So there are a lot of them out there that we would look at. This is one that we're looking at currently. So it's just happening coincidentally.
I'm not trying to be obtuse. 59 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255
I know that you have a follow-up question, Councilman, but I think we're going to have to wait.
Thank you, Madam President. I just want to ask a couple of questions in follow up to the street tree removal. Whose responsibility is it if it's your tree and the tree with the roots are breaking and cracking up the sidewalk, whose responsibility is it to do repair to that sidewalk?
It's my understanding that it is the property owner's responsibility. They have the responsibility of the sidewalk.
Okay. And when a tree is removed, you do replace it 60 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 if the property owner wants it replaced or if -- I mean, do they have a say in this whether they want the tree replaced, another planted?
Yes. We actually only plant a tree upon request in front of a property, a homeowner's property. If we were to remove a tree at a location, sometimes it's difficult to find an area to replace the tree because of the size of some of the sidewalks.
So you don't really plant it back, replace it in the place that you took it out of?
All right. I have some questions. I'm just a little bit confused about the Recreation Department and Fairmount Park. So you're going to put together what's called Park Recreation Administrative Service Center to consolidate and not be redundant in terms of tasks, correct?
So if there's a program going on in a particular center, who will be actually running that program? Will it be Recreation or Fairmount Park?
Okay. So, for example, Allens Lane Art Center, is that a place that you would give to Recreation or you would keep? I'm confused. I'm real confused here.
We tend to run the programming out there and would continue to.
So there are some places that you'd continue to operate the programs?
Can we get information as to what you will be doing 62 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 versus what the Recreation centers will be doing? When we get calls, we need to know who to call and it's easier if we know exactly who is going to be responsible for what particular center --
And I believe that's what we're trying to do, is sort of streamline this effort so that it is -- it's seamless, that there will be one place to call that can generate the appropriate information back to Council and the citizens so that there's not the sense of is it Fairmount Park or is it Recreation or some other entity. So we are actively trying to pursue that.
All right. That's very good. And I do want to commend the cleaning of the restrooms. I was at Blue Bell Park last summer. I go there every year for a neighborhood reunion. And I really took notice of the bathroom. So whatever you're 63 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 doing differently, last year was really -- I mean, the bathroom was clean, it was well stocked, because I had actually taken my own soap and whatnot, but there was already soap in there. I was really kind of shocked. So I just want to commend that crew who is going around, doing that type of clean-ups. And I have some other questions, but it will run over my time, so I might as well stop now and wait.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ramos.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I, like many Philadelphians, am so proud of our park, and the gift of the creator to put this park in the middle of our City is quite an honor for us to have this beautiful greenery all around us, yet so underutilized, and yet certain parts of it, as there was reported I believe in the Daily News a few 64 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 weeks ago, of how some of our citizens like to trash our park. Can you talk to me about what is your -- I know you made mention of it in your statement. How is your clean-up going, how much of a burden, a physical burden, is this on you? What are you doing, and can you tell me a little bit about it? What are you doing to promote monitoring of our parks, how you're doing it?
Good morning, Councilman. We have an extraordinary responsibility towards maintenance of the park. I believe it does fall under the category of just keeping it clean. And we spend a great deal of time, grounds maintenance crews, doing exactly that. We also have a really wonderful volunteer force in the City of Philadelphia that, among other things, the Strategic Plan has found that no other system that they've ever come across has the level of volunteer support that our system here at Fairmount Park 65 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 does. (Applause.)
Thank you. Without them, we would have nowhere near the level of clean and green that we do. And that's sort of person to person environmental education on what it takes to keep the City and its parks clean is critical to our efforts. And also the recent sort of news reports that you referred to help us in that regard, because otherwise it would be an overwhelming effort. Part of our Strategic Plan, if we look at it, is to look at our sort of operational activities to make sure that we are doing everything we can to keep it up to standards, but the idea of citizen education I think is probably the biggest piece of that whole puzzle, the idea of leave no footprint. You also made mention of being a park within a city, but one of the things that the consultant says, and I think the Managing Director also adopted it, is that we are a city within a park, so we are particularly 66 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 lucky.
