SHERIDAN, WY– The Sheridan Recreation District (SRD) made a presentation to members of the Sheridan City Council on Wednesday, proposing to combine with the Sheridan Parks Department in order to operate more efficiently and compete for grant funding to maintain and operate Sheridan’s parks.
Currently, SRD is in charge of managing “active parks,” activities, the ice cream stand in Kendrick Park, and Kendrick Pool. SRD is currently responsible for maintaining 103 acres of city parks, and 3 miles of the city’s pathways. Sheridan’s Parks Department is responsible for all other parks and pathways, the cemetery, mosquito fogging in the summer, and operating Kendrick Municipal Golf Course. SRD operates on a budget of $1,044,000 each year, while the Parks Department budget is roughly $1,069,591 each fiscal year.
Main issues that SRD was concerned with were operations of the Golf Course, maintenance on the aging Kendrick Pool, and conditions of athletic fields around the city.
SRD proposed that if they took over maintenance responsibilities on the facilities from the city, they could apply for grant funding for maintenance and upgrades that the city is not eligible for. SRD currently operates as a 701(c) non-profit organization but is in the process of creating a 501(c)(3) foundation that could then apply for many different kinds of grants related to parks and recreation.
The presentation to City Council was considered a listening session, where no action could be taken. City Council will discuss the proposal, renew SRD’s operating agreement, and hear more from the organization at upcoming city council meetings.
