Recreation Programming Plan

RECREATION PROGRAMMING PLAN

Acknowledgements Brownsville City Commission Juan “Trey” Mendez III, Mayor John Cowen, At Large A Rose Gowen, At Large B Nurith Galonsky Pizana, District 1 Jessica Kalifa-Tetreau, District 2 Roy De los Santos, District 3 Pedro Cardenas, District 4

City Manager Noel Bernal, City Manager

PARD Executive Team N. Damaris McGlone, CPRP, CTRS PARD Director Graciela Salazar, Assistant PARD Director (Business Development & Marketing)

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Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Members

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Table of Contents Introduction

4

Master Plan

7

About Us

11

Brownsville PARD Mission

12

About Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department Users

13

City Strategic Plan Goals

14

Programming Goals

15

Major Facility Profile

25

BPARD Service Levels

26

Financial Overview FY2021

29

Program Service Determinants

35

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Introduction The

City of Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) offers quality valued assets and programs to the community through a variety of services that enhance Brownsville’s quality of life, economic value, and sense of community. The PARD owns and maintains over 1,000 acres of parkland, 32 miles of trail, 39 parks, 3 recreation facilities & gymnasiums, 2 public pools, 50 buildings and structures, over 55 athletics fields, and the Catherine Stillman Dog Park. The Department also offers exceptional recreation programming for all ages in the areas of aquatics, athletics, youth enrichment, adults, senior, and special needs programming, and special events; additionally, it has special facilities such as the Brownsville Sports Park, the Brownsville Events Center, and the Brownsville Golf Center.

COMMITMENT TO ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE PLAY IN THE PARKS We are committed to the development of our children and youth of all abilities and developmental stages through play, providing quality programming that enhances their understanding of the world around them. We believe play and the outdoors gives them opportunities to learn essential skills to flourish in life such as physical & cognitive development, socialization, problem solving, conflict resolution, and so much more.

We encourage our playground manufacturers and vendors to be as creative and affordable as possible to help us achieve these goals when designing new playgrounds for the City of Brownsville.

THE BROWNSVILLE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN provides a foundation for guiding the future growth and development of the city that is consistent with the vision and goals of the community. The plan consists of core elements and smart growth/sustainability elements. The four core elements include land use (including public facilities and parks), downtown, economic development, and mobility/infrastructure.

These core elements are supported by six smart growth/sustainability elements: civic, education, equity, healthcare, emergency management, and environment.

• Parks and greenspace play an important role in the land use portion of the plan in terms of preservation of land for conservation efforts, connectivity of the city, and the introduction of open space and parks in developed portions of the city.

• As a smart growth principle, this plan identifies public open spaces and trails as important connections between various areas and land uses within the community because of their positive impact on property values, importance in providing amenities and civic gathering spaces for residents, and their role in creating an identity for neighborhoods.

• Future developments must include a variety of open space types, from small greenspaces that serve individual local neighborhoods, as well as providing larger, regional parks and preservation areas that attract a broad user base from multiple neighborhoods.

• Expanding the existing trail system is important in connecting the city, offering recreational opportunities, and providing infrastructure for alternative modes of transportation.

• The Parks and Recreation Department plays an integral role in embracing the multi-cultural diversity of the city by providing civic gathering spaces, interpretive opportunities, and programming of cultural events and celebrations.

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To appropriately plan for the assessment, implementation, efficiency, and evaluation of services the department offers BPARD: Follows local, state, and federal laws and department/City policies.

Actively participates in executing the City Mission, Vision, and Values.

Seeks community input from the community as a whole, individuals, focus groups, surveys, and advisory boards.

City Leadership and BPARD Leadership weekly meetings.

Budget programming objectives, performance measures that align with department master plan, goals and objectives, and other department plans related to BPARD.

THE PURPOSE OF THE RECREATION PROGRAMMING PLAN is to provide direction for all programs and services offered by the department.

• • • • • • •

How programs and services are developed and selected The type and scope of the programs; and Outreach Initiatives Identify program objectives and program & service determinants Use of program and service statistics Community inventory Trends analysis

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

is required to reduce service variation and assist in training new staff. Use of a process map provides guidance to staff for consistently developing new programs and to diminish the learning curve for new staff and reinforce program development as a core competency. This is created in a flow chart format showing the steps in the process for program development including writing class descriptions, process steps, hiring staff, using contractual employees, and the list of standards.

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Additional planning documents are used for program and event planning that has an approval phase, a planning phase, an implementation phase, and an evaluation phase that guides employees through planning and proposing new programs and events an element of our participatory leadership framework and value of employee participation and leadership at all levels.

•

•

• •

Approval phase – answers what season, sites, year, location, number of sessions, age range, fee, session dates, reoccurrence, messaging, description, cost recover based on enrollment, and evaluation criteria.

Planning phase – answers marketing strategies, procurement, volunteer management, budget, protocols, invitations, catering, signage, run of show, value added for guests, security, AV, staffing, hospitality.

Implementation phase – answers participant classification, budget actuals, revenues.

Evaluation phase – answers met objectives, recommend for future, survey method, success for telling our story, challenges, improvements.

The department is committed to the leadership development of staff at all levels, we expect that all team members participate in the decision making to make our department thrive, this includes discussion and education on leadership principles, industry best practices, access to conferences and continuing education, assessing and mitigating risk, creating and evaluating policies, procedures, standards and evaluating for safety, trends, and meeting community needs.

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Master Plan In

October 2015 the City Commission adopted the 2015 PARD Master Plan, previous plans had been completed in 2008 and 1995. PARD continues to its aim to be good stewards of the cities natural and cultural resources and to provide safe parks, trails, and natural areas that offer opportunities for active and passive recreation and community gatherings as outlined it the 2008 master plan. The 2015 master plan focused on Park Assessments, Marketing, Strategic Implementation Plan, and Parks Maintenance Operations Plan, and a Business Plan for the Brownsville Sports Park (BSP). The Brownsville Sports Park is owned by Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (4B Sales Tax) and operated by BPARD through an operational agreement to maintain the $36M premiere sports complex funded by Sales Tax Revenue Bonds.

The objectives associated with the development of the Parks and Recreation Master Plan included the following: • Engage the community, leadership and stakeholders in meaningful and varied public input to build a shared vision for parks and recreation that supports the economic and community goals of the City of Brownsville; • Utilize a wide variety of data sources and best practices to predict trends and patterns of use and how to address unmet needs in the City; • Determine unique Level of Service standards for the City to project appropriate and prudent actions regarding program services, parks, open space, amenities, trails, cultural and natural resources; • Shape financial and operational preparedness through innovative and “next” practices in revenue generation to achieve the strategic objectives and recommended actions, and implementation strategies outlined in the plan; • Develop a dynamic and realistic action plan that can ensure long-term success and financial sustainability for the City’s Parks and Recreation Department.

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The Master Plan is a means to guide the provision of parks and recreation and advance the overall mission and vision of the Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department. The goal is to guide in the delivery of excellent parks, trails, public facilities, activities, programs, and services that will contribute to community prosperity and improve the quality of life for residents and visitors to the city.

The plan was also instrumental to: • The development of the Levels of Service and Funding for the Brownsville Sports Park.

•

The commitment of funding for Parks Improvement (playgrounds, fencing, and restrooms).

•

The implementation of the recreation programming principles.

•

The identification of the open space and recreation infrastructure design needs and opportunities.

•

Determine community needs and level of satisfaction with the overall value with the department’s services.