I can handle that part as well. What also are you doing besides your volunteer work? Is there anything that you do outside of your volunteer work to educate and enlighten our citizenry that we all need and it's not -- it's our citizenry. We all have to do -- this culture has developed in this City, and I'll be addressing this in my days here in City Council, of cleaning up this City. The sub-culture of unloading McDonald wrappers, throwing them as we go by the park, we all have to be a part of this cleanliness effort in making Philadelphia a more beautiful place to look at. I mean, what other things are you doing besides your volunteer core?
That is a huge piece of it. We have a Preserve Your Park piece of the puzzle that is company volunteer units that really do learn the process of taking care of the park from beginning to end, and it is a huge division within Fairmount 67 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 Park that is looking at those kind of entities that can take on the responsibility for saying this segment of the park is clean, its standards are up, not only from a cleanliness perspective but even from a restoration perspective, to improving park land.
I know you have these little signs on the pole that says Keep Your Park Clean. Are you going to have more of them put into the park? Maybe you should put one up Keep Your Dogs Leashed so Councilman Clarke won't get chased or bit while he's trying to keep in shape.
You know, one of the things that Sam Curry briefly mentioned was even within the work force of Fairmount Park, I think that our employees do everything in their power to sort of enforce the rules and regulations.
Yes, but they're not around all the time. You jog through the park at 2 o'clock in the morning and a citizen has got his head who knows where and he or she is getting ready to throw one of 68 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 those cups out the window, but if you have a little sign out there, if we get a few more of those nice aesthetically good-looking signs Keep Philadelphia -- you know, somebody is going to say hold it. Probably not all of them, but someone will say, I am not going to throw this because I was reminded.
Councilman, maybe I can elaborate a little bit. Most of our parks do have some type of regulation sign, which indicates no littering, things like that on the signage. Other things that we have done --
Do you think you have enough of them? I guess that's my question. Do you think you have enough of them, and if you don't, can you get more?
We probably do not have enough signage. There's always that give and take with signage. You don't want to over-sign areas. It takes away from the aesthetics, but you want to have enough 69 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 signage so people can see it at certain entrances, certain areas where they'll be. Another thing that we've done, we have a lot of picnics in the park and we issue picnic permits. On the permits, it asks the people to clean up after themselves. Not to take the trash away, we will do that, but at least to pick the litter. Also, on weekends when we come upon someone that's having a picnic, our employees are instructed to go up and, if they can, give the people a trash bag or two so they can utilize the trash bag.
I think that you should consider more aesthetically appropriate signs reminding our citizenry to keep our park clean.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Clarke. 70 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255
Real briefly to follow up on Councilman Ramos's question with respect to cleanliness in the park. Does the Park have any relationship with the City's community service program? I know in some areas throughout the City we have programs that individuals who receive alternative sentencing are targeted for cleaning up vacant lots and other things throughout the communities. There's some sort of structured program, I believe, run out of the City's -- I'm not sure what office exactly oversees that. Do you guys have any relationship with that program that you specifically --
Okay. At this 71 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 point, no. One of the relationships we do have is with a group known as Ready, Willing and Able.
I'm talking about volunteers. The alternative sentencing programs where we don't have to pay, they're mandated by the courts to provide community service, and right now I know that we utilize them throughout neighborhoods, and my question is, does the Park have a relationship with that organization or that entity in the City so we can get assistance in the park in cleaning up the park?
We don't currently, but that is something we can look at. 72 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255
Yes. In the course of doing some reorganizing within the Park itself right now, we are trying to look at a sort of environmental division, and I think that the capacity to put clearer relationships with volunteer groups, which even this could fall under, the potential for expanding that effort is going to be out there, so we can certainly look at it.
Because I believe the program is substantially underutilized and we need to take advantage of that. The question I wanted to ask, and I actually asked this question maybe last year or the year prior to that, marketing in the park. I think last year I talked about the fact that we have this wonderful resource, a jewel, so to speak, in the middle of our City. 73 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 And when you talk about the fact that most people beyond the region don't really know about the park, particularly its name as compared to New York City, which is a much smaller park. Everybody knows about Central Park. I think it's known internationally. But nobody knows about Fairmount Park once you get beyond 60 miles. And my question is, are we going to enhance our marketing strategy or have we attempted to enhance it? Do we have a relationship with the visitors in the Convention Bureau or the other agencies who are responsible for marketing this City? Because I haven't seen a noticeable increase in marketing in the commercials that I see both here and outside of the City as it relates to the park.
