction always comes out of maintenance.”

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Another aspect of the budget, Drake pointed out, was it included anticipated equal amounts of funding appropriated by the city and county governments for the Bunny Davis center — $39,600 each for the fitness center and $18,400 each for the Bunny Davis pool.

Instead of the prior arrangement that the city pays 45 percent of the operating costs and the county pays 55 percent, “it’s now 50/50,” Drake said.

When board Chair Rodger Ross asked Drake if this was the final budget to present for approval Drake said, “Yes. Unless there’s a big hammer that comes down on Monday and Tuesday,” which is when the city and county may finalize their budgets.

In other business, Rick Serres, as owner of Bluegrass IT, presented the board a check for $3,148.31 to be added to the Pride in the Park account.

Serres said in about 2014 or earlier, his business, Bluegrass IT, gave a “wireless bridge” to Parks & Rec, “So they could start doing security camera activity in the park and over at Bunny Davis… So that was a gift that we gave.”

Eventually Parks & Rec started a continuing process of upgrading and increasing its security cameras, Serres said.

“And so as you all know, (the Parks & Rec ad hoc committee) got in and started helping you all. And so when we want to put two more cameras in, it’s coming out of ad hoc money, then it became maybe a problem with me being a city commissioner, and you being tied to the city. So I tried to give you back some money for that, but that got a little sticky.”

Serres said, “So now I’m going to give money back to Pride in the Park, if I can. If you guys will accept it … If you’ll accept that from us, I would appreciate that.”

Ross looked out into the audience and asked Boyle County Treasurer Mary Conley, “Are you good with this?”

Conley softly answered, “I am. The county is.”

Ross thanked her.