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Trends Analysis

TOP PARD 2020 & 2021 Trends

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Recent PARD Trends

Historic and Still Relevant Trends

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About Us Demographic Overview 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278

The City of Brownsville has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 Census, a median age of 30.6 years, annual household income of nearly 40 thousand dollars, and just over 52,000 households in the city.

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City of Brownsville Mission, Vision, & Values

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The City of Brownsville went through a transformative process led by the City Manager, Noel Bernal in 2019 bringing an outline of Total Alignment the leadership team and a representative portion of the employees participated in ONI an Operational Needs Inventory that led to the creation of the content in the model pictured above. The process is ever continuing with the heart of Total Alignment being its people and our relationship with one another.

At the City of Brownsville we believe in participatory leadership, that leadership is expected to be demonstrated at all positions regardless of title, as can be illustrated by David Marquet, Navy Submarine Captain of the Santa Fe in video “Greatness” who created the environment for thinking by giving control and creating leaders, ensuring there was technical competence and organizational clarity and put the authority to make decisions at the hands of the people resulting in psychological ownership. The environment in the city supports participatory leadership in its function, philosophy, and form which influences our mission and vision, “we aspire to be the model of innovation, inclusion,

and empowerment where bold people and ideas thrive.”

We actively encourage and acknowledge our behavioral values of

Trust, Innovation,

Communication, and Participation, these values in alignment with our aim naturally impact our strategy, structure, and systems implemented through a smart goal process that our product solution leadership strategy that results in quality product and service delivery, citizen value in services, responsiveness, and satisfaction as well as financial performance, being effective stewards of the public’s money.

Brownsville PARD Mission One of the most critical steps in the master plan involved ensuring that outcomes of the plan directly supported the fundamental organizational purpose for an agency. Therefore, it was essential to review the Department’s mission statement to properly frame the 2015 Master Plan. Through stakeholder engagement and a focus group the mission statement for the Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department was revised through the master planning process to better reflect the current needs of the community.

“The mission of the Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department is to directly contribute to the City’s quality of life by providing exceptional programs, facilities, parks, and trails while celebrating and preserving the community’s natural and cultural heritage.”

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About the BPARD Users The City of Brownsville is a youthful, family-oriented community with a heavy Hispanic/Latino influence and a propensity to engage in team sports. There are two prominent features from the demographic analysis for the Department to focus on for the future: ethnicity and below average earnings of the service area. The local trends exhibit mixed results, as there is above average participation in many activities related to team sports and miscellaneous spending on recreation, but Brownsville residents are much less involved in fitness activities than the rest of the country. The population of Brownsville is predominately of Hispanic/Latino descent, which represent approximately 93% of all residents. This number is so substantial that it is clear the Department must largely cater to the needs, interests, and tendencies of this group.

Traditionally, Hispanic/Latino groups and families often enjoy large social gatherings at parks, however it will be imperative to continue to identify, and build upon, any unique qualities specific to Brownsville residents. It is also important not to lose sight of the minority segments by ensuring departmental offerings have a little something for everyone, and to follow closely any shifts in the racial composition of the population in the future. Based on the available data, it is clear that soccer should be a staple in the programming for Brownsville. The sport has the highest MPI among all recreational activities, which also compliments the cultural interests of the largely Hispanic/Latino population. The favorable market for soccer presents a strong opportunity to expand the existing programming and experiment with up and coming trends related to the sport. This might include, for example, capitalizing on the upward trend of indoor soccer nationwide, or introducing rising niche activities related to soccer, such as futsal. While the local population does demonstrate strong market potential for many recreational activities, there is a clear lag in the index figures for fitness related activities.

This is a trend that the Parks and Recreation Department should aim to reverse, given the nature of the Department and the role it plays in residents’ lives. It is important for the future of Brownsville to progress into a fitness-minded community and encourage an active/healthy lifestyle for all residents. Research and trends suggest that fitness programming is a critical component to a healthy community, and parks and recreation departments tend to be the driving force Any expansion of programming must proceed with care from a pricing standpoint, in that the income characteristics of the community are significantly lower than state and national averages. This discrepancy in earnings indicates a need to provide offerings that are affordable to ensure all residents are being served, which might require offering programs free of charge and/or scholarships. This could include drop-in programming that doesn’t require substantial financial or human resources from the Department, such as open field or court time for soccer and basketball. Based on the findings from the demographic and trends analysis, the landscape of the service area is very unique. The Department must provide services and programs that are custom tailored to the community, as well as utilizing data revealed in the demographic and trends analysis for making informed decision. Although the income characteristics are well below average, the user base also has a solid tendency to spend their time and money on activities that are well within the Department’s capabilities.

The future success of the Department will rely heavily on its ability to capitalize on the specific market conditions of the service area by providing facilities, amenities, and programs that are geared toward the needs and interests of the local community.

Credit Pros Consulting Inc., 2015 BPARD Master Plan

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City Strategic Plan Goals City Commission Pillars

BPARD develops annual work plans that are based on the City Commission “Pillars” for their strategic plan for their vision of the City of Brownsville.

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Programming Goals PARKS & RECREATION VISION To exceed our users expectations in our delivery of excellent parks, trails, public facilities, activities, programs, and services.

MISSION “The mission of the Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department is to directly contribute to the City’s quality of life by providing exceptional programs, facilities, parks, and trails while celebrating and preserving the community’s natural and cultural heritage.”

DEPARTMENT SERVICE STRUCTURE City Manager

Assistant City Manager

Parks & Recreation Dept.

Director

Administration

Athletics

Aquatics

Old City Cemetery

Parks & Trails

Recreation & Events

BASE LEVEL SERVICES The department’s base level services broadly summarize the department’s activities and are reflective of the services required to meet City Commission Priorities and work in concert with the Comprehensive Plan. These service levels are more thoroughly enumerated in each department’s Work Plan.

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Strategies for Administration, Finance, & Governance •

• • • •

Develop a long-term financial plan for PARD consistent with the goals and objectives of the City Commission Pillars, City Management goals, and support the initiatives and strategies as reflected in the PARD 2015 Master Plan and annual work plan.

Develop leadership and administrative functions to provide the additional needed staffing levels to move the Department forward.

Foster leadership work at all levels, update and create policies and procedures on an annual basis.

Develop a strong and strategic approach to marketing programs, services, facilities, and events.

Leverage partnerships to achieve business outcomes and enhance service delivery.

Strategies for Parkland & Trails • •

•

Ensure the growth of the parks and trails system keeps pace with the needs of the community without outpacing the financial or organizational resources of the Department.

Oversight of a network of open space corridors and trails to connect neighborhoods, schools, commercial areas, and local destinations to parks and facilities. To link with regional, national, and international trail systems or parkland.

Encourage natural resource protection, ecological sustainability, and environmental awareness within Brownsville's parks and trails system.

Strategies for Maintenance • • • • •

Bring parks and trails into compliance with health, safety, and welfare standards.

Establish and implement consistent and comprehensive maintenance standards for parks, trails, and facilities to uphold the quality of user experience and promote financial sustainability.

Promote financial sustainability by calculating and tracking the true cost of maintenance operations.

Develop and update design standards for parks, trails, and facilities that consider operational requirements, flexible uses, desired user experiences, and revenue generation.

Update and include staff and community on the department’s asset management plan with a lifecycle replacement schedule to govern capital investment in existing facility infrastructure.

Strategies for Recreation Facilities • • •

Optimize the operation of facilities in the PARD system to meet the needs of the community.

Maximize the use of facilities to ensure sustainability and position as a source of pride to the community.

