Nov 8, 2013Director’s Report

California State Parks and Recreation Commission

Commission Chair: Ernest ChungChief Deputy Director: Aaron Robertson

Old Sacramento SHP

Director’s Report

Agenda

Park Unit Budgeting

Fee Collection Modernization Project

38th Ranger/Lifeguard Academy

Current Issues in Parks

150th Anniversary

AB 1478 Matching Fund Agreements Upcoming Concessions Alternative Energy

Future Meeting Dates

Park Unit Budgeting

On track to deliver expenses by park unit to legislature by December 1• Specific line items for staffing• Ongoing state operations and maintenance• Deferred maintenance obligations

Now tracking costs by park unit and Department’s Fiscal Tracking System

Fee Collection Modernization Project

Modernizing reservations, sales and fee collection with an integrated system• Centralized, PCI-compliant transaction processing

(cash, check, credit, debit, gift card, etc)

• Auditing trail, accounting/financial reporting, information for business intelligence and marketing

• Centralized reservation system with real-time site availability information

• Tracking inventory, sale and use of park passes

• Communication network for connectivity between centralized system and point-of-sale equipment in parks

Multi-disciplinary team from across department drafting needs and RFP RFP release scheduled for January 2014

2014 Park Passes

Park Pass Menu• 150 Anniversary Commemoration Pass $150

- “destination” parks in redwood region, plus all State reservoirs• Surf Explorer Pass $195

- SOCAL surfers and beach users- vehicle day-use in rest of State

• California Park Experience $75- 70 SF bay area and N. California parks- Some central and southern inland parks

• Historian’s Passport $50

Working with Dept of Fish and Wildlife to sell passes in 1,700retail outlets

Exploring regional park pass options

38th Ranger/Lifeguard Academy

38th Ranger/Lifeguard Basic Visitor Services Training (BVST) began Oct 30th

at Butte College near Oroville• 25 week Peace Officer Standards and Training end April 25th

• Followed by one week of emergency medical responder training• One week of firearms training• Six weeks of park operations training end June 20th

o Interpretive skills, natural and cultural resource protection, facilities management, recreation management, etc.)

25 cadets with broad experience and life skills• Several worked as park aides or seasonal lifeguard at Mount San Jacinto State

Park, Hearst Castle, Tahoe State Recreation Area, Hungry Valley State Vehicle Recreation Area, and California State Railroad Museum

• Others worked with local parks or federal park systems such as City of Santa Barbara Park Ranger, City of Huntington Beach Lifeguard or Bureau of Land Management Park Ranger

Current Issues in Parks

MacKerricher Beach Dune Rehabilitation Project Coastal Development Permit Removal of timber “haul” road, restoration dune system, expand habitat

Malibur Pier RestaurantOpened 2 months ago, repairing 30 pilings enabling District to open boat services

Last Chance Grade • Located on Route 101 south of Crescent City• Area prone to earth slides• Catastrophic slide could isolate Crescent City

and lead to urgent response with route through old growth redwoods and wetlands• DPR and National Parks participating in Caltrans

engineering feasibility study to evaluate current conditions and develop alternative solutions

150th Anniversary of California State Parks

Opportunity for people to reconnect with State Parks and for new visitors to experience them for the first time

Employing four marketing strategies, using donated money, to promote and commemorate anniversary• Marketing collateral, radio and print advertising• Public events

- Participate in National Park Service 150th Anniversary event at Yosemite in June 2014- State Parks Fun Day- California State Parks Foundation lecture series - History of State Parks- 2014 California Exposition (State Fair)- Outreach to County Fairs throughout the state- AMGEN Bicycle Tour Mount Diablo State Park – Stage Seven Event in May

• Community outreach• Website and online promotions

AB 1478 Matching Fund Agreements

Matching Fund partnership effort is a huge success• 52 park units received matching funds

• All $10 million appropriated by legislature is matched to partners to keep parks open

Department is maintaining a short “wait list” in the eventsome partners are unable to complete a project or conditionsagreed upon• Funds would be reallocated to partners on the list

Upcoming Concessions

RFPs• Angel Island State Park Ferry

• Folsom Lake State Recreation Area Marina

• Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Store

Negotiated Contracts• Auburn State Recreation Area

• Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park Hostel

• Old Sacramento State Historic Park Bank

Alternative Energy

Exploring renewable/alternative energy options that reduce long-term energy costs is a key component of State Parks Strategic Action Plan

• Liz McGuirk, Deputy Director for Legislative Affairs coordinating effort

Several key State Parks renewable energy initiatives

• Reduce Energy Consumption in State-Owned Buildings by 20%Working with DGS Energy Efficiency Retrofits Program- Lake Perris pilot project- Hearst Castle installing solar parking lot panels

• Energy BenchmarkingMapping individual meters to buildings/facilities to measure power, natural gas and propane usage

• Electric Vehicle Charging StationsEvaluating optimal locations for EV charging stations to meet needs of visitors- EV charging station recently installed at Leo Carrillo and Malibu Creek State Parks

Future Meetings

• January 23rd and 24th - Sacramento

• March 27th and 28th

• May 15th and 16th

• August 28th and 29th

• October 23rd and 24th

Back Up Slides

Budget UpdateTimeline