Some changes for the Virginia Beach parks department are in the $2.9 billion city budget scheduled to be adopted Tuesday.
Among them are increases in costs for child care programs and camps.
The proposed budget also would establish new positions to help keep the city’s parks system safer and protect natural resources on public land.
Michael Kirschman, the city’s parks director, said fee increases help cover costs and the programs are still affordably priced.
“When we look at child care – and we’re the largest child care provider in the city – we serve a couple thousand kids per week, either in the schools or at our early childhood centers, at the rec centers,” he said.
Costs have risen, particularly after COVID, because of difficulties staffing programs. Kirschman said the city added staff and hopes the programs will break even next year.
The monthly fee for all-day early childhood child care is also set to grow by $55 to $847, under the proposed budget.
Various fees are set to rise for Out of School Time programs, including before and after school services and camp fees, and generate about $817,000, according to the department. Information about programs and reduced fees is available at the parks website.
There are reduced fee programs for families with school-aged children through the department and a Community Care Fund that can assist families facing financial hardships.
According to the proposed budget, fee increases include members' service fees for recreation centers. The annual adult membership fee and the annual adult non-resident membership fee would increase by $5 to $125 and $420, respectively.
Recreation services fees would increase for room rentals, shelters and aquatics.
The budget would also establish a park ranger unit with three employees at a cost of $790,343, including start-up costs, to handle? more than 300 parks.
Kirschman told WHRO the unit will be established over time, with the initial request establishing a chief and two rangers. The rangers will establish policies and approaches and deal most often with non-emergency matters.
“Those are the types of things that park rangers can handle efficiently, quickly, thereby freeing up police officers’ time,” Kirschman said.
In December, City Manager Patrick Duhaney wrote in a memo to City Council that the parks department researched a ranger unit to address safety issues, improve customer service and decrease reliance upon police.
A unit could allow monitoring of sites such as the Lynnhaven Boat Ramp and Mount Trashmore, Duhaney wrote. It could also help the city when it opens significant new amenities such as the Virginia Beach Trail.
Less populous neighboring cities have rangers, including Chesapeake, Newport News and Norfolk.
A new natural resources management unit would establish a four-person unit to help with the Bow Creek Stormwater Park project, including managing native plants and preventing invasive species.
Bow Creek has native plant plugs that need to be protected and preserved, he said.
Last week, the city added more money in the proposed budget for a range of park programs as part of the budget reconciliation process. That would include setting aside nearly $1.38 million for design and construction of a cross-country trail in the Interfacility Traffic Area after the council adopts an updated master plan for the area.