Strategically add facilities to serve the growing population and meet new recreation demands while ensuring financial sustainability.

Strategies for Programs • • • • •

Utilize program management principles for all programs providing equitable service delivery, quality delivery, and long-term financial sustainability.

Utilize standard-based approach to program management to focus on quality service delivery and to support informed management decision-making.

Align program offerings with community needs and priorities.

Foster a volunteer system that builds advocacy and support for the PARD system.

Strategically design and offer selected special events within the BPARD system for regional economic impact.

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PARKS & RECREATION – BROWNSVILLE SPORTS PARK VISION To be the premiere sports venue in South Texas.

MISSION The Brownsville Sports Park’s Mission is dedicated to providing premiere athletic venues to athletes and competitors, special event experiences and excellent customer service.

FACILITY SERVICE STRUCTURE

BASE LEVEL SERVICES City Manager

Assistant City Manager Parks & Recreation Director Brownsville Sports Park The department’s base level services broadly summarize the department’s activities and are reflective of the services required to meet City Commission Priorities and work in concert with the Comprehensive Plan. These service levels are more thoroughly enumerated in each department’s Work Plan.

The Sports Park is operated by the City of Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department through an operational agreement between the City of Brownsville and Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation. The City Manager designated the Parks and Recreation Director to manage the Operations Agreement and Joint Maintenance Contract for the facility. Constructed in 2008, the multi-million-dollar Sports Park is located on 150 acres of land in North Brownsville. It is considered the premier sports park in South Texas, and serves not only the local population, but the entire Rio Grande Valley and beyond.

Athletic Field features of the park include: • 5-Field Softball Complex • 10 Multi-Purpose Athletic Fields • 5,000 Seat, All-Weather Field Turf Regulation Soccer/Football Field w/ Dressing Rooms • 10 Sand Volleyball Courts • 1 BMX Bike Track 18 | P a g e

• 1 Skate Park w/ 16,00’ Concrete Bowl • 1 Walking/Jogging Asphalt Trail • 4 Outdoor Basketball Courts • 2 Lakes • 2 Party Pavilions • 2 Playground Area Athletic fields are equipped with adequate spectator seating, computerized irrigation systems, lighting that typically exceeds youth and adult sport requirements, and electronic scoreboards. The fields are also equipped with state-of-the-art concession areas. Hosting players from age eight to adult, Brownsville Sports Park programs accommodate over 200,000 visitors, 2,500 games, and dozens of tournaments and community events each year.

City of Brownsville and revenue-generating events take precedent; events are given the following priority order: 1. City of Brownsville Leagues, games and tournaments 2. Organized Events (Tournaments, Leagues, Games) 3. Schools 4. Parks & Recreation partners/sponsors (per agreement) 5. General public rentals 6. Brownsville Sports Park league practices

Strategies for Administration, Finance, & Governance •

• • • • • • • •

Develop a long-term financial plan for BSPC consistent with the goals and objectives of the City Commission Pillars, City Management goals and objectives, Department goals and objectives, and support the initiatives and strategies as reflected in the PARD 2015 Master Plan and annual work plan.

Develop leadership and administrative functions to provide the additional needed staffing levels to move the Division forward.

Foster leadership work at all levels, update and create policies and procedures on an annual basis.

Develop a strong and strategic approach to marketing programs, services, facilities, and events.

Leverage partnerships to achieve business outcomes and enhance service delivery.

All transactions are properly entered into City provided cash registers with a receipt given to each customer for services provided.

Monthly reports are provided for all financial transactions at each revenue source by the 15th of the month following the last day of the month preceding.

Bi-annually to every 4 years complete sport and market potential analysis.

All business provisions of contract with City (insurance, compliance with federal, state and local laws are regulations, non-discrimination, etc.) are consistently performed.

Strategies for Concessions • • • • • • •

Oversight and marketing to increase rentals of fields, dome, stadium, courts, track/trails, skatepark, and merchandise.

Targeted program goals for participant numbers in leagues, tournaments, clinics, programs, special events and promotions.

Actively seek to obtain customer satisfaction levels of programs, leagues, tournaments, clinics, special events.

Develop marketing efforts to be optimal return on investment and within budget allotment.

Capital Improvement dollars are invested at 100% of budget amounted each year by the city as planned to enhance the customer service and quality.

Track participant numbers and facility usage levels per amenity, and other KPI’s.

Cleanliness standards are 95%

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Strategies for Turf Maintenance • • • • • • •

Develop and maintain fertilization, aeration, chemical, sand/top-dress, and irrigation schedule for each season for optimal turf growth.

Develop and implement mowing strategies for optimal turf growth and playable turf.

Maintain and implement and pest, thatch, mildew, mold, and weed control and prevention plan for optimal turf growth.

Maintain and implement live animal or creature control and prevention plan to minimize turf damage.

Maintain and upkeep machinery to optimize turf growth and conditions and prevent contamination.

Educate players to help take ownership in course maintenance to respect tradition and course etiquette for optimal playability.

Develop and maintain synthetic turf care and protocols.

Strategies for Customer Service • • • • • • •

Contracts, rules and information provided in writing and verbally to the customer.

Rentals scheduled easily via phone, through one-on-one contact, or online.

Signs showing all prices for goods and services; and customers receive receipts on all purchases.

Receipts are given for fees for all services.

Rules and regulations attractively displayed and communicated.

Information on promotions, leagues, lessons, etc., readily available at the front counter.

Use technology of concession, scoreboards, registration to optimize ease of use and customer experience.

Strategies for Facilities • • • • • •

Administer a program, in conformance with the minimum standards set by the City, for maintenance shop, equipment rentals, furniture, and operating supplies.

Maintained in good condition in conformance with the minimum maintenance standards for the sports park.

Follow work plan to implement the minimum acceptable quality standards for operations as outlined below, and the training of employees and volunteers to meet these standards: Optimize the operation of the facility to meet the needs of the community.

Maximize the use of the facility to ensure sustainability and position as a source of pride to the community.

Strategically add innovative revenue generating programs/BSP hosted events to serve the growing population and meet new recreation demands while ensuring financial sustainability.

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PARKS & RECREATION – GOLF CENTER VISION To be the community’s premiere golf course to empower people’s lifelong health and wellness.

MISSION The Brownsville Golf Center Mission is dedicated to providing affordable golf, serving our patrons, players of all ages, abilities, and enhancing their enjoyment of the game by providing a high-quality golf experience and great customer service.

FACILITY SERVICE STRUCTURE

City Manager

Assistant City Manager Parks & Recreation Director Brownsville Golf Center

BASE LEVEL SERVICES The department’s base level services broadly summarize the department’s activities and are reflective of the services required to meet City Commission Priorities and work in concert with the Comprehensive Plan. These service levels are more thoroughly enumerated in each department’s Work Plan.

Strategies for Administration, Finance, & Governance •

• • •

Develop a long-term financial plan for BEC consistent with the goals and objectives of the City Commission Pillars, City Management goals and objectives, Department goals and objectives, and support the initiatives and strategies as reflected in the PARD 2015 Master Plan and annual work plan.

Develop leadership and administrative functions to provide the additional needed staffing levels to move the Division forward.

Foster leadership work at all levels, update and create policies and procedures on an annual basis.

Develop a strong and strategic approach to marketing programs, services, facilities, and events.

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• • • • •

Leverage partnerships to achieve business outcomes and enhance service delivery. Where required, employee PGA credentials are maintained and in good standing All transactions are properly entered into City provided cash registers with a receipt given to each customer for services provided Monthly reports are provided for all financial transactions at each revenue source by the 15th of the month following the last day of the month preceding Cash registers are available for daily polling by the City.

