Why don't we just take Recreation first, if you don't mind. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Okay. And that concludes my testimony.
Thank you, 850 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 Commissioner. During testimony for the Five-Year Plan, there seemed to be some confusion as to your number of full-time staff. Is there agreement that your number is 610? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Yes. It will be -- if this budget is approved for FY 2000, we expect our full-time budgeted number to be 610.
So the FY 2000 budget before us is providing the funding for these positions. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: That's correct.
What is the total amount of the turnover and delay in filling new positions contained in your FY 2000 budget? Apparently, you have a number of vacancies that will be filled. What seems to be the problem? What is the turnover and what is the delay? What causes the delay in filling the positions? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Well, I can answer at least one of the delays, a chronic delay that we have in some of our skilled-trades positions and grounds-maintenance positions. And 851 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 if there's any comment that Deputy Commissioner Rice would like to have relative to the Program Division and Maintenance Director Fox. . . We have problems on some positions that we get to the list and we're second and third in the line for the list of semiskilled and also in equipment operators. So there's a lot of times we will, after the Streets Department and after the Water Department, get to that list of qualified, certified candidates who have taken the civil service exams and have passed and are ranked. So we're -- sometimes we can't get people off that list or we get people -- people will turn us down. So we have trouble -- it's not like the list isn't there, but we have trouble getting these people to work for us. After the top of the list has been -- you know, maybe they didn't like the money, maybe they don't like the overtime, but we just don't get them on as quickly as we would like. And Tom can talk in some detail about that if you would like. Or Carol. Sometimes our delays are -- in the Program Division, we may -- the list may not be 852 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 active, we may have to wait a month for the list to come out after we give an exam for Leader I or Leader II or Leader III. But I'm not as familiar with any problems in the Program Division, but I might -- if you would like, I could ask either Tom or Carol to respond.
Yes. I'm Tom Fox, Director of Facilities for the Recreation Department. Council President, the difficulty in filling the semiskilled labor and the equipment operator position is -- number one, the equipment operator positions. The Streets and Water Department are, I guess, carry the most of those positions. So normally what happens is if the openings occur, the interviews or candidates are from those two departments, and it's -- for the most part, they don't want to leave the department they're in. So that's the equipment operator's side. The semiskilled laborer is similar. 853 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
But isn't there an existing civil service list that you could cull from?
Well, the first round of this is you have to do the promotional lists, and equipment operator is usually on a promotional list from within the city. The same situation occurs with the semiskilled laborer in that they usually are on a list -- they're laborers that have taken a test for semiskilled labor in Streets or Water. And for the most part, they don't want do leave those departments. So after they're done, and that's the great amount of candidates on the list, we will receive the list after that. And that's really where the delay occurs.
Commissioner, the 166 part-time employees, are they new employees? An how many part-time employees will we now have in Recreation? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Well, we have a current -- I don't know if it's 164 for next year? 854 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
I don't know; I just wrote down what you said, and you did indicate that there would be 166. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: And of 6 them will be new. Based on this proposed budget, 7 17 of those positions will be new. 8 The rest of those are currently 9 employed with the Department. And they're 10 assistance rec leaders as well as part-time -- 11 some other part-time permanent staff who support 12 the Maintenance Division. 13
Now, I think 14 you said there would be 17. I wrote down exactly 15 what you said, that there would be 17 new 16 assistant rec leaders. 17 COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Right.
You also said 166 part-time workers. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Okay.
Now, are the 166 included -- are the assistant rec leaders included in the 166 figure of part-timers? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Yes, I'm sorry, that is correct. 855 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
All right, thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madame Chair. Commissioner, let's start with, on of your testimony, you talk about the new -- I guess, what you're referring to now is the facility usage minimum standards. Is that the new program of rating the A, B, and C facilities based on new maintenance standards; is that's correct? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: That's correct.
Is that the new terminology for this? Is that the name of the program? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: The minimum usage standards --
Facility usage minimum standards? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Yes.
Okay. And does this come out of some of the discussion, if not most of the discussion, at a public hearing that 856 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 we had last year talking about maintenance and programs at facilities? And I think I asked at that hearing that the Department come up with a new service standards program? Is that -- COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: That's correct.
Is that the genesis of this? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Absolutely.
First, thank you for actually doing something that I asked to be done. (Laughter.)
You go way up on the list. It's a rare occurrence that someone actually does what I ask them to do. Will we be able to get copies maybe in a different form than you have it internally, but can you forward to the Chair for all members the way this is going to work and what we can expect to see facility-by-facility throughout the city? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: It's -- attached to the testimony as an appendix is a reasonably detailed maintenance -- 857 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
Recreation Department Maintenance Custodial and Ground Standards? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Right, for the Grounds Maintenance Division, the Custodial Services, the for the Skilled Trades, for the Parks, and for the Program Division in the last six or seven pages of this document.
