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Receive a report on the status of Solano County Parks from the Department of Resource Management
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Published Notice Required? Yes ____ No _X _
Public Hearing Required? Yes ____ No _X _
DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION:
The Department of Resource Management recommends that the Board of Supervisors receive a report on the status of Solano County Parks.
SUMMARY:
The Parks Division operates four County Park locations: Lake Solano County Park, Sandy Beach County Park, Belden’s Landing Water Access Facility, and Lynch Canyon Open Space. These Parks annually serve approximately 184,000 park visitors with the majority of the visitor volume occurring during the late spring to early fall seasons (peak season).
The Parks Division has seven full time Park Ranger staff to meet this demand for service. The Park Ranger staff are supplemented by nine seasonal extra help, three contracted partners (Solano Land trust, Putah Creek Council and Solano Resource Conservation District), and administrative assistance from the Department of Resource Management staff. Beginning in FY2015/16 staff scheduling changes have provided increased hours of operations and better coverage of park operations during times when visitor levels are highest. Partnerships with the Solano Land Trust, Putah Creek Council, Solano Resource Conservation District and the Solano County Sheriff’s Office augment Park Division staffing to provide services to the public and protection of our parks.
Revenues totaling $585,337 were generated in the parks during FY2015/16, which is an increase of 15% over FY2014/15. The Parks Division has also begun or completed a variety of projects at the parks to improve the visitor experience.
This report provides an update of the status of each of the four Solano County Parks and the Parks Division as a whole.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
The cost of preparing this report is included within the normal operating budget for the Parks Division and there is no additional impact.
DISCUSSION:
The Parks Division operates four very different parks providing a multitude of recreational opportunities within the over 1,200 acres of land. Lake Solano County Park, Sandy Beach County Park, Belden’s Landing Water Access Facility, and Lynch Canyon Open Space offer experiences including camping, picnicking, boating, hiking, equestrian access, bird watching and fishing. Events at the Parks include Kids Fishing Days, Kayak tours, Birding Hikes, Nature Hikes and Tours, Bass Derby Access, School Field Trips, REI Volunteer Event, Sierra to Sea Bicycle Tour, Lynch Canyon Trail Run, Kite Festival, California Coastal Creek Cleanup Day, and Visions of the Wild Event. Visitor initiated events include company picnics, family gatherings, camping club gatherings, and Eagle Scout Projects to name a few. With access to sand volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, Bean Toss Courts, reservable picnic pads, boat launches, over nine miles of hiking/biking/equestrian trails and a fleet of 13 kayaks and canoes available to rent, the parks division provides great starting points to help the visitor have an enriching experience.
Staffing
The Parks Division consists of one Parks Services Manager, one Park Ranger Supervisor, two Park Rangers and three Park Ranger Assistants. This level of staffing increases to include nine extra help Park Aide positions to assist with the seasonal increase in park visitor levels during Peak Season. Lake Solano and Sandy Beach each have one Park Ranger and One Park Ranger Assistant permanently assigned to oversee operations. One Park Ranger Assistant performs operations at Lynch Canyon and Belden’s Landing. The Parks Services Manager and Park Ranger Supervisor oversee operations at all locations. The ranger staff are categorized as general purpose rangers, meaning they perform all operations associated with the parks including fee collection, making park reservations, cleaning restrooms, performing maintenance on equipment and facilities, minor rule enforcement, incident response, minor construction and environmental education.
To increase access to the parks and provide better coverage of operations, the Parks Division staff have transitioned into an adapted work schedule by working nine hour days (9/80 schedules). This change allows for Lake Solano Park to be open for an additional eleven hours per week during Peak Season and an additional seven hours per week during the Off Peak Season. The change also provides for an additional seven hours of operation per week and better staff coverage at Sandy Beach. The change in scheduling allows an increase in services to the public with no negative financial impact.
Even with this scheduling, staffing to operate the parks is stretched very lean. The combination of very high visitor volumes, intensive maintenance requirements of the park facilities, and prolonged staff vacancies have presented several challenges to the Parks Division. High visitor volume days at Sandy Beach can see attendance levels exceeding 1,300 people; these use levels require additional Ranger support and can result in a Ranger being redirected from one of the other parks to provide assistance with operations at Sandy Beach. High volume days typically find no staff covering at least one park location. With staff levels as they currently exist, park operations are also drastically impacted due to a single staff illness or injury, or during long-term vacancies while recruitments are occurring, sometimes leaving a park without adequate staffing to provide services to the public. Any future growth for the division would not be possible without staff level increases to accommodate not only additional properties but the use levels of existing parks.