All business provisions of contract with City (insurance, compliance with federal, state and local laws are regulations, non-discrimination, etc.) are consistently performed.

Strategies for PROSHOP • • • • • • •

Oversight and marketing to increase Pro Shop sales of green fees, carts, and merchandise.

Targeted program goals for participant numbers in golf outings, leagues, tournaments, clinics, youth programs, family programs, special events and promotions.

Actively seek to obtain customer satisfaction levels of programs, leagues, tournaments, golf outings, clinics.

Develop marketing efforts to be optimal return on investment and within budget allotment.

Capital Improvement dollars are invested at 100% of budget amounted each year by the city as planned to enhance the customer service and quality of the golf course.

Track participant numbers and rounds of golf, for both 18-hole and 9-hole rounds, and other KPI’s.

Cleanliness standards are 95% and are met in the pro shop and restrooms.

strategies for Golf Course Maintenance • • • • • •

Develop and maintain fertilization, aeration, chemical, sand/top-dress, and irrigation schedule for each season for optimal turf growth.

Develop and implement mowing strategies for optimal turf growth and playable roll able greens.

Maintain and implement and pest, thatch, mildew, mold, and weed control and prevention plan for optimal turf growth.

Maintain and implement live animal or creature control and prevention plan to minimize turf damage.

Maintain and upkeep machinery to optimize turf growth and conditions and prevent contamination.

Educate players to help take ownership in course maintenance to respect tradition and course etiquette for optimal playability.

Strategies for Customer Service • • • • • • •

Course rules and information provided verbally to the customer by the starters.

Tee-times scheduled easily via phone, through one-on-one contact, or through tee-time scheduling during or after hours.

Signs showing all prices for goods and services; and customers receive receipts on all purchases.

Receipts are given for fees for all services.

Rules and regulations, including dress codes, attractively displayed, and communicated by starters on the first-tee.

Information on promotions, leagues, lessons, etc., readily available at the front counter.

Scorecards and pencils readily available at the counter, on the golf cart and at the first-tee.

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Strategies for Facilities • • • • • •

Administer a program, in conformance with the minimum standards set by the city, for pro-shop, cart rentals and storage, driving range area and practice center operations, the club house, and all equipment, furniture, and operating supplies.

Maintained in good condition in conformance with the minimum maintenance standards for the golf course.

Follow work plan to implement the minimum acceptable quality standards for club house operations as outlined below, and the training of employees and volunteers to meet these standards: Optimize the operation of the facility to meet the needs of the community.

Maximize the use of the facility to ensure sustainability and position as a source of pride to the community.

Strategically add innovative revenue generating programs/BEC hosted events to serve the growing population and meet new recreation demands while ensuring financial sustainability.

PARKS & RECREATION – EVENTS CENTER VISION The Brownsville Events Center is dedicated to the enhancement of community gatherings and for the enjoyment of the residents of Brownsville by providing the upmost in customer service to all.

MISSION The Brownsville Events Center’s mission is to create the desired environment to foster and facilitate events to create successful social and community functions that enrich our community.

DEPARTMENT SERVICE STRUCTURE

City Manager

Assistant City Manager Parks & Recreation Dept.

Director Brownsville Events Center

BASE LEVEL SERVICES The department’s base level services broadly summarize the department’s activities and are reflective of the services required to meet City Commission Priorities and work in concert with the Comprehensive Plan. These service levels are more thoroughly enumerated in each department’s Work Plan.

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Strategies for Administration, Finance, & Governance •

• • • •

Develop a long-term financial plan for BEC consistent with the goals and objectives of the City Commission Pillars, City Management goals and objectives, Department goals and objectives, and support the initiatives and strategies as reflected in the PARD 2015 Master Plan and annual work plan.

Develop leadership and administrative functions to provide the additional needed staffing levels to move the Division forward.

Foster leadership work at all levels, update and create policies and procedures on an annual basis.

Develop a strong and strategic approach to marketing programs, services, facilities, and events.

Leverage partnerships to achieve business outcomes and enhance service delivery.

Strategies for Parkland & Trails • Assist in the oversight of a network of open space corridors and trails of the Paseo Trails area connecting neighborhoods, schools, commercial areas, to the Brownsville Events Center and other local destinations.

• Encourage natural resource protection, ecological sustainability, and environmental awareness within Brownsville's parks and trails system.

Strategies for Maintenance • • • • •

Maintain compliance with health, safety, and welfare standards.

Establish and implement consistent and comprehensive maintenance standards for the facility, park, and trail, to uphold the quality of user experience and promote financial sustainability.

Promote financial sustainability by calculating and tracking the true cost of maintenance operations.

Develop and update design standards for the Brownsville Events Center, park and trail, and facilities that consider operational requirements, flexible uses, desired user experiences, and revenue generation.

Update and include staff and community on the asset management plan with a lifecycle replacement schedule to govern capital investment in existing facility infrastructure.

Strategies for Facilities • • •

Optimize the operation of the facility to meet the needs of the community.

Maximize the use of the facility to ensure sustainability and position as a source of pride to the community.

Strategically add innovative revenue generating programs/BEC hosted events to serve the growing population and meet new recreation demands while ensuring financial sustainability.

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Major Facility Profile

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BPARD Service Levels

Public Entity Open Space This compares the data of open space available for public entities within the City limits of Brownsville, TX. National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) recommends 9.9 acres per 1,000 residents.

The Parks and Recreation Department alone has 5.36 acres per 1,000 residents however including other entities like the Cameron County, US Fish & Wildlife Services Land, State of Texas Parks, etc. the residents have access to 46.13 acres per 1,000 residents, well above the 2015 Master Plan which recommended 8 acres per 1,000 residents by 2019 and well exceeds NRPA’s 9.9-acre standard.

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The City of Harlingen has 68 staff for its 65,000 residents: 15 personnel above the national recommendation (NRPA) or 128% percent above. Note - they do have public buildings as part of their services with 19 staff - so if that service level is removed - they have 49 FTE per 65K residents- recommended 53 and have a deficit of 4 staff or at 92% of the national standard.

The City of Brownsville the largest City in the valley population wise, has significantly lower PARD staff levels compared to similar sized RGV cities, unfortunately BPARD aligns more with smaller RGV staffing levels.

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Resource: The Trust for Public Land 2021 City Park Facts Parkland within city limits*

Place Name

Agency Name

Arlington, TX

Total

Arlington, TX

Arlington, Texas, Parks and Recreation Department

Austin, TX

Total

Austin, TX

Austin Parks and Recreation Department

Brownsville, TX

Total

Brownvsille, TX

Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department

Corpus Christi, TX

Total

Corpus Christi, TX

Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation Department

Dallas, TX

Total

Dallas, TX

Dallas Park and Recreation Department

El Paso, TX

Total

El Paso, TX

El Paso Parks and Recreation Department

Fort Worth, TX

Total

Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth Park & Recreation Department

Garland, TX

Total

Garland, TX

Garland Parks and Recreation

Houston, TX

Total

Houston, TX

Houston Parks and Recreation Department

Irving, TX

Total

Irving, TX

Irving Parks and Recreation

Laredo, TX

Total

Laredo, TX

Laredo Parks and Recreation Department

Lubbock, TX

Total

Lubbock, TX Plano, TX Plano, TX San Antonio, TX

Total

San Antonio, TX

San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department

Population 393408 985370 186,738

Designed Total Acres Acres

Other Parkland*

Natural & Undeveloped Number Parks Acres

Within city limits

Outside city limits

Water Acres

Land Acres (all types)

Non-parkland Acres

Park Name

4,714

1,831

2,883

99

-

1,641

60 Meadowbrook Park

4,714

1,831

2,883

99

-

1,641

60

18,793

3,848

14,945

297

1,653

490

355 Pease Park

17,648

3,771

13,877

296

1,653

490

355

8,513

3,530

4,983

195

-

-

-

774

-

-

-

-

-

-

830

170

40

8,513

3,530

4,983

195

3,530

3,310

220

189

-

-

-

1379343

20,352

10,974

9,378

397

1,124

-

936 City Park

-

20,352

10,974

9,378

397

1,124

29,760

2,678

27,082

320

105

3,713

2,180

1,533

315

920349

12,337

6,467

5,870

291

-

-

10

-

-

174

-

6,467

5,870

291

-

174

-

697

2,454

66

-

-

-

2,951

695

2,256

63

-

-

2419240

41,191

20,709

20,482

490

12,534

2,764

5,538 Sam Houston Park

21,086

11,023

10,063

375

12,240

2,637

5,217

2,027

1,533

494

103

5

295

-

1,972

1,533

439

102

5

295

-

2,432

1,456

976

91

11

272

-

1,375

1,085

290

90

11

272

2,228

1,877

351

81

404

772

4,050 Pioneer Park

Lubbock Parks and Recreation

2,228

1,877

351

81

404

772

4,050

Total Plano Parks and Recreation Department

4,373 4,373

2,146 2,146

2,227 2,227

85 85

252 252

841 841

-

33,429

10,780

22,649

370

136

18

18,306

10,464

7,842

354

23

264518

1458346

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-

-

-

Houston Parks and Recreation Department Irving Parks and Recreation -

1767 -

-

-

Lubbock Parks and Recreation

1897

-

1729 -

Laredo Parks and Recreation Department

1923

636 San Pedro Springs Park

-

1947

-

Harrington Park

-

-

-

-

Garland Parks and Recreation

1899

San Augustin Plaza

Fort Worth Park & Recreation Department

1948

Luzon Park

El Paso Parks and Recreation Department

-

-

-

636

-

1873

Central Park

Dallas Park and Recreation Department

1858 -

3,151

Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation Department

-

-

12,337

269616

-

1876

Hyde Park

Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department

1854 -

248467

250063

-

-

San Jacinto Plaza

Austin Parks and Recreation Department

1850

Artesian Park

936 10

Arlington, Texas, Parks and Recreation Department -

1876

Washington Park

1,000

Park Agency

1924 -

329746

702073

Year Established

Plano Parks and Recreation Department

-

San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department -

-

Financial Overview FY2021 It is important to calculate the true cost of service for programs, facilities, amenities, events, etc. to understand the cost, where funds come from, to identify the benefit and translate into a unit cost (per mile, per hour, etc.).

It costs to try things; it is important to determine what is the cost as a lot of time and a lot of money goes into preprograms with little return on investment and its BPARD’s fiduciary responsibility to minimize that including subsidized offerings. It is critical to establish cost recovery and identify what costs to be recovered prior to implementation and follow the department’s business principles, Proforma’s, Business Plans and KPI’s.

Business Principles Know the difference between and investment and an expense. An expense cost you money an investment is supposed to make you money.

-

Know that from programs to facilities People don’t build things without securing the operational dollars to operate it and maintain it.

Data drives the majority of operational and capital decisions Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion principles are in place to manage access for all and capital decisions.

All budgets are combined for revenues and expenses to give true financial picture.

Revolving funds are used to improve facilities and programs.

PRO FORMA Is an accounting product use to forecast expected revenues based on how much is that going to cost, including start up costs and the length of time to recover based on evidenced based research for cost recovery, projecting how the revenue will climb each year and then pay for the costs to pay for it?

BUSINESS PLAN Deeper and more strategic than the using a proforma it allows for more flexibility, for unanticipated shortfalls (ex – COVID-19, weather, or incidents) with the use of historic data to make better decisions for forecasting and look back on prior years. It is important to ask questions before investing public funds in new program or offerings:

-

Why the program? Why are you starting this, answer first.

Should you?

Is someone in the private sector doing this?

If so, are they missing the audience you are targeting, Who are our customers? Know who our customers are – research this, targe this, not only our community, research the industry – who else is doing this, are they successful at it? If not, don’t do it, don’t saturate it.

Establish the understanding of the money part of offerings- the revenues, expenses, equipment costs, and staffing. OPEB – FED making them set aside, part time vs FTE, other partnerships (not have to do all by yourself) Tracking both direct and indirect cost- whatever cost you have to put on event, program – indirect everything else – cell phones, vehicles, salary, - every single dime accounted for.

Marketing and promotions.

-

Who is your market, how much do they spend?

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-

What is the Market capacity – how many based on facility/court/ hours – many used only during the evening, vs daytime – look at differential pricing for non-peak times instead of example build more courts. Must identify the capacity.

Assess efficiency of space - instead of going to the public for a bond measure for a new building can we lease empty retail space and use. Track efficiency of space. non-prime time use is difficult to sell, the best agencies get space used 60-70% of the time is good.

Train employees to have an understanding of the philosophy of services – core, essential, private, public, etc. the value of different prices.

Identify different funding sources to determine how to supplement costs and establish a pricing policy, pricing plan in place, especially for enterprise funds. Brownsville Events Center had City Commission approve their pricing policy for the first time in July 2021. Which included a process for off peak or non-prime time discounts and non-profit discounts.

Classification of Services are established to help guide the PARD pricing strategy. Private services are at the top tier of service and competing with private industry and usually full cost of service (golf lesson, personal training session, etc.) while public services that benefit the community overall are at cost or may be subsidized.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPI) This tool is used to help to demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations and track things how they are. For example, how often are the rooms used, which ones make money, assess where they are in their life cycle to terminate as needed with data as the justification so that a small user group isn’t benefitting.

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BPARD FY21 BUDGET DETAILS Division 510 - Administration 511 - Recreation 512 - Parks & Trails 513 - Swimming Pools 514 - City Cemetery 515 - Civic Pavilion 822 - Youth Recreation 516 - Events Center 505 - Golf Center 862 - Sports Park 2017 CO Funds ($999,413.08)

FY21 Amended Budget - $7,967,650 Expenditures $437,982 $549,272 $2,776,403 $542,104 $75,655 $410,328 $212,569 $785,290 $814,144 $1,363,903 $273,133.00 $8,240,783

Revenue $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

27,712.00 10,086.50 82,096.44 73,330.00 4,980.00 146,013.00 358,690.93 32,823.14

% Recovery 0% 5% 0% 15% 0% 18% 2% 19% 44% 2%

Adopted Revenue $ $ 50,000.00 $ 20,000.00 $ 80,500.00 $ $ 70,000.00 $ 70,000.00 $ 261,000.00 $ 372,975.00 $ 130,000.00

% Adopted Rev 0% 55% 50% 102% 0% 105% 7% 56% 96% 25%

$735,732

9%

$1,054,475

70%

GF Total $5,004,313 EF Total $2,963,337.00

Table 1

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Revenue ytd Prior $ $ 2,885.00 $ 13,557.50 $ 105.00 $ $ 30,755.00 $ 24,972.50 $ 165,824.00 $ 267,102.66 $ $505,202

BPARD has 3 Enterprise Funds with a combined budget of $2,963,337. Cost recovery of 17% or $505,202.