Right, okay. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: I think everybody's received a copy of that. We expect, particularly with the Program Division, for this to develop. And it's a little harder -- the Maintenance Division, you know, mop the gym floor every week, clean the bathrooms every day. You know, we can really be clear and detailed on a lot of those functions. Within the Program Division, right now, we're just attempting to create hours of operation, groups like the Youth Programming, Children's Programming, Adult Programming, to make sure that every center has programs for all age groups.
Right. 858 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: And then the kinds of programs that we want. So that's our first cut at that. We expect, hopefully, within a year or months to go back to that and further 6 detail that and deepen those standards. 7
Right. Well, that 8 goes back to conversation that we've had both 9 publicly and then privately in my office about 10 some ability to list the various programmatic 11 activities by center, whether in booklet form, a 12 double-sided sheet of paper, recognizing that 13 midway through the season, there could be changes. 14 COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Right. 15
And so what program 16 was available in September may not be able 17 available in April. 18 COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Right.
And it's still listed on the sheet as being available, and someone comes and you say, Okay, fine, we're not doing that anymore. But this was the replacement, you get a new document next year. To the extent that you get into that level of detail, center by center, again, 859 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 acknowledging that it may change, but if it's a matter of slipping out one piece of paper and putting in a new piece, that kind of information on a center-by-center basis, I think, will also be helpful -- both to us as Councilmembers with the material in offices or out with our staffs, wherever they may be. But also when we get calls from people just asking, What's going on at X-Y-Z center? At any given point in time, probably 80 to 90 percent of the information is going to be good and current with, you know, minor fluctuations in programs. So that would be my first request. The second is, as a part of the new minimum standards program -- and again, I commend you for putting it together -- could you look over the next year or so at the prospect of not only your own internal evaluation of was the place clean, did the floor get mopped, are the bathrooms clean and all of that. That will be your internal system. But from time to time, periodic surveys of the users of the facility non-City of Philadelphia employees, not Recreation Department 860 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 people kind of critiquing and assessing themselves or each other, but talk to the various groups and organizations that actually use the place, and pretty much on an anonymous basis, how was the facility the last three or four times you used it? And then match that information up to what you're getting internally to see if there is a consistency, or, you know, as people often do, is somebody taking care of somebody in filling out the mininum-standards report. You know what I mean. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: I looked at this maybe not recently but maybe a year or two ago. And every time you try to get a clear, honest assessment, it was barriers. It looked like it might cost some money to -- like if we asked the leaders to do it, you're not necessarily going to get -- they're going to give it to the person they're closest to or something.
Right. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: So you're not sure -- not that they would do that, but there's always that risk of not getting the proper sample. And that's sort of the trick in this. 861 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
Right. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: And I'm very interested in pursuing that. And I think now that we have the ability to not only create but expect that people meet these standards, I think this is an appropriate time to revisit the survey and really try to figure out how to get an accurate, clear assessment of our users in the system.
When you go through your minimum-standards process and before you ever get to surveying the users, can you at least assure us that on an annual basis, we will get a report back from the Department as to what the previous year has been like at that particular facility from a maintenance standpoint as well as on the programmatic side to say that, you know this center -- "Center X" met the standards 80 percent of the time. Areas that need to be worked on are these three things. So that we know both the good and the bad of what's going on at that place, and so that you know what to be on the lookout for. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: In fact, 862 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 we're beginning to do that right now, we're beginning to get back to the what the Council President asked for. We're trying to make sure that we're ready to hire -- like we're preparing now to hire in July so that we move these new folks on as quickly as we can. And we're also trying to create a visitation and assessment -- supervisory visitation and assessment program so that we'll know that, like even every month, who's making the grade who's not making the grade and who's not making the grade, based on a series of site visits and examinations based on the standards.
Okay, I have two last areas that I would like to explore. One is during the -- around about the time I guess you were going through the budget call, the Budget Director and the Chief of Staff come around and visit the members and ask what some of our concerns may be. You know that even prior to your tenure as commissioner, I've had a long-standing interest in the Mural Program. It was not always under your jurisdiction; it was part of the larger Anti-Graffiti Network. 863 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 Tell me what the increase is for the Mural Arts Program, both by way of any staff issues as well as supplies and equipment and what makes the program run. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Well, I know there's a small -- there is a small increase in this year's budget in the Mural Arts Program. Right now it escapes me, the number. I think it's 12,000?
On , I see 12,000 for staff salaries. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Right.
I understand that. What about programmatic? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: I'm asking my staff about these.
I understand. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: I'm sorry. I don't have that at the tip of my tongue. Jane, do you want to -- can you help me here? (Jane Golden comes forward.) COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: It may not all be in our budget but there is an increase of 864 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 $66,000.
