2/7/2005 Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting February 7, 2005 Commission; how can it help? Mr. DiSalvo said that budgets were due this past Friday. He met with Carrie Copfer, the Finance Director. The goal in capital expenditure lies within this department, but there is no way expenses can be met. This will be presented to Ms. Copfer and City Council. There must be outside funding, whether it’s through a loan or otherwise. If there is one project done for capital improvements, that will be all that’s allotted within the budget. There are four major things that need to be fixed this year that far surpass the $50,000 basic cap. Mr. Jesse said that anything that comes out should really come from a Commission recommendation, so it should start with the Commission and move up the ladder. Mr. Gerrity was mystified. He said he wished Mr. Lasko was at the meeting because he seems to understand the problems, but he doesn’t seem to be solving them. It was noted that Mr. Lasko is at a meeting with the School Board at the present time. Mr. Jesse pointed out that he was only one man. What would be the quorum for the School Board to hear these problems? Would it be at a Recreation Commission meeting? Mr. Kelley said that when you have the Commissioner meeting with the School Superintendent you would think there would be some train of thought. Personally, Mr. Kelley thinks the situation is one of: that’s them; this is us. Mr. Gerrity said that, as a hockey club, they looked at their numbers and said they had to increase them, which would help their program and which would get more into the Rec Center. They tried to present bringing a program into the schools run by the hockey players to present hockey to the little children with plastic pucks. They were shot down. It’s done in the Kent area, and they do it in another south area. That’s how they develop the kids to come in to use the rec centers. They communicated with Ted DiSalvo that they had a school day for an open skate e.g., the first day would be Butternut Day, and it was shot down, saying it’s not in their curriculum and they could not introduce it. The Hockey Club wanted to come in as a field trip day as a guest and the schools would not have it (as a recreational assembly). Ms. Kanis said she understood what he was saying, but it’s not done that way. Mr. Jesse said that the Rec Center wants to sell a package as far as this levy is concerned. There is no way that the Rec is building a facility without the School fixing the buildings. The buildings are a priority and they thought that if the levy would go for $25 million it should go for $35 million and add the recreational facilities to the package, never giving consideration to renovating existing facilities. The City is well aware of it and the Schools are well aware of it. Mr. Jesse thinks it’s a situation where they did not want to muddy the water and say that there would be city facilities mixing with the school facilities. You could go down the street and asked any resident how much money goes to the City and how much goes to the Schools and they wouldn’t be able to tell you. Everyone gets a pittance compared to what its operating expenses are. There are responsibilities to bus children and to the staff and build facilities, and it’s very expensive to do. Page 8