Yes. Marketing the park is the most important thing we can do in the future, and I think that we're sort of on our way. We just developed a new logo, which we are going to roll out, along with the Strategic Plan, which we're very excited about. We're also working intensively on a 74 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 web site that is truly the way to get the word out. This is not only sort of a citizen service where we are trying to look at how we do permitting and things, it is what people outside of the area go online to find out what they're going to do in Philadelphia. And we have to have a major presence in that form. We also are closely involved right now with the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation in a study for outdoor destinations in the region, which is clearly what we are, and we are sort of undermarketed in that respect. So we're working closely with them to get the word out in a big way.
Are you included in any of the documents? I know they put these pamphlets out in other hotels and surrounding areas. Are you included in any of those?
Right. Our sort of presence in the hotels is simply not there, and that's one of the things we're trying to upgrade substantially. I think even some 75 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 funders are probably in the room, but Penn, Pugh, Lenfest have been very helpful to us and other organizations in that sort of study level to really look at how we get the word out and do a better job marketing the park as a destination location in and of itself.
There's a study out at GPTMC right now that -- I mean, heading up the group is Patricia Washington on this particular study. The results will be out in September. And then we'll look at the next stage, which is really implementation of some good marketing ideas. And we've also been in contact with PCBB as well.
Can you keep me abreast of that? Because I'm very interested in that, since part of the park borders with my district and is in my district.
Absolutely. One of the other things that we're looking at doing as we've been in 76 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 conversations with Independence Visitors Center, they have open spaces, we are trying to figure out a way to promote our historic homes in the historic home tours with some sort of location in sight at IBC, so that for a two-month period, there's some sort of installation or exhibit there that says, Take the trolley, do the tours of the historic homes and really sort of pick up the effort all the way around to just get people in the park for the things you can do here.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Could I ask Mr. Nicks to come to the table?
Hi, Commissioner. One of the concerns that many people have with the anticipated financial condition of the City, I'd like for the record to get the position, your position, the Commissioner's position, on the potential sale of any Fairmount Park land for development to raise money.
I guess historically, and Commissioners Wolf-Goldstein, Tucker, Price, Baum, Bloom are all here, and I think if any of them disagree, they can step up and say. But we don't develop or sell park land. The furthest we've considered or gone would be the "school of the future," which is maybe an inch past cultural and recreational use, but still what we believe was a public use. And even in those situations, we require acre for acre replacement. So in that case, I would say that 78 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 there's going to be no sale of any land for any budget requirements. (Applause.)
The Strategic Plan does say revenue enhancement and that 20, 30 percent of our budget should be generated outside of the City funding dollars, which I personally -- I think most of the Commissioners agree with -- and that can be done absent of selling land. We can do that by -- I think Councilman Clarke hit on it -- is creating what I would call destination points, cultural, recreation destination points. We work daily with our friends at the Art Museum, for instance. The Chairman is here, Gerry Lenfest, where when the Museum does those type of events, they're a destination point. What we want to do is, we want to create other destination points in our park that people come to that generate revenue for the parks.
That's good 79 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 to hear. The other point that you reminded me of, the development of some of the historic homes for use, which I think has turned out to be a pretty good --
Well, continue to do what we call alternative reuses of historic houses, and our Historic Preservation Trust is constantly looking for opportunities to put mostly non-profits but businesses, anyone who is willing to come into a house, restore it to its grandeur. I want to say the Please Touch is the perfect example.
I would stand by our record that we've done nothing but appropriate businesses.
You can understand there are a lot of nervous elected officials, constantly people are concerned about the future of the park, especially if times get tough, and it's good to hear that, Commissioners, your position on that 80 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 particular issue. I think you heard the recognition of the audience today supporting that statement.
I think what you'll see is, the Commission will support a Strategic Plan that does not dilute the responsibilities of the Commission. As long as there's an independent body that oversees the parks, I think then that the vision of the park will continue to be that vision.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Ms. Borski, just very quickly, the last question on the, quote/unquote, swap 81 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 issue was, with regard to the location that you've mentioned on the record, who would pay for the purchase of the property, or in what other way would it be considered a swap?
At the moment, we have a grant request in to pay for that property. It hasn't been responded to yet.
Okay. Are you in a position to say who the grant is into, grant request?
