Many children and seniors participated in the activities offered by the Perry Area Joint Recreation District this year.
That conclusion was highlighted in a report on programming of recreational districts in 2022 and the performance of their operational units, published earlier this month.
Recreation District Board member Phil Cassella circulated the report at the Perry Village Council’s December meeting. Cassella is also one of the village council members.
The Perry Area Joint Recreation District offers community programs for children and seniors. The entities served by the district are Perry Village and North Perry Village, Perry Township, and Perry School.
In 2022, the Perry Senior Center, the operating unit for the Lech district, consisted of 653 members. This represents an increase of 150 members from 2021.
In 2022, the Lek district received $94,780 in Lake County senior levy income for the Perry Senior Center budget.
The district expects $94,980 in 2023. Cassella said in a Dec. 27 telephone interview that he expects the precinct board to know in early January whether the budget request has been approved by Lake County officials.
Meanwhile, the report also notes that Perry Senior Center has ample space to accommodate future growth.
In terms of activities for children, the report said Lek District’s 2022 youth sports program had 997 participants. Attempts to compare that figure to his 2021 participation levels were unsuccessful. I was unable to reach Mike Smith, Perry Area Joint Recreation District Director on December 27th.
Total operating revenue for youth sports activities in 2022 was $144,250 and operating expenses were $141,014. This left youth sports with a net carryover of $3,236 for him in the 2023 budget, the report said.
A separate section of the report evaluated the success of the Fall 2022 festival, which took place on September 10th at Lee Riddick Park in Perry Village.
Entry to the festival is free, but funds raised through Chinese auctions, 50/50 raffles, and children’s day ride wristbands fund the Perry Area Joint Recreation District.
This year’s festival grossed about $17,826 and cost $15,829. This resulted in a profit of approximately $1,996.
“I think we originally wanted to make about $4,000 from this event, but we cut that in half,” Cassella said at the Perry Village Council meeting on Dec. 8.
Approximately $2,000 in proceeds from this year’s festival were split evenly and allocated to the Perry Senior Center’s 2023 budget and the Rec District’s Youth Sports Program.
As for the festival itself, 2022 budget projections were met in areas such as event sponsorships, vendors, exhibitors and grants from the Lake County Visitors Bureau, the report said.
However, revenue declined slightly in categories such as Chinese auctions, Lek District trailer food sales, beer and wine sales, and participant activity fees.
The 2023 Perry Fall Festival will take place on September 9th at Lee Riddick Park. Her Cassella, who also serves on Wreckboard’s Fall Festival Steering Committee, said the objectives, offerings and budgets for next year’s event are likely to remain very similar.
“However, we will be making some changes on the cost side to help increase the amount of profit, and those (amendments) have not yet been formulated,” he said Dec. 27. told a telephone interview.