Parks and Rec Fees to Go Up

Fees for Hercules child care programs will increase approximately 20 percent on Aug. 1.

The increased fees are part of citywide measures to accommodate the budget crisis, and a direct result of cuts to the Parks and Recreation Department—which oversees the city’s child care programs, teen center and senior center. The department had three full-time staff members laid off on July 1 including its teen center supervisor, facility rentals and sports supervisor and senior center supervisor

The department’s fees will increase in nearly all of its programs.

“Child care didn’t lose any programs, but its fee increase will be a big one of about 20 percent,” said Parks and Recreation office assistant Andrea Mendez. “The others may be less than that, but it depends on the specific program.”

The fees are being increased to a level that will, hopefully, make each program self-supporting, or "budget neutral."

Such measures will enable the city’s child care facilities—at Hannah Ranch, Ohlone, and Lupine Hills elementary schools and at the teen center—to remain open and preserve much of their programming.

However, residents have the option of registering and paying for much of the summer’s and impending school year’s child care service before Aug. 1 — when the rates will increase. The same option applies to the other Parks and Recreation programs.

“We’re the ones who see the customers and tell them they have a fee increase and see them get upset,” Mendez said. “But it’s the directive we’ve been given and if we could maintain the fees, we would. Implementing that directive is one of the hardest things we do here.”

Another ramification of the budget cuts is having Parks and Rec closed on Friday.

According to Mendez, most Parks and Rec programs are paid for each Thursday during the summer, with Fridays as a "cushion" — an extra day for residents to make payments and register for upcoming programs, and for department staff to tweak schedules based on what happened by Thursday.

The department’s Friday closing means those decisions will have to be made Thursday or rushed through on Monday, which increases the department’s workload on those two days, staff members say.

“We’re improvising,” Mendez said. “A lot of people are doubling up their job duties, or tripling and quadrupling them.”

Program supervisors are taking on other projects in addition to their primary ones, while child care staff members are supervising at the senior center and at the teen center.

“What matters to us is that the programs stay open and that we do this for the community,” Mendez said. “A lot of people are going through hard times, and to provide programs and services, camps and fun with lessons, that’s the reward for us.”