COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE - - - Room 696, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monday, March 3, 2003 9:50 a.m. - - - FY '04 OPERATING BUDGET TESTIMONY - - - Bill 030004 - Ordinance adopting the Operating Budget for FY '04 Bill 030008 - Ordinance amending Section 19-2604 of the Philadelphia Code... Bill 030010 - Ordinance amending Section 19-1301 of the Philadelphia Code - - - PRESENT: COUNCIL PRESIDENT ANNA C. VERNA, Chair COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE BLACKWELL, Vice Chair COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS-BROWN COUNCILMAN DARRELL L. CLARKE COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILMAN FRANK J. DICICCO COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY COUNCILWOMAN JOAN L. KRAJEWSKI COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILMAN ANGEL L. ORTIZ COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services Eleven Penn Center 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220 (215) 567-2670 954 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Good morning, everyone. This is a continued public hearing of the Committee of the Whole regarding Bill Nos. 030004, 030008, and 030010. I would like to welcome all of the school children. Where are you from? STUDENTS: Elwood.
Welcome. Fairmount Park will be the first to testify. (Applause.)
Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good morning, Madam President. My name is Robert Nix, III. I am President of the Fairmount Park Commission. To my right is Karen Lloyd Borski, who is the acting executive director of Fairmount Park. Together with us today is Commissioner Leon Tucker; the park treasurer, James Blume; Commissioner John Binswanger; and another commissioner I'm sure will be floating in, as, I hope, will be the managing director, my former executive director. 955 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Lastly, the vice president commissioner, Debra Wolfe Goldstein on my behalf is introducing Commissioner DeBernadenis, who is now the commissioner of the DCNR, to the Conservancy of Pennsylvania meeting over at the Horticultural Society or she would be here as well. It is my pleasure to appear before this body today to present on behalf of the commission a recommended operating budget of $14.3 million. As you know, in the park it is our mission to write passive and active recreation to all the citizens of Philadelphia and those who come to our city to enjoy it and it is our vision to create the park to be a destination site to different visits and different uses. For instance, Council has heard or read about the request for interest for the use of Memorial Hall. In that case we are looking for a rehabilitative and adaptive reuse of the whole site. That use would be hopefully something that fits in with the district. We would create what I would call a West Park District, which would include the Mann Center, the Zoo, the Horticultural and the Japanese House that we would hope would create a 956 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget destination place for people when they come to the city to come to that section of the park for those uses. So as we look at the results of the expressions of interest, we would look for that use that would be most likely to fit in with the other uses in that area. A second example in East Park would be where there is a proposal for the East Park Reservoir to look at and make a change -- to look at and to do some passive and active recreations as well with the bird sanctuary. We are in discussions now with Councilman Clarke on what active and passive recreations would be preferred in that part of his park. One of the things that we are trying to do is to make the park council, the administration, a partnership where we work closer together than we might have perhaps in the past. I'm not sure why that happened, but going forward we would like to be partners rather than estranged cousins if you would. Before I go on, I would like to introduce -- our friends are here as well, but particularly the kids from Elwood Elementary. The kids, if you would, hold up your signs for me. That 957 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget is pretty cool to see. (Applause.)
Thank you, kids, and thanks for coming. As you know, the commission now is fairly newly constituted with eight new commissioners so there is a learning curve but an enthusiasm curve that all happened at the same time. We have the strategic consultant on board who is looking to tell us better how we can operate, how we can do more for less. In today's environment it is not just cities who do that. It's corporations and every other entity out there, so hopefully, when we get our strategic plan in, we will be able to do better with what we have. We also have -- as I mentioned, Miss Borski is our -- I guess Phil is our interim, so Miss Borski is our acting executive director. We have a search going on with the search firm of Isaacson Miller. Isaacson Miller was chosen because they are the leading search firm in civic governmental placements and, as you might suspect, the executive director's job is probably one of the most difficult to fill because it's a multiheaded 958 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget monster when you are running a department that reports to a commission, reports to Council, reports to administration and reports to the users in the friends groups. So that is going to be a very special person, so we tried to get the firm that we felt was best capable of doing it. We would expect -- and Miss Borski is not yet -- as of today has not yet decided whether she will be interested in the position. We have some time. I think the search is in the beginning stages. Probably in the next two or three weeks Karen would have to make her decision as would most other candidates who will be approached and attested. We are moving forward on the Waterworks complex where we are in negotiations with a restauranteur to fill out the site. As you know, there are some questions about expanding the usage, which we are working on now, and I'm not prepared today to say that we have resolved that point and issue yet, but I think we will. Actually, we will because we want to get it open this summer. Maybe even more important than our mission and plans to make the park a destination 959 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget place is this commission's commitment to the youth of the city. Two examples of that are our community rowing program which St. Joe's University has graciously agreed to host this year. They will provide the boathouse as well as the instructions and lessons and they will give us an opportunity to have maybe an extra hundred, 200 kids on the river this year. You will all get invitations this year. At the end of our season we have our regatta with our rowing program against that of Newark, Delaware, and we would hope that any Council people that would be interested could come down. We would love to have you. Last year we won for the first time after six years that were not successful. I would like to take credit for that, but I think the kids are just getting better. Finally, a second example is that we have just reached an agreement with First T to provide a youth golfing program at FDR Park in conjunction with our concessionaire. What First T will do is it will introduce golf to a hundred, maybe 200 inner city youths or urban youth a year to help us bring the game of golf to those children who 960 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget may not otherwise have that opportunity. Finally, at Gustine Lake we are in the process of doing the Arthur Ashe youth tennis program which is a leader in the industry in bringing tennis and tennis instruction to urban and inner city youth and, again, that is another example of what this commission is about. Lastly, but certainly no less importantly, we would like to thank what I would say is our corporate partners, the Conservancy and Fairmount Park Historic Trust. The Conservancy is well on its way to being our fund-raising arm and improving our ability to raise dollars that are nongovernmental.
The Historic Trust has converted most recently two of our park buildings by inducing suburban firms that come into the city to open up their offices by rehabbing and operating out of two of our houses. So we are very enthusiastic about where we are today. We believe we are on track and we hope to continue, and with that I will say that the managing director did arrive, so now the floor is yours to ask questions. Thank you.
Thank you. On 961 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget of your testimony you indicate you will need $340,000 to complete your strategic plan and you will be seeking private and/or state funding. What happens in the event that you do not receive these funds?
Madam President, we are fairly confident we will raise those dollars, but in my conversations with the budget director, if we are unsuccessful, the budget director has said that the city will find those dollars.
Thank you. You also state in your testimony that the park will be transferring its swimming pools and six of eight recreation centers to the Department of Recreation this coming spring or fall. What does the park currently spend on these facilities?
Do you have the numbers? We currently spend a little over a million dollars in these facilities today.
Will the park be keeping these resources, or will they be going to the recreation department?
The transfer is one of the whole site, so they will be going to recreation. 962 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Thank you. Can you explain what the street tree information management system is and its benefit?
As I understand it right now, we cut the street trees by district, so we might be in District 1, then we --
I'm sorry. We do the street trees by district, so we might have our contractors in District 1, District 2, District 3, and we do cycles. What the street tree maintenance plan will do, it's a software program where we can put on a computer the program of cutting on an annual or a regular basis, so that we would not -- we still wouldn't be jumping from district to district, but we would have listed on a schedule what trees need to be done, what areas are in dire need and what areas are in lesser need, and it's a way for us to better compile and manage the program.
So it will be a program citywide going on at the same time?
Sounds good. 963 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget You state in your testimony that there will be no decrease in tree services in FY '04 thanks to the $3.3 million and continued NTI funds budgeted in the managing director's office. The managing director estimates they will spend $4.6 million in FY '03 and that they are reducing the amount by $1.3 million in FY '04. Could you explain your statement that there will be no decrease in tree services in FY '04?
I'm asking Mr. McPherson to time me. Each Council member on the first go-around will be allotted five minutes for questioning. Mr. Dubow?
I'm Rob Dubow, the budget director. The decrease in Class 200 in the managing director's office that you are talking about was offset by an increase in Class 100 and it is a shift in the way we do lot cleaning, but there wasn't a change in the street tree money.
So we have 964 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget exactly what we need for tree pruning and removal.
Thank you. Mr. Nix, you state that the park has developed three programs which will spearhead the park's new strategic approach to service delivery. Can you explain the three programs, please? I believe one is the rest room management program?
The rest room management program is historically the park has had a problem with users and the rest room program. When the former executive director came on, who is the current managing director, one of his major initiatives was to increase the ability or the service, and this would be the rest rooms. At this stage the rest rooms, a majority are temporary sites and not permanent sites. What we hope to do is to increase the temporary setups as well as, for example, when we -- I will give you an example. The Mann Music Center is doing a master plan, a design master plan for the center. One of our discussions with the Mann is when they redo their site, one of the things we have asked them to 965 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget do is to have public rest rooms on the outside of the building so if a user is in that part of the park, he will be able to use those rest rooms. What we are attempting to do is with each and every vendor or partner that we bring into the park or rehab of a building, that part of the program would be additional rest rooms.
Let's stay on that issue, if we may. You indicate in your testimony that the park will be adding 34 additional portable toilet locations to its current list of 17. What is the cost of this? Because on -36 of the detail you are only showing an increase of $3000 for portable toilets. How is that possible?
I want to apologize. I have been told that the number may be off. We are increasing the number for those Port-a-Potties by $30,000.
But where is it in the budget? The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter. 966 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Thank you, Madam President. Can I just ask if Mr. Nix could repeat the response. I didn't understand the response.
I'm sorry. The response was the number should be an additional $33,000 for the temporary units.
Where are we? Are we in the testimony, or are we in the book?
The numbers should be $30,000. When we did the rest room plan, it was done after the initial budget submission was made. Why that number is that far off, I don't know.
And where is 967 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the 30,000 coming from?
Yeah, I was going to suggest you might want to take a seat. Just get comfortable. Thank you, Madam President.
My name is Paul Nice. I'm administrative services director for the park. The money will be coming from our mowing appropriation. We will be --
No, no, we are going to be prioritizing the acres that we mow and I think we are reducing the mowing in certain areas that we've identified that we are going to be letting the --
I'm going to say the same thing. You are not going to do some mowing in 968 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget order to deal with the portable toilets, yes or no?
You can bring eight people up to the table if you want.
We have a schedule that we have for grass-cutting. We are extending the schedule in some areas that are not as used, a less intensive use, so, yes, the grass-cutting is going to be in those areas cut back.
Let me come back to that because I took up some of the President's time and she'd like her time back.
I have a question on the grass-cutting too, but I don't think you completed the question regarding the three programs. You spoke about the rest room management program. What are the other two?
The hard surface trail program, the goal is to clean the miles. This again is under the initiative of the former executive director, was to have a program for cleaning the trails on a regular basis. In the past we have 969 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget not -- I think we have done it in a nonregular method. This time it is a regular schedule for cleaning the 37 miles of trail with the most service done on those highly intensive services and scaling back where the usage is less.
The safe playground program. That is a program that we are going to go in and repair, fix, make the playgrounds safe for use, and that's a one-time hit with a followup and I'm not sure of the time frame. But, again, it allows us to bring them up to scale where they are safe and user friendly and then a followup program probably quarterly.
Would you please identify the resources that will be dedicated to each of these programs, please.
The staffing has been in place. What we have done is the park historically is worked out of districts and what we have done internally is centralize some of the operations, so that, for instance, the folks that would do the hard surface trail cleaning would now be central, not 970 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget working from a district, so they would be scheduled out of one central system to go from surface to surface to surface, so what we have done is by, we hope, reutilizing employees in a better manner, that we will get more efficiency out of it.
Thank you. I have several other questions, but I notice that several of my colleague would like to be recognized. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
I was out Sunday getting petitions signed and I went to a home on Slocum Street and the trees had just been trimmed; however, the complaint was that they did not trim the top of the trees; they only trimmed the lower part, the branches, and the trees are very, very full. They do impede the lighting and what is the ruling now on tree-trimming and how will it be done?
I'm going to ask Jim Donaghy to answer because he is in charge of the tree-trimming program.
Jim Donaghy. I'm the 971 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget operations director for Fairmount Park. Councilwoman, I believe the method you are referring to is called topping. It was something that was done many years ago and is no 6 longer acceptable arborculture practice. It actually damages the tree long-term and creates more problems. We no longer cut the top of the tree. With our pruning program what we do is go in and remove dead and dangerous limbs one inch or larger in size. We elevate the tree over the street to 12 feet, 10 feet over the sidewalk, and we will clip it 13 back from homes or other obstructions to about 10 14 feet. This is the program that we are working through the entire city. Everyone is being pruned the same way and we do occasionally run into homeowners who have expectations of the old method where trees were topped, but it is not anything that we do any longer and we have some literature that we can make available to anyone to help them understand the reason we prune the way we do today.
