Attached is a worksheet showing gross revenues, expenses, and net income (loss) for the Wirth golf courses and Winter Rec. prepared by Shawne FitzGerald, who is a Powderhorn resident and a member of Park Watch. The following summary is also by Shawn.
History of Wirth Golf, Winter Rec Revenues, Expenses and Net Income
Observations from this data:
– Looking at historical data, it is clear that Winter Rec is a money losing proposition for the MPRB as it is currently managed. Historically, Winter Rec lost more money than the Wirth golf courses.
– Between 2004 and 2013, the golf program made $200,000 while the Winter Rec program lost $2.2M.
– Looking at 2012-2015 data (includes projected and budgeted), it appears that for each $1 in increased Winter Rec revenues, the MPRB will lose $1.50. This is an argument against expanding the program until corrective action is taken.
– If MPRB were to raise Winter Rec revenue costs by 61% across the board, the program would break even. The cost of a season pass would rise from $45 to $72.50 (or $7.50 more than a pass to snowmaking trails at Elm Creek or Hyland). Since season pass holders typically
use the facility 6 or more times per year, the price difference works out to $1.25 or less per facility use….a bargain compared to driving round trip to Elm Creek or Hyland.
– The MPRB might be able to offer lower cost ski passes at Hiawatha, Gross and Columbia. Cost data on these sites is not publicly available. Three Rivers currently charges $50 per year for an annual ski pass at a facility with no snow making capacity.
Children ages 12 and under ski for free. They no longer tube for free on Wed. nights as far as I know. I don’t know if they can snowboard for free. An equity consideration: why are kids ages 12 and under free for cross-country ski trail access while the same kids are charged to access other MPRB facilities like gyms, athletic fields, and waterparks? Shouldn’t ball players, pre-schoolers, snow tubers, snow boarders, and swimmers have the same subsidized facility access
as cross-country skiers?
Shawne FitzGerald
Member of Park Watch