posted by Josephine Posti at 5:27 PM /
I recently visited the Peter's Township Recreation Center and was impressed. Visitors can't help but be impressed by the brand-spanking new building, the amenities and the attention to detail. But this is not merely Peter's Envy. Although I realize that Mt. Lebanon's 30+ year old recreation center is adequate in many ways, seeing what Peter's did made me wonder: are we really planning and funding our recreation programs as well as we could?
Peter's rec center features multiple indoor basketball courts (almost all being used when I was there), games like fooseball, ping-pong, etc. as well as an upper level track that people can use to walk or run in the comfort of an air-conditioned, enclosed facility, year-round. There are also classrooms, like Mt. Lebanon, but with storage space for supplies, a laptop projector, good lighting and adequate furniture. The place was jumping. There were teens, kids and adults all using the center in the middle of the day. The skatepark in the back was also being used when I was there. The center offers a full schedule of classes appealing to every age and ability level.
The difference between Peter's and Mt. Lebanon is that I got the impression that Peter's assessed who their demographic was and how to meet their needs before building the rec center. This isn't to say that MTL didn't do the same thing 30 years ago when it built our rec center, but 30 years later, it's spending tremendous amounts of money repairing things that aren't being utilized to their potential. An example is the ice arena, a facility that loses money at a high rate every year. Most recreation programs don't make money but I use the ice rink as an example of one of the more expensive services to the community - a community nextdoor to Castle Shannon's Ice Castle. Now, I'm not here to argue the merits of having a municipal ice rink. I've used it a handful of times since I first moved here when I was 11, but I'm sure there are diehard skaters out there who use it regularly. I don't play tennis, either, but I think the tennis center is a much better investment of our recreation dollars. The courts are continually in use year-round and the maintenance cost is minimal compared to the upkeep of an ice rink.
So what am I suggesting? Well, since it's unlikely that we'll ever do anything that's actually useful with the ice rink, like make it into a methadone clinic or a W Hotel, I suppose we keep paying to have it resurfaced, pay for new Zambonis and continue to upgrade the AC and refrigeration when necessary. But why not think outside the box and discuss making it rather than a portion of Mt. Lebanon Park into a skate park. How about expanding the recreation center itself to the ice rink floor to allow them to offer better programming for the two populations that are actually growing in Mt. Lebanon: adults 25-44 and children under 5. Or how about taking a page out of Bethel Park's recreation book and make it into a Lifespan Center for older adults?
Adult recreation programming is currently limited to daytime classes with little variety. How about putting in a yoga studio that offers 6AM classes? Throw in a little wireless network while you're at it so I can finish some work while my kid's in ballet. The ice rink is the perfect size for an indoor track that would snake around the exterior. It'll never happen, but this is due to the fact that we've been in the recreation game longer than Peter's Township and have so much invested in our infrastructure that we can't imagine tearing anything down, even when they're duplications of services offered close by. Rather than taking a look around at all of the commercial and private ice rinks and swimming pools in the area, we continue to spend money on our own infrastructure for the simple reason "we were here first," rather than investing that money into new opportunities.
This isn't an observation unique to Mt. Lebanon. Change is scary, especially when you're trading in something known for something unknown.
Peter's rec center features multiple indoor basketball courts (almost all being used when I was there), games like fooseball, ping-pong, etc. as well as an upper level track that people can use to walk or run in the comfort of an air-conditioned, enclosed facility, year-round. There are also classrooms, like Mt. Lebanon, but with storage space for supplies, a laptop projector, good lighting and adequate furniture. The place was jumping. There were teens, kids and adults all using the center in the middle of the day. The skatepark in the back was also being used when I was there. The center offers a full schedule of classes appealing to every age and ability level.
The difference between Peter's and Mt. Lebanon is that I got the impression that Peter's assessed who their demographic was and how to meet their needs before building the rec center. This isn't to say that MTL didn't do the same thing 30 years ago when it built our rec center, but 30 years later, it's spending tremendous amounts of money repairing things that aren't being utilized to their potential. An example is the ice arena, a facility that loses money at a high rate every year. Most recreation programs don't make money but I use the ice rink as an example of one of the more expensive services to the community - a community nextdoor to Castle Shannon's Ice Castle. Now, I'm not here to argue the merits of having a municipal ice rink. I've used it a handful of times since I first moved here when I was 11, but I'm sure there are diehard skaters out there who use it regularly. I don't play tennis, either, but I think the tennis center is a much better investment of our recreation dollars. The courts are continually in use year-round and the maintenance cost is minimal compared to the upkeep of an ice rink.
So what am I suggesting? Well, since it's unlikely that we'll ever do anything that's actually useful with the ice rink, like make it into a methadone clinic or a W Hotel, I suppose we keep paying to have it resurfaced, pay for new Zambonis and continue to upgrade the AC and refrigeration when necessary. But why not think outside the box and discuss making it rather than a portion of Mt. Lebanon Park into a skate park. How about expanding the recreation center itself to the ice rink floor to allow them to offer better programming for the two populations that are actually growing in Mt. Lebanon: adults 25-44 and children under 5. Or how about taking a page out of Bethel Park's recreation book and make it into a Lifespan Center for older adults?
Adult recreation programming is currently limited to daytime classes with little variety. How about putting in a yoga studio that offers 6AM classes? Throw in a little wireless network while you're at it so I can finish some work while my kid's in ballet. The ice rink is the perfect size for an indoor track that would snake around the exterior. It'll never happen, but this is due to the fact that we've been in the recreation game longer than Peter's Township and have so much invested in our infrastructure that we can't imagine tearing anything down, even when they're duplications of services offered close by. Rather than taking a look around at all of the commercial and private ice rinks and swimming pools in the area, we continue to spend money on our own infrastructure for the simple reason "we were here first," rather than investing that money into new opportunities.
This isn't an observation unique to Mt. Lebanon. Change is scary, especially when you're trading in something known for something unknown.
4 Comments:
How about leasing the rink space as a medieval dinner theater?
Unless things have changed in the last few years, hockey teams (and their parents) from all age levels-- peewee to HS varsity -- use the ice more than anyone and subsidize it a great deal via the hefty fees to play the sport.
I don't know what they're charging, but can't imagine their fees are coming anywhere near the $900,000+ it costs to operate it per year. This figure does not take into account capital expenses like resurfacing the rinks or buying a new Zamboni.
The ice rink costs about three times what the pool costs, three times what the golf course costs and ten times what the tennis center costs to operate per year. It costs $200K more annually than the library.
Trash collection in MTL costs more than the ice rink, but there aren't too many other line items that do...
Ms Posti-
So you want to destroy the rink and make it an indoor running track? Judging by your physique you must be a runner!
The ice rink is held in high regard by a lot of skaters and the ice is probably the best in the area.
My soon to be 1st grader just completed the Preschool ice skating Program after two years of lessons and let me tell you 60% of the kids taking lessons were from outside of Mt. Lebanon.
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