President's Message Archive
June 2009
New Thinking, Grassroots
Summit to Save Our Parks
By Jack Foley
President, People for Parks
Budget cuts for public parks are as unfortunate as they are expected. The cuts are unfortunate because recreation services have a long history of being cost-effective and a force for community stability. Americans have consistently come to the conclusion that public recreation is even more important when times are bad.
It isn’t clear yet how hard the budget axe will fall, but the worst-case scenario for the City of Los Angeles is a 21% reduction in work force, which would mean a cut of 400 full- and part-time staff in Recreation and Parks. Meanwhile, L.A. County is preparing for a 5% cut this year and a 2% reduction next year. Because its budget relies on property taxes, the County is expected to face the full impact of the crisis in 2011. Couple this with pending cuts in Sacramento to state parks and the full impact becomes clearer.
How can we maintain recreation and parks during a tough economy? The City Administrative Office would like to recover the full cost of providing services, which is neither practical in bad economic times nor fair to poor communities any time.
We need new, creative, entrepreneurial answers – fast! This is the time for the broad spectrum of park stakeholders, from government agencies and public employee unions to non-profits and community leaders, to put our heads together. Following are some starting points for a discussion on saving these vital public services:
- Foundations can effectively manage the jewels of the public park system, as is the case with Central Park and Prospect Park in New York. Public-nonprofit partnerships have produced high quality public services, and free scarce general-fund dollars for parks that do not generate revenue.
- Services must be preserved in communities with the greatest needs. Every Angeleno is well served when extended-hour athletic leagues and other programs in high-impact areas like housing projects are widely utilized.
- Staff cuts, if necessary, should be made at the management level and as far from the public as possible. Recreation coordinators, maintenance workers and employees who provide direct services in underserved areas should be retained.
- Community-School Parks – joint-use arrangements between the City and School District to landscape playgrounds and open them to the public during non-school hours – are a model for delivering local recreation services. City parks near CSPs should be re-formatted to reduce duplication.
- City and County parks must tap into the power of surrounding communities. Staff should be strong managers who set and enforce standards for recreational programs organized by residents, from AYSO and Little League to cultural arts and theater groups.
- Park agencies should design a program that encourages community groups to help maintain gardens. Church groups in Indianapolis, for example, maintain small parks, flower gardens and median strips under the guidance of official staff.
- City and County park agencies should call in all their permit groups. New criteria for permits should give priority to groups that provide maximum levels of community service.
- Clustering park services is viable when it is designed to maintain recreational programs and increase efficiency.
This crisis is an opportunity to re-engineer public recreation services. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa can get the ball rolling by initiating the citywide dialogue of stakeholders. We have stood with the mayor on the Million Trees Initiative and other forward-thinking programs, and look for him to show new leadership during this crisis.
I look forward to your feedback. Please send your comments to me directly at
jack.foley1@verizon.net
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