Thanks to county for voting not to increase fees at rec park
Editor, The Sun:
On behalf of our association, Wakulla Youth Baseball, Wakulla Girls Softball, Wakulla United, and the parents & athletes of the sports Wakulla County Recreation Department offers, we applaud and thank you for listening, being open minded and voting to not increase our fees at Monday night’s meeting. I unfortunately was unable to attend but I was able to listen in and had expressed my concerns with a few of you. Thank you to those who did attend in my absence and were able to speak on our behalf.
We understand that the price of EVERYTHING is increasing and we understand that eventually our rates will also increase – that is inevitable. Our biggest ask, besides more space, is that Medart Recreation Park be something that we can all be proud of. It is my understanding that the overall condition of the rec park hasn’t really changed over the years. At this point, we can all agree that Wakulla County has outgrown its current facilities and until more space is available, we all must do the best with what we have. We have sat down with a few of you to discuss the needs of each association. I can personally attest to many of our concerns being addressed and corrected. I will also say that Bryan Roddenberry has been very easy to work with this year, he has been very receptive and has addressed the needs of our association promptly. At this point the needs are bigger than Bryan, the County must start looking into the rec park and making it a priority. While I have heard that our Golf Course or our Water Treatment Facility are things that other counties are impressed by, what I have not heard is that our rec park is. There are many local, similar sized counties to ours, that have rec parks that far exceed ours. I am unsure if that is because their county has made it a point to budget money for upgrades or if they are able to find grants to support their needs – either way, this is something that someone within the county, and I can volunteer if no one else can, should be reaching out to them to inquire about. We all know that growth over the past 10 years has brought in a ton of youth, this should be a priority for not only all of us but also all of your constituents.
We ALL should be working together for the greater good, rather than against each other. Just as the (4) associations share information amongst themselves for things that work / do not work, we should also be in a partnership with the County to make our Rec Park the best it can be. I’ve spoken with the county grant writer and explained that possibly there might be grants that the (4) non-profits could apply for, in partnership with the county; to try to get additional funding, as there are grants nonprofits qualify for that the county does not. Again, just a way we could all work together.
I personally would also like to see if Wakulla United can start to get a seat at the table, as well. They have not been around as long as the other three but they are growing and are the only association that is not paying a per user fee, they are paying a field usage fee – when fields are available and that is limited. They are fortunate to be able to use Wakulla School Board facilities to get by, when the rec park is full. I have spoken with them and they would be interested in taking over soccer from the county, should that be something the county would be interested in. I would ask that both them having a seat and the possibility of them taking over soccer, be on the radar for future conversations – this could be a both a win for Wakulla United, so they would have some field availability plus it would free up staff from dealing with coordinating spring / winter soccer, as well as all the logistics that come along with that, coaches, uniforms, etc.
In closing, the four associations are here to help any way that we can. We welcome meeting with any / all of you to make our rec park ALL it can be.
Thanks,
Jessica Johnson
Vice President, WCYFCA