My name is Jane Golden, and I'm the Artistic Director for the Philadelphia Department of Recreation's Mural Arts Program. And I believe our increase will be $66,000, which will include raises for staff members and equipment.
Okay, the raises, I assume, are being covered by the $12,000 that's mentioned in the testimony?
And since you specifically articulated full-time, that must mean 865 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 that you have some part-time?
Part-time people are off our budget, paid for by someone else?
We get some people who are paid by the Recreation Department that are seasonal.
And we have them for six months out of the year. They are SMAs and RSIs. We have this past year three SMAs and four RSIs. And we have put in a request for that for this year as well, hoping that we will get that.
These terms sound almost medical in nature. So you have $54,000 left for what, supplies, equipment, other --
Paint and scaffolding. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Yeah, I think it's paint and scaffolding.
Mostly scaffolding -- I think most of it will go for scaffolding. I think there's $10,000 for paint. 866 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
The scaffolding -- I assume we went rent scaffolding and we don't own any of our own?
We own some scaffolding, rent most of the scaffolding. The reason for that is that if you purchase scaffolding, you need a place to keep the scaffolding.
And the warehouse that the Recreation Department has, of course their space is limited 'cause it's a big department. And then you need a truck to move the scaffolding around, a flat-bed truck.
So for efficiency purposes, it's easier for us to just rent it and have someone else have all the logistical nightmares of dealing with scaffolding as opposed to us.
That's correct. And at any given time, we could have 12 to 20 murals going on at the same time. So that would be a lot 867 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 of scaffolding if we were doing it.
I'm sorry, the testimony indicates 155 privately and publicly funded murals?
What's the backlog on murals? How many outstanding requests do you have today?
Excuse me. It's well over -- I would say it's close to about 4,000.
Yes. Some people have been on that list for ten years. I mean we, you know. . .
So some of the requests were possibly made by children, and by the time the murals are done, they may be adults.
Right. Well, remember 868 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 that the requests are coming from businesses, senior centers, hospitals, neighborhood groups, community organizations, schools. So, you know, you're looking at almost every population in Philadelphia. So it's, you know, it's a big list.
And I assume, then, that the number of murals that you're able to do in any given year is purely a function of dollars available and bodies available to paint the murals.
Okay. Do you have a listing of where these 4,000 outstanding requests come from?
Yes. We have a database of our waiting list. So we, you know. . .
Every year -- we have actually formalized the procedure by developing a mural application process, where when people call us, we give them an application and they apply. And then we review the applications, and then we try to create an equitable distribution of where 869 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 the murals are located. So we have criteria established now. And looking at our budget, we can figure out how many we can do with City funding, how can we leverage our City funds and match it with private dollars. And that way, we can almost quadruple the number of murals that we do. So the City provides us with a good base. And from that point on, we can reach out and do more work.
Okay. And lastly in this area, when you say that there are some who have been on the list for ten years, I mean, do we know that those folks are actually still interested?
Some of them are still interested because they still write me letters. And, of course, when it comes to the next round in February when we sit down to figure out who will get a mural, when we look at the applications of people who have been on the list for ten years, they obviously are -- that's a priority application.
Okay. All right. 870 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 Lastly, Commissioner, we had some discussions about this back at Capital Budget time. And, you know, if you're at the table, I can never resist an opportunity to talk about my two priority projects for this year, which is the 21st Ward Ice Rink and the Wynnefield Recreation Center. Have you had any opportunity to have discussions with the Budget Director about how we're going to get some funding for both of these projects in this fiscal year? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Ever so briefly, right after that hearing that day. And we plan to sort of -- once -- he's very busy now during the budget hearings. But once this is --
He's sitting over here with us; he's not doing anything. (Laughter.) COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: You might want him to testify on whether he's busy or not, but we expect to meet as soon as this process is completed, the budget process is completed here.
Okay. "He" being Mr. Kaplan, correct? 871 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Yes, that's correct.
Mr. Kaplan, do you have anything you'd like to add at this point in time about those two projects, about the great work that you're doing to try to get them funded for this year? (Mr. Kaplan responds off mike.)
We really can't hear you all the way back there. I think we'd love to have you up at the table.
I'm Dean Kaplan, Budget Director. I think the Recreation Commissioner's comments are accurate.
Okay, you're working on it. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: (Nods.)
Okay, thank you. Thank you, Commissioner. Thank you, Madame Chair.
Thank you, Madame 872 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 Chair. One question. On , Line 505 is a $250,000 increase for contributions to educational and recreational organizations. Is that the Recreation Fund? Is that an increase -- UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Yes.