Well, does the same rule apply to PECO when they go in and cut the trees around the wires? Doesn't that have an impact, the same impact on the trees? 972 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Actually PECO has changed the way it prunes also. Years ago PECO would also top the tree. They no longer top the tree. PECO does what they call directional pruning. PECO must clear the limbs away from the tree for safety and so they don't have service interruption. The trees are cut back or limbs are cut back to a main limb to open the center of the tree up and the outside of the tree is allowed to grow as naturally as it can. Where this practice has been occurring for more than ten years, the trees actually grow up along the sides of the wire. There is usually about 10 or 12 foot of clearance, but PECO no longer does tree topping also.
So that's for the record so I can tell my constituents that they will no longer get tree-trimming from the top.
I have been in office for 15 years and we always were told that there is a waiting list for tree-trimming. Is there an accelerated schedule? Now that we have appropriated more money on a regular basis for tree-trimming, will the list ever go away? 973 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Yes, the list will go away. Currently today there is a backlog of about 4100 trees. When we started this program two years ago, there was a backlog in excess of 8000 trees. On an annual basis we receive about 2500 new requests for tree removal, so within three years the list will be completely gone, but I can also tell you that the waiting list has been reduced from one to two and a half years to now six months to a year, and in situations where we find that the tree is imminently dangerous, we have been able to do that within, I would say, two months after we receive the request. Things are improving with the street tree population and I can attest to the fact that with the major snowstorm we had just about two weeks ago, normally Fairmount Park would have received anywhere between 200 and 300 street tree emergencies. We had one. So the program is working and it is due to the commitment of the administration to continue funding this. And it was set up as a ten-year program and is the fifth year is when we were supposed to zero out that waiting list you were asking me about. 974 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
In three years it will be completely zeroed out, but I think the waiting list is disappearing. It's down to six months to a year at the most and that is even as we prioritize the trees. If it is imminently dangerous, we try to get to it within two months. If it is a request for a removal for a sidewalk that's being raised or some reasons, we will put that one on the waiting list.
My first question speaks to the strategic plan, the planning process. I know we are off to a terrific start and it is my understanding we will be hosting Council 975 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget members on March 20. Can you outline for my colleagues today what type of measures will be done to ensure that the community, the grass-roots community that cares about parks, is intimately involved in the process as well?
As a brief overview, there is going to be a number of focus groups. The focus groups are going to include hopefully every segment of the community that will be interviewed with their input and thoughts about the park. So we should get an overview of the park as well as an individual look at individual parks. That focus program should be underway probably end of March, early April. I know they meet with the advisory Council this Wednesday, the friends of Philadelphia Park fairly shortly this month as well, so it's done by focus group and the group is kind of pie-sectioning the different parts of the city and those groups that have shown an interest in the park.
As a matter of record, the first phase of the entire strategic planning process is scheduled to end when?
I think it is near the end of June and then Phase 2 would pick up probably right 976 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget on its heels.
So tell us about that. What's the status of the funding for the second phase of the strategic plan?
Well, Councilwoman, I think before you came in Madam Chair asked the question and the question was we are going to try to raise some money. Actually, we are going to try to raise it privately, but, if not, the City is committed to pick up those dollars at the end if we are not successful or whatever the difference is.
To date there are no dollars committed, no hard dollars committed at al?
Let's move to a discussion about the environmental centers. Where do we stand currently with the environmental educators?
They are funded for this year. In our discussions with William Penn, William Penn has always been a promoter of having the City assume more and more of the responsibility for those 977 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget employees. So what we have done this year is reduced the environmental staff by three, so we still are operating our centers at a level that we are very comfortable with. Our challenge moving into next year and in the year after that is either finding a way to get those folks on our City -- on our Class 100 dollars or finding a way to transfer their services to already existing City employees.
If that does not happen, potentially what could happen with those environmental centers? Could they become dormant if we are not successful in moving those employees to --
-- the programs active, not only the centers, but the programs themselves.
I have received a number of letters from constituents regarding the, I guess, lack of or need for a grant research writer. Does the park currently have one?
The park is in the process of 978 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget looking at and/or hiring one. We don't have a full-time grants writer. We have people that write grants; however, my discussions with the administration is that the administration is considering doing a citywide grant writing program similar to what we did with the capital programs office, capital projects office, so we are going to hold off. What the park will do is hold off to see if the City program materializes, and if it doesn't, the park has to move ahead with the grant writer.
Finally, on of your testimony you give a paragraph to the Memorial Hall matter. What is the status of that?
The status is we should receive expressions of interest by, I think, 3 o'clock today. The committee that is overseeing that process meets on Friday to review what responses we have. We would publicize at our meeting on the 12th, which is next Wednesday, the responses to that RFI and the process moving forward. What I would hope to happen is the commission would authorize that committee to move ahead with the negotiations with I don't know, 979 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget whoever the respondents are.
Thank you very much for your testimony. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. Councilman Nutter, you're next, but I just want to clarify one response if I may. Mr. Nix, you indicated that transferring the swimming pools and the six to eight recreation centers to the recreation department in the spring or fall, that the recreation department apparently would receive a million dollars?
They wouldn't receive. It is not dollars. It's the $600,000 plus the staff that is in the --
You said it was over a million dollars. That was your response.
The whole program. Our budget for the six recreation centers and the two pools is over a million dollars. The actual transfer in all class dollars is about $600,000. I'm sorry.
Where is it in the budget? I mean the transferring. It is 980 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget certainly not in the recreation department that I see.
You don't have it before you. The numbers are being worked out now. It is after the budget process was underway and we -- do we have the numbers done? It is about $600,000 and I will get to you those numbers. Excuse me. My brother is here to help.
We don't have the numbers finalized yet. That's why it doesn't show in the budget. We know when we do get them finalized we will have to come back with the transfer to show the movement of money from Fairmount Park to Recreation.
And I assume that you are going to have to make some corrections regarding the tree services?
I asked you a question earlier about the MDO estimates that they will spend $4.6 million in FY '03 and that they are reducing that amount by $1.3 million in FY '04. The managing director's office is down 19 positions in FY '04 from FY '03, so I just don't know how this 981 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget program is going to work.
In the managing director's office budget there is actually an increase in Class 100 for lot cleaning and most of that increase is shown as expenditure transfers from other departments, so it's employees and their departments doing the work. If you look at the detail, you can see how it is shown in there.
We're not talking about lot cleaning work; we're talking about the tree services.
Right. The change in 200 there was really a change in the way we do lot cleaning. The two items were lumped together in a line that said tree removal, but what the managing director's office testified to was that there were really two items that were lumped together. One was lot cleaning and the other was tree removal and that the lot cleaning money is getting moved from 200 in '03 to 100 in '04.
And what class 982 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget is that? Is that the seasonal employees that you are referring to?
If you look at the increase in 100 in the lot cleaning section it's about a $900,000 increase.
Because the managing director's office is one of the places that is taking reductions as part of the senior administration position reduction. So there are reductions in the amount of deputy manager directors and the number of assistant managing directors, but it is not related to the lot cleaning program. 983 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
You know, I don't want to belabor this and take too much time. I think we are going to have to sit down and discuss this --
-- because it certainly deserves much better explanation.
We can show you where the reductions are. It is not in the lot cleaning program. The reduction in costs that we have talked about before is really in the central administrative positions in the managing director's office.
It really doesn't make too much sense. At this time the Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam President. Good morning, Mr. Nix and Miss Borski. I'm going to do a couple quick things and then I have some questions. Mr. Nix, on the first page of your testimony in the second paragraph one of these items I read about in the newspaper, which I thought was 984 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget very exciting, which is the National Audubon Society and the nature center. I just wanted to mention to you -- and I know that from your verbal presentation you indicated that you were working with Councilman Clarke, which is certainly important. I did just want to mention to you at least for the record that by way of location this particular site is actually in the 4th District. People who live across the street on 33rd Street who are most adjacent to the facility naturally are residents of the 5th, but the site is in the 4th, and there were some previous site visits before National Audubon Society came along looking at that --
-- water basin and any information about that I would appreciate.
The same would be true of the 33rd Street Driving Range, which is also physically located in one district, although that is I guess a bit of a citywide facility that captures a lot of attention, but the councilman and I have worked very closely together, and I understand that the nearby neighbors are certainly his constituents, 985 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget but by way of information and active involvement I would appreciate anything --
Thank you. Appreciate it. With regard to this transition -- and you've been a participant long enough to know that this issue actually goes back to the days of Commissioner Mifflin and Commissioner DeBaradinis when I raised this issue a number of years ago, so on the one hand I want to commend you for actually doing something that I asked to be done. That's not the norm for me. I'm used to, quite honestly, being ignored at a certain level. On the other hand, let me at least express to you, after having pushed for this for so long, let me at least express to you some concern now about the details and the speed of the transition. First, and I think you have probably gotten the list correctly in terms of facilities, but reading the testimony the other night was actually my first information on which facilities were going where. Second, I would also like to 986 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget better understand the plan of transition as it relates to the active participant constituent groups for those various facilities and public parks in terms of what do the people know, how extensive has their involvement been and naturally again I would like to have some discussion about this and then lastly I guess is the issue that the president raised earlier about transfer of people and transfer of resources and funding to go between the departments. Can you lay out for me just what the conversation has been with the constituent groups that care about these particular facilities and any conversation that anyone has I guess thought in their minds that they might actually have with me about the facilities that are in the 4th District.
Councilman, let me start by saying that you are absolutely correct. This does go back a long time and my major involvement in it is to be the agitator, pusher, to move the process. One of the things that I find happens in the park -- I shouldn't speak for other departments -- is that we come to Council a lot of times and we shake our heads and say we are going to do this and we are 987 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget going to do that, and we tend to come back next -- a little quick aside is that we always read the testimony from last year and it's incredible how similar the questions are every year. You would think at some point in time we'd move on from our end, I mean the questions would be answered. So we have the concept state and we want to move the programs. There are a few hiccups and one is from the park side is that we have changed personnel. This was initially Commissioner Goldsmith's baby. When he became the managing director, his focus moved -- I shouldn't say it moved away from it, but his focus was generalized to some other areas. The executive director, Miss Borski, starts actually today and we have a list of things that I would say are prioritized from the commission point of view rather than the day-to-day and this is one of the things that the executive director will look at face to face.
Again, I appreciate the attention that has been shown to this issue. It is more than long overdue. I do want to though ask more detailed questions with regard to both swimming pools going from the park to Recreation and what is 988 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget it, six rec centers going to the Department of Recreation?
All of the rec centers but for Memorial Hall and Lloyd Hall for obvious reasons.
Well, I would like someone to tell me how the two departments are prepared for that kind of transition this spring/summer, and, again, I'm not going to be out there cutting grass or running programs or doing anything, but I would like to better understand how it is going to happen in such a -- what appears to be a rapid period of time and that there is in anybody's notion a seamless transition between two --
-- totally different departments, if not cultures. How are you going to do that and who have you talked to about it?
I would like to respond if I could. Phil Goldsmith, managing director. I think the approach here is that six of the eight recreation centers exactly in the swimming pools -- and this, as you well know, has been in the master plan back in 1982. I think the approach 989 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget right now -- and we are in the planning stages of it -- is that this would be a relatively transparent transition in Year 1. In other words, the people and the dollars that are associated with the swimming pools would move over to the recreation department, as would the recreation department employees at Fairmount Park move on over. I don't think in Year 1 we would see much change nor would the users of the swimming pools or the recreation departments see much change. It would look to them pretty much like a Fairmount Park pool and a Fairmount Park recreation center, and the same thing with the Recreation Department. Over time we will make sure that we are getting the policies and procedures and making sure we are getting the best of all worlds, but I think Year 1 it is really just transferring sort of the management oversight from Fairmount Park over to the Recreation Department. We are in the process now with the Recreation Department and Fairmount Park with the assistance of the managing director's office working through a detailed plan on precisely how that would take place and what some of the personnel issues, if any, we would face and if there 990 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget is any gap in funding that we would have to figure out how to do, but those plans are in the works now and we will keep you and Council and the community involved as those plans go on.
When do you think this transfer is actually going to be effective?
