Tax-funded recreation in Idyllwild continues under Riverside County Regional Park & Open Space management until January of 2017 when a new recreation provider will be selected. Until then, major decisions are held in abeyance.

A Request for Proposal to manage local recreation was sent out by the county last month and closed at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16. Opal Hellweg, 3rd District Supervisor Chuck Washington’s legislative assistant, said at the CSA 36 Advisory Committee meeting on Thursday, Nov. 17, that no further information about the RFP respondents would be released until a review of the proposals is completed by a county Real Estate Division/Economic Development Agency panel. That review should be completed within 30 days of the RFP closure, by mid-December.

Bob Lewis, current recreation director, reported that $45/hour charges for use of the Idyllwild School gym may require raising certain recreation user fees. Meeting attendee Pete Capparelli suggested it might be time to go before the Hemet Unified School District board to renegotiate those fees. Marge Muir agreed, stating, “We worked to clean the gym up after use before without having to pay those fees.”

Advisory Committee Chair John Metroka Jr. said, “EDA should know about these fees and see if they can do anything. We need clarification when the new [recreation] management is in place.”

Muir also suggested that many local businesses might be willing to help sponsor teams using the gym so that participant fees don’t have to be raised.

The Advisory Committee does not meet in December. Its next scheduled meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26, by which time a new recreation provider should have been selected.