$70 fee may have kept little students away

Some parents say the nonresident fee at the Seminole Rec Center makes them really feel like outsiders.

By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN
© St. Petersburg Times
published January 16, 2002

[Times photo: Scott Keeler] Karen Young and her son Christian, 1, participate in a Joyful Noise session at Faith Presbyterian Church. Recreation center classes had poor attendance.

SEMINOLE -- Danielle Marolf thinks you're never too young to learn about music. In her Joyful Noise children's program, she teaches kids 18 months old to 5 years old about music through instruments, puppets, ribbons and other interesting methods.

She had hoped the class would be a popular one in the newly established preschool program at Seminole Recreation Center; but after poor attendance during the fall session, she decided to no longer offer the class at the center.

Mrs. Marolf says the city's $70 nonresident fee is what kept some parents from enrolling their children in her class. It's just too expensive, she said.

"Losing the rec center is a bit of a loss for me, but I think it's more of a loss for the center," said Mrs. Marolf, who has a minor in voice performance, and has taught piano, flute and voice.

The $70 nonresident fee may seem high, especially for a 2-year-old, but it's pretty typical of what local municipalities charge nonresidents.

"That's the dilemma of the unincorporated folks," said Jim Sheets, director of Seminole's recreation department. "All I can do is provide the opportunities."

Although most cities don't require toddlers to individually register and pay a nonresident fee, they do require a parent or legal guardian to do both.

That's what Lucy Pritzker did last fall when she enrolled her son in Joyful Noise at the recreation center. Since Mrs. Pritzker lives in an unincorporated area, she paid $70 for Abraham, who will turn 2 Feb. 1. She says she'll never use the facility and paid the fee only so her son could take the class.

"I feel like it was a waste of money," said Mrs. Pritzker, 31, who now takes Abraham to the Joyful Noise classes Mrs. Marolf teaches at Faith Presbyterian Church in Seminole.

Sheets says he understands how some parents feel about paying the fee. But unless they're residents of the city, he has no choice. Residents pay city taxes to help fund the center; nonresidents don't pay any taxes to Seminole.

Unlike larger Pinellas cities, which draw the bulk of their membership from residents, "Seminole is real tough because the city is so small and the unincorporated area is so large," said Mary Nolen, assistant director of the Largo recreation, parks and arts department.

Largo gives nonresidents two options: a six-month membership for $15 or a one-year membership for $25. Both plans charge a 25 percent surcharge on each program or class.

"It's a little more pay-as-you-go," Nolen said.

Clearwater also has two plans for nonresidents: pay a nonresident fee or pay a higher fee for each class or program. Clearwater's annual nonresident fee is $74.90. The city also offers a nonresident family card for $175 plus tax, said Jan Floyd, a staff assistant for Clearwater's Parks and Recreation Department.

In St. Petersburg, nonresidents are charged $100 a year to participate in city recreation programs.

Before Seminole raised its nonresident rates last year, a one-year membership cost $45 per person and a six-month pass was $30. The city also discontinued its $100 family membership plan for nonresidents.

Since the Seminole Recreation Center reopened in October at 9100 113th St., membership has nearly doubled, Sheets said. It now has 1,229 nonresidents and 3,348 residents. About 300 children ages 3 to 5 belong to the center.

Before Seminole spent $6.1-million renovating and enlarging its recreation complex, it offered no preschool programs. Establishing a viable program for preschoolers at the center is one of the city's goals.

Sheets said Joyful Noise might be too specialized to draw enough participants. The $6 classes lasted 30 minutes. Sheets said the center's other preschool classes, which include gymnastics, dance, baseball and Spanish, are operating.

"I know we will have a successful preschool program," he said. "Everything is going to take a little while to grow."

But Mrs. Marolf questions whether that will happen. She wishes the center would let parents who are nonresidents allow their children who are 5 and younger to take preschool classes without having to pay the $70 fee.

"For most parents who have a double income, $70 may not seem like a lot; but for a family who has a single income, it can be a lot of money," she said.

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