Civic Center to receive upgrades

McMinnville Civic Center is receiving a new roof and if left unchanged by the Finance Committee, the facility will receive new City Field lights, one new full-time employee, and one new one-ton truck.

After asking the Parks and Recreation Committee for almost $1.6 million in the 2006-2007 budget, Parks and Recreation will receive slightly over $1.5 million. This was still an increase of $200,000 over last year?s budget of $1.3 million.

Most of that increase will go to cover the cost of the roof currently being installed on McMinnville Civic Center and to replace the Riverfront Park gazebo roof. Both projects will total $180,000. The Civic Center roof was not a budgeted item and is in the middle of being replaced.

The committee removed a proposed computer system totaling $19,000 and machinery and equipment totaling $16,500. This is the second year the department has asked for the computer system and has been denied.

The committee reduced the transportation equipment from $45,000 to $30,000 which would have bought two new trucks. The committee left enough money in the budget to buy one new one-ton truck and one used utility truck.

Also asked for, and only partially granted, were two full-time employees.

?I want to replace two part-time employees with one full-time maintenance worker,? said Brown, ?and make one part-time employee a full-time employee in the Wellness Center.?

After consideration by the committee, only one would be changed to full-time. According to Brown, both would be good changes for the department but of the two, she would prefer the full-time maintenance worker.

After originally asking for $111,000 for new City Field, Pete Holt Field and Hoover Millraney ball field lights, Brown reduced the budget herself by removing the last two and only leaving in the request for City Field lights. According to Brown, the current lights and poles will need to be replaced as no more replacements parts are available for the older system.

Also discussed at the meeting is the fact McMinnville Parks and Recreation Department saved $172,000 in its budget last year and is expected to generated over $400,000 in revenue for the city in the 2006-2007 fiscal period.