Golf - FY21 recovered 44% of budgeted expenditures but recovered 96% of adopted revenue goal ($372,975) prior FY actuals (CV19 impact) was $267,102.66.

BEC – FY21 recovered 19% of budgeted expenditures but 56% of adopted revenue goal ($261,000) prior FY actuals was $165,824.

BSP- FY21 recovered 2% of budgeted expenditures and 25% of adopted revenue goal (130,000) prior FY actuals was $0. BSP was used a COVID-19 testing site, and other pandemic related services.

PARD Revenue & Expenditures – As seen in the Table 1 the BPARD recovered 9% of its FY21 budgeted expenditures total expenditures for General and Enterprise funds. In efforts to combat the decline in revenue actual expenditures of $6,041,318 reducing expenditures by 24% department wide due lack of revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic PARD closures. The Brownsville Sports Park was the division that spent the least, 46% of allocated budget as it experienced the most drastic revenue decline of all divisions due to its role in supporting pandemic recovery response city wide.

2017 CO Funds were $999,413.08 for PARD park improvements the remainder for FY21 to be expended was $273,133.00 for fencing, restroom renovations, and pool improvements.

Capital Outlay FY21 – Improvements: $100,000; Safety $0; Technology $72,000; Equipment $192,000 were allocated to address PARD needs.

PARD General Fund adopted budget of just over $5M dollars, 55% of the budget goes to Parks and Trails operations, followed by 11% Recreation and Pools each; then Administration at 9% and Ringgold Civic Pavilion (events rental venue) at 8% of the budget allocation then followed by Youth Recreation 4% and Old City Cemetery using 2% of the PARD general fund budget.

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Program Service Determinants Conceptual Foundations of Play, Recreation, and Leisure “Beyond its value as a form of sociability, recreation also provides major personal benefits in terms of meeting physical, emotional, philosophical, and other important health-related needs of participants. In a broad sense, the leisure life of a nation reflects its fundamental values and character.”

Recreation & Leisure in Modern Society Pg. 2.

The department and its employees must understand the conceptual foundations of play, recreation, and leisure and adapt as society does. It is also important to offer and plan for a variety of recreation and leisure experiences for the individual or group as everyone seeks different leisure outcomes and has different motivations for participation, a person-centered approach to play, recreation and leisure activities offered.

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Surplus Energy Theory

Play

Catharsis Theory

Preparation Theory

Recreation

Relaxation Theory

Leisure

SelfExpression Theory

Behaviors

From Kraus’ Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society tenth Edition 2015 (Daniel D. Mclean, PhD; Amy Hurd, PhD, CPRE Surplus-Energy Theory- This theory asserts that running, playing soccer, or jumping rope on the playground are done because people have excess energy to use. Some criticism of this theory that play also occurs in people with little energy and does not account for nonphysical play.

Relaxation Theory - This theory that regards people use play to restore energy. Play was seen to energize a person who was exhausted from work, school, or the stresses of daily life, and when a person is mentally or physically drained, play can restore energy.

Preparation Theory - This theory suggests that play is a means for children to practice adult life. Children who play house, doctor, or school, are preparing, to experience, these things as older children or adults. A weakness of this theory is that it doesn't account for adult play Catharsis Theory - This theory is based on the view that play - particularly competitive or active play - serves as a safety valve for the expression of bottled-up emotions.

Self-Expression Theory - Elmer Mitchell and Bernard Mason, believed that specific types of activities that an individual engages are the way they express their personalities. They are also influenced by such factors as physiological and anatomic structure physical fitness level, environment, and family and social background.

Agon Play - Refers to activities that are competitive and in which the equality of the participants' chances of winning is artificially created. Winners are determined through such qualities as speed, endurance, strength, memory skills, and ingenuity.

Alea Play - Includes games of chance where the outcome is through fate and the contestants have no control.

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Mimicry Play - Based on the acceptance of illusions or imaginary universes. Includes game in which players make believe, or make others believe, that they are other than themselves Ilinx Play - Consists of play activities based on the pursuit of vertigo or dizziness. ex. whirling rapidly, use of swings and spring riders. for adults, may be achieved through amusement park rides such as roller coasters.

Paidia Play Behavior - Involves exuberance, freedom, and uncontrolled and spontaneous gaiety.

Ludus Play Behavior - Characterized by rules and conventions and represents calculated and contrived activity.

Huzinga’s - Characterized play as voluntary activity marked by freedom, never imposed by physical necessity or moral duty, and separate from ordinary life Two types of activities: 1) Contests for something 2) Representations of something Greek Historical Perspective of Play - Play has valuable role in the lives of children Play in Personality Development - Play prompts freedom, enjoyment, fun, self-expression, creativity, imagination, and self-confidence. Encourages interaction, cooperative sharing, and conflict resolution. Contributes to individual personality development.

Play in the Psychoanalytical Perspectives - Ability to gain control and competence. Helps resolve conflicts. Serves as a therapeutic function. Allows parents to engage fully with children.

Stimulus-Arousal Theory - Seeks stimulus to gain knowledge. Need for excitement risk, surprise, and pleasure. Not all actives are fun, and enjoyable, can be boring, unpleasant, or even physically painful.

Competence-Effectance Theory - A way to test the environment, solve problems, gain a sense of mastery and accomplishment. Involves experimentation or information seeking. Repetition is an important component to master action.

Csikszentmihalyi "Flow" Principle - Process where player's skills balance the challenge level of the tasks. Skill level and challenge linked to satisfaction. True play is a sense of flow, wherein totally absorbed by the activity.

Classical View of Leisure - Aristotle regarded leisure as a "State of being." Activity performed for its own sake. An Athenian view of leisure—work was ignoble. Linked to an aristocratic class. Does not fit with expectations of modern society. Cannot a privileged reserved for the few, must be widely available to all.

Leisure as a Symbol of Social Class - Work of Thorstein Veblen - Theory of the Leisure Class. Focus is on the idle rich and leisure as a way of life. Still somewhat relevant today among idle rich. Consumerism is characterized as the modern leisure ethic; "consumerist leisure" Leisure as Unobligated Time - Most common approach to leisure. Discretionary time—that not used for workrelated tasks, study, or social involvements based on work. Also excludes time devoted to essential life-maintenance activities such as sleep, eating and personal care.

Leisure as Activity - Activity engaged in during free time. Activity-based and linked to recreation. Jay B. Nash strong proponent—activity is doing Critics suggest it is too simplistic, doesn't consider those who are unemployed or choose to stay at home. Not all pleasurable activities are in free time. Doesn't consider individual perceptions about particular activities.

Leisure as a State of Being Marked by Freedom - Helping individuals achieve fulfillment and self-enrichment.

Implies a lifestyle that is holistic (not sharply segmented). Goal is "self-actualization" resulting in being creative, involved, expressive, and fully alive. Criticism focuses on ability to achieve freedom

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Leisure as Spiritual Expression- Focus on spiritual expression or religious values. Founded in faith-based social welfare organizations of the late 19th century. Leisure connection to spirituality may not be obvious to many people.

Remains resonant in today's society.

Recreation - An activity that people engage in during their free time, that people enjoy, and that people recognize as having socially redeeming values. The activity performed is less important than the reason for performing the activity, which is the outcome.

Play - Imaginative, intrinsically motivated, non-serious, freely chosen, and actively engaging. Play is typified by spontaneity, joyfulness, and inhibition and is done not to an end but for its inherent pleasure.

