Recreation Dept. making changes

OGDENSBURG — Faced with a tight budget proposed for 2010, the city Recreation Department has cut one activity and is considering ending more of its family and senior citizens programs.

The department provides about 30 programs and special events throughout the year, such as basketball camps for children and tennis or swimming for seniors. While the programs are funded in part through fees, the tight budget and increasing rental and coaching fees have led the department to look at possible cuts, according to city Recreation Director Philip C. Clemens.

"We're at that point now where we're going to decide what we're going to do," he said. "It's going to get costly."

Last month, the department decided to discontinue the Sunday Swim program, which had about five participants, Mr. Clemens said. The afternoon family swim program ran for the past 10 years from October to February at the indoor pool at Ogdensburg Free Academy.

The Recreation Department rents gym and pool space at OFA and the gym at the Ogdensburg Boys and Girls Club for many of the programs. It also hires about 50 college and high school students each year to act as lifeguards and coaches and run the programs.

For the past few years, the Recreation Department budget has hovered around $26,000 for rentals, supplies, maintenance and advertising related to these activities. Small increases in rental and coaching fees have stretched the city budget to its limit, Mr. Clemens said.

"The instructor's rates have gone up from $8 to $10. That may not sound like a lot, but when we're running all the different camps it adds up," he said.

Attendance also has remained steady and revenues tend to hover around $6,000 from program fees, according to the tentative city budget. Mr. Clemens said the department will consider advertising in neighboring towns and replacing less popular activities with new, less-expensive programs to boost attendance, Mr. Clemens said.

The department's budget will be reviewed at a 7 p.m. budget meeting Tuesday in Ogdensburg City Hall.