It's an increase in the Recreation Fund? Thanks. The issue of concessions at Veteran Stadium has been discussed, probably from your perspective, ad nauseum. But considering our move towards two new sports facilities, what plans do we have to deal with concessions at the expiration of this current contract? And also what we plan if we envision a role and what we plan into the new facilities? If you can give me a general idea. What do we do initially? What do we do about the expiration of this current contract and a renewal, extension, whatever, between now and the time that any new facility is built? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: If you don't mind, I'll have Stadium Manager Greg Grillone answer. 873 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 (Greg Grillone comes forward.)
Hi. I'm Greg Grillone. I'm the Stadium Director at Veterans Stadiums. As far as the conclusion of the existing contract, I mean, we've had very preliminary discussions with some City agencies relative to, you know, what happens at the end of the existing contract. But now, with the new information relative to the new stadiums, I think a prudent course of action would probably be to discuss with Ogden, you know, what thoughts they would have relative to an extension and if that made sense for the City. We just haven't had those discussions yet. It would be pretty hard, you know, to go out with any type of bid or any formal RFP for what amounts to, you know, maybe a two- or three-year life-span.
So at the most, probably a three-year life-span of an extension of the existing contract. Is there any way, or would it be within your purview to have discussions about some 874 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 changes in that contract as it relates to an extension vis-a-vis the City's gross portion of the gross it receives on alcohol and food and on the quality, quantity, and variety of food over the three-year period at our municipally-owned facility?
I mean, obviously, those are areas under the Law Department and the Procurement Department, but certainly that makes sense. And just to speak a little bit about this whole issue about the variety of food and trying to get some more Philadelphia flavor into what we're doing down there, Ogden is now and has been for the last several weeks, as an outgrowth of some of the hearings that we had, they're working with some of the local vendors, and I believe that they are in the works to have some of those vendors in the stadium this season. I'm waiting for them to actually give me a formal report on that which I'll, obviously, to my commissioner and then it will go to you as well as to all the other Councilmembers. But they are working on that; I know that for a fact. 875 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
From my perspective, part of the problem which came out at the hearings, when it came to local vendors' participation was, again, something out of your control directly, and it's the gross payment requirement that the City required in this existing contract as it relates to alcohol and food 58.something, 60 percent and 70 percent of the gross on the alcohol. I mean, know private vendors down there who simply have their product in there for exposure sake and take a bath on any -- they don't make any profit at all and simply just have it there so that people have an opportunity to taste their product. So what I'd like to suggest or request is that you let us know when these discussions are taking place so that we'll know how far down the road you are and maybe can give our input at the appropriate time. I guess, also, you wouldn't really have any view as to what's going to happen into the new facilities, whether we're going to -- I guess that's got to do with ownership and -- 876 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Right. It's all -- and I think that's going to drive some of the discussion, the current discussion as that become clearer.
Right. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Some of the current discussion about some of issues you just raised, Councilman.
Okay. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: And sort of the future will be driven as the stadium situation gets clearer. So on some -- on some levels, it's hard to discuss the details of this now.
Okay. And just on a personal level, we're going to get two -- probably two new facilities. But either through the teams or through the media or from some of the players, that facility has been denigrated really unfairly. Despite the fact that it's old -- not as old as some places, but I guess old in current standards, I think it's always been well maintained. I think you've done your best to try to get as much capital improvement into that 877 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 facility as possible. I have personally many wonderful memories of spending great Sunday afternoons at that place watching guys like Steve Carlton and other people pitch through my youth. And to listen to team owners talk about that facility as if it were some kind of shanty or some kind of shack, I think, is terribly unfair. And your people have done a tremendous job in keeping that facility in a decent condition, and I've enjoyed it with my family for years going there and viewing both the Phillies and the Eagles. So I think somebody should say it 'cause I think you guys do a good job down there.
Well, I really appreciate that personally. I know the people down there that actually do the work are hard-working, dedicated people, and they care about the place as much as I do. And you're right, it's outdated in today's world. It doesn't have a lot of the amenities that the new places have. And probably first and foremost, it has Astroturf, which now has become the bane of the sports teams. 878 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 But I do appreciate your comments.
I feel that way strongly. Finally, I just want to thank you also for your cooperation with all of the City Administration in the acceleration of the sport court, sport facility floors that will be installed in our existing ice rinks. One of the best things about it is, in the past, when those ice rink seasons, they were closed facilities. Now they're running leagues, roller-hockey leagues, free-skating opportunities, summer camps, after-school programs simply because we're able to put these skating surfaces down there to extend the life of the facility. So your capital staff's cooperation and your programming staff has been really helpful, and I think it's going to serve a lot of kids through the spring and summer. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: And Councilman, we'd like to thank you for your interest and support in that projects.
