OPERATIONS Tips for Increasing Concessions Cost Recovery By Sonia Myrick s noted in the 2019 NRPA Agency Performance Review report released earlier this year, there continues to be a decline in general fund support from local and state governments for park and recreation systems across the country and increasingly agencies are being " challenged to generate more of their operating and maintenance costs from fees and charges. " The report further states that " the need for self-generated revenues could put pressure on agencies as they continue in their mission to serve all members of their communities, including those with little means to pay for park and recreation services. Balancing financial needs with the social equity mission will be one of the most challenging issues facing park and recreation professionals in the coming year and beyond. " A It is a delicate balancing act. Generate too much income from concessions and a park may see 106 Parks & Recreation its general funds support decline even further or see the funds it generates from concessions absorbed | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 9 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G back into the city's general fund. In this new normal of bike and ride sharing and mobile food delivery via services like food trucks, there seems to be any number of ways parks can provide patrons with services beyond the traditional food stand and kayak/boat rentals. Several years ago, the City of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and Philadelphia's Commission on Parks and Recreation commissioned a study of the park department's concession operations to develop an overarching strategy.