I'm still struggling a little bit with some of the terminology that was used earlier. Normally in a swap, if you're dealing with the School District on their site, in a traditional swap, then you'd be talking to the School District about another piece of property that they owned adjacent to the park and you're trying to construct a deal. So that's, I guess, my notion of a swap. I don't understand a swap where you have one transaction going on with one party, 82 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 another transaction going on potentially with another party and what those two have to do with each other. In my experience, that's not a swap.
I think I confused the issue unintentionally. In our discussions with the School District, we will be talking to them about identifying and acquiring land in exchange for the parcel that they are looking at developing as the "school of the future."
They may own some land. We may identify some land and say, This would be a good piece, please provide it to us.
All right. That, I understand. I didn't understand the other concept. What are some of the other proposed revenue generators for the Park as laid out by the Strategic Plan or any other thoughts or ideas that the Park Commission has come up 83 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 with?
Concession agreements that have a good return to the Park. I think we can improve them in a lot of ways.
Well, but the Strategic Plan will say, Look at broadening your concession arrangements.
Not enough. We do a golf course concession right now that covers our six golf courses. We have driving range concessions. We have a park-wide food concessionaire.
That's the current format, yes, and that's something I think we need to look at.
How long are these concession contracts or leases? 84 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255
As a general rule, they've been set up to run for ten years and then have renewal options on the end of them.
Well, what's the revenue generated out of the golf courses?
And do we think that that concessionaire is doing a good job, a poor job or an okay job? And what do we think we could really generate out of the golf courses?
I think we want to generate more. I think we want to be -- I think we have been fairly passive in those efforts, and that is one of the places we can sort of bump up our interests and our efforts, to have our concessions produce more for the Park so that we can turn it back into the parks. 85 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 So I don't know how to give it a grade other than to say that I know we want to do better. I don't know if the Chairman wants to add to that.
I think, Mr. Councilman, we would say that the golf concessionaire has done an okay job, that courses are probably not in the condition we'd like them to be. And myself and a few other Commissioners are currently negotiating with the golf concessionaire to make some substantial capital improvements, which should turn around and create increases in the revenues generated under the contract, that we would receive under the contract.
That contract expires 2009 or 10, and there's two five-year options at the end at the City's discretion.
Can you provide to the Chair a list of all of the concession contracts in the park, all of the present concessionaires, what the revenues 86 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 were for the last three years at least from each of those concessions, when the contracts expire and what the plan is to reinstitute them? Do we have competition in our concession contracts?
We have competition probably before we award them, but we've awarded them -- what the Strategic Plan will say is we probably awarded them on too large a scale. Rather than having one golf concessionaire, they may say we should have three. So they're some of the things that will be recommendations back. Like any consultant, what works in Indianapolis may not work here, so I hesitate to tell you exactly what we're going to do until we see the final plan and then we see if it will work here.
Do we have any concession contracts that are about to expire?
I don't believe so, nothing imminent. 87 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255
Tell me about any amount of diversity in the concession contracting area.
I mean, we make -- for example, there is an RFP recently that went out for the 33rd Street driving range. What is it, 33rd and right off of Girard, that was long run by the Friends of East Park where the respondents were all minority companies, of which the award will go to a minority company and it will be up in operation this summer.
You're pretty much assured of getting a minority company if everybody who applies was minority.
Good point. Well taken. I think what I will do is, I will in the information supply our participation numbers on the contracts as well.
Are there any present concessionaire contracts -- how would I say this -- that were prime bid by minority, female or disadvantaged business? 88 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255
I don't know. I know, for instance, most of the contracts are done strictly through -- directly through Procurement, so they'd be in the regular City system. I know that our maintenance, some of our grass-cutting crews are minority companies. I know our maintenance crews in three or four of the park houses are done through a minority-owned maintenance company.
I understand. I was speaking again specifically about the concession area.
Okay. You're going to provide to the Chair all the information about concession contracts?
Thank you. Before recognizing Councilwoman 89 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 Brown, I just have a very brief question. In going through the budget, I did not see any mention of the park rangers.
So 12 would you say that that's the same amount that 13 we had last year? 14
Thank 16 you. 17 The Chair recognizes Councilwoman 18 Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. I need to go back because I'm not completely settled with the question around playground maintenance just to be sure I'm clear in what we are hopeful to receive from the Fairmount Park Commission. And I'm struck 90 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 by the fact that you gave yourself an A, although you could not tell me how you arrived at that. And I appreciate your professional judgment, but we know that that has to be based on some kind of checklist or something. So with those playgrounds that are not currently up to code, that list will be forwarded to the Chair, correct?