Thanks. Thank you, Madame Chair. 879 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
Thank you, Madame Chair. I apologize if you've already covered this, but I want to make sure that this gets on the record. It's in reference to the Mural Arts Program. (Jane Golden returns to witness table.)
Thank you. Could you please describe the ongoing maintenance program for the existing murals?
Well, what -- as you know, it's -- we're creating quite a legacy here in Philadelphia, and maintenance is a key issue that we need to grapple with. And what we have decided to do is, out of the new murals we do every year, a small percentage of those murals will be restorations. And that is the way -- that's the only way right now that I can figure out how to fund the murals that need help. The other thing that I think I really 880 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 need to do, and I intend to do this within the next year, is to raise funds from the private sector to restore murals. And I think that's something that's an important issue that we need to pay attention to.
Well, I appreciate your suggestion that we need to go to the private sector and raise money, but it's difficult for me to accept the fact that we are putting these murals up with no plan in place to maintain them. I can't imagine any program without maintenance. It would be like asking Fleet Management to put 50 cars on the street with no 15 plan to change the oil.
No, I agree with you. I think that it's just -- it's hard because it's a limited -- it's a finite amount of funds. And so what I've decided to do, if we can every year pick -- like right now, during the winter months, like this month, we have restored two murals. In March, we're doing two more. So it will be a percentage of our overall murals.
Well, I would prefer 881 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 to see in the budget money for maintenance, not this exchange that you just described. I mean, you really need to have money there for the maintenance of the murals that you put up, or we'll have, ten years from now, a situation where there's just decaying murals all over the city. And to me, I'd rather see no expansion of the program if we're going to let go what we've already done.
Right. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Councilman, I think it's a very good question. And it's not as if it's lost within the Department and within the program. Particularly as the production of new murals has accelerated in the last few years, it's becoming a very big question in my mind. And we've just completed a study not too long ago that suggested that that's an important thing for us to look at. We knew that but, you know, they examined the numbers and the budgets and recommended to us that we really begin to seriously look at how do we creatively fund. And, look, it's hard. Creation of murals is easy -- 882 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 not easy, but it's hard, but the harder part is to figure out how do you resource a significant and real maintenance program. It is a priority of mine to work with this unit and this project and the mural arts advocates to come up with a real plan in some pretty short order.
Commissioner, before we go further and do more murals, I would hope that some of the money -- until you get this creative way with the private sector, that you actually have a line item that suggests maintenance. Because from what I'm hearing, we've got murals, many of them that are in bad shape. And if you tried to go back -- if you try to go back and do them two, three years from now, it becomes a more serious and expensive problem than not having maintenance all along. I mean, I think it's just common sense that that needs to be done.
Right. Well, one thing, though, we have taken several precautions. The first five years that we did murals in this city, we not have mural paint, and we did not seal the 883 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 work. It's nobody's fault; it's just that it was a new program. However, we use mural paint now a hundred percent, we seal the walls before we begin, and we seal them afterwards -- that's adding five to seven years to the life of the mural. I know this 'cause I did murals in Los Angeles that are years old now and they still 10 are in good shape. 11 We're also very particular about the 12 buildings that we paint the murals on. We bring 13 out people who are structural engineers, people 14 who do contracting work, people who will look at a 15 building and say, Jane, it's not a safe bet. In 16 two years, there's going deterioration. I think 17 this is an important program and we need to take 18 these steps. 19 But it's also important that for right 20 now, you're absolutely right, we put aside a percentage of those City funds and say, These are the murals we're going to restore this year.
But that's your words, but it doesn't show anywhere on a piece of paper that there's money for maintenance. 884 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: You made a very good point, Councilman. And, look, I like it, I like the idea. I mean, we were addressing this. We're beginning to look at this and figure out how do we -- what's the most effective, cost-effective and smart way to create a maintenance program within the Mural Arts Project. So it's new, and I think your suggestion is one that we're going to -- you know, I like it. I was not even thinking of our Operating Budget within the program; I was thinking, How do we garner outside dollars, how do we generate interest in the existing public art within the private sector or foundation sector to help us do that work? But another angle might be to try to figure out how, within our Operating Budget, we can create line item that would at least have a baseline of resources that we could say that every year, we're going to do x-number of murals. So that's a good idea.
Thank you, Commissioner. Great job. Thank you, Madame Chair.
You're 885 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madame Chair. How many murals do we have in the city right now, Miss Golden?
And how much of them would you say are in deteriorated condition?
It's actually a small percentage. I would say -- I would say there are may be about murals in the city that we really 14 have to pay attention to, large murals that are 15 suffering. 16
1782 murals in the city, and we had 2 defaced last year?
