Agency will again provide village’s park and rec service
By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
After what has been characterized as a successful pilot launch, Union Grove officials have agreed to renew their relationship with Racine Family YMCA for parks and recreation programs in the future.
The Village Board on Jan. 13 agreed to renew the contractual arrangement, which was first put in place last spring as officials deemed outsourcing a better option, rather than employing an in-house director to oversee the multiple logistics associated with the programs.
The village’s Parks and Recreation Committee first vetted the plan to renew the agreement before forwarding the favorable recommendation on to the full board.
Village President Mike Aimone said there is one metric the led him to believe the arrangement is going smoothly.
“It must’ve gone fairly well,” Aimone said. “This past summer, I think, was the first time I didn’t get any calls from residents.”
The positive response within the community, coupled with an increase in enrollment, were among the factors that led to the board’s decision to continue the arrangement.
In a memo, Village Administrator Mike Hawes said a few tweaks are being incorporated into the new agreement, including compensation terms.
“In lieu of billing the village for a portion of their salaried staff, YMCA will bill the village for 10 percent of registration fees collected or activities that YMCA administers,” Hawes wrote in the memo.
The new provision, Hawes said, is designed to yield results benefiting both parties.
“Not only would 10 percent of registration fees amount to less than salaried staff wages, it would provide an incentive for YMCA to help increase program registrations.”
As was the case a year ago, the village will continue to have the authority to determine which activities will be part of the overall program, but YMCA staffers will handle such logistics as scheduling.
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