By Steve Plunkett
Boynton Beach Oceanfront Park’s name is the only thing changing there at least until next summer.
City Commissioner David Merker asked in September for a report on how much money Boynton Beach could collect if it charged parking fees after 4 p.m. and what the money could be spent on.
“To me it’s a no-brainer. You have to maintain it,” Merker said when the park numbers were presented Nov. 5.
But his colleagues said his questions came too late in the planning cycle.
“The time to have brought this up was in July during the budget workshops,” Commissioner Michael Fitzpatrick said. “So the second best time to bring this up would be July 2014 for the budget next year.”
City Recreation and Parks Director Wally Majors estimated Boynton Beach could collect $53,300 a year if it charged for parking from 4 to 9 p.m. But he would have to hire two parking attendants, reducing the net gain to $11,800.
Vice Mayor Woodrow Hay concluded the amount was not worth the fuss.
“To me that’s not enough to warrant the negative impact,” Hay said.
Mayor Jerry Taylor said some people enjoy parking for free at the beach before 8 a.m. and after 4 without having to buy a $40 parking permit.
“That’s a benefit for our residents that we shouldn’t take away,” Taylor said.
Majors said the city has spent less time maintaining Oceanfront Park over the years because of budget cuts and other priorities. To pressure-clean the facility once a month, make monthly repairs to the sprinkler system, pull weeds by hand 16 days a year, mulch six days a year and replace plants once a year — all adding “a bit of a ‘wow’ factor” — would cost $73,600 annually, Majors reported.
The city sold 3,457 beach permits last year, collecting $340,261, with an additional $21,400 in revenue from the snack bar, Majors said. The park costs the city about $600,000 a year to operate, he said.
“So it’s a losing proposition,” City Commissioner Joseph Casello said.
Merker said the city should be analyzing its budget continuously to find ways to pay for new initiatives.
“You have to think of the future,” Merker said. “I don’t like to sit on my behind and not think of the present, let alone the future.”
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