Park board discusses fee hikes

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PRINCETON — The Princeton Park Board is considering increasing its yearly membership fee.

At Monday’s meeting, Elaine Russell, executive director of the park district, made the recommendation to make a small increase in yearly membership fees, effective in January. She would like the board to approve a small increase each year to yearly membership fees so people will get use to smaller but regular membership rate increases.

Yearly membership fees have not been increased for several years, Russell said.

“We have been very diligent in keeping our yearly membership affordable,” Russell said. “But as everything else, costs are going up each year. Costs are not going down for anything. I think we need to make some adjustments to our yearly membership rate.”

To go along with the proposed fee increase, Russell also recommended providing free racquetball court use for patrons with yearly memberships. Members have requested that free service and she understands the reasoning behind their request, Russell said.

The park board gave Russell consensus to further work out details for a rate increase and to present that information at a future meeting.

Walk-in fees at the Metro Center and six-month membership rates would not be increased in January.

In other business, Russell said the Metro Center is entering into a six-month trial program this fall to provide free nursery care for the children of patrons with yearly memberships. The Metro Center staff believes a free nursery service will encourage new memberships as well as increased attendance for various programs, like aerobic classes, she said.

In other business at Monday’s meeting, engineer Kevin Heitz gave an update on the 40-acre Zearing Park expansion project, saying work has gone well during the recent dry weather spell. Entry roads, the parking lot lay-out and the soccer/athletic fields are now visible. Foundation work will begin soon on the concession stand. The foundations are in place for the fishing pier. The pond is filling up. Pathway work will begin in the near future, weather permitting, Heitz said.

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