We had two defaced last year, yes. 886 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
That's correct. Vandalism 5 is not a big problem for us; it's more the weather 6 and buildings that are aging. 7
Thank you for 15 the work that you do. Would you check, Jane, on 16 the Tim Spencer one for us again so that we can 17 maybe get that done at some point. Thank you. 18 And then we were going to spruce up the 19 Patty LaBelle one. 20
Yes. We had a crew there just last week, and we finished scraping and 887 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 putting all the final touches on it and so that's done. And we were just at 32nd and Spring Garden this week, and that's finished as well. Next is 40th and Powelton.
Thank you. Are there any other questions for the Recreation Commissioner? (No further questions.)
Thank you very much. Commissioner, we can now hear testimony regarding Camp William Penn. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Okay.
Yes? Oh, I'm sorry, Councilwoman Clark? I'm sorry.
I was going to remark about a mural, one that I think is outstanding. It is on Broad Street, near the 888 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 Stevens School. It is so well done that you couldn't tell the difference human subjects and the statues on it. Please take my congratulations and thanks for it. It makes you feel good when you pass it. Do you know what I'm talking about? COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Oh, sure.
Well, actually, the young people attend Ben Franklin High School across the street. And it was a very complex photographic method that this artist used, and she's quite a brilliant painter. And so she takes pictures of the kids. She projects the pictures on sheets of acetate, tapes the acetate to the huge wall, traces underneath with her hand, keeps a pen knife in her pocket, and slices the acetate away as she sketches. And what happens is, then you fill in the areas, and it becomes almost like a paint-by-numbers painting. And then actually, the clothing was painted freehand through a grid 889 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 system that we use. And then she put the kids' pictures next to classical figurines. The name of the mural is "Common Threads." It's about what connects us as individuals and what connects us from the past to the present. So it's a very important mural. The kids were thrilled. We also worked with kids from the High School for Creative and Performing Arts on the bottom of the wall, so kids really got to make a mark in the City of Philadelphia. And I think that it's gotten national press. And she's also going to be doing a new mural at 18th and Callowhill and at 13th and Locust. So we're looking forward to those murals as well.
We have a poster of that one, but it is our intention 'cause we've gotten so many calls -- not just from people in the city and not just the region, but nationally. People 890 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 who want pictures, prints, posters, postcards, a book of Philadelphia's murals. So over the next year, we'll be working on that.
Well, I'm not trying to tell you your business, but that would be a great cover.
Thank you very much. But we will make you sure you get a poster of Broad and Spring Garden.
You're welcome. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Should I do Camp William Penn?
Please. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Okay. Camp William Penn is requesting a total of $322,853 in General Fund appropriations for FY 2000, which is $4,596 more than FY '99 estimated obligations, and provides for full funding for negotiated pay raises. The request supports three full-time employees and 65 temporary employees to staff Camp 891 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 William Penn. We expect to run one 5-day encampment and three 8-day encampments for boys and girls ages through 12. We anticipate approximately 6 850 children to attend the summer program in 1999. 7
Wonderful. 8 Thank you. Any questions from members of the committee? (No questions.)
Thank you all very much. COMMISSIONER DIBERARDINIS: Thank you very much.
Next is the Fairmount Park Commission. (Fairmount Park Commission panel members come forward.)
Good afternoon, Mr. Mifflin. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
I'd be happy to. Good afternoon, Council President Verna. My name is William E. Mifflin. I'm the 892 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 Executive Director of Fairmount Park Commission. It's my pleasure to appear before you today to present, on behalf of the Fairmount Park Commission, our recommended Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2000. I'd like to also inform the Councilpeople of the Park staff that has accompanied me today to the table, if I may. My far left is Barry Bessler, the Chief of Staff; to my immediate left if James Donaghy, the Director the Operations; to my right is Paul Nice, Deputy Director for Administration; Nancy Goldenberg, Project Administrator for our Natural Lands Restoration Environmental Education Project; Mr. Dennis Waller, who is our Deputy Director for Business Administration; and next to Dennis is Mr. Michael DiSanto, who is our Building Facilities Manager. That really represents the entire senior staff of the Fairmount Park Commission. So we're all appreciative of being here this afternoon. And I'll paraphrase very quickly from my testimony. 893 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
Would you, and I'll make sure that the stenographer has a copy of your complete testimony for the record. So if could you abbreviate, I would appreciate it.
