City Approves New Rec Center Fees
It will cost adults more to use the city facility.
Residents living within the New Port Richey city limits will soon pay a little more to use the city's recreation center. But they will still pay less than people who live outside the city limits.
The City Council voted Tuesday to approve higher fees for use of the New Port Richey Recreation and Aquatic Center.
City officials are faced with the reality that the recreation center’s revenues are nowhere near close to covering its costs. The new fees are based on the recommendations of a consultant who was paid to help them conceive ways to help the center pay for itself.
The city also backed away from a proposed summer camp fee hike it passed last May, instead charging city residents $50 a week and non-residents $60 a week.
The new fees take effect Monday, May 7, or when a user's current membership expires.
The New Fee Structure
| Existing Fee for Resident | New Fee for Resident |
New Fee for Non-Residents | |
| Daily |
|||
| Youth | $3 | $4 | $5 |
| Seniors | $3 | $5 | $6 |
| Adults | $5 | $6 | $7 |
| 3-Month Rate | |||
| Youth | $50 | $50 | $62 |
| Seniors | $50 | $75 | $94 |
| Adults | $75 | $100 | $125 |
| Family | $150 | $165 | $192 |
| Annual | |||
| Youth | $100 | $100 | $125 |
| Seniors | $100 | $150 | $187 |
| Adults | $150 | $200 | $250 |
| Family | $300 | $330 | $378 |
In This article
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New Port Richey Recreation and Aquatic Center
6630 Van Buren St, New Port Richey, FL
Alex Tiegen
10:22 am on Thursday, May 3, 2012
What do you think of the new rates?
Marlene Casmero
3:26 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2012
I think the increase is necessary and only $1.00 increase is very fair. I don't get to go every day but $5.00 is a fair amount. No problem.
Marlene Casmero
3:29 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2012
I think the increase is necessary and only $1.00 in crease is very fair. I don't get to go every day, but $5.00 is a fair amount. No problem.
Denise Houston
3:42 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2012
"The new fees are based on the recommendations of a consultant who was paid to help them conceive ways to help the center pay for itself". How much did this cost?
Alex Tiegen
3:54 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2012
@ Denise. About $15,000
Who is WILLIAM BINNEY?
10:16 am on Friday, May 4, 2012
$15K??? Wow. How about that 5K for the person hired to bring people to downtown??
At least they didn't spend 4 million widening less than a 1/2 mile road.....oh, wait, I totally forgot about Main Street. At least the residents along the newly constructed road are happy............they have to be, to have their front yards replaced by unneeded expansion, how could they be unhappy?
As for the rates, it's quite the dichotomy. I've always felt the prices were a little steep, but understand the center will cease to exist without the generated revenue..........but as with other things, I wonder what lowering the prices would do? Many people in the area are already lacking funds.............raising prices will probably push more people away.
Just for once, I would love to see a place like this LOWER the prices for just the summer. I'm guessing the place would be packed if kids were charged $1.00.
Denise Houston
4:04 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
If people are not attending at the lower rate how do you figure they will attend at a higher rate? Sam I think you have the right idea. Where is the market being drawn from? Unless you have some events that will draw neighboring counties nothing will change. What happened with the idea of applying to add the Silver Sneakers program. I know it's been brought up at a council meeting.
Zoobiedood
10:48 pm on Sunday, May 6, 2012
Unneeded expansion? I guess you never drove on Main Street after dark. That part of the road didn't have sidewalks and it was always dangerous to pedestrians & bikers. It looks wonderful now, and we should hope that the entire city looks as good as that street one day. I bet the street you live on doesn't look as nice. And yes, charging a dollar would bring lots of kids in to the rec center. But you have to pay people to work at the rec center to watch their safety. And while we are at it, lets charge a dollar for everything so people who work hard never make enough money to live on.
Denise Houston
3:57 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
I'm glad you brought up needed expansions. Kids that walk to Richey school have no safe place to walk along Grand or Washington north of Massachusetts. Busing is not offered so they have to walk. The streets are busy in the morning everyone is hurrying off to work or school. In my opinion that would have been a better place to spend the money.
Who is WILLIAM BINNEY?
9:24 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
You go from................it being dangerous to now "it looks good." So what is it, the aesthetics or the safety?
I drive in the area ALL the time. There's rarely any bikers or pedestrians. The main reason they widened it was for the exiting of the Post Office.
Actually, I live in a gated community where we are responsible for our own streets and the streets look very nice...........but from driving around the city all the time, I can find many other areas they could have spent the 4 million they spent on Main Street. It's a brand new freaking road, it should look nice............but again, was it really needed. I guess for some people, they like seeing the newly laid black top, opposed to having fiscally responsible people in charge of the taxpayer money.
You obviously do not understand the concept of bringing in paying customers......nobody goes to the rec as it is, if they do not start generating funds, those who are currently employed there will not be in a year or two.
I know it's hard to comprehend, but lowering prices brings in more people, which leads to more revenue. Maybe in your world we can raise the prices to $10.00 per person, that way we can all feel good about ourselves. :-)