We can provide a list of all of our playground sites. In that list we can tell you to a point what the condition is of the site. We can include areas where we are going to be providing capital improvements to the playground sites. We can probably tell you some of the things that we have done at the sites over the past year as far as repairing, removing hazards, putting in some type of fall protection, whether it be wood chips or a matting, rubber tires. That type of information we can provide.
That would be extremely helpful. And how do you use the Playground Safety Policy? I mean, 91 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 procedurally what happens?
In the Playground Safety Policy, we have several individuals on staff that are certified playground safety inspectors.
We actually go out and do an evaluation, and we did that about a year and a half ago, and that resulted in how we prioritize what we do at certain locations.
Okay. I will look to that with interest when it's submitted to our Chairperson. Lastly, Schuylkill River Park, what is the role, if any, with the Fairmount Park Commission knowing that there are mixed jurisdictions around the Schuylkill River Park activity?
The grounds of Schuylkill River Park are Fairmount Park to Locust Street currently. I know Schuylkill River Development Corporation has plans to expand further south than that, but the current park goes to Locust, and that ground 92 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 is Fairmount Park ground.
With the responsibility of Fairmount Park, is there any activity that you're engaged in right now up to Locust Street?
It's not really an officially opened park yet. They are still in process of getting to the point of the grand opening of the park, but it is something that we're in constant conversation with it because it is Fairmount Park ground and we are working with SRDC right now, Schuylkill River Development Corporation, to see what sort of arrangement we would like to put into place for the continued maintenance of that facility.
Thank you. 93 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 The Chair again recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Ms. Borski, you mentioned earlier, and I can only echo your comments when you said that the consultant report -- I'm sorry; the Strategic Plan made mention of that Philadelphia, unlike any other system they had observed, had the highest level of volunteer support, which, again, is to be commended. (Applause.)
And we are clearly the beneficiaries. What I'd like to understand, at least from the draft or from your own knowledge and information, what did the Strategic Plan tell us about the level of funding support for the Fairmount Park system as compared to other systems that they've observed across the country?
I don't know. They do comparisons to some other sort of major urban environments, and we would be near the bottom, but I don't have, for instance, a list in front of me of the cities they compared us to or things like that. I can try and get that to you.
I'd appreciate that. Based on your own experience or other knowledge or information, what do you think the funding level should be to support a 9,100-acre park and the many amenities that we have in this quite unique Park system? What does it really cost to run the Fairmount Park system at a high level?
Well, that goes back to the comments that you were making earlier and hopefully now that we have engaged a Strategic Plan, are in an 18-month process, we will come up with some viable numbers to 95 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 look at to tell us exactly that. We know that we're low now. We know that if they do things on a per capita basis, and studies have been done to say that, that the numbers do come in very low. Every system is sort of unique and different. We collaborate with a lot of other city agencies. There are other cities that, for instance, would have a complete capital planning department solely within the Park system. So there's some shaking out of apples to apples and oranges to oranges in terms of making a comparison, but hopefully the Strategic Plan will be providing us with exactly those kind of figures.
Well, I understand that. But with about a month to go and after 18 months of study, what is it that we're going to find out in the next month that we don't know today?
Where is this information coming from that will shine 96 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 the complete light, that will open all of our eyes to better understand how we get to a brighter tomorrow?
I could tell you that the drafts that I've seen have not laid out that sort of a graph or chart to say that. They talk in general terms and do offer guidelines that says that the Park system itself should figure out a way to raise more money within the Park system. I think that they would go so far as to recommend that the City would let the Park system keep some of its newly generated revenue solely within the Park system. That, for instance, would be a recommendation that I think they're going to come up with. Whether or not they are going to --
I understand that, but many of us have been talking about that for many years. Is there a proposal on the table? Is there a discussion within the Administration to create now a separate funding source for the Park or a separate statute for the Park to allow it, 97 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 even under the best of circumstances and with your good efforts, to put all of these revenue-enhancement provisions in place, to change all of your concession contracts, to enhance the golf courses, the food concessions and everything else that you do? Don't those dollars presently go into the general fund?
And so what mechanism will be created to insure that Park-generated revenues stay in the Park?
That will be a recommendation of the plan. I am not sure of the real technical details of how you might make that happen.
Well, have there been any discussions with the City Administration about that?