I think the transfer will be effective by next fiscal year, by the end of June. We are going to try to do it as quickly as possible. I think the point is with the swimming pools, for example, the swimming pools, everything is going to remain open. People that have come to Kelly pool are going to see the same Kelly pool with the same operating procedures and so forth as they have in the past. The difference is it is going to be managed by the Recreation Department. Over the long haul there could be changes, but we don't think right now we have the time nor the planning effort to do that. We think Stage I has got to be able to transfer this over to the same management; otherwise, we are never going to get to do it and I think that has been part of the problem in the past. It always gets down to --
Well, are park 991 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget employees going to transfer over to the Recreation Department?
Yes. Those are the details we are working on now, but, yes, the presumption is that they will be transferred over. Those are the issues that are being worked out now.
For the constituent groups tell me what the contact has been with them.
I'm not sure what contact there has been at this point because we were just really starting the planning process I think. You know, that's as far as we have gotten. Obviously we will have more involvement with the community groups and constituents groups.
Will that contact happen prior to the transfer or while it is going on?
No, I think it will happen as the planning process goes on to make sure we understand what the needs are and so forth, but, as I said, I think Year the users of the 992 1 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget recreation facilities and the pools will see really very little change from what they have experienced in the past. Over time -- and I think part of the reason this is being done is we think the Recreation Department has more programmatic expertise and has a larger critical mass of recreation centers and swimming pools, and we hope over time there will be service enhancements to those sites. But I think Year 1 it is just a change of the management oversight.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Maybe the managing director should hang around for a minute. I just want to go back to that environmental educator program. It got very controversial last budget. The former managing director bailed it out by providing some money out of the managing director's office. I want to make sure that I really understand what you said earlier. The present level of educators will 993 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget remain the same. The three that you mentioned is not a decrease from where we are today?
No, it was beginning -- where we are today -- what you see is where we are.
I hate to remind you, managing director, that the managing director before you made a commitment that even though that money isn't in the budget for the park, that those positions would be funded from the managing director's office. Is that how you understand that because I think you were the executive director at the time? Were you?
Actually, it happened just prior to my coming there, although the actual transfers took place, but it is my understanding that they are in the Fairmount Park budget now and those dollars have been moved over and they are reflected in the Fairmount Park budget? Correct? In fact, I believe if you look at the William Penn Foundation funding grant, that there are nine positions that Fairmount Park has absorbed over the past 12 months, so that is now taken from -- the foundation grant is now moved over to the Fairmount Park budget. 994 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
That's good to hear. So I understand, the managing director's office will no longer have to fund these positions, that they are being picked up in the budget of the Fairmount Park at the existing level of service?
Now you can tell us what you are going to do with that money you have back in your budget. Just kidding. That's good to hear and I thank you for that. Thank you, Madam Chair, for that time.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Going back to Councilman Nutter's question, all of the recreation centers -- and that is defined, for instance, Mr. Goldsmith, the one you and I have been in conversation with, for instance, the one up at Olney that runs the baseball league, is that classified as a recreation center for the purposes of this transfer?
I do not believe it is, but I will stand corrected if I'm wrong. No, it's 995 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget not.
The swimming pool at 9th and Hunting Park, is that considered part of this transfer?
So they will be transferred to the recreation, but the baseball league up at Olney will not be?
The fields will stay under the care of the Fairmount Park Commission?
The building and the clubhouse will stay within the care of the Fairmount Park Commission?
The one on Fairmount Park and the Parkway, that will stay under the Fairmount Park Commission?
In terms of the league at Olney, you and I over the last year and 996 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget before Hugh Mifflin had been speaking about a gate that really is to prevent garbage dumping onto the area where the kids play baseball and where they do that. Also, the electrical system of the clubhouse itself that the volunteers depend on them to make some money in order to run the baseball league, which now has close to 400 kids, has been in total deterioration for the last few years. Commitments a few years ago were made to fix that electrical system and it still hasn't been done. They are opening up very soon and the clubhouse that they need in order to do the things that they need to do will not be ready.
Councilman, can I ask if it is okay that I have Miss Borski look at it directly and get back to you directly on it because she is new, but it would be the executive director's --
I understand that, but we can maybe alleviate it if she takes a look at it.
And we have looked at it and I just don't know the answer. There has been 997 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget some homework done on it and we will make sure she gets that.
So the baseball fields at 9th and Hunting Park, will those still be on the Fairmount Park Commission?
At this point in time when we are talking about recreational facilities we are talking about -- what's the word I'm looking for -- physical indoor buildings that we are talking about transferring, six of the eight, the two exceptions being Memorial Hall and Lloyds Hall because they have really performed other functions and we thought at this point in time it would be overly complicated to do that.
It would be good to 998 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget have a good idea of what it means because it really is conflicting and I think the two systems, by the way -- I think Michael mentioned that -- I think the culture of the two institutions is quite different, so meshing those cultures is not as easy as people may think. It is not just a matter of transferring some --
I think that is a point well taken. I have been involved over my career in these types of activities and that's why I don't think the answer is Day 1, Year 1 to try to make everything all the same because of those cultural differences. So I think Year 1 is simply getting it under the auspices of the Recreation Department with making as little change as possible and then being able to use that period of time to start to make the types of changes that we all want to really make those facilities and the swimming pools better. I think if we try to do that all at once we will not succeed. I think if we get it under the same management structure and start to work our way into it we will be more successful.
I think what we will find is changing the cultural and the modus operandi 999 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget of the different institutions is much more difficult than just transferring the dollars. Thank you, Madam Chair.
You're welcome. Mr. Nix, do you have any employees in the DROP program and when will they be leaving?
There is nine in the DROP program. I think the beginning started the first leave October 1.
Whoa. In your testimony you stated the department is budgeted for 219 positions up from 214 positions in FY '03. Yet last year the adopted budget I am told gave you 225 positions.
Yes. There are positions that are available but with the freeze we have not been able to hire.
How about the nine positions of the people who are under the DROP program; are you including them in the figure that 1000 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget you're giving us?
So your budget 8 is being reduced by six positions? 9
In your testimony you show key performance measurements. I would like you to explain how you can increase the time interval between grass cuts and at the same time increase the total number of acres cut? The math just doesn't work for me. I would like you to explain that, please.
The reason for the time to be increased is that we are not going to be cutting all 2000 acres on a two-week cycle in the coming fiscal year, but at the same time we want to look to try to increase the number of acres that are cut by the contractor at the athletic fields. We want to try to get that as close to one week, so it's a formula -- overall we are not going to see any 1001 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget reduction in the areas where activities take place. In most cases we are going to see that it is cut more frequently.
Excuse me. Let me just go back to your testimony on and let's look at the two columns, acres cut by contracted services and acres cut by park employees.
They just don't equal the twenty-one seven. My calculation is that we are cutting 2000 less acres. Does anybody else cut grass?
I apologize. I don't understand the question. I apologize. It was just pointed out to me that the math on this sheet is incorrect between the 18,100 acres cut by contractor and the 1600 acres to be cut by park employees. The number of acres cut by contractors should have increased.
To what? It would have to be 20,100 for it to calculate properly.
Are you 1002 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget reducing the contractor's budget as we look through this document?
No, we are not. We have an increase, an annual increase, based on I believe it is the Consumer Price Index with a minimum of maybe 3 percent each year. It is a three-year contract. The contract -- it is a one-year contract with three renewal periods so we have built in the increase. That's the way the contract is bid so that we are not going through this work each year.
My time is up. I just want to ask one more question. What did we budget for the contractor in '03 and what are we budgeting in '04?
In FY '03 our estimated obligations are 931,000 and our request in 2004 is 910,000. It's a 21,000 decrease.
So how are you doing so much more with less? And didn't I hear earlier that we are taking 30,000 from this program for the portable toilet locations?
How are we doing it? 1003 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
We are cutting less grass and part of this is going to be -- we are cutting less because the cycle is going to be less. In other words, we are not cutting the same acres on the annual basis, although we may end up cutting the same acres on the extended period.
I don't know whether it's me, but I find this extremely confusing. I really do. We were just told that instead of the 18,100 for the contracted service it is now 2000. There is something wrong here. There is something radically wrong. Can anybody give us an explanation?
Councilwoman, I think we will have to go back and look at our numbers and we will provide you with a proper response.
We will get back, but I believe the answer is the frequency of the cut. If our cut had been every 10 days and we make it every 12 days --
But that's not what your testimony says. It says, "We can increase the time intervals between grass cuts and at the same time increase the total number of acres cut." 1004 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Looking at what was adopted last year and what is being proposed this year, it just doesn't make sense.
I would like to go back to last summer. I think we all remember the fact that we had a very dry summer, that anyone that had a lawn didn't have to cut grass because I know that I saved a few bucks because of the fact that there wasn't any grass to cut. What happened last year when obviously the same circumstances existed in Fairmount Park. You did very little grass cutting I would assume last year because of the fact that every ballfield that I went by was totally burned out. So I assume that we saved some money or I hope that we have a contract that is creative enough if there is no grass to cut we don't pay. Is that fair enough to say --
-- that we don't pay 1005 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget if we don't cut?
My guess is that money was -- I don't know. I won't speak. I don't know, but that money was --
The savings that we had realized through the summer when we were able to reduce the number of acres cut through most of August because of the drought -- but we could not eliminate the cutting completely because we had some irrigated areas and some areas where the grass does grow -- we were able, because of the fall we had -- if you remember, we had a wet fall. We had to extend our cutting period, so that's why our number of acres cut this past year was -- balances out. We took it out in the summertime, but we had an extended fall growing season and we had to do some additional mowing at that time. We did not realize any major savings through the contract.
This confusion that you need to get back on, back to us, is it fair to say that you are just going to let the grass grow 1006 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget longer before you cut it? If you are going to have a longer cycle, obviously the grass doesn't know that. The grass is going to get longer. There's nothing worse -- I remember there was a period when at the Boulevard the center islands -- and I don't know whose responsibility they are, the state or the Fairmount Park Commission, but it was embarrassing to see what that looked like. If you are cutting -- if your cycle is going to change and we get a rainy period and the grass grows to the point where it's a foot tall, what do you do to change that cycle because I don't think we want to have what occurred -- you drive down the street and you see trimmings just blown all over the roadway. It looks like obviously nobody cleaned up after themselves and I hope in the contract there is some requirement to clean up and not leave that mess behind that I see constantly. So is that increasing the cycle permitting the grass to grow longer between cuts?
No, it is not. Unfortunately this measurement here of the frequency between cuts or the frequency of cuts is very misleading because it is based on the total number 1007 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget of acres and the total number of acres cut and does not even take into account when we have drought periods. They still add those weeks in and that is calculated in there. I will tell you that athletic fields in the Fairmount Park system for the last five years have been cut on a one-week cycle. I don't know if anybody has had any complaints about the length of grass on athletic fields. What we had done is the 2000 acres in Fairmount Park is cut on a two-week cycle, weather permitting, and then on the off week the grass in athletic areas and activity areas was cut again, so it was cut on a weekly cycle. It doesn't come out this way when you look at just this measurement. And the other thing that is confusing about the measurement for this coming year is that, yes, overall we are going to be reducing the number of total acres cut, and I apologize for my misstatements earlier. The numbers on this performance measurement sheet are incorrect at the time. The numbers should be 19,700. What we are doing is looking to create some meadows in areas where we currently cut grass for no purpose 1008 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget whatsoever except aesthetics, not safety. There is no predominant amount of use that goes on there, so we are working with the Fairmount Park program. We have applied for a grant from Growing Greener to replant those areas with native plant material. We are talking to the communities and our friends groups about those areas that we'd like to target. So we are not going to be taking grass out or not mowing grass where it is used frequently and we are working with the communities so we don't create any complaints or objections as we go through this program.
I would suggest if you plan to do additional meadows, which I think is a great idea, that other considerations like mosquito control and things like that could be taken into consideration that you don't want to have a new problem develop when you are trying to do good here. So I like that idea. That sounds good --
The Chair 1009 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you. I guess this question should be for the Recreation Department about the quality of service on this transfer of the recreation centers to the Recreation Department. One question I have, you talk about attracting two firms who have signed long-term leases for occupancy of historic park properties. How are you maintaining the historical character of these facilities and in their renovations, are you monitoring these renovations so that these houses maintain their character?
The Historic Preservation Trust, which is an arm of the commission that can do long-term leases, that arm has in the lease program they are scheduled -- the renovations are all done within historic parameters, so, yes, all the historic -- we won't bring a tenant in unless the tenant will rehab the building within the historical framework that's already created for each building.
And how do you fit that in with wiring for new technology?
I'm not an expert, but most of 1010 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the historic is face and not inside the wall, so all the electric is behind the facade, if you will, so what we do is redo the electric, the plumbing, the wiring and everything that is behind the facade and keep the facade as it was historically preserved.
