Rec district makes a comeback

VAIL — Fifteen months ago, the Vail Rec District was at a low point.

The district failed to collect some taxes because of a paperwork error. The district’s executive director resigned in the wake of that mistake. And a former mayor called for the district to be absorbed back into the town.

But the district now appears to be back on solid financial footing with its new director, Mike Ortiz, and to have a better relationship with the town of Vail and residents. Also, three new directors — Joe Hanlon, Rick Sackbauer and Ken Wilson — are coming on board to the district’s five-member board.

“I’m really excited about where we’ve come,” Ortiz said.

The district used some creative cost-cutting to get by last year without eliminating programs. It was able to make its debt payments, and ended up with more profit than it expected.

Now, the district plans to increase its reserves from just $13,000 in 2004 to $490,000 by the end of this year.

Kent Rose, the former Vail mayor who called last year for the district to be dissolved because he said it wasn’t fiscally responsible or responsive to residents, thinks the district is doing better.

“I think the new people are positive,” he said. “They’re making a conscientious effort to pull things together.”

Good fences?

The town of Vail owns facilities including the golf course and Dobson Ice Arena that the rec district uses for its programs. Agreements between the two entities haven’t helped their relationship.

The agreements are at times vague and complicated and there are too many of them, said Stan Zemler, Vail’s town manager. Zemler and Ortiz both said they’d like to see those agreements improved.

Vail rec programs • Vail Golf Club. • Dobson Ice Arena. • Vail Gymnastics Center. • Youth camps and programs. • Vail Nature Center. • Vail Nordic Center. • Vail Tennis Center. • Trail running and mountain bike series. n Adult sport leagues, youth sports camps and tournaments.

“We can get a little clearer about what the expectations are for one another,” Zemler said.

Ortiz said the relationship between the town and the district is improving.

“There’s a lot of dialogue,” he said. “There hasn’t been dialogue before.”

The town and the district are jointly funding a plan for recreation in Vail. The plan should be done this fall. Zemler described the relationship as a “tenant-owner” dynamic. The tenor of the conversation has shifted toward collaboration in the last year, he said.

“We’ve almost flipped the coin from where we were last year to where we are today,” he said.

Ortiz said visitors and residents shouldn’t notice the transition as they move between the amenities offered by different organizations.

“Our goal should be for the Vail Rec District, the town of Vail and Vail Resorts to provide a seamless experience to residents and guests,” he said.

The facilities

While Ortiz said he will wait for results of the recreation plan to come back, it is apparent that improvements are needed for recreation facilities, he said. That starts with the aging golf course, he said.

“We definitely need improvements at the golf course,” Ortiz said. “To me, that’s the town’s largest summer asset.”

Dobson Ice Arena, the Nature Center and the Ford Park fields also could use some improvements, Ortiz said.

The district has several option for improvements. It can float a bond issue. It can seek to raise taxes. It can enter into a partnership with a private company. It can receive funds from the town’s real estate transfer tax, which goes toward recreation and open space.

The three new board members replace the so-called “coalition” of Peter Cook, Julie Hansen and Nino Licciardi, who in 2002 campaigned on a platform of fiscal responsibility. The three were especially critical of the previous board’s decision to spend $3.5 million on a renovation project for Dobson Ice Arena using revenue bonds.

However, the three also were board members when the district failed to file the paperwork to collect the voter-approved tax hike last year.

But new board member Wilson complimented his predecessors on getting the district into good shape.

“I think the previous board did a heck of a job getting the ship back on course financially and personnel-wise,” Wilson said.

Rose said the current leadership should be given a chance. The former board wasn’t attentive to residents, he said. And absorbing the rec district back into the town could make sense eventually, he said.

“Some day they could be combined, and there would be efficiencies,” Rose said.

Ortiz said he simply wants the district to be transparent about its finances and goals.

“People need to see you’re creating a plan and working toward something in order to have credibility,” he said.



Staff Writer Edward Stoner can be reached at 748-2929 or estoner@vaildaily.com.

Vail, Colorado