Hanford’s Winter Wonderland posts $48,114 net reinvestment; council accepts report

The Hanford City Council on March 17 accepted the Winter Wonderland final report and agreed to reinvest $48,114 of net event revenue into Civic Park.

Brad Albert, director of parks and community services, told the council the program brought in $488,003 in gross revenue for the season and accounted for 148,800 recorded visits. Ticketing generated $287,022; sponsorships contributed $80,500 in cash and $117,500 in combined sponsorship value. Staff reported 22,186 tickets sold for ice skating, of which 18,378 skated, and a season net revenue after expenses of $92,923. “Our net revenue was 92,923,” Albert said while outlining proposed repairs and investments for the park.

Adam Ramos, the recreation manager, described operations and staffing, saying the event used 53 employees and logged over 5,000 staff hours for set-up, programming and operations. Tash (Tosh/Tasha) Luang, the department’s financial analyst, reviewed the department’s accounting and noted the largest expense categories included equipment, supplies and staffing; the department also invested in purchasing event fencing to use in future seasons.

In public comment, a resident asked for clarification about electrical costs; staff confirmed those costs were subsumed under equipment and supplies. Councilmember Martinez moved to receive the report and appropriate $48,114 of the net to the general fund to support Civic Park repairs and planning; the motion was seconded and approved by the council in the evening session.

Staff flagged planned uses for the reinvested funds including electrical infrastructure design (to reduce reliance on vendor generators at large events), minor park repairs and continued capital planning. Albert said the department will return with specific project scopes as planning moves forward.