Just as the Northwest College Athletic Department is working through the problem of the statewide budget cuts, so to is the Powell Recreation District.

While details and actual figures are still being sorted out by many, Rec District Director Colby Stenerson knows the numbers.

“Our expected revenue will be cut by $66,716 from the previous year,” he said. “The county mill valuation will be down 21 percent and the City of Powell funding has been eliminated.”

The numbers might seem shocking, in the raw sense, but in the overall, Stenerson estimates the decrease will be in the neighborhood of 14 percent.

“It is significant, but it could also be a lot worse,” he said.

The question then becomes, with the numbers known, what to do about it to keep the Rec District in position to continue providing for the Powell community.

“We have a three-pronged plan,” Stenerson said. “One part is to reduce expenses. Maybe there are some supplies that we won’t order as many of. And there are some things we do, like open gym for basketball, that really hasn’t seen much participation. So that’s something maybe we would stop.

“Second, we’ll have slight increases in some program fees,” he continued. “We’ve had a good gymnastics program where the fees have been pretty constant for a while, so an increase might have been due anyway, and is a way to help us. Finally, we will also have to utilize some funds from our reserves.”

There are also fundraising events that the District has put on that will continue.

“With something like the Fun Run, which became the Color Run this year when we partnered with Plaza Diane, we maybe make about $2,000 from that,” Stenerson said. “It isn’t a game-changer, but all the little things do add up and, if nothing else, it provides a fun event for the community.”

An obvious dilemma, making for some tough choices.

But it seems the Powell Rec District has its plan in place to get through it, with as little negative impact as possible.