MORGANTOWN — Of its anticipated $14,361,209 budget for the upcoming 2025-26 fiscal year, the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners anticipates $8.4 million will come by way of sales tax revenue.
That’s by far the largest line of income in the spending plan.
To get some idea of what that single funding source has meant to the city’s park system, just look back to BOPARC’s 2019-20 budget, which totaled $3.4 million.
That was the final budget before the city’s 1% sales tax took effect in July 2020. BOPARC receives one-quarter of the sales tax revenue collected by the city.
The revenue boost has allowed BOPARC to build up just over $4 million in reserves.
BOPARC Executive Director Melissa Wiles recently provided another perspective on what those dollars will mean for park goers, running through a list of a dozen or more projects that are either ongoing or set to begin in the next 14 months or so.
In addition to paying down bonds on two major Marilla Park projects — a new pool complex ($14.2 million) and a complete reconfiguration of lower Marilla Park to be bid later this month, funds will be used to address playgrounds in Marilla Park, Wiles Hill and Jack Roberts Park; new shade and pavilion projects in Marilla Park, Krepps Park and Wiles Hill; new bleachers throughout the park system; new park maintenance facilities with attached year-round bathrooms for Krepps Park and Dorsey’s Knob; the opening phase of trail improvements for Whitemoore Park, and other minor fixes and upgrades.
“We’ve got a lot of things going on in the coming fiscal year,” Wiles said, later adding, “I don’t think that when we sit here next year and we talk about the budget, we’re going to have a $14 million budget. We just aren’t. That’s by design because we’re obligated to spend this money appropriately. We’re obligated to update our facilities and our parks, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
BOPARC anticipates generating just over $1.9 million in-house through various rentals, fees, passes, sponsorships and interest. Another $1.9 million is coming through the city’s yearly general fund allocation.
Other projected revenues include the countywide parks and trails levy ($945,000); hotel/motel tax ($415,000) and the city’s coal severance allocation ($243,450).
Outside of expenses for new projects and system upkeep, BOPARC expects to invest just over $2.6 million in payroll and personnel expenses.
That number includes cost of living raises, expected increases in insurance costs and a bump in funds for seasonal part-time staffing.
Further, Wiles said an additional full-time employee will be brought on once the recreation amenities currently under construction at MUB’s Flegal Reservoir property come online.
Members of the board said that unlike years past, it’s nice to be able to address the facilities that need attention and provide the community with new amenities and programming.
“I just am amazed at what we are doing as an organization lately, and not just the construction, but all of the programming that happens,” longtime member Jenny Selin said. “It’s nice to be a board member on such a group.”
Board president Danielle Trumble seconded the notion.
“This is much more fun than it was five years ago,” she said.
