- May 12, 2024
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The City Council has agreed to raise rental fee rates at several Palm Coast Parks and Recreation amenities, including at Palm Harbor Golf Club.
Some fees will be entirely new, while others will be increases to existing rates, Brittany McDermott, deputy director of Parks and Recreation, said at an Oct. 10 workshop. City staff reviewed the rates at nearby, comparable facilities to determine accurate rates the city could enact to break even on costs.
“We're not necessarily looking to make money, we are looking to recover the costs," McDermott said.
The rate increases — which the council will vote on at an Oct. 17 meeting — would affect a new activity space at Waterfront Park, lanes rentals at the Palm Coast Aquatics Center, rates for plots at the future Community Gardens at Lehigh Trailhead, table and tablecloth rentals at the Palm Coast Community Center, rates for the Palm Coast Arts Foundation stage and green rates at the Palm Harbor Golf Club.
Staff recommended a $2 increase for all rates at the At the Palm Harbor Golf Club, Parks and Recreation Director James Hirst said.
"We believe this keeps us comparable with the other golf facilities, but also keeping our high standards that the golfers deserve," Hirst said.
Vice Mayor Ed Danko wondered if the fees at the golf course were high enough and said fees that the Palm Harbor Golf Club should be raised even more to match the privately owned Cypress Knoll golf course.
“With these increases, I just want to know that we are going to be making money, not losing money,” he said. "I would want to see us make a little bit money of the golf course, because for so many years we have lost money."
Hirst said staff tried to find a balance between the city's desire to break even on costs, and affordability for residents.
Council member Theresa Carli Pontieri said she agreed with the recommended fees overall. But she said she was concerned that raising golf fees could price out residents on fixed income who enjoy golfing.
She said that as long as the parks are not running at a loss, she's satisfied with the suggested rates.
“I'm not really interested in our parks making money. I'm interested in us not subsidizing parks,” she said.
Danko said he agreed that the city's parks don't need to be a source of revenue, but golf courses are, in general, private businesses.
"I just think that we're undercutting these private enterprises," Danko said.
Pontieri asked to see how the increases would help overhead costs.
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin pointed out that if the city goes to market rate, some golfers might go to those other golf clubs. He said the council should hear from the golfing community before deciding on an increase.
Among the other proposed rate increases is the rental rate for the stage and green space that the Palm Coast Arts Foundation previously maintained. Because a covenant between the PCAF — now known as United We Art — and the city ends in 2026, the city is looking to take over maintenance and rentals of the stage and green space.
The council will vote on the fee ordinance at an Oct. 17 business meeting, but asked staff members to bring the golf course fees back to the council for review so the council can hear from the golfing community and decide whether the fees should be raised further.