I'll proceed and make this very brief, then. The requested Fairmount Park Operating Budget before you today of $13,300,000 provides for $549,332 in additional appropriations above the FY '99 adopted budget. The majority of this increase, 500,000, will be used to support the Fairmount Park Ranger Program. The City Administration has agreed to annually provide the one half of one million dollar yearly cost of operating the program, while the Board of Philadelphia Ranger Corp has committed to provide the other half in fund-raising efforts throughout the term of proposed five-year plan. In return, the Rangers have agreed to improve their mobility, their visibility within Fairmount Park as well as improve their coordination with the Philadelphia Police Department. /Budget/Bill 990023 Commission continues to be the provision of passive and active recreation accessibility to all Philadelphia residents and visitors, and to provide maintenance of the facilities, amenities in the City's parks and program leadership to support organized park activities. This past year, we have been able to accomplish many major initiatives. The first initiative that we'd like to bring to your attention, of course, is the work presently being performed under the William Penn Foundation Grant for the Natural Lands and Restoration Environmental Education Program. Although the funds -- this is private funds for the most -- for the majority, Nancy Goldenberg and her staff are really considered part of the staff of the Fairmount Park Commission. And the work that's being performed using this funding is really a Fairmount Park initiative and enjoys the support across the Park with the various divisions that are represented here this afternoon. /Budget/Bill 990023 months, and we have a very, very energetic and, we think, very interesting future as we complete this five-year project in 2002. I'd be happy to answer specific questions about that project as well. We've been about to continue our Tree Maintenance Program, a comprehensive tree plan for the Park and street trees, which includes removal, planning, pruning in spring. This past year is not like any other year, with heavy storms that occurred at the end of June, the beginning of July. We've been forced to spend quite a lot of overtime on the cleanup of storm-damaged trees. But above and beyond that, we've been able to complete, I think, with the support of City Council, and, as you know, last year, I believe for the first time, we received a special allocation for street tree trimming. We're back now, I think, in a major way of trimming street trees throughout the City of Philadelphia, and the public is beginning to recognize that. And I think we're all seeing the fruits of that initiative. And we'd certainly encourage that that continue. /Budget/Bill 990023 Education Division, which we think is respectful and responsible to this new initiative of the Natural Lands Restoration Project. This does not mean we've hired additional staff, but it's basically reorganization and reallocation of the staff within the Park system, and it's a very real sign of commitment to environmental education, which we believe to be a real part of the future for Fairmount Park as we begin to move beyond the completion of the Natural Lands Project and look to ways in which we can maintain those improvements. From additional programmatic perspectives, we are quite proud of our Fairmount Park Rowing Camp. The rowing camp is 1 of 11 summer camps that the Fairmount Park Commission offers in July -- largely in the July and August months of the year. And this past year, we did have 120 children participate in this encampment, and we finalized with a row-off between the Philadelphia and the City of Wilmington, who has a very similar camp in the City of Wilmington that also enjoys sponsorship by a local corporation. /Budget/Bill 990023 expanding actually.
We have been able to acquire additional scull and have reached out now in partnership with the Police Athletic League as a recruitment base for this camp. So we're excited about that camp. And, again, it's 1 of 11 that we provide throughout really the Park system. Of course, our volunteers for the Park, we spend a great deal of time nurturing and cultivating and focussing from a Park staff perspective as well as the Commission's perspective. We're proud to announce that we now have 82 Park Friends groups -- that's up from the 75 or 76 that we had at this time last year. So although we have a small volunteer coordination office led by Barry Bessler, we've done a great deal, I think, in embracing the community, and the community embracing Fairmount Park. Last year, we had over 21,000 volunteers support Fairmount Park, and that's, quite frankly, extraordinary. In the management initiative category, if you will, landscape maintenance continues to be one of our heaviest focuses with out-sourcing and the privatization by contractor of mowing the vast majority of acreage in the Park system. /Budget/Bill 990023 frankly, we could not do it ourselves, and we believe that this initiative is both cost-efficient and -effective, and we'll continue to provide that service. As the testimony indicates, we've been able to reduce on average the mowing throughout the Park at one point of FY '94 of four weeks down to approximately two and a half weeks on average. And this has made a dramatic improvement to the appearance and the condition of the Park. The contractors are responsible to pick up litter and debris before they mow. And that, combined with the work of our Park staff, we believe, has lead to a dramatic improvement in the appearance and the condition and the way that park users are able to access the Park. Another initiative that we've recently unveiled and begun is something called our "Park-wide Master Concessionaire," and all City Councilpeople will remember, I believe, that we've talked about this in the past. It's been an initiative for perhaps close to five years now. /Budget/Bill 990023 agreement with a concessionaire who is maintaining a restaurant and catering operations and providing those operations at Memorial Hall or New Lloyd Hall and at the Horticultural Center. And this spring, we anticipate the concessionaire providing a top-quality delivery of services at our fixed concession stands in our neighborhood parks. 3 million. This is obviously a significant increase over the revenues that we have been providing over the past three years by the similar operations. So we've really changed in a major way in which we conduct business in concessions. The Fairmount Water Works, as you may know, is a project of the -- the restoration is a project of the Fairmount Park Commission. This is as much an issue of the Capital Budget as it is of the Operating Budget. /Budget/Bill 990023 completed by July of the year 2000. And this will be not only something that we can talk about very proudly in historic preservation, but also will enhance the delivery of services to the Park with a restaurant operation and the other type of activities that are planned for the Water Works, but will also generate additional revenues for the City.
