The Pioneers Park Nature Center hasn't charged an admission fee in 40 years, but that could change soon.
DEENA WINTER / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Friday, July 10, 2009 12:00 am
The Pioneers Park Nature Center hasn't charged an admission fee in 40 years, but that could change soon.
Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler's proposed municipal budget is balanced in part through fee increases, and the Parks & Recreation Department has a slew of them. If passed by the City Council, they should add up to more than $288,000 in new revenue.
And while many are modest increases - from a 10-cent increase in admission to Ager Indoor Play Center to a $5 increase in summer day camp fees - the Pioneers Park admission fee is drawing the most attention.
Parks Director Lynn Johnson said it costs about $600,000 a year to operate the Nature Center, and it brings in $125,000 in revenue.
The 400-acre center is designed to teach people about the plants and animals of the Great Plains. Bison, elk, deer, snakes, turtles, owls and falcons are displayed.
The city is trying to determine an appropriate fee, likely in the $4 range, Johnson said. School classes aren't charged now, but the city is considering a $3 fee per student.
Rosina Paolini worries schools will stop taking field trips to the center because not all students will be able to pay.
Paolini is involved with Citizens for Quality Parks and Trails, a group that has been fighting for parks funding as the department's budget is repeatedly cut to shore up the city budget.
Johnson said the parks department may work with parent-teacher groups to create a fund for students who can't afford the fees.
At the city level, public safety expenses account for about half the spending of taxpayer dollars, but politicians are reluctant to cut police or firefighters. That leaves smaller departments to bridge the gap, and the parks department has taken its share of hits, losing 61 full-time positions in the past three years - the most of any department. About half of those positions were in the department's Community Learning Centers and some of those jobs were absorbed by outside employers.
And when its budget shrinks, Lincoln starts to look a little shaggy. Parks are mowed and trimmed less often, trees are pruned less frequently and there are fewer garbage cans in parks.
One city pool closed last year and another, Meadow Heights, at 900 W. Avon Lane, is slated for closure in Beutler's proposed budget.
City Council members - who vote Aug. 20 on changes to the budget - already have begun to hear from people like Paolini.
Councilman Jonathan Cook said Wednesday it might make sense to have automatic increases in parks fees. He wants the city to get back on track with things like pruning and planting trees. Now, about 200 trees are planted for every 500 removed, and trees would be pruned every 14.6 years under the mayor's budget.
"We can't have 14-year pruning cycles," Cook said. "We ought to be working back toward (seven-year cycles) rather than heading in the other direction."
Johnson said he's aware of groups advocating against charging an admission fee for the nature center, but he thinks because it's such a cost-intensive endeavor, it may be time.
"We've had a lot of discussions about this," he said. "I think we could reasonably charge an admission fee."
Reach Deena Winter at 473-2642 or dwinter@journalstar.com.