Orland Park Approves Recreation Facility Fee Increases

Orland Park IL

06 October, 2021

12:40 PM

Description

By Jon DePaolis, Richard Free Press: ORLAND PARK, Ill. — Users of certain recreation facilities owned by the Village of Orland Park will see a rate increase starting Nov. 1. The upped fees were approved by a 7-0 vote by the Village Board of Trustees Monday, Oct. 4. During a Committee of the Whole meeting that preceded the regular meeting, Recreation and Parks Director Ray Piattoni gave an overview of the rate increases. "Part of this is in response to the ever increasing [costs]," he said. "We know minimum wage is going up to $12 an hour in January and will continue to increase through 2025 [to $15 an hour]. Of course, our supplies and services continue to increase. "We haven't increased our drop-in fees for soccer and open gym since 2015." Piattoni said in 2019, the Village-owned Sportsplex had 12,415 residential visits, 3,151 nonresident visits from those in eighth grade or lower, and 2,251 visits from nonresidents in high school or older. The open gym/open soccer drop-in fee increases were as follows: $5 for residents (an increase of $1); $10 for nonresidents in eighth grade or lower (an increase of $2); and $17 for nonresidents in high school or older (an increase of $2). "That would bring an increase in our projected revenues to 21% to $132,000 a year in just open gym fees," Piattoni said. He also said staff recommended increasing fees for gym and soccer field rentals for the Sportsplex, Franklin Loebe Center and Orland Park Health and Fitness Center, as the last rate increase was in 2018. The new rates for the gym are as follows: $45 for residents and organizations (an increase of $5); $55 for groups made up of 50 to 90% residents (an increase of $5); and $65 for groups made up of 49% or fewer residents (an increase of $5). For the soccer field, the hourly rates would increase: $5 for residents and organizations (an increase of $5); $160 for groups made up of 50 to 90% residents (an increase of $5); and $195 for groups made up of 49% or fewer residents (an increase of $5). Piattoni said staff projected these new rates to increase revenue by 7% for a total of $305,205. He also said the Civic Center's pricing structure includes community outreach options, which have inconsistent application of fees; individual private events that lack resident or nonresident prices or business or professional organizations; and weddings and receptions that lack resident or nonresident prices. The new structure includes a nonprofit fee, a business and professional organization fee, and sets resident and nonresident fees for individual events, weddings and receptions. The projected revenue would increase 3.5% to $121,932. Richard Free Press is a one-stop destination for the news that most affects you, the southwest suburban resident. Be an informed citizen of the town you live in and love.