We are excited to announce membership is open for the upcoming season! We wanted to announce our rates and open membership sooner than later as there are some changes and we want everyone have time to plan and adjust for. You will see some increases and we do not take these lightly, and many factors play into our decisions.
Our number one priority to be able to provide a safe summer environment is to hire and retain skilled and dedicated staff. As hourly rates have increased in all industries the last few years we’ve tried our best to keep pace, still falling behind. This year we are making some big moves to match other similar positions in the area. We have a dedicated core staff that have weathered the changes and challenges the last few years and several eager newcomers and are thrilled to be able to offer them all competitive rates.
While reviewing salary rates for similar positions we also looked at membership rates for similar facilities and feel we are in line with other community based programs.
In better aligning our costs we’ll be able to continue to provide the best experiences possible while also maintaining a safe environment. As the park continues to age – we celebrate our 65th summer this year! – there are maintenance items like removing large rotted trees from play areas, for instance. We chose to use a local family and member-owned business, Black River Tree Company, to complete this work as a way to give back to the community. We continue to use local/member business for any paid work as much as possible, with another example being the reworking of the tennis court area. That said, this type of work can be costly, even with generous discounts.
We intend to maintain extremely reasonable snack bar prices and expand our selection as members request and is feasible. The snack bar is not set up to be a profit for us, but more a convenience for members, and a small membership increase allows us to keep that going as well.
One last note on the increase is that none of this money is earmarked for the water management improvements we have planned. We had a very successful “prom” fundraiser in September thanks to our members and community, and are able to use those funds at this time for any improvement related to the water quality. We plan to have another fun formal event planned for the end of the season to continue our fundraising efforts and minimize any additional membership increases going forward. Also keep an eye our for fundraisers throughout the season as well, including events related to the upcoming Wilton Old Home Days week this coming August!
Please see our membership page print your membership form to mail in or NEW THIS SEASON – complete it all online, including your payment!