Memo - Depot Coordinator workweek Hours
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City of Hopkins Facilities Division
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Memo
To: Steve Mielke, City Manager
From: Jay Strachota, Facilities Director
Date: 3/05/04
Re: Depot Teen Coordinator increased to a 30-hour workweek
In order to continue the resurgence of the Student Board success and the success of the
Teen Center program of the Depot Coffee House, and in order to position the Depot project
for future success, the Student Board, Partners Group, and Depot Director are
recommending that the Teen Coordinator position become a 30-hour per week, pro-rated
benefit earning position, with the understanding that the continuation of this position at this
level is based on current and future funding of the position through grants, donations, or
other funding specifically designated as support for the Teen Coordinator position,
Vidya Roa was hired as the Teen Coordinator a year ago to work up to 25 hours per week.
At the time the HSD Business Department relatlonship was in the formative stages, a
. relationship with HSD's food service was not only a concept, and a closer relationship with
Three Rivers Parks was only an idea. Vidya has done an excellent job building a student
board from 3 members to 11, bringing stability to Friday evening events, bringing diversity
awareness and a diverse population to the Depot, and she also does grant reporting. When
Vidya started attendance to Friday night events was roughly 30-40 students. Now on a
typical Friday night the Depot attracts 100-300 students. Vidya trained in with Kathleen
Taber, the Student Board, and volunteers and in the process helped to redefine the position
of Teen Coordinator. Vidya finishes college in June and has asked to be able to make a
stronger commitment to the Depot with more hours. The Student Board, the Partners, and
Kathleen feel that we want to do what we can to retain Vidya as the Teen Coordinator
because she is an integral part of creating a successful situation with the students and
volunteers, the position is fully funded by grants, and with all the developing programs of the
Depot the time is ripe to increase the Teen Coordinators hours.
We are finding that it is necessary for the Depot Coffee House Director, Kathleen Taber, to
step in and perform Teen Coordinator work regularly. Not due to lack of performance by the
Teen Coordinator, but due to the demands of that program of the Depot. It IS getting
increasingly difficult for Kathleen to do Teen Program work given that the Depot Director
now has more program responsibilities associated with the Hopkins School District
lease/business department, with the recent development of Depot business relationship with
a coffee bar at Hopkins Senior High School (Depot Too, as it's being called now), and
normal coffee house operations. Staff is also having discussions with the Three River Parks
. District to attempt to nurture a more mutual beneficial relationship with that organization.
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Again, this is a program of the Depot that if strengthened will ultimately benefit the project, .
coffee house sales, and will take some of the Depot Director's time to develop and maintain.
The point being that there are enough Teen Coordinator duties and responsibilities to fill the
additional hours of work by the Teen Coordinator, and the project will also benefit by having
the Depot Director work in the programs that are designated for that position.
Where will the funding for the increase personal expense come from? Well it's already there.
I'll bullet point out some of the financial information:
. $15, 416 is in the 2004 expense budget for the Teen Coordinator position
. $15,000 JJAC grant amount for wages for the Teen Coordinator
. $7,500 JJAC matching funds committed to Teen Coordinator benefits
. $22,500 JJAC total funding for the Teen Coordinator position
If the change in hours and benefits occur effective June 1, 2004 the cost totals cost of
wages and benefits will be approximately $21,000 - $22,500 for 2004. This is within the
amount allocated by the grant.
It is worth noting that funding for the position in 2005 would require approximately $36,000
as the hours and benefits would be extended over an entire year. (When the YMCA
contracted the Teen Coordinator position two years ago the cost to the Depot budget was
approximately $45,000 at that time.) It is, and always will be, the long-range goal of the
Student Board, staff, and Partners to create long term financial sustainability at the Depot. In .
light of the sustainability goal it will be a goal for the Depot to fund the Teen Coordinator
position in 2005 and beyond and this will need to be taken into consideration as the Depot
applies for grants, fundraises, and works with HSD through the lease levy. It has been
clearly stated and is understood by the student board and partners that when funds run out
for the position, the position is terminated, cut back to the level of available funds, or other
, budget/operational adjustments are made to allow the position to be retained, The position
will not be carried forward on the hopes of future funding.
It is also worth noting though that the Depot is in far better shape financially than it has ever
been due to the levy for lease with the school district. At this time city and school district
staffs are very satisfied with the results of the levy for lease and are having discussions
around extending the lease beyond it's current term. This would be a tremendous boost to
the long-term sustainability of the project
To be successful in the long run, and for the project to live up to It's mission, there needs to
be a paid Teen Coordinator and stability at the position. The increased hours for the Teen
Coordinator position will free up some hours of the Depot Director's time for coffee house
operations sales improvement, HSD business dept./lease improvements, park district
improvements, etc. While anyone of these functions is important to the project together they
are what, most importantly, make the project fundable, While the business side
(concessions sales) may always be a challenge and may get better, sales most likely will
never fund an entire Teen Coordinator position. That will need to come from other sources .
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. and the best way to tap those sources is to build a strong fundable mission driven project,
and the Teen Coordinator is an integral part of building that mission driven project.
In closing the key points are, the position with the increased hours and benefits is funded by
grants for 2004 that specifically allocate dollars to this position. The Depot project is more
stable and fundable than in the past with the HSD levy for lease. The additional hours and
stability at the position will no doubt help the Depot project to be more successful, and the
Teen Coordinator position's continuation into the future is, as it was when we hired the Teen
Coordinator a year ago, based on available funding.
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