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Park drives expenses in Flat Rock budget

Kids run across a bridge at the new playground at the Park at Flat Rock.

FLAT ROCK— Flat Rock has a nice park. Now the Village Council is wrestling with how to pay for the growing demand for park improvements and ongoing maintenance.

 

 

Although donations through the Flat Rock Park and Recreation Foundations are funding many amenities, the Village Council has to pay for operating expenses and maintenance and has on deck a growing list of projects.
The village’s Park Commission submitted a wish list containing $385,000 worth of projects in the coming year, including a perimeter trail for $35,000, trash cans ($2,500), nature center ($70,000), core and secondary trails ($60,000), an entry gate ($25,000) and landscaping ($25,000). The foundation has also landed sponsors for two observation decks and two footbridges.
During a budget workshop on Tuesday, the council went to work on cutting overall budget requests that were $676,663 over revenue of $1.5 million. That’s not unusual. Generally, the Village Council has greater requests than funding; it was expected to cut many of the capital requests. In the current year, the council appropriated $456,000 of its rainy day fund to balance the budget. The budget recommended by finance officer Sheryl Jamerson contains no property tax increase.
The council also agreed last month to spend $4,500 on a noise study of the new playground. Reacting to complaints from the Highland Golf Villas next door to the facility, the council agreed to look at acoustic engineers’ recommendation for a sound barrier or sound dampening solutions.


No booze

Whatever else the park offers, users can forget about booze.
During a regular meeting last month, the council turned thumbs down on allowing alcohol of any kind.
The park advisory committee discussed the idea of approving alcohol use on a case-by-case basis, council member Ginger Brown said.
“But then we realized this could possibly be a liability with the village,” she said. “We checked with other municipalities. Hendersonville has a no alcohol policy but they get around it for special occasions like Rhythm & Brews. Basically they control the serving of it and I think that is something we could do someday.”
Council member Albert Gooch objected to that possibility.
“I just don’t think alcohol has any place in a municipal park, period,” he said. “Alcohol does not fit in a public park so I’m not going to vote for alcohol period.”



Playhouse funding

The council also was considering whether to allocate $50,000 to the Flat Rock Playhouse for campus maintenance.
“The buildings over there are old,” said Mayor Robert Staton, who also serves on the Playhouse Board of Trustees. “There’s so much deferred maintenance over there.”
The extra $25,000 would cover two of the most urgent repairs — $6,000 to fix the air conditioning at the Lowndes House and $18,000 to replace rotted siding at the rehearsal hall, he said.
While council member Anne Coletta said $50,000 “would be too much for me,” Gooch spoke in favor of the funding.
“The Playhouse is the second oldest landmark in Flat Rock,” he said. “From a matter of municipal pride we need to think about what we can do to keep that place up and keep it operational. … It is a nonprofit but it’s also a revenue producer.”

In a budget work session on Thursday, the Village Council trimmed the appropriation to $25,000.