Title
Approval of an Ordinance Accepting a Bequest of $139,513.42 from the Estate of Ina Fennell, a Former City Employee, to the Recreation Scholarship Program
Recommended Action
Committee Recommendation:
Not referred to a committee
City Manager Recommendation:
Move to approve an ordinance to accept a Recreation Scholarship Program bequest from the estate of Ina Fennell.
Report
Issue:
Whether to accept an estate bequest to the Recreation Scholarship Program
Staff Contact:
Scott River, Director of Recreation and Facilities; Parks, Arts and Recreation; 360.753.8506
Presenter(s):
Scott River, Director of Recreation and Facilities; Parks, Arts and Recreation; 360.753.8506
Background and Analysis:
Background and analysis have not changed from first to second reading.
The Recreation Scholarship Program was established by the Olympia City Council in July of 1996 through Ordinance #5614. This ordinance ordains that monies received from public or private donations shall be deposited for the purposes of providing scholarships to cover activity fees for low-income residents, predominantly youth. Because this fund is heavily depended on donations, available funds tend to lag behind community need. Because of this reality, the fund is not widely marketed out of staff concerns that it would result in turning away several qualifying requests per year.
Ina Fennell was a 37-year employee with the City, all of those years with the Parks, Arts and Recreation Department making her the longest continuous department employee at the time of her retirement. Ina spent the majority of her career working in customer service jobs at the old community center and The Olympia Center. During this time, she became aware of the need for scholarships to allow individuals to participate in a wide variety of recreation services. Whether it was a week of camp for a school age student, a month of fitness for an adult, or a kayak trip for a mother and son, she recognized the importa...
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