Parks and Recreation Commission members at their March 21 meeting approved increased beach fees in an effort to pay beach staff competitive wages and to cover part of the salary for the new director of community education and recreation.
Some fees at Bare Hill Pond will increase substantially this year. The price of parking stickers for nannies, or child care providers, will go up from $50 to $250, and the boat storage slips will cost $750 instead of $500. Full rack shelves for canoes and kayaks will increase from $100 to $140. In addition, parking stickers for the beach season will rise from $50 to $75, and day passes will cost $25 instead of $20.
“The reality of the situation is that other towns are paying much more for lifeguards, so if we want lifeguards we just have to pay them more,” Director of Community Education and Recreation Kevin Mitrano said at the commission’s meeting.
Because the town budget does not include pay for the beach staff, Parks and Rec is responsible for finding other sources of money. A statement posted on the commission’s website describes the significant salary increase at Bare Hill Pond as keeping it competitive in the market.
“Last year we spent $41,000 and we had a budget for wages of $40,000,” said Parks and Rec Chair Bob O’Shea, referring to the beach staff salaries. “Raising the prices to help pay for the kids’ increases is necessary.”
At the meeting, members of the commission accepted new salaries for beach staff, including a $15.36 per hour rate for lifeguards, with a 2% increase in pay for each additional year of service or experience. Last year, lifeguard salaries were $12.99 per hour.
Mitrano’s position is being paid for by the school administration through fees charged to families for Bridges, Summer Adventure, and other community education programs. Parks and Rec, which is also responsible for a portion of the salary, collects revenue from programs and fees associated with fields and beaches.
“Kevin has three sources of income, one for Bridges, one for adult education, and one for Parks and Rec,” said O’Shea, adding that the commission has already collected $14,000 for Mitrano’s salary from field rentals and sports camps. Mitrano’s starting salary is about $70,000, and O’Shea estimates that Parks and Rec is responsible for about a third of that cost.
As the commission deliberated boat storage prices, Mitrano said it was challenging to have no reasonable price comparisons with other towns in the area. “I called around to as many Parks and Rec departments that I could find that had ponds or lakes,” said Mitrano. “Not one of them, that I could find, allows boat moorings or has boat slips.”
Harvard residents and taxpayers have the option to enter a lottery each year for boat storage, which includes 10 slips, 18 outer moorings, 16 cove moorings, and more than 100 spaces for canoes and kayaks. Fees for outer moorings increased from $150 to $250, while cove moorings went up from $40 to $50. Mitrano said if the $140 cost of a full canoe or kayak rack shelf is broken down, it is $23 per month to store from May to November.
“What I see to make some money are these boat areas in particular,” said Michelle Lauria, the beach liaison for Parks and Rec. Lauria worked with Mitrano to increase the beach staff pay rates and set the new beach fees. “If you look at it as a completely voluntary, per month, over six-month figure, it’s really not that much,” said Lauria, as members discussed raising the boat storage fees.
The new rates for swimming and boating programs, which will also be higher, will soon be available on the Parks and Rec website.