Partnerships
Partnerships with the Solano Land Trust at Lynch Canyon and Putah Creek Council at Lake Solano allow for volunteer coordination for docent programs and stewardship events. The docent and stewardship programs in the parks offer guided recreational opportunities with activities including kayak bird tours, citizen science days, blue bird monitoring, raptor hikes, natural/cultural history hikes, volunteer restoration projects, and volunteer trail crew sessions. Volunteer participation as coordinated by staff and our partners was very high in FY2015/16 with approximately 770 volunteers committing over 3,066 hours of their time at 60 events.
A partnership with the Solano Resource Conservation District provides assistance with restoration projects and school field trips within the parks.
Enforcement and Public Protection
The Parks Ranger staff has transitioned away from performing peace officer duties in the parks and is now mostly oriented towards performance of customer service duties. The Parks Division has partnered with the Sheriff’s Office to provide enforcement and public protection activities at the parks that were previously performed by the Park Rangers. The partnership with the Sheriff’s Office provides for an increased law enforcement presence during high visitor volume periods, and the Sheriff’s Department responds to the parks for emergency situations when no units are assigned to patrol the parks. The contract with the Sheriff’s Office provides for a patrolling Sheriff’s Security Officer and on very high volume days a Deputy is contracted as well. We continue to assess and modify the partnership to identify and provide the most appropriate level of law enforcement and to ensure the safety of our visitor’s.
Budget
The FY2016/17 projected operating budgets for the four parks are; Lake Solano $523,400; Sandy Beach $487,295; Belden’s Landing $114,861; and Lynch Canyon $43,245 with the total adopted budget for the Parks Division being $1,580,178.
The attached Tables 1, 2, and 3 show the attendance and revenues generated within the parks over the last four fiscal years. Analysis of this data shows relatively consistent park attendance and revenues, with exceptions being Lake Solano in FY2015/16 and Belden’s Landing in FY2014/15 and FY2015/16 as explained below. Parks attendance levels are consistently in the low 180,000’s with a spike up to 190,916 in FY2013/14.
In FY2015/16 Lake Solano had a reduction in attendance when compared to FY2014/15, but an increase in revenues. We believe the reduction in attendance is the result of an 11-day closure of Lake Solano during Peak Season operations due to the firefighting efforts in response to the Wragg Fire of 2015. When comparing first quarter FY2016/17 to first quarter FY2015/16 we have an increase in attendance of 5,628 visitors and a $26,692 increase in revenues. This shows a relative return to levels experienced similar to years without substantial fire closures. We believe the increase in revenue in FY2015/16 compared to FY2014/15 despite the decrease in attendance may be due to a fee increase that went into effect in FY2015/16. In FY2015/16 Lake Solano generated $268,104 in revenue.
Sandy Beach has consistently seen increasing numbers for attendance and revenue with most weekends during the late spring through early fall seasons reaching capacity levels of attendance. Projects such as the Fish Cleaning Station installation, the campground fence project and the Day Use parking lot paving project have been very well received with the park visitors. Sandy Beach generated $281,443 in revenues for FY2015/16.
Revenues at Belden’s Landing were negatively impacted in FY2014/15 by the theft of the payment machine as well as the delayed construction efforts involving the replacement of the machine and updated security system. Upon installation of the replacement payment machine in FY2015/16 collected revenues exceeded Midyear projections by 18% or over $2,400. Accurate attendance levels are not available as they are calculated by the number of day use and boat launch purchases, but staff observed use patterns consistent with historic use. In FY2015/16 Belden’s Landing generated $27,330 in revenues after the installation of the payment machine.
Lynch Canyon continues to see consistent visitation levels. The transition from three-day to four-day access at Lynch Canyon in FY2014/15 allows for more Solano Land Trust led events with the annual Lynch Canyon Trail Run and Community Walk being the premiere event for that park. In FY2015/16 Lynch Canyon generated $8,460 in revenue.
Projects
The Parks Division has completed and is planning several improvement projects at the parks. These projects are listed in an attachment to this report. These projects provide enhancements to the visitor experience at the parks and protect the park’s resources. (See attachment)
ALTERNATIVES:
The Board could choose not to receive this report. This is not recommended because this is an opportunity to receive an update on the operations and park visitor levels.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
None.
CAO RECOMMENDATION:
APPROVE DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATION