The Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department, Monday evening, discussed a proposed fee scale for use of the 12 Park Shelters plus the Bandshell at Sunnyside Park, the Department oversees. Parks and Rec Director Seth Staashelm said they currently have a total of 184 shelter reservations so far in 2018, and over the past five-years the reservations have grown from 170 to more than 200. Atlantic is the only City of those in comparable size in Iowa, that accepts reservations without charging a fee or deposit.

An examination of 17 cities, according to Staashelm, showed only five towns do not accept reservations, and operate completely on a first-come, first-served basis. For those that do charge, shelter rentals range from $20-to $30 for a four-hour time slot, or, anywhere from $30 to $50 is charges for a whole day’s use.

The Shelters in Atlantic’s Parks are used for everything from weddings to family reunions, company picnics and everything in between. Staashelm said they currently budget $700 in restroom and trash supplies, and around $2,000 in garbage service. About $2,640 in labor is spent from May through September, to clean the facilities during the bulk of the reservation time frame. That brings the total cost to $5,340  in labor and supplies, not counting administration time and capital projects.

Staashelm recommended the Department begin charging a modest fee of $20 for a shelter reservation, to help cover labor and supplies. That fee would only apply to reservations, as the shelters will always be free and open to the public whenever they want to use them. He also recommends most of the smaller shelters operate on a first-come, first-served basis, to help save administrative hours. No action was taken on his recommendation during the Board’s meeting, Monday.

In other business, the Board accepted the resignation of Ron Flory, Parks Foreman. He has accepted employment elsewhere. Staashelm recommended the Board consider making the position full-time with benefits, in the future. One of the reasons Flory chose to leave, according to Staashelm, was due to not having medical insurance.