That will be a part of the park-wide concession as well. We have not selected or even begun to solicit from restaurateurs or the specific operator of that facility. We should begin that process this spring. You're also aware of the work that the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust, which is working very actively on a number of properties, historic properties in Fairmount Park. And through a creative way that this Council has blessed an ordinance, we are able to offer longer-term leases beyond the one-year lease that we're able to offer at the Park Commission. 901 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 And it's a very encouraging opportunity for people to invest in our historic properties as well as providing the capital improvements of these buildings while also maintaining them as public facilities. In conclusion, I'd just like to provide the Council with the assurances that the Fairmount Park Commission will continue to work as creatively as we possibly can with City Council, with Friends of the Park groups, foundations, and all users of Fairmount Park to provide acceptable and reasonable and responsible access to Fairmount Park. We continue to have a closing association with these volunteer groups and funding entities, and we believe that the success that we're now enjoying today is thanks to a strong commitment of the Rendell Administration and City Council in helping to protect and preserve what we think is the premiere park system in the country. So with that, I'll be happy to conclude my formal remarks, and will answer any questions that you may have. 902 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
Thank you, Mr. Mifflin. I don't mean to be antagonistic, but can you tell us why you're reducing the number of street trees to be pruned in FY 2000 versus the number pruned in FY '99?
James Donaghy, Operations Director. And we're -- actually, we will not be reducing the numbers. There was a carry-over from last fiscal year into this year which had been included as service levels. With the appropriation from City Council for pruning street trees, we anticipate --
There's a difference though, isn't it? Isn't this there quite a difference? How many were carried over from last year to this fiscal year?
3,000. (Councilman Nutter addresses Council President Verna off mike.)
On the first dollars in for street tree pruning, my 903 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 recollection is, it was a million dollars in January midway through that particular fiscal year. So the Park had to spend essentially a million dollars in half of a fiscal year. They could not do it. That money went into the next fiscal year. So that in FY '98, where you see the 5400, that's all they were able to complete in half a fiscal year. The balance got done in '99. But if you add those two fiscal years together, it's 14,000 trees being done spread over 2 fiscal years, so it's an average about 7. And when you come into the full fiscal year, I think their number is about 7500. They just physically could not do all of that work in a half a year, even though they had a million dollars.
Do we prune trees at only certain times of the year? Or can they be pruned year-round?
Yes, we are. We are 904 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 currently working now -- with the current year's fiscal appropriation, we're doing pruning today.
Wonderful. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madame Chair. Along that same line Mr. Donaghy, can you get us for FY '98 and as closely as you can get for FY '99 a listing -- whether it's by park district, zip code, City Council district, however your systems operates -- can you get us a listing of the trees that have been done to date and what you expect to do by the end of the fiscal year so that we can have some sense geographically of how that work is being spread out and also be able to respond to constituents about when the pruning crews might get to their neighborhood.
Okay. I had circled that on my list as well. Director Mifflin, I want to go back to of your testimony and talk about the environmental education centers. The testimony lists them as being in Tacony, Wissahickon, and 905 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 Fairmount Park, FDR, and Cobbs Creek. Is it my recollection, though, that there's one proposed for the Strawberry Mansion section of the city?
That's really over in Strawberry Mansion -- it's across from the Dell East.
That is correct. It's near Huntington Street, 33rd and Huntington, right.
Now, I don't know if it was in your testimony or in just remarks that were making. You talked about the staffing issue with regard to these new environmental education centers.
My recollection is 906 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023 that you said you were not hiring new staff but that you were reorganizing in order to be able to fund the -- staff these facility. Was that your testimony?
I was testifying to a recent reorganization in Fairmount Park now having an Environmental Education Division, which is not necessarily focussing these new centers.
But as an entire division that is responsible for the environmental educational component of Fairmount Park.
And to date, we have not hired new staff for that. That's just the reorganization.
Let's talk about the centers. Who's going to run these -- is it five or six?
Tacony, Wissahickon, Fairmount/Strawberry Mansion, FDR, Cobbs Creek, and Penny Pack; is that right, is that the list? 907 2/19/99 WHOLE COMM./Budget/Bill 990023
The Fairmount Park Commission, and the Fairmount Park Commission will assign a full-time staff person to each of these facilities upon their completion. In the interim -- and it's a little bit of a mixed bag because we already have one facility in the Wissahickon, and we already have a facility in the Pennypack, which is presently staffed. And in the Pennypack's case, we're merely enlarging that particular facility.
Now, you say you already have a facility in the Wissahickon?