Naperville Park District stands on solid financial footing in 2022, but will face budgetary, supply chain and staffing challenges in 2023, according to the district’s administrative team.
Executive Director Brad Wilson told the park board at a recent meeting the demand for programs and facilities is as high as it’s been in recent years.
With that demand, however, comes struggles filling vacant staff positions and maintaining parks to the standards the community expects, he said.
The district has struggled to find people for park and golf maintenance, custodial jobs, and food and beverage service for the last couple years.
And like other businesses, Wilson said, the district has had difficulty securing supplies and equipment, like tractors and trucks that are critical to perform work on the park grounds.
District staff worked with the park board earlier this year to adjust the procurement process to get onto a waitlists faster.
“Unfortunately, we’ve not seen many results from that yet because we’re just still seeing such a delay with a number of the manufacturers in getting some of the vehicles to us,” Wilson said.
As the staff puts together the 2023 budget, they hope to generate new ideas to bring to the board on to how to address the issues, he said.
Participation numbers are up in many areas, said Andrea Coates, director of recreational facilities.
Fitness membership revenue and membership usage are trending higher in 2022 with year-to-date revenues up 39% over last year and usage up 55%, Coates said.
With mask restrictions lifted, enrollment in children’s programs is rising, she said.
More than 2,000 children participated in summer day camps, a 51% increase over 2021.
Birthday parties exceeded the budget by 83%, with a net income of $65,980.
Fall registration for recital track dance classes saw a 34% increase over 2021 while nonrecital classes are up 89% from last year.
Premier soccer participation this fall increased 24% compared to 2021, she said.
While the net income and number of daily visitors to Centennial Beach is consistent with 2021 figures, growth was observed in beach memberships, which are $6,000 ahead of the 2022 budget, Coates said.
In addition, Centennial Grill filled 12% more food orders this year than last, she said.
New this year was the option to order online at Centennial Grill, which represented 5% of the restaurant’s sales, she said.
“We know we have some work to do for next year. But it was very successful and a positive change to get the lines moving faster,” Coates said.
The positive also was tempered with a warning about costs that are expected to keep climbing in 2023.
Director of Finance Sue Stanish said the district already is experiencing higher inflationary costs on commonly used products. In the fuel budget, for example, the district is anticipating a 30% increase over a typical year because of rising prices, she said.
Replacing the district’s outdated fleet has become more challenging, and the district is trying alternative measures to purchase trucks and tractors, she said.
In the past, the district would buy vehicles from a dealer with all the special equipment already loaded. This year, Stanish said, they’re looking at buying vehicles off the lot across the country and outfitting them with the necessary equipment once they arrive in Naperville.
If the district is able to find a vehicle, the markup is higher because supplies are so low.
A police car they purchased last year cost the district about $47,000 fully equipped, she said.
“Now we’re looking at about $59,000 for the same vehicle with the same equipment put in, if we can get that,” Stanish said.
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