Motives for Participation- Socializing Behaviors, Associative Behaviors, Competitive Behaviors, Risk-Taking Behaviors, and Exploratory Behaviors.

Socializing Behaviors - Activities such as dancing, dating, going to parties, or visiting friends, in which people relate to one another in informal and non-stereotyped ways.

Associative Behaviors - Activities in which people group together because of common interests, such as street rod car clubs; stamp-, coin, or gem-collecting groups; or hobbyists.

Competitive Behaviors - Activities including all the popular sport and games, but also competition in the performing arts or in outdoor activities in which individuals compete against the environment or even against their own limitation.

Risk-Taking Behaviors - AN increasingly popular form of participation in which the stakes are often physical injury or possible death.

Exploratory Behaviors - Activities such as travel and sightseeing, hiking, scuba diving, spelunking, and other pursuits that open new environments to the participant.

Solitary Play - Play that is carried on without others nearby.

Parallel Play - Children play side by side without meaningful interplay.

Associative Play - Children share a common game but concentrate on their own individual efforts rather than the group activity.

Cooperative Play - Children actually join together in games.

"Melting Pot" Perspective - Gives leisure-service providers the opportunity to merge groups to allow people to learn different races, cultures, and ethnicity together.

"Mosaic" Perspective - Allows programmers to offer activities, programs, and events tailored to the unique wants, values, attitudes, and beliefs of a particular group.

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Organizational Vision and Mission VISION To exceed our users expectations in our delivery of excellent parks, trails, public facilities, activities, programs, and services.

MISSION “The mission of the Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department is to directly contribute to the City’s quality of life by providing exceptional programs, facilities, parks, and trails while celebrating and preserving the community’s natural and cultural heritage.”

DEPARTMENT WORK PLAN The departmentstrategically provides servicesto meet the vision and mission of the city and elected officials via the annual work plan which aligns with the priorities of the City Commission.

Constituents Interests and Recreational Service Needs It is important to live the value of Participation not only with employees but the public as well, seeking community input is vital to the success of support of parks and recreation services. Individuals, organizations, advisory boards, etc. all provide feedback to the department as well as surveys, social media comments, in person, phone, or electronic/virtual comments are collected and responded to and influence decision making for the department.

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Experiences Desirable for Diverse Audiences (Adapted from the City of El Paso) Human-Social Responsibility – The Department provides services without discrimination or preference regarding age, ethnicity, culture, race, ability, gender, language preference, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, or nationality. Staff recognizes and is responsible for social standards including respecting the dignity of all people, honoring diversity, and acting with integrity, honesty, genuineness, and objectivity in providing desirable leisure services to the community. The City’s values, as well as the Code of Conduct, are reflected in all aspects of the department’s programs and services.

Community Responsibility – The Department provides a variety of leisure services and programs that demonstrate the commitment for addressing the needs of the community including youth sports, out of school care, health and wellness programs, senior services, sports and aquatic opportunities. Also, free special events are provided throughout the community. Numerous partnerships have been established with other agencies and organizations to ensure the community has access to as many resources as possible.

Environmental Responsibility – The Department’s programs and practices include preservation and conservation such as recycling, conservation efforts and a sustainability plan. Numerous Environmental programming opportunities are available for the clientele: Community Gardens, Keep Brownsville Beautiful, Outdoor Junior Ranger, Senior, Adult, and special needs programming include opportunities for conservation and environmental sustainability information.

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Parks and Recreation Department Outreach and Community Opportunities The Department has a wide range of opportunities for community outreach to engage community members to participate in our services, from school career days to city and parks and recreation events, community clean ups.

Many offerings allow local businesses, micro entrepreneurs, and partnerships to grow and get exposure by participating or sponsoring activities or events. Brownsville proudly boasts many successes are due to the willingness of so many partnerships to provide offerings to the public.

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Community Inventory The Brownsville Parks and Recreation Department provides recreation and leisure services that fill the gap in offerings rather than competing with the local market share. Assessing the local market is important to determine progressing needs of the department based on what local businesses and organizations are providing. In the past ten years the market has changed in providing after -school going from a significant need to nearly none as the Brownsville Independent School District began acquiring grants for after school programs.

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Program Development CONTEXT Brownsville, Texas is a historic city founded in 1848. It lies on the southernmost tip of Texas, nestled near the mouth of the Rio Grande River, which serves as the U.S.-Mexico border. The Rio Grande watershed includes three Resaca systems (old distributaries of the Rio Grande), 33 miles of which span throughout Brownsville and are considered parkland as per the city charter. It is the 131st-largest city in the United States and 18th-largest in Texas. It is part of the Matamoros–Brownsville metropolitan area. The city is known for its year-round subtropical climate, deep-water seaport, history, wildlife, trails, and Hispanic culture.

It is the county seat, the city and county governments are major employers. Other primary employers fall within the service, trade, and manufacturing industries, including a growing aerospace and space transportation sector. It operates international trading through the Port of Brownsville, however it has one of the highest poverty rates in the United States but is actively trying to combat that statistic.

Due to significant historical events, the city has multiple houses and battle sites listed under the National Register of Historic Places. It was the scene of several key events of the American Civil War, such as the Battle of Brownsville and the Battle of Palmito Ranch. The city was also involved in the Texas Revolution, as well as the Mexican–American War. Brownsville's idiosyncratic geographic location has made it a wildlife refuge center. Several state parks and historical sites are protected by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and hosts a National Park Service site Palo Alto Battlefield.

The City of Brownsville strives to provide residents with services that cater to improving the quality of life.

Each City department is involved in long-term planning projects, safety, and to provide our customers with efficient and quality municipal services with courtesy and concern. The city aims to be the model of innovation, inclusion, and empowerment where bold people and ideas thrive. With a population of 186,738 and in accordance with City data, Brownsville illustrates above-average national prevalence of residents who are overweight- 34%, obese- 50%, and living with diabetes- 28%. Brownsville is one of the nation’s poorest cities with over 34% of the population living below the poverty level and 45% of families with children in poverty (Census Bureau 2016). Only 27% of jobs in Brownsville pay more than $12 per hour and the two fastest growing industries pay less than $8 per hour (EDA). The most recent U. S. Census Bureau QuickFacts data reports that of the residents, 93.2% are Latino, 5.7% are White and 0.4% are Black. The median household income is reported at $32,894 compared to Texas at $53,207.

The department takes an active role, when opportunities align with its mission, vision, and goals, to combat health and income disparities, the City of Brownsville (COB) has applied for and received several discretionary and formula federal grants; of notable mention is the award of SAFER from the Department of Homeland Security. The Parks and Recreation Department received grant funding from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for the creation of a Senior Center and the Texas Recreation and Park Society for Parks Promote Quality of Life grant, and National Recreation and Park Association’s Meet Me At the Park for the Inclusion Caboose Project, to name a few. The city also benefited from being a five-time KaBOOM! Playful City USA, a recognition program honoring cities that ensure children, particularly low-income families, get the active play they need to thrive. In March 2019, the City of Brownsville was one of four cities in the nation selected to host the national non-profit organization City Parks Alliance’s PARKXCHANGE workshop (CPA). The workshop’s intent was to provide tailored solutions for the diverse demands and limited resources for urban park systems, which require city leaders to work more effectively among sectors, leveraging civic assets as well as funding and expertise from public, nonprofit, and private realms.

The workshop allowed park and recreation leaders to: •

Build skills for effective cross-sector park partnerships, developing their collaborative governance capacity.

