CITY PARKS Board put 2005 fee schedule in place for pavilions

City council is expected to approve the land swap next week.
YOUNGSTOWN -- The Youngstown Park & amp; Recreation Board has set its pavilion fee schedule for 2005 and will proceed with its plan for a property swap on the South Side.
One change involves renting the Wick Park Pavilion on the city's North Side, traditionally one of the department's most popular sites. The department has gone to block scheduling for the pavilion on weekends.
Rates will be $75 to rent the facility from 5:30 to 11 p.m. on a weekday.
Rental fees also will be $75 for seven-hour blocks on the weekends from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m. The cost to rent the pavilion for the entire day is $130.
The pavilion seats 75 people and has central air conditioning.
The board wanted to use the block scheduling to accommodate as many people as possible who want to rent the pavilion.
The board set daylong rental fees for its other pavilions at:
*$45 for Homestead Park on the city's South Side.
*$30 for Crandall Park on the North Side.
*$30 for Lincoln Park and Nick Johnson Park pavilions 1 & amp; 2, and $20 for a third pavilion at Johnson, all on the East Side.
Property swap
The board also gave its approval to the property swap involving the Oak-Ken Park property. Atty. Greg Morgione from the Law Department will draft legislation for city council approval at its meeting Wednesday.
St. Patrick Church, Summit Academy and the Needle's Eye Christian Counseling Center have acquired land at Kenmore and Oak Hill avenues.
The city would receive the newly cleared land -- the church removed four homes on the property -- and erect a playground for the neighborhood's use. Across the intersection, the city would turn over the rarely used Ken-Oak playground to St. Patrick. The old playground would become a parking lot for the church, school and counseling center.
The Rev. Edward Noga, church pastor, said earlier this year the property swap follows the cooperative theme of the Youngstown 2010 plan for the city's future.
The board will decide whether the new playground will feature just play equipment or other amenities. The old park equipment is antiquated and has no value, said Joseph McRae, parks director.
Rise in receipts
In other board business, McRae said the closing of the books for November showed receipts are up over this time in 2003. The department took in $145,015 through the end of November, compared with $133,046 by the end of November 2003.
McRae said building rental fees and increased use of the city-owned Henry Stambaugh Golf Course contributed to the rise in receipts.
The board also approved the purchase of three trucks for the department through the state purchasing program for a total of $78,168. McRae said the vehicles should arrive in the spring.