Yes, I'm sure there have been. The Strategic Plan, while it reflects Fairmount Park, I'm sure you know, was really directed out of the Managing Director's Office. So discussions happen on a couple levels at the same time. 98 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 And I know that the sort of financial analysis of the Strategic Plan certainly is looking at making those sort of recommendations, but how it then happens, I cannot tell you.
Okay. My last concern with regard to funding is, of the five-year plan shows the Park's budget declining every year for the next five years. How do you propose to deal with that in the context of all of these discussions?
I mean, it's a harsh reality and I think that that's -- I know you're saying I'm referring to a Strategic Plan which sort of is on the cusp of coming out, but I think we really were looking down this alley. Municipal governments are fairly strapped in what we can provide. We have a particularly unique Park system that deserves to shine. So while we're looking at the harsh reality of these numbers and potential decline, we have to take this opportunity to look at how we're going to boost that revenue. 99 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 The Park has existed for many, many years now on an operating budget from the City of Philadelphia, but that has also been enhanced by philanthropy from foundations. And I think as we look down the line, we have to look at ways to generate revenue outside of these sources.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. Safety in the park continues to be an interest to many of us, and given the regrettable horror stories we had to endure this past year, I'm curious to know, A, the level of coordination with the Police Department and, B, what kind of adjustments did you make internally to respond to those realities?
It is always hard 100 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 to hear about crime in the park. That affects all of us. It certainly reminds us that we are in an urban environment and the park is part of a city and things can happen in it. We have had good relationships with the Police Department over the years, and particularly 92nd District affects the area where the murder that you're referring to happened last summer. We are now working with the Police Department to have a single liaison for issues that happen within the Park system anywhere, and I think that will be tremendously beneficial to us.
It is unprecedented, yes. So at this point, the Commissioner has identified a captain within the Police Department who will be our liaison for activities that we have questions about within the Park system. I think that will be tremendously helpful. We always try generally to put out 101 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 the word about safety and how you have to be mindful of yourself and your possessions when you're in the park. We are constantly looking at ways to sort of improve the efforts of saying the park is a safe place and you should be there, but you have to be aware of your surroundings, like you would be anywhere else.
And park rangers still have as a part of their duty the role of safety, or do they?
They do. I mean, they're stewards of the park in a variety of fashions. The very fact of the uniform is a helpful enforcement tool. It should be something that you take into account, though, that safety within the Park system really does sort of fall to the citizens and their behavior in the park. We take crime to the police district. The rangers do not really have an enforcement mechanism in terms of serious criminal activity. In terms of park rules and regulations, that is their enforcement capacity. 102 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255
We have 18 active 5 park rangers at the moment. I'm saying that 6 number. 7
That's a 8 decrease over year 2000 when I first came 9 here. 10
I'm sorry. 11 They're telling me that with supervisors, 12 we're more like 22. I apologize for that. 13
And your 14 budgeted for what number? At one point, you 15 were budgeted for 24. 16
There's currently 17 one vacancy, so that would put us at 23. 18
Final 19 question: You say the level of coordination 20 with the Police Department would be that of an 21 liaison. In terms of systemic change, is that 22 individual a part of executive-level staff 23 meetings in the Park so that there is an 24 integrated approach to this whole issue of safety in the park? 103 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255
The police have been attending Commission meetings and are invited to attend at all times. This sort of conduit for information I think will be tremendously helpful for us. There are some places in the park where we're bounded by four police districts, sort of a crisscross right in the center of a park. So it does become difficult sometimes to try and get the information from the appropriate police district about an event. So I think this will be immensely helpful to us in terms of getting the word back and forth between the agencies quickly and then we can put it out.
So you're saying with a police liaison information will be more streamlined?
Thank you for your testimony. Thank you, Madam President.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman 104 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255 Nutter.
This is getting to be kind of fun. Ms. Borski, you mentioned the DCNR grant earlier, that you were looking to use that as a funding source to purchase some additional property. We don't have to go through back the swap discussion. Are there any other components of the DCNR grant that you're making application to the state for for use in the Park system?
We probably have a few DCNR grants in the pipeline right now.
Can you tell me then specifically about the reviewing stance on Kelly Drive?
Yes. I would ask Stephanie Craighead to respond to your question. She's capital planning for us and has done the grant application on that issue. 105 Whole - 4/20/04 - Bill No. 040255
Good morning. Kindly identify yourself for the record.