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•

Seed replication of innovation by learning about best practices and effective strategies from other cities with similar challenges and opportunities.

Support new collaborative partnerships by hosting workshops locally with cross-sector participation.

•

Along with a diverse group of leaders from all sectors of the area, the facilitation of community-based programs has already spurred an upswing of health initiatives in the city prior to the CPA workshop. In 2013, the city began construction on one of the first recreational trails in Brownsville with the creation of the Belden Trail. This trail starts at Riverside Park, links with Prax Orive Jr. Park, continues with a connection to the 6th Street bikeway in downtown Brownsville and is currently under construction to connect with the historic Buena Vida neighborhood. The city continued its interest in improving its most important asset, its residents, by signing on to the Active Plan in 2016. In collaboration with nine other municipalities in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville committed to develop and promote active transportation throughout Cameron County. Through the implementation of the Active Plan, the city seized the opportunity for residents to safely live and enjoy a more accessible city. The PARKXCHANGE Workshop was an opportunity to capitalize on this momentum and bring these leaders together to continue the advancement in health equity in Brownsville. The PARKXCHANGE Workshop led the participants in several discussions regarding Brownsville’s community factors. The two that became most prominent in the discussion were 1) plentiful spaces and resources for healthy seniors, and 2) supporting healthy lifestyle resources for children.

While both generations are in different stages of their life, both have a dire need for attention to their health equity. Through the workshop, two different opportunities rose to the top to combat the ongoing health and park concerns of the community. With technical assistance from CPA, the City of Brownsville developed the two initiatives will facilitate these plans through a mini grant from CPA. This case study example demonstrates one of the ways BPARD develops programs and partnerships to sustain programs, by gathering stakeholders and seeking community input to determine department programs and services.

BPARD SERVICE MODEL

Recreation Program System

5

Cost Recovery & Program Standards

4

Core Programs

3

Life Cycle Analysis

2

1

Program Development Process

The Program Development Process sets program goals, standards and components, develops a program plan and assesses, implements, and evaluates the program and modifies or terminates as needed. Life Cycle Analysis is a strategy used for managing and communicating to the public and management the stage a program is in: Introduction, Take-Off, Growth, Mature, Saturation, or Decline. Core Programs monitor cancelation rates, cost per participant, program and or facility availability, program availability 45 | P a g e

and distribution by age group. Cost Recovery and Program Standards are categorized as essential important or value-added, enterprise facilities are target with the highest costrecovery rate however, the department struggles with waived fees, the ability to increase fees to market rate, and mixed support about intended uses of some facilities such as Golf, the Sports Park, and the Events Center.

Recreation Program System monitors key performance indicators such as transactions, number of total of participants, relevant demographic data, ratios, customer satisfaction, benchmarks, and staff performance.

LEVEL OF SERVICE GUIDING PRINCIPLES • •

•

• •

Ask the public – survey, often. Adults expected to pay, youth subsidize.

Train employeeso On leadership and public service.  Staff retreats, Town Halls, Employee Development Programs, Internal and External Conference Participation. o To understand the philosophy of services – core, essential, private, public, etc. the value of different prices.  Public good vs private good – rent for private wedding, the taxpayer shouldn’t pay for a private wedding.  Public value vs the private value.  Picnic shelter – first come first serve vs rental and exclusive use, taking it away from the public use.

Communications, Marketing, and Promotion – A redundant theme from the 2015 Master Plan feedback was to communicate, market, and promote what BPARD does more. The department has taken great lengths and efforts to prioritize this effort, utilizing a program and event planning model that targets these three key areas.

Fair use of Facilities – use of an established system for equitable access to facilities (fields, venues, picnic pavilions, etc.).

Fair Pricing o Utilize different funding sources - how to supplement costs – sources, how to gauge them, provide a new service, facility, program. o Based on an established pricing philosophy and cost recovery goals based on existing costs.

Utilize a graduated over time pricing strategy to raise fees to market rate. o Implement fee waiver/reduction request policy and pricing discounts and non-prime use rates/ 46 | P a g e

•

Classify services as essential, important, or value added and identify Core Program Areas.

Program areas are considered as core if they meet a majority of the following categories: • •

The program area has been provided for a long period of time (over 4-5 years) and/or is expected by the community.

The program area consumes a large portion (5% or more) of the agency’s overall budget.

• • • • •

The program area has wide demographic appeal.

There is a tiered level of skill development available within the programs area’s offerings.

There is full-time staff responsible for the program area.

There are facilities designed specifically to support the program area.

The agency controls a significant percentage (20% or more) of the local market.

Core Services Overall community benefit which includes programs and services that benefit the community as a whole. Whether a program, facility, infrastructure, or service they can provide alternatives to unsafe or illegal activities, increase socialization and safety needs, or increase property values or business investment in the community. Programs falling into the Important or Value-Added classifications generally represent programs that receive lower priority for subsidization. Services are covered through taxes paid by residents which include but are not limited to: • • •

• • • •

Parks Trails Recreation (Outdoor Adventure, Senior Programs, Special Needs, After-School, Summer Camp, etc.)

Special Events Golf Events Center Sports & Athletics

Essential

Programs in the Essential category are critical to achieving the departmental mission and providing community-wide benefits, and therefore generally receive priority for tax-dollar subsidization. Essential PARD services, programs, and facilities provide a benefit to the entire community, makes Brownsville a community where people want to live, enjoy, and play.

Important

Important programs contribute to the organizational mission but are not essential to it; therefore, cost recovery for these programs should be high (i.e., at least 80% overall).

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Value Added

Value-Added programs are not critical to the mission and should be prevented from drawing upon limited public funding, so overall cost recovery for these programs should be near to or in excess of 100%.

PRICING STRATEGY - The pricing of programs and services is established based on the cost of services, overlaid onto programs areas or specific events, and strategically adjusted according to market factors and/or policy goals. The following best practices in pricing involve establishing prices and fees using the following strategies: • • • • • • • • • •

Age Segment – Different prices are offered for different ages.

Family/Household Status – Different prices are offered for family or household groups.

Residency – Different prices are offered for residents (i.e., jurisdictional taxpayers) versus non-residents.

Weekday/Weekend – Different prices are offered for different days of the week.

Prime/Non-Prime Time – Differed prices are offered for different times of the day.

Group Discounts – Different prices are offered for groups versus individuals.

Location – Different prices are offered at different locations.

Competition (Market Rate) – Competitors’ prices influence your price.

Cost Recovery Goals – Department cost recovery goals influence your price Customers’ Ability to Pay – Scholarships, subsidies, discounted rates, etc. are offered for participants needing financial assistance.

Essential

Important

• Recuperate 0-50% of Market Rate

• Recuperate 80100% of Market Rate

Value Added • Recuperate 80200% of Market Rate

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FUTURE PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS Incorporating Design Thinking into Program Planning Rossman & Deurdmen, 2019 state that the best experiences accomplish • • • • • •

Producing positive emotions Engage attention Help develop and strengthen relationships Provide meaning through connections to something larger than ourselves Promote competence, and Grant autonomy

By incorporating design thinking into program planning, it will help PARD staff systematically think, teach, learn, and apply human centered techniques to solve problems in a creative and innovative way, especially throughout the user experience.

PARD seeks to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and rather than redefine the “problem” guide community members to redefine the problem to identify alternative strategies and solutions; all the while keeping the people at forefront in alignment with the City’s people centric philosophy.

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Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flowcharts.

It is about one life influencing another.

- John Maxwell

Next Review Date January 1, 2025 51 | P a g e