Miss Toomey would be upset if she knew that you were changing --
-- the character of these historical houses. She is long gone, but she was very mindful of that. Some of my old friends. You are transferring six of the eight Fairmount Park facilities to the Recreation Department. What two are you not transferring and why?
Memorial Hall and Lloyd Hall because both really serve more than recreation centers. They have a caterer so they have catering events and contracts that are above and beyond the recreation part of the facility. So in Memorial 1011 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Hall there are a number of weddings and events like that, so those are the ones that we already have a contractor that runs events that we are holding those to.
You could make Memorial Hall a casino, you know. (Laughter.) A lot of income. It wouldn't be good for the neighbors though. You are transferring six positions. You are losing six positions from your budget. Are those positions going to the Recreation Department?
You are transferring those. So those employees will be transferred to the Recreation Department's budget?
We believe so. We haven't finalized it, but the concept is to do it that way, yes, but it hasn't been finalized yet, but, yes, that's what the plan is. 1012 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
If I may, Phil Goldsmith, managing director. When you are talking about the DROP, one of the employees that is dropping is a fellow that is now head of the Fairmount Park recreation program and that is another reason why we thought this was a good time to make that transfer, since the person who has been responsible for the recreation programs at Fairmount Park will no longer be with us, so we thought this was an opportune time. But whatever positions or funds are allocated to the swimming pools, whatever positions or funds are allocated to the recreation centers, we will move over to the Recreation Department and rather than that be reflected in this budget right now, we thought we should go through the planning process and really understanding what the needs are before we come back to Council with a transfer ordinance that would reflect all of those details.
Are you going to do that, Mr. Goldsmith, before the end of the budget process? 1013 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
I think that the testimony said that this was going to be done either in the spring or fall of this year.
Or the summer, I'm sorry. So when would this transfer take place?
That would be beyond the time that we would be considering this budget.
If we have to do it sooner, we will figure out what the numbers are. That planning process is going on now. I don't think it is going to be overly complicated because of the way we are doing it. It is really just a shift of identifying the dollars, which I think for the most part we have. We have already done, and the people, so I think we could probably do it quicker.
Because I believe we will be passing the budget that we are 1014 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget presently considering sometime in April, beginning of May. Thank you. The Chair again recognizes Councilwoman Miller.
Thank you, Madam President. Good morning, Fairmount Park.
I have a couple of questions following up on Councilwoman Tasco and the other questions regarding the transfer of the pools to Recreation and this question is in particular to Hunting Park. So Recreation will now run the pool and the rec center, correct, and Fairmount Park will operate the fields?
So how will that work? Will you have someone from both departments on staff? For example, now if a baseball team wants to reserve the field, now they have to what, since you will have two different departments handling one park? If I have a Little League team and I want to reserve that field every Sunday for ten weeks or whatever during the summer, how will that work? Who 1015 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget will be in charge?
As we foresee it, there will be one person in that group who will be in charge of the field. The employee that is doing it now will probably be the same entity. Since we are transferring site specific, I would think that the same person is in charge of it as he or she is today.
The Chair recognizes Councilman DiCicco for a point of information.
On the same line of questioning as Councilwoman Miller, if I recall correctly, several years ago when I first came to Council we had a discussion about some of the maintenance problems that we were experiencing for those facilities that kind of had a common boundary between the Fairmount Park Commission properties and the Recreation Department properties if you will. One of the areas of concern was the maintenance. Quite literally I think at the time there was some testimony, and not being critical of either department, as an example, maybe the Fairmount Park Commission was responsible for mowing 1016 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the grass, cutting down the grass, but they would literally stop at a certain point because that was the property line, if you will, designation between the two entities. So on one side of a two-acre field you had a clear-cut, maintained grassy area and then on that same field when you visually look at it, you saw grass growing on one side and not on the other side, and going with the line of questioning from Councilwoman Miller, don't you perceive that to be a problem again because I thought we were able to undo some of those problems?
I think that's right, the devil is in the details, and I think what we are trying to do here is play to each other's core strengths and I think the feeling is because of what the Recreation Department does in its core mission we will be able to do a better job of doing these swimming pools and rec centers. By the same token, there has been 1017 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget discussion about who takes care of the lawn and the landscaping and so forth and I think that's an issue that we have to address in the future.
I agree. I agree that in many of these cases, specifically when you get into the pools and the other kinds of activities that that is the expertise, if you will, of the Recreation Department, but it sounds to me like we are going backwards in time because we had this maintenance issue several years ago and I forgot what the solution to the problem was, but apparently we have not had that problem since, whatever you guys decided and ladies decided to do then.
Again, I'm not being critical. I'm just a little confused.
I think it's important to have coordination of services because you are going to have to figure out how we are going to make it user friendly for our constituents that use the park or the rec center. In another part of my district we have Awbury Rec Center and Awbury Park and they are right next to each other and there 1018 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget were situations that occurred that Councilman DiCicco just talked about. You know, you have the maintenance that does Awbury Rec Center Park and then the other part that does the park itself, so I just think it is important that coordination of services are really important when these things occur. You don't want people having to run around and try to figure out who is it that I asked to use the field and all the other things.
I thought I remembered a few years ago that Fairmount Park was actually going to -- or Recreation was going to turn some of their parks over to Fairmount Park; for example, Vernon Park, that's a park, but that is still under Recreation. Is that going to happen? Since you are turning over pools and rec centers to Recreation, are you going to inherit Recreation's parks, or is that going to remain the same?
As of right now that is not part of our plan. We are downloading right now.
I also have a question regarding street trees. Is there some way that Fairmount Park could give Council members 1019 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget update and status reports on what trees they have serviced or removed? We get those reports from other departments like the Streets Department will send us a report or the Water Department so that we have some idea of what's happening with these tree removals. I think they have a lot of trees across the district, but I know that in the 8th District we have a large list of dead trees that need to be treated.
So your request would be to have the list disseminated to everyone in Council what is happening?
Right, once a month or something to keep us informed --
Unless you are riding down the street or you are out on a blight tour, you see Fairmount Park and you get an update, but other than that we don't get a consistent update, consistent source of information. And I would be interested in knowing 1020 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget regarding the strategic plan, when you talked about one of the goals of the plan is to prioritize the level and type of services desired by park users, if you have information now currently on what services park users would like to see, how the people would like to see the park used, do you have any of that?
We have not received any information back from our consultant yet. I think the meetings are going on now, so I would assume that the information would come by --
But in the past years you have not taken any surveys?
We have. There was one done by Portfolio Associates that I can get you a copy of that. We can get you a copy of that.
Okay. I just want to commend Fairmount Park on the rest room 19 management. I have used Blue Bell Park a number of times in the summer. Different people will have events there and I really want to applaud you on the upkeep of the rest room there. It's clean. It's well-equipped and it's a big improvement from past years, so I just wanted to mention that while I have the opportunity. 1021 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Thank you. The Chair at this time recognizes Councilman Clarke.
Mr. Nix, I'm tempted to ask you a question about tax appeals, but I won't at this point.
Wrong forum, right? I wanted to ask you briefly a question about the tree pruning. We had some questions earlier for the managing director during their testimony about criteria in terms of selection of blocks or location for tree pruning and can you tell me what is Fairmount Park's position on that issue, street tree pruning?
I'm going to have Jim Donaghy answer. 1022 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
When we started the program, we used the existing information that we had in the data base as to where we knew the greatest need was and we have just about exhausted that list.
Safety and the number of demands. What we looked at now, currently we are surveying areas and then we are listing it for pruning. What we are looking at is, yes, number one issue is safety, any trees that have dead limbs in them; and then the other one is for clearance for traffic, clearance over sidewalks and clearance away from structures such as homes or streetlights and so on. So our focus, yes, it is safety, so as we are moving through, that's our number one priority.
Well, we have to date under this program -- well, by the end of this fiscal year we will have pruned about 31,000 trees. We have an estimated 200, 250,000 street trees in 1023 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the City of Philadelphia, so it will be a number of years before we get through the entire population. So at the present time we would continue to use the existing criteria that we developed.
Do you have a strategic plan in terms of selecting areas throughout the City or will you simply work in one area of the City until all of those trees are done and then move to the next, or do you try to spread it around and see that every council district gets a little bit so to speak?
We try to provide an equal amount of service in each of the Council districts, and, as I said, when we get requests, we get demands in a particular area, and we focus on those also. With our street trees we don't award one tree at a time. Our contract won't allow us to do that and that would drive the cost way up. What we do is when we get a concentration of demand, we try to make it at least a ten-block area, whether it is linear or square, whatever the geometric shape is, it doesn't matter to us, but we try to give them a focus area where they can come in and do at least ten blocks of trees, and that's what helps to keep 1024 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the cost down. And, yes, we do look across the city.
Since you have indicated that you try to provide some level of service in every council district, would it be possible to provide a list of the tree-pruning activities per council district to the Chair and subsequently to the members of council?
Yes. Would you like a summary, or would you like it by address?
I personally would like to have the addresses myself.
Earlier when I actually served on behalf of the council president on the commission, there was an issue with respect to the park acquisition program. I think there was some funding from William Penn, was it?
Of course we have identified more properties than we have the funding for. I think there is -- Mark, if I'm wrong -- about a million dollars for acquisitions and we have the three properties identified. One was under agreement of sale and there was a legality question on encroachments as parts of the land were not what they were surveyed, so there is about a million dollars there and we have the properties identified but only one actually under contract, so of that million dollars maybe $350,000 is spent.
Earlier when Mr. Mifflin, I think, was still on board, we had requested the acquisition of some land adjacent to a housing development east of Broad along the 8th and 9th Street corridors. I guess it was actually adjacent to PGW. And as a result of an extensive redevelopment plan with new housing and a new school, we thought it would make some sense to have a park to accommodate the needs of the new residents, and I really didn't get a formal response. I was just kind of told "We can't do it." 1026 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Can you tell me what the criteria is associated with the selection process?
Usually our selection process are contiguous park lands and/or watershed issues, so one of the properties is a piece that is very -- it happens to be in the Northeast. It is between two tracts of park land that weren't developed which diminished both tracts of land, so it is a continuous park setting. Why the particular piece you asked about was not considered, I don't know, and I can find out because I'm not -- that doesn't mean that creating parks isn't what we -- in my opinion that is probably not the correct answer. There may be a reason, but let me look back at it.
If you are not fortunate enough to live in a neighborhood where there is a park --
If you are trying to trail from 8th and Montgomery, it is quite a 1027 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget distance to the nearest park.
We were hoping -- particularly because it was part of an NTI initiative, we are anticipating some support from the park in that respect. One last question in this round. You indicated that St. Joe's University -- is it St. Joe's University or St. Joe's Prep?
The outreach I think will be the same as in the past. We go to I think it's middle schools. I think the kids are from middle school to lower high schools across the -- I think the kids are mostly actually pretty much across the country across the citywide, and I'm not sure -- I can find out for sure, but I'm pretty sure that it is a recruiting effort through the grade schools, 1028 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget actually sending information to the schools and inviting the kids to come out and see if they like it.
Is someone here responsible for overseeing that from the City's end?
No. I will get that back to you formally because the person is not here that's doing it.
Good morning again, and thank you, Madam President. I apologize. I got here a little bit late this morning. Is there a list of the centers or the properties that are now managed by Fairmount Park that will be transferred over to the Recreation Department? I didn't see it in the testimony.
Six, six rec centers and three pools. 1029 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Is Campbell Square one of them by any chance, do you know?
The recreation centers listed in the Recreational Department testimony transferred in are Gustine Lake, Hunting Park, Cobbs Creek, Fisher and Parkside Avenue. The pools listed are Kelly, Hunting Park and Cobbs Creek.
None of the pools are mine. I don't think the rec centers -- the other centers are as well. The rationale for that -- and I understand the rationale as it relates to pools because rec centers basically does pools. Are these passive parks? Did I hear that?
What we do is the Recreation Department is better programmatically than the park is, I believe -- I mean this is my opinion -- in running the centers, so, by transferring, the 1030 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget programmatic pieces of those centers should be improved.
And the reason I'm asking that is Campbell Square is a Recreation Department facility?
That will be in my new district, which I have been given a new district, and Campbell will be part of my district. I would consider that to be a passive park more than a recreation center, so I'm wondering why a park or square like Campbell or even Jefferson Square in South Philadelphia would not be part of that.
What we did, the initial flow, if you would, of this program is to do the park recreation centers and pools and move them to recreation. That has been a big enough headache that I would like to -- let's finish that piece and then I think part of the plan is to take the parks back.
Yes. I think parks should be doing parks and Recreation should be doing 1031 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget recreation.
And it will also be in a strategic plan, as someone reminded me.
I guess this would probably go to Rob Dubow. Each Councilmanic district gets a certain amount of capital dollars to work with in a given fiscal year, and I believe it is equally proportioned, if I'm not mistaken.
So each Councilmanic district gets X amount of dollars, generally a million two or something like that?
Why is that? Why is it that -- and I will use my district, the 1st Councilmanic district gets a million two where I may have facilities -- and I don't know this to be a 20 fact, so please don't be offended -- and Council 21 District 2 may have ten. Notwithstanding that some 22 of the centers may be larger, even though there is 23 ten, the acreage may be greater. What is the 24 formula? How do you get there? Because when I have 25 to spread -- and I'm sure some of my colleagues have 1032 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the same problem -- a million two across X amount of facilities, in most cases with the best efforts of the Department of Rec and everybody else, it really limits the ability to have an effective capital improvement in many of these centers. You kind of like are doing piecemeal if you will.
I wasn't here when the system started, but I'm assuming it was split evenly -- clearly it wasn't a calculation by the number of --
Divide ten districts into the amount of money that you have.
Exactly. And I imagine they thought politically that was the only way it would work. I don't think they ever went back and looked at the number of centers and did any math there.
I think that is something that's important and not because I'm lacking for the lion's share, but I would like to be able to at least provide an adequate amount of resources to those centers in some places where you have more needs than others, but when they get the same million two that another district may have with half or less than half of the centers to be 1033 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget concerned about, it does cause a problem. Again, I'm not criticizing the efforts of the Fairmount Park and the Recreation Department. They can only do whatever it is that they have available, but in many cases -- I'm sure there are some districts that have more centers than I do, so it is not just for me. If there is a way to calculate it by square footage at the rec center or acreage, but I think something that would be more on balance would work better for all of us. If you put a hundred thousand dollars in some rec center, rec center X, that hundred thousand is probably a wasted hundred thousand because it really needs a complete overhaul or maybe a new building and I think that we may be actually not spending our money as wisely as we should. If we are doing it just to make all the Council people feel they have a million two a year, the reality is that we should be spending it in a way that we get the best product for our investment and maybe one center gets put aside this year but at least we get that place up and running to its full potential and then put an additional amount of money into the other center the following year. 1034 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget That is just a question I had and I don't know if I ever raised it before. I think it is the first time. I think Councilman Nutter may have mentioned this a couple years ago.
He has mentioned so many things. I don't know if that was one of them.
I don't think I have any more questions. Thank you, Madam President.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo. Is he in the room? He's not here. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam President. Let me go back to a couple things that were raised earlier. One, when Mr. Donaghy was at the table I took down a note that he talked about street trees and he mentioned about tree work being done because a sidewalk had been raised by the tree.
If I remember, he said that that would be the imminently dangerous or the emergency work so that would be put on the list as opposed to -- 1035 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
He's here. Is that a new initiative by the commission and just what is our response to the tree lifting the sidewalk problem?
No, it's not a new initiative. We had always put those trees on the list, but when it came to prioritizing, they fell down toward the lower end of the priority list because we had so many dead and dangerous trees standing that were dropping limbs.
It had always been my understanding that the general policy was we only took down dead trees anyway. Is that true?
Well, we are looking at trees that are creating hazards and we are considering if a sidewalk is lifted to the point that it's impassable that we do list that tree for removal. As we are working through our list, we have been able to identify some of those trees and remove some of them.
So you will consider taking one of those trees given the fact that our backlog has come down?
Yes, we will. 1036 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
I would only say to you that that has never been presented as an option in the past, so I will keep that in mind going forward. With regard to the transfer of facilities, I did want to ask one operational question. The employees in the Fairmount Park Commission who may be going over to Recreation, are they all in the same union?
Do we have operational issues that we need to work through in terms of that transition?
And will there be an operating agreement or some memorandum of understanding between Fairmount Park and Recreation as part of this transition of facilities? What will officially affect a transfer of facility?
I believe there would have to be a memorandum of understanding. This is to embody 1037 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the agreement. I believe that is what has to happen.
And all of this is going to be done prior to the spring/summer season?
I have been promised by May, so I don't know what you were promised. I was promised 45 to 60 days.
Well, I'm not making a promise; I'm just relating one of mine to you.
What yours is, okay. People tell me all kinds of stuff. Your staff level, the budget book is showing you had 225 or you were at 225 last year and now going to 218?
And are you losing 1038 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget any people as a result of budget cutbacks?
I think we are taking the DROP and not rehiring for the position that begins in October of '03.
How does that number match up with other park systems either in an urban environment or of a comparable size in terms of employees, whatever the measurement is going to be, employee per acre, size of budget?
I can't give you an exact number, but I will say we are -- and the strategic plan will confirm this -- we are in the lower end -- hold on a second. Let me correct the budget question. The funding is for 219, so it will be -- so even if they are dropped, our funding will still be for 219.
210. So getting back to the question at hand -- 1039 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Let's stay back there for a moment. You are going to be in FY '04 --
Madam President, if Rob Dubow comes up to the table, you are guaranteed that the testimony is going to be confusing. That's his job. That's his responsibility to confuse the record.
And it is our job to clarify, so that's what I'm attempting to do. Is the 210 less those who are being transferred to the Recreation Department? And then we have those who are on the DROP program. Spell it out if you will, please.
They are budgeted for 219 positions. They'll lose 9 people through the DROP, but they have funding to get up to 219 positions, so even though there will be some point in the year 1040 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget when they have lost employees through the DROP, they will be able to replace them all and to fund 219 positions. The transfer of --
Are those people going to be caught up in the freeze?
No, they have funding in their budget for the 219. As long as they can meet their budget and they have funding for it, they won't be caught up in the freeze. So they have funding for the 219. The transfer of employees for the rec centers and pools is not reflected in the budget anywhere, so if those people move over, they will have fewer employees, but they will have fewer responsibilities also. And the Recreation Department would have more employees because those employees are moved over to Recreation.
I never mind when the president takes my time because I always get it back.
I just feel it has not been made very clear. I think you have 1041 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget attempted to do that now, Mr. Dubow, and hopefully by the time we get written responses on this and there is going to have to be a transfer, maybe we will all understand what's going on.
Right. And I think part of the reason that it is not reflected in here and part of the reason there is some confusion is we don't have all the details worked out yet and so we can't answer all the questions and that's why it is not reflected in the budget.
But don't you think when you come here, you come with a budget, shouldn't you be prepared to tell us what's going to be occurring?
That's why it is not in the budget because we are not a hundred percent sure what is going to occur, and when we are, we will come back with a transfer that will lay it out. That's why we are not asking for any movement of money at this point.
Why is it in the testimony? Well, let's not beat a dead horse, please, because we have people waiting to testify. Councilman Nutter, thank you for your 1042 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget courtesy. Please proceed.
No problem. Thank you, Madam President. On that last issue, do we have a sense of when we will have all of these details? And it would be exceedingly helpful to us, as we go through this process, if we can keep it all together and in a certain context as opposed to doing one part now and the subsequent parts possibly months after we have generally forgotten all of this discussion and then we are trying to recapture the particular moments. We have a bunch of different elements here moving at different points in time and I think it's going to be helpful to the entire government and certainly members of Council if we can keep all of this information together and in a context.
Phil Goldsmith, managing director. As I indicated, we will get that information as we go through the planning process.
Let's talk about the strategic plan on of the testimony. Now, is that the amount of the actual contract, $646,000?
The contract is done in two 1043 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget phases, the first phase or the money that is funded is the $300,000 piece and the additional 342,000 is the money we are attempting to raise and/or will be funded by the City.
And the first phase of the contract is for what and will tell us what?
The first part is -- two major components. The first part is to get input from stakeholders about what they see the issues of the park to be, what they are looking for and so forth, and that is being done in several different categories. One is individual interviews with people, the focus groups that President Nix referred to before. There is also going to be forums in each park district where the community can come in to testify and express themselves. There will also be a questionnaire in terms of usage and so forth and so on. So Part is really what's a user, what's a stakeholder looking for in a park system. Part 2 of Phase will be an operational 23 review, which will really be looking at the 24 operations of Fairmount Park of how we are going 25 about doing our business, are there ways that we can 1044 1 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget be doing it more efficiently and getting to some of the issues that you were getting to, how many employees do we have versus other like-sized parks, et cetera, and that process will be going on between now and June.
So when can we anticipate receiving a report, a final document, and what is that document going to tell us?
I think by June, and I think it will tell us, number one, exactly what people are looking for in their park systems in their viewpoints and also the recommendations as to what the park can be doing better, if anything, and I presume they will find some stuff, how we are organized, how we go about maintaining the park better and so forth. If, in fact, we get the funds, they will start with the second phase of the process, which will be more in terms of what type of investment decision should we be making, what do we want to invest in the park, what don't we. You will get 1045 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget into some of the governance issues such as some of the ones that we are talking about now with the Recreation Department and so forth, and that would take another six months to do.
Do you expect to use Part 1 or Phase 1 of this strategic plan to then influence funding decisions that will start to be made in November and December of 2003 in anticipation of the preparation of the FY '05 budget?
I would hope so. Certainly when it comes to the operational review, we should be the beneficiaries of that then, if not sooner.
Well, I think the consultants, frankly, would like it now so they can do their planning and I would like to be able to get it as soon as possible. I did put in a request to state government for a grant request and the conservancies also said they would try to raise funds, but I think the sooner, the better. It allows the people working on this plan to really get 1046 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget their work schedule in place.
going into 3 of the testimony, the new street tree information management system, is that also -- I thought I saw a line item on one of these pages for such a system. Is that Line Item 251 on -35? Are these the same items?
They did the study for the program and they are the consultant we hired to do the study and the implementation.
Was this an RFP or a professional services contract? How did we find them and how did we determine to hire them?
Professional services 1047 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget contract.
I think -- and correct me -- that the Forestry Service has used them as well as several other park systems throughout the country.
Wonderful. Now, is this system going to assist us in developing the type of system that if one of us or our constituents were to call and ask about either a tree removal or trimming generally for the whole block -- I know we don't come out and provide individual homeowner service -- would we actually be able to tell someone within some reasonable range when we may be out as opposed to soon or sometime in the future?
We would hope that the program would take the mystery out of the program, yes.
As well as provide Council members with the type of information that you need. It allows us to slice and dice things a lot better and so forth.
Okay. And Fairmount 1048 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Park is taking full responsibility for street trees at this point in time as opposed to there was a period of time where there was --
-- some split activity between Fairmount Park and the managing director's office. Who is in charge of street trees today?
Fairmount Park. There may be an exception with I think maybe Streets Department or some other department on some emergency trees I think, but by and large it is Fairmount Park, yes.
I'm stretching my time here, but I would like to move into one last year. On of the testimony, this rest room 19 management program, it says park staff will provide maintenance and inspection. This is the 25 fixed rest room facilities. Do we actually have a list of these or a map to show where they are?
The park staff will 1049 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget provide maintenance and inspection of these rest rooms twice weekly.
So you know, as a clarification, that is not just on the week, it is both days on the weekend as well.
The twice a week and Saturday and Sunday as well. So, in essence, it is four times a week.
I can appreciate that. Actually in my notes when I read this last night, I circled it and wrote in the column "What is the prospect of daily checking?" I mean a bathroom in an isolated -- I don't know that they are all isolated, but they can get pretty nasty in a relatively short period of time.
Let me, if I may, try to put these programs in context. I think what we were trying to do is saying we only have X amount of dollars for Fairmount Park and we have enormous needs and what we were trying to do is prioritize how we are going to spend that money and what the priorities are and I think one of the issues that has been raised from time to time is the number and 1050 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget adequacy of the rest rooms, so we basically are saying the rest room management program is something that we need; it's what users expect from us. We have the hard surface trails. They should be the first things that get cleaned. That is where the vast majority of the people are using for roller-blading or bicycling and whatever, and the playground is obviously one that involves the safety and health of children. So from a priority point of view this is what we were going to do before we spend any other money for the most part. We would love to be able to do bathrooms each and every day, but right now it is really not feasible. So this is a start. It is a start of getting more bathrooms on a regular, consistent basis for their cleaning, which has not been done.
I understand that and again I'm deeply appreciative and sensitive to the issue. Again, if we are going to promote these and encourage people to use them, I think we want to, especially at the start, be able to encourage people not only to use them but that they might potentially return. If they are dirty, smelly, 1051 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget nasty at the beginning, they are not going to be used and they are just going to be further abused. It would seem to me that at a minimum someone in the course of their day getting from Point A to Point C could somewhere along the line stop for a moment and at least check on the place to make sure that it is either stocked or it is not on fire or it doesn't have some other issues going on and that we know what's going on with our facilities. I mean if you plan out your route and your course of activities in the day, at least somebody walking by to see what the place looks like might be helpful.
Mr. Donaghy reminds me that the rangers as part of their responsibility in opening and closing bathrooms every day would perform that perfunctory responsibility.
Okay. Lastly, with regard to the safe playground program, I would only mention the same issue. You have 40 playgrounds that are going to be inspected and cleaned and maintained on a biweekly basis. Playgrounds take a lot of activity, a lot of kids, a lot of stuff. Again, this kind of checking and regular sense of 1052 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget maintenance, I'm not saying we are going to go out and hire a whole bunch of people to do this, but as folks run around doing what they are doing, just to be able to check on it might be helpful. Madam Chair, I can come back unless --
Thank you. There are other members that would like to be recognized. Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. First I need to watch my manners and formally welcome you in your new capacity at Fairmount Park.
Forgive me for that. And, secondly, I need to acknowledge and commend friends of Fairmount Park for being before us today, the next generation of leadership with the parks. I'm sorry I did not acknowledge those young people before their departure, so I need to put that on the record as well. 1053 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget I want to move back to questions posed by my colleague, Councilman Nutter, around contracts. You mentioned that all of your tree-pruning or tree-cutting is done by Philadelphia Fairmount Park, correct? Is that accurate?
The tree pruning work in the city, 99 percent of it is performed by the Fairmount Park Commission through contractors. The only other department that does a little bit of work on tree-pruning would be the Streets Department. They do some clearance for streetlights, which is maybe, I think, a thousand trees a year that they do some pruning on and it is strictly to clear for street lighting. All the other pruning work that is done is done by the Fairmount Park Commission.
So to ask that question differently, no City employees do tree-pruning or tree-cutting? You said 99 percent is done by contractors.
City employees do provide emergency services, be it pruning or removal on street trees and at times they also do some clearance for traffic signals, traffic control devices. 1054 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Is the Philadelphia Fairmount Park Commission subject to MBEC procurement guidelines?
Yes, it is. All the contracts for street tree work are administered by the Procurement Department of Philadelphia.
I would suspect this sentiment was prevalent amongst my colleagues prior to my arrival, but in recent weeks it certainly resonates that we have a strong concern in Philadelphia residents, them getting a fair opportunity, if you will, at contracts. So I would be curious to know of the contractors that the Philadelphia Fairmount Park Commission has dealt with over the past three years since my arrival here, I would be curious to know how many are Philadelphia based and how many of those are women and how many are minority. And if you could forward that to the Chair so that all members could review that information, that would be, I'm sure, instructive.
I believe our rec commissioner has been a pioneer in this area 1055 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget when it comes to safety of our children on playgrounds and I'm pleased to see in your testimony on that you give some discussion to safe playground program. Update us on where you are with that. Is it in place? Are you about to roll it out? How many playgrounds are now meeting the standards, et cetera?
About a year ago the Fairmount Park Commission had initiated our safe playground program and put together a plan. We have completed a safety audit, which is a one-time audit of all of our facilities, and we have removed or repaired the equipment that was in a hazardous condition. Some of it was beyond repair, so we did have to remove that. We are currently putting together a program where we will do a biweekly inspection and maintenance of our playground. We have 40 facilities throughout the system. And then on a monthly basis we will have a certified playground safety inspector conduct an inspection of the facilities and identify any hazards that may exist.
So the execution of that plan you would suspect would begin 1056 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget when?
Yes, of this year. And the managing director reminded me that also during the past months we have done a safety pruning at 9 all of the playground facilities in the Fairmount 10 Park Commission for all the trees and we continue to 11 monitor that and our safety inspector, when he goes 12 out on a monthly basis, is also a certified arborist, so they will also be continuing to look at these items at the trees and will take care of those issues as they arise.
Ready, Willing & Able, that is not a social service; it is a function of the managing director's office. I should say it was and it may very well still be -- I don't know the status of it -- but they were magnificent with regards to providing services to Poplar Playground. Are they still being used, period, and, if they are, where as relates to Fairmount Park?
Yes, they are being used. 1057 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget We have two crews, total of about to people depending on their staffing situation, and they are used along the river drives and also along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Vine Street Expressway corridor, so they are doing some custodial work, doing some minor pruning. We have also had them do some work up in the northwest section and, as you said, they had been to Poplar Playground, but their focus to date has been along the river drives and we have used them occasionally to do a cleanup in some of our neighborhood parks.
How long 14 is that contract and the followup question is are we 15 preparing ourselves to reapply so that we can 16 hopefully win the contract again to continue the 17 services they are doing? 18
I can't answer about the 19 term of the contract, but I do know that Fairmount 20 Park is one of the focus areas for their staff or 21 their clients to provide some job training. We have 22 worked with the Ready, Willing & Able Association to 23 do some horticultural training as the staff comes 24 out to the park. So we have a very good 25 relationship and the feeling that I have is that 1058 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget they intend to continue working with the park.
When you provide the information on the contracts, could you also include the professional contracts as well, professional services contract as well?
Thank you, Madam President. Thank you for your testimony.
Thank you, Madam President. My daughter spends seven days a week in Fairmount Park at the stables, Shamoney Stables. She comes home and she has to take off these boots and we don't allow her to enter the house the way she comes in. I asked her, I said, "How come you go to Fairmount Park and you clean stables and you can't clean your room?" It is an incredible situation, but she has become obviously a fanatic of the park. She rides the horses. And she told me, she said that I have to begin looking at the horse trails and where they go and so I have to ask these 1059 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget things because she asked me, she said, "What are we doing for the horses? What are we doing for the kids who use Shamoney and the other stables? What are we doing to maintain this?" They have a great 4-H club and I told her about when I was growing up and when I was in college we saw these little clubs sort of in a political orientation that was not too positive, but she is into it. What are we doing for these young people that want to do these things?
What are we doing, for instance, with the riding trails or programs?
What are the trails because she asked me the trails need conditioning and taking care of. She worries about the horses as they go up these trails and they are not in good condition, and she was asking me about that.
We do have a master plan on trails that is prepared and that is the trails throughout the park. Quite frankly, honestly, we can't possibly fund the whole plan, but some of the things we are doing is, for instance, in East Park where the Brewery Town western development is taking place, part of that contractor or developer's plan is to work on where they are bidding the back of the 1060 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget stable back over there to do some trail work that leads up around Hatfield House and in the East Park and so what we are trying to do is as we increase the destination into the park, we would hope that those people could come in and would include the horse trails as part of those things that we would like to have done.
Could you let us see that and see what needs to be done and what, if anything, we can do to begin helping along those lines?
The one question, you say that you have plans for a $2 million restaurant to be located at the Engine House. Can you tell me about that, if that has not been asked? If it has been asked, I will read the record.
That's a good question. There is a process done and there is a restaurant selected to operate out of the Engine House at the Waterworks.
We have a restaurant selected. 1061 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Catelli's, C-A-T-E-L-L-I apostrophe S. It's a New Jersey-based company. It is in Voorhees, I believe, right across the bridge, not far.
Why was that selected? Don't we have restaurants in Philadelphia?
They were the successful respondent on an RFP done four or five years ago now. The one, I guess, linchpin on the project now is they would like to add an enclosure for more seating and we are looking very closely at, one, can we do that under the RFP and, two, does the enclosure compromise the historical setting, but that process will probably be resolved in the next 10 to 14 days.
There was an original contract done for the Waterworks project. It was with J.J. 1062 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget DeLuca and that was done through the Procurement Department. And we put the same guidelines in because of the economy of scale. If they are going to build the restaurant and DeLuca's is already there, DeLuca would take on that contract with the same participation criteria.
But the MBEC numbers we have found are not real. We have had testimony during the last two weeks in which the MBEC numbers are not realistic numbers in which they have never been met and no one can give us details as to that.
On that project I'm told the numbers are with minority and female to 17 percent. 18
I like to see the 19 names of the companies, the minority contractors 20 that have been hired are part of the contract, what is the level -- you know, all the details in terms of performance.
Memorial Hall and the Please Touch Museum. The Please Touch Museum is a 1063 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget very dear part of my family because my kids grew up around that. What's the relationship? Are they going to be, are they not? Are they part of this in terms of requests for expression of restoration improvement and adaptation of Memorial Hall and is the adaptation including a projection of housing the Please Touch Museum within it?
The Please Touch Museum, as I guess everybody knows, is one of the most interested participants and we expect --
Yes. We receive the expressions of interest I think 3 o'clock today and we would expect that the Please Touch Museum would be one of those respondents.
My staff, we work with different community organizations around the city. The Tabor Rams, the heating system is so old PGW service says that turning it on to work on will be the result of a cracked system, which can then 1064 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget flood the facility with tons of water. The estimate that they have been given is somewhere between to 4 $5,000, which they don't have. 5
Tabor Rams. Is that part of the system? That is part of the system. That is part of the system.
It seems that the systems are so deteriorated that doing it or even trying to operate it will cost --
As I'm told, it is a capital project that we haven't had funded yet. I know it was in -- I'm pretty sure it was put in.
They run quite an extensive program out of there both in terms of football, basketball, baseball, and so on. It is an integral part of the community. Let me give you some idea. The demographics of that neighborhood have changed over the years. It has turned from one that it was white ethnic in which they never had problems funding it to one in which there is more Puerto Rican, Latino, and African-Americans, but the demographics definitely have changed and it seems 1065 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget that the level of service has changed also with the demographics. And it is not a good picture.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have three last questions. There was testimony a few minutes ago about a one-time or once-a-year safety check of play facilities. Did I get that right?
No, there was a one-time safety audit. When you start a program, you do a safety audit, which is a very detailed inspection. There will be monthly safety inspections performed on the playground.
What about all the other park facilities or structures, buildings; how often are they checked for safety?
They are checked. I can't give you a number, but they are checked on a regular basis and they're cataloged and kept on a schedule of dangerous, imminently dangerous, no problem, so 1066 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget they are all monitored.
How many would you say are in the dangerous category at the moment? If part of the reason is you're trying to figure out who is going to deign to come up to the table --
I understand that. Not many volunteers in this Army. One of the reasons I ask the question is because of the true life experience we have, for instance, with the Hermitage Mansion, and if we were checking our facilities on a regular basis, it would seem to me there is no way in the world that a park facility could end up in such a decrepit and deteriorated condition. Now, again, much of that is funding. Much of it is staff, but if we have systems in place, I would like to think that we at least catch these situations at a much earlier time such that we then don't have to invest an inordinate amount of dollars to fix them.
Councilman, I can say we met with the managing director and the executive director ten days ago, less than that, a week ago, 1067 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget because we are implementing a property management system plan to update what we do. I'm not saying we don't monitor it now, but that system would actually list and schedule almost like the street tree program what is imminently dangerous, what is dangerous, what we need to work on right away.
You don't necessarily want to use the street tree program, the present one, as a model.
The street tree program going forward. So we have a program that we would at least be able to have an eye on those that were most serious.
I think what we have done over the past several months is put together our database so we know by property leases, what is supposed to be done and so forth, so it is a starting place where we now have to really get to and that has been accomplished.
Let's go back one last time to the transfer issue. We talked about staffing levels at the park, the 219 that you are going to at least be funded for, the 210 that you actually have, and the assurance that the nine won't 1068 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget get caught up in the freeze. How many employees do you actually anticipate transferring from the park to recreation as a part of the facilities transfer?
I don't know that number offhand. Whatever that -- and maybe Mr. Nice knows the numbers. Whatever that number is, eight, eight, whatever that number is, would be transferred. So the way I would look at it is if the City has -- rather than looking at Fairmount Park and the Recreation Department separately, if you look at the City of Philadelphia and the number of swimming pools we have, I forget what rec has, I think it is 80 plus 3, so it would be 83 swimming pools. The goal right now, when this transfer is complete, you will have the same staffing level with those 83 pools as you did before. The same thing with the rec centers. If you looked at it from a City of Philadelphia perspective as opposed to divisional, whatever that staffing level is, whether that staffing level is appropriate going forward are the things that we have to determine, but to get this transfer off the ground, we have to say whatever the staffing is now is what we are going forward with and see what the 1069 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget needs are.
What is your sense -- and I know you obviously have this Phase 1/Phase 2 study going on, but I would like your opinion on this particular matter. Is the Fairmount Park system adequately staffed to provide the level of service that citizens are certainly asking for? And when you add in park utilization both by Philadelphians and our friends and neighbors in the counties as well as -- and you know, certainly Mr. Nix knows and Miss Borski and possibly you, Mr. Goldsmith. I believe that the Fairmount Park system is no way, shape or form, at least from my perspective, utilized at a level and promoted at a level as a part of any larger hospitality and tourism strategy here in the city and in the region as compared to some other well-known park systems whether it is Central Park in New York or what they are doing in Baltimore or Chicago and some of the great work that Mayor Daly has done out there. How do we look people in the eye and tell them that we have a top-notch park system that can be utilized by Philadelphians, Pennsylvanians, if not people across the country, given our present staffing levels? Are 1070 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget they adequate?
I think like every City department we could use more people. We use what we have. What we are trying to do is bring what I would think are draws into the park, whatever that is. If the Please Touch Museum or some other such entity is in Memorial Hall, that will bring another district into the park, which will bring people in, which won't require us to be the modus operandi for it.
I understand that, but let me also, I guess, say for the record, see, I think that Fairmount Park is as important at least as two new ball fields down in the sports complex, and they were going to get done and there was never a question at any moment in time did we have the money, did we have the resources, did we have the need, did we have the interest, could we pay for it, was anybody going to come. It never came up in the course of the year. It was going to happen because there was the will to make it happen. Now, I don't know how many people are going to end up down at those facilities. I don't necessarily know that anyone is coming to 1071 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Philadelphia to go to either of those facilities because you can go to a new ball field almost anywhere in the country, but you can't get a Fairmount Park experience anywhere in the United States of America. (Applause.)
So we always find the resources for the things that we want. Our trouble often is finding the resources for the things that we need. I think we need a well-functioning Fairmount Park system and I think it should not just be subject to all the other departments are suffering so it should suffer.
It is a very different entity. Police, Fire, EMS, Health, Records, all of the departments are important. They provide essential services, but if you want to talk about a world-class operation with all due respect to the architects and the designers, I was supportive of the stadiums, wonderful, but you are not going to get anything else like a Fairmount Park experience and the river running through it and a 1072 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget whole host of other things, and the park should not be left literally out there on the sidewalk with a tin cup trying to figure out when is the next time we are going to be able to clean our bathrooms. I can assure you -- (Applause.)
I can assure you that the bathrooms at Lincoln and whatever the Phillies are going to call their stadium, I can assure you that they are going to be clean.
Sure. Councilman, in response, what I'm hoping to get is a strategic plan that is going to tell me that. What I can't tell you is exactly how many people we need for what. Hopefully the strategic plan will give me the base to go back and plead my case if you will.
Let me go to of the testimony and then I will be done. I want to talk a little bit about -- we heard this new -- we have the new program Operation Meadow. So I want to talk about the acres cut by park employees and this whole meadow concept going from 3200 to 1600. Can you tell us where the cutbacks on cutting are going to take place? 1073 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Councilman Nutter, the type of land that we are looking at is that which has minimal or no use where we are cutting grass. We have identified some acreage across the City and we are working our list down to about 125 acres and that we think that we can convert this year. At the same time, as I said, we are going to be working with our friends groups so that everyone is on board. We don't want to create problems for anyone. We certainly don't want to create problems for ourselves, but we think that this would be the best use for that particular land because there is not a picnic site there, there is not baseball fields there. The land may be on such an incline that it is not really usable for a function.
I understand. If you can get us a map with whatever color scheme you want to use? I mean about 60 percent of the park system is in the 4th District, so I'm figuring it is going to be a little tough for you to avoid doing something that doesn't affect the 4th and the rest of the City would certainly like to know as well, so if you can get us a color-coded map and show us what you were doing this year, what you won't be doing 1074 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget next year, so that we can visually see the difference, I would appreciate it. On the same item, number of ball fields maintained, FY '03 you are at 530 and FY '04 you are at 398. Can you tell me what ball fields are not going to be maintained next year that are being maintained this year?
As well as the next item, which is number of ball fields renovated, going from 160 in the current fiscal year to 80 in the next fiscal year? I would like to know what ball fields are not going to be renovated as a part of this game plan.
At this time the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown.
Please forgive my redundancy on this question around the community environmental education centers. I need to be sure what I heard is correct. Each center 1075 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget will be staffed by at least one staff person; is that so?
And the staff person there is chiefly responsible just for that center or do their duties involve oversight of other Fairmount Park related --
Right now the people are designated per center depending on how we go. We may try to coordinate it where there is a central kind of program, but right now people are designated to a particular center.
Those centers that may have more than one staff person, decisions like that are happening because of what kind of criteria?
I think part of the reasoning is that some of the centers have friends groups that staff it or some private dollars supporting it. I think from the City end, for the most part most of the City employees are one per center.
I believe there is one City 1076 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget employee per center and then the additional would be privately funded depending on the friends groups who support those centers.
That explains it. Thank you very much. Thank you, Madam President. I'm finished.
Are there any other questions from members of the committee? Seeing none, thank you very much.
But Mr. Dubow definitely has to. The Art Museum is next. Kindly identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony.
Good afternoon, Madam President, members of City Council. I'm Anne D'Harnoncourt, director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, here with my colleagues today. 1077 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Anne, just a moment, please. Council members do have a copy of your testimony. We would appreciate your summarizing it and we will make certain that the stenographer has a copy and will transcribe it in full. (See attached testimony of Ms. D'Harnoncourt.)
Thank you, Madam President. I'm here with my colleagues, Bob Morrone, director of facilities and operations; Gail Harrity, chief operating officer; and Cheryl McClenney-Brooker, director of external affairs, and we are here asking the Council's blessing and to renew your investment in the museum on behalf of over 700,000 visitors a year, over 70,000 of whom are school children and who come not only from Philadelphia and its outlining counties but from around the world. I can report, which is not in my testimony, that to date the wonderful Degas and the Dance exhibition, which is going to be celebrated later this week by a citation here sponsored by 1078 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown for its dance alliance program with over 60 dance organizations, the Degas exhibition has had over a hundred thousand tickets sold to date in 40 states and Puerto Rico and France, by the way. The French never seem to get enough of their own art. And we are really striving to make the museum and its collections and the great exhibitions we do both accessible and exciting for all of our visitors. We feel that there are three very important impacts the museum has: As a creative impact, Mayor Street talked about the creative class of Philadelphia citizens and how much we need to do to grow that creative class; educational impact. I will say that the over 270 school groups have signed up to come to Degas and that is on eight Mondays which are open for school groups and that is in addition or it is aside from the kids who come year in and year out to see our galleries and then, of course, the economic impact on Philadelphia and its region. I will say that even our great exhibition program like Degas and the Dance this year, wonderful show for the fall of a great 1079 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget clothing designer, Elsa Schiaparelli, which should inspire all the young designers in Philadelphia to do their great work, next spring Manet and the Sea, all of these great exhibitions cost between 3 and $5 million a year to the museum. We try to make a great deal of money. We don't always make our goals there, but the economic impact of those shows is far, far-reaching on the City. I will say it's much greater on the City than it is on the museum itself, ranging anywhere itself from to $35 million or 12 more as in the case of the great Cezanne exhibition. 13 We know these are tough times for the 14 City. We feel that the museum is -- we are deeply 15 committed to not only our educational mission, not 16 only to the mission of increasing the well-being of 17 all citizens of Philadelphia, building the permanent 18 collection. 19 Last year in our anniversary year we had 20 over 400 gifts to the collections ranging from works 21 of art from Asia, from Europe, Africa, the Americas, 22 from Monet to Jacob Lawrence, an amazing cornucopia 23 of works which will enrich this museum for the next 24 generations. 25 There are tough times. We realize that 1080 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the City is in those times itself. I can't help saying that the funding for which we are pleading, the $2,250,000, has been flat for the last eight years. It's approximately six percent of our operating budget, but it is a crucial part of that budget because it supports the security and maintenance operations of the museum which have only expanded due to just normal cost increases, and this is half of what the City's share -- of the actual dollars of what the City's share was in the early 1990's. So we really count on that support. We are grateful for the administration and City Council's support of the museum over the years and we hope we will continue to serve you better and better in the years to come.
Thank you. We all feel that the Art Museum is certainly the jewel of our city and I want to applaud all of you for doing such a fabulous job. You really do.
A marvelous, marvelous job. You mention in your testimony that the 1081 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget operating support you receive from the City does not cover your costs. What has the shortfall been over the last two years and what are you projecting for your FY '04 deficiency to be?
I would ask Robert Morrone, our head of building and facilities, to answer that question.
I could certainly get to you with more definitive numbers. I can give you a good range of what they are. They have been in the neighborhood of about $4 million in each of the last few fiscal years. That's just with respect to security and building maintenance costs.
Have you been able to raise this money privately? That's quite a deficiency.
It is fair to say, Madam President, the museum has been facing substantial fiscal challenges, that we are raising money for exhibitions and educational programs. It is a lot easier to raise that kind of funding than it is for very fundamental museum operations. We 1082 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget are facing a really tough economic year for ourselves next year and we are very, very eager not to have to cut back on the exhibitions and programming. We have been carrying deficits for the last couple of years. This is not something that our trustees want to see us do going forward and we know that to be responsible we should narrow the gap as much as we possibly can. The City's help is absolutely invaluable to make sure that those deficits do not grow larger.
We project about two and a half million unless there is something that can be done.
What did you request from the administration in your original FY '04 budget submission and what was their reaction to your request?
Madam President, I think it's fair it say that our guidelines which we have followed for the last years have been essentially that -- I will say we feel fortunate not to have been cut back in this bad climate which the 1083 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget City is part of, so we have not requested an increase from last year, which was 2.5 million, but we have reminded the administration, as we remind the council, what a shortfall this is from the funding the museum received some nine to ten years ago.
At this time the Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I just shake my head because if we are going to be a first-class City and since I have been sitting here we have continuously been really short-changing the museum in terms of general operating fund monies. It began not with this administration but this administration has continued the pattern, and it is something that really we don't understand. I think the museum is more important to us and we should spend as much on it as we do with the football stadium because I don't think the football stadium is as meaningful to this city as the museum is. I don't think the football stadium brings in the income that the Cezanne or VanGogh and the type of individual that comes to see 1084 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Cezanne and VanGogh and so on and the money that they spend within the City. So I have really no questions of the administration except to say that we will fight to see how we can begin putting in and looking at where we can find some money because we cannot allow this because without the museum the hard times become even harder, so I'd like to get from you sort of a comparison of what the operating contribution has been over the years to the museum and how that contribution has been getting ameliorated throughout the years. Because if we don't take care of the museum, the times that we have will get worse. Then conventions, you can forget about conventions coming into the City because we won't have the museum offering the type of exhibits that the people who look at conventions and coming to cities and so on would want to go to, you know, will have. You know, you can stop talking about enlarging the Convention Center unless we have a very viable Museum of Art and, you know, competing against Washington and New York, which I see as our two main competitions. But the way we have done it has been 1085 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget sort of like a little bit here and a little bit there and somebody -- I read the story about the collection didn't have the right type of situation to make them safe, sprinklers or something, and that's our heritage. That is our endowment over the history and we need to be able to take a look at that in our capital program and see how we can help your capital program to fix that. That is part of us and so I have no 11 questions. I just wanted those figures and how over the years we have cut and nitpicked and taken away so we can really lay a comparison, and before we approve this budget, I can tell you I'm going to argue against my colleagues about putting some extra funds here. Thank you.
Thank you. Right after testimony from the Art Museum we are going to call a 15-minute recess. I do notice that there are a number of employees from the Recreation Department here. I'm sure the stenographer would like to have a little break, so immediately after the Art Museum testifies we will call for a 15-minute break. In the event that you want to go out and stretch your legs, be my guest. 1086 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget The Chair at this time recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown.
Let me start off by saying that it has been an absolute pleasure for me to serve as the honorary chair of the Degas exhibit and to say thank you for that opportunity. It is one of the few times I get a chance to stay connected to my first love, which is the arts, so I really appreciate that. And, secondly, let me commend you on the magnificent effort you made with regards to reaching out to the dance community so that they could be intimately involved with the fine art of dance and what that has done in terms of just awareness and participation. When I read testimony from our arts and culture and recreation, I always look to see the involvement of the Philadelphia School District, and I can tell that that has been growing for you in a number of ways. You have adopted four Philadelphia 1087 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget public elementary schools. Can you give me just a sense as to how that happened, how they ended up being the lucky four?
I think it is a combination of our interest and their interest, councilwoman. In fact, over the last to years 8 we have had a number of different schools come into 9 that wonderful relationship with us. I might say 10 that also beyond that, as I think you are aware, we 11 have a couple of programs, an after-school session, 12 an arts club in which we reach out in particular to 13 schools in Title 1 areas in which kids have had 14 very, very little chance to interact with museum 15 collections and we are thrilled with the results of that. We have also had a wonderful program called teen dosin in which kids from schools in their junior or senior year have actually come and spent an amazing amount of their time introducing other kids to the museum's collections and one of those teen dosins last year graduated school, went off to the Rhode Island School of Design and she just came back and was in the Degas exhibition, so we have been working with the school district very 1088 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget closely. In this period of their renewal transition and renewal, we are trying to make sure that we do not lose all of our good friends and indeed we have made more friends and are going strong.
That leads exactly to my next question. Given what I believe to be the encouraging reform that we see happening at the school district and having heard for myself personally Mr. Valas' commitment to ensuring that arts and music is at best sustained, because we know it has dropped off dramatically due to lack of dollars, but it is at best sustained, have you had a chance to have a conversation with the leadership at that level on currently what you are doing and looking systemically at how we can move programs that you are doing across the district?
Yes. It's a great question. We started with Mr. Nevilles, who expressed his support for this, and then as Paul Valas came into town, we have begun discussions with him. He is very enthusiastic. He obviously has a great deal on his plate. He has connected us, our senior curator of education, Marla Shoemaker. She knows a number of the people already in place and we 1089 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget are meeting others of his associates and look forward to more of that conversation, but it is certainly taking place I would say at all levels.
Okay. So the expectation then is at the end of the process, for however long it takes, there is conceivably a plan or a strategy to involve the Art Museum systemwide? What is the goal?
Certainly our goal is to be connected with every school in the district in a very meaningful and long-term way and we are doing that in a number of different ways, some of which comes from us, which is to say the provision of teaching posters, teaching materials for kids, ways to prepare the teachers when they do bring the kids for a visit. Other things really do depend on the school district itself. As you know, we had two full-time teachers seconded from the school district to the museum for, oh, I don't know over 50 years, for a long time together with the Franklin Institute and a number of the other museums in town. It was a great program, a leadership program, in which Philadelphia was really outstanding. Through cuts that have happened to the 1090 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget district, those two teachers are no longer with us, so that's another area where we have been making up for something that previously was able to be done by the district, but we are trying to be as ingenious as possible in establishing a relationship of both an umbrella relationship with the district and the district's leaders and also continuing the relationship with the individual schools.
I will look forward to that end product. Knowing that the district's plate is full --
-- ultimately arts and music and arts and culture find its way on the plate as a center piece. There were a number of articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer outlining dangerous conditions in the lower levels of the museum. Share with us the kinds of things you are doing to address that program.
We -- and I may ask my associates here to comment also. This had to do with fire-suppression systems in the B level, which is our art storage level. We are currently -- the 1091 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget fire and safety -- fire prevention and safety board has approved a plan going forward for the next two years to bring those areas up to code. We are actually working hard right now on the plans. It does mean the removal of a fairly substantial number or moving and relocation of works of art in order to make that possible. That obviously has to happen in the safest possible way. I would say we are really grateful to the council and the administration for their support on the capital budget side. As mentioned by Councilman Ortiz, that is a very important part of the support for this really, really crucial project.
Thank you for your testimony and we will look forward to having you back on Thursday.
Could you give us a figure in terms of what the capital monies are, the figures that are needed to really fix that problem? 1092 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget We do not want our Impressionist collection to be somehow damaged because we were a pound foolish.
Bob Morrone, head of building and facilities. Councilman, I would like to say that we have in place funding from the City to deal with the hard costs.
What I want to know is what is the capital figure and then you tell me what the figure portion is going to be, but I just want to know what it is, the capital figure that it will take to fix that problem.
I think the figure is in the neighborhood of $7-1/2 million if you include the cost of installing sprinklers, the cost of relocating art and storing it temporarily while the construction takes place.
You have to maintain a certain air quality for fine art?
That is correct. It has to have state-of-the-art climate control and 1093 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget security systems.
Give us what it is that it would cost. And you said the City's so far projected participation in it would be what, if anything?
I believe the capital program office has committed $2.5 million for the project.
The deficiency at the museum, I believe the controller's report kind of surfaces that. Were we aware of that deficiency before that report, that that needed to get done, that sprinkler system coverage in the building?
We have been working on -- 1094 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget it came across as if this was a new project. This is actually something that the Art Museum has been working on for a number of years. We had already installed fire suppression and detection in our lowest level. We had installed a standpipe system on our two lowest levels. We are currently working on a new detection system in the building as well and what needed to be done was the completion of a project that actually had been started and, needless to say, the area which does need work is our level which stores our collections. Because of the difficulty in moving and storing those collections, it was an activity that needed to be thoroughly planned before it could be implemented.
I thought that was the case because I didn't think that you picked up the paper and said, wow, we need to do this when you read about it in the newspaper. Okay. Are there any other situations like this that exist at the building that violate code? Are there any issues pertaining to safety, access, egress, any other issues that you would consider something that we really need to deal with if the funding is not there to do? 1095 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
I think it's fair to say that right now we are currently working with an outside consultant, fire protection consultant, to develop a comprehensive fire protection plan for the Art Museum's total facilities and we have made the Board of Safety and Fire Prevention aware of this plan, which will take us quite a bit of time to prepare. It will probably take about the next year or so for us to bring that to a completion. And like all buildings, especially the vintage of the Art Museum, it needs to be brought up to current codes, so we would be looking at all aspects of the building, fire suppression, detection, egress, all those types of things.
What distresses me personally, and I will give you an example -- I don't mean to alarm anyone here -- the City seems to be able to march to a different drummer when it comes to code enforcement. I'll give you an example. In this building -- if you go to any other building in this City, there is what is called panic bars, as you know -- you are a facilities guy -- on the doors. Here in City Hall they are dead-bolted and locked shut that God forbid there was an 1096 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget emergency in this building you couldn't get out of the doors because there is no panic bars and they claim that there is a reason for that because people block them open. Well, that's baloney. There are ways to do that. I'm hoping that you at the museum have not taken advantage of any of these loopholes to say we are not going to do that because it's a City building and because it's a City building we don't have to comply with this regulation because we have an exemption. Tell me there is nothing like that going on over there.
I can assure you, Councilman, and all of City Council that from the leadership of the Art Museum in my tenure at the Art Museum -- I have now been there 13 years -- has never looked at any of its responsibilities in that way. We are very concerned about the safety of our collections, the safety of our visitors, the safety of firefighters or anyone that comes into that building and we are doing all that we can working with the City administration, Council, to implement all of what needs to be done in a comprehensive, effective manner and in a way that we recognize that all of the money -- if all of the money were here 1097 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget right now today and you are trying to keep a facility open to the public, you need to be able to put together a plan that makes sense to effectively be implemented in that context and that's what we are working diligently with everyone concerned to do including the Board of Safety and Fire Prevention.
I'm pleased to hear that. Thank you very much. Thank you, Madam Chair.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Clarke.
I just want to get some information on the record with respect to the new facilities in the Pearlman Building. I know there was actually a smaller community meeting with the residents on Meredith Street and a larger community meeting. Frankly, I'm a little concerned about the representation in the press as to the 1098 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget response from the community, so I think it's probably appropriate that I use this forum to get it on the record in terms of what actually transpired during the course of those community meetings. First I would like to congratulate you on being able to expand the Art Museum and putting on some exhibits that heretofore you were not able to do. Can you just kind of walk me through the process in terms of your outreach to the community and to the political leadership in that neighborhood about the new facility?
Thank you, Councilman Clarke, and thank you for all of your help in the past and ongoing in that regard. I didn't mention the Pearlman Building, which is one of the most important parts of the museum's future, but I will turn the question to Gail Harrity, who can give you the detailed answer.
We are, as Anne said, very excited to be able to expand the museum. The Pearlman Building, as you know, will house very important parts of our collection and make it 1099 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget accessible to the public or more accessible to the public for the first time, specifically the costume and textiles collection, prints, drawings and photography, 20th Century Design, and it will also have an education resource center for teachers in Philadelphia that will help teachers better utilize our collections for the school children in Philadelphia. With regard specifically to responding to the community, yes, we have met with community groups in both Logan, the Logan Circle area, and Fairmount Civic Association area over the course of the last year. Over the course of the last month we had our first meeting, as you know, with you as our councilman, with Democratic ward leader, and with also the property owners who own land immediately adjacent to our site.
On Meredith Street and Olive Street. And we were quite encouraged. An article in the Inquirer did raise the question of parking. I think it is fair to say that the Fairmount neighborhood including our immediate neighbors are concerned in general about parking 1100 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget availability, but they were very encouraged and pleased with the design of the building, the sensitivity of its placement, the fact that it does not block light and the open communication to work with them for the construction period. I think what we hope to do is to continue these meetings and address some of the parking issues. Parking for the staff of the new museum facility is all incorporated within our site and does not pose any problem. In fact, it's a reduction of the number of staff who occupied the building when it was previously owned by the Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company. I think the concern, and we share the concern with the neighborhood, is when visitors come to the new building. Our plan -- we anticipate that the visitors coming to the museum will visit both the main building and the new Pearlman Building and we have also engaged the -- so that the parking patterns should not change dramatically from what has existed over the last decade, we made the --
Let me make sure I understand. You fully anticipate that an individual wanting to come to the Pearlman will more often than 1101 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget not and probably in an overwhelming majority of the times go to the main library probably first and then go to the Pearlman?
It is hard to calculate or estimate whether it is a majority. We certainly think that a group of visitors, a significant number of visitors will come to the main building and see galleries at the main building and go to the Pearlman Building. We hope when the Pearlman Building opens to the public in 2006 to provide a shuttle for visitors between so that you can continue to park at the Art Museum and still see the small gallery space in the Pearlman Building. I think it's fair to say some people will come directly to the Pearlman Building. In that case we have looked -- we have hired a traffic engineer, Orth Rogers, to estimate how many visitors we should anticipate per hour during the weekdays and during the weekends, and I think that the community would agree with us that weekdays it does not pose a problem. There is excess capacity in the neighborhood and people were satisfied with our study to date. For the weekends there is more concern and we have made the commitment to continue 1102 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget to work with our traffic engineers to better estimate what kind of attendance we would see in the year 2006.
Is there a committee or task force or something set up?
Yes. We have agreed to work with a committee from the Fairmount Civic Association on the parking issues specifically, so we welcome an ongoing dialogue to work with the neighbors to address their concerns and our concerns. Parking has been a problem for the Art Museum as well, so we understand and appreciate this issue, and we welcome the opportunity to work with them to help address it.
Are there any employees from the street department, traffic engineering involved in the process?
We have worked with the planning commission and with the -- yes, I believe with the streets -- Orth Rogers has not yet met with the Streets Department. There is one proposal to add parking spaces on Pennsylvania Avenue between 25th and 26th Street, and the planning commission has sort of verbally supported this proposal. What 1103 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget we would do is add roughly ten spaces by creating angled parking in front of the new museum building. For some reason there is angled parking in front of the Philadelphian and in front of 2601 on Fairmount, but there is a single block where angled parking does not exist, and if we were able to get approval from the Streets Department, we would in fact add additional public parking spaces to help address the issue. I'm not sure it will solve it.
You're welcome. Are there any other questions from members of the committee? Thank you very much.
At this time we will take a 15-minute recess. I'm sure the stenographer's fingers must be quite sore. Thank you. We will return here at 20 after 1:00. (Short break.)
The Committee of the Whole is now back in session. The next 1104 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget department to testify is the Recreation Department. Commissioner, we do have a copy of your testimony. If you would summarize it, we would appreciate it. Your testimony will be given to the stenographer and she will transcribe it in its whole contents. Thank you. Please identify yourself for the record and proceed with your testimony. (See attached testimony of Mr. Richard.)
Good afternoon, Madam President. My name is Vic Richard, the Recreation commissioner, and thank you for having me. To my right is Deputy Commissioner Mary Platt-Coles, to my immediate left Deputy Commissioner Carlton Williams and to my far left is Deputy Commissioner William Carapucci. Once again, thank you for the opportunity to come before you and request the '04 budget. The department is requesting $42.3 million in the general fund. That includes the increase of 2.5 million over '03 due to negotiated wage increases, DROP lump sum payments and an additional hundred thousand for playground safety and building code compliance. We are requesting again 10.1 million in 1105 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the grants fund for a total of $52.5 million in our '04 operating budget. This budget supports 619 full-time positions, 591 in a general fund, 28 out of the grants fund as well as 153 part-time and 1,954 seasonal general fund positions. I will be available now to accept any questions that you would like to present.
Thank you very much. The administration has indicated that they will be looking to right-size the City's infrastructure. Do you believe that there are too many recreation centers throughout the City?
I believe that we need to continue to look at the amount of facilities that we have, also evaluate the locations of where they are located and amount of money it takes the City to operate them and preliminarily we have looked at other cities across the country to begin that process.
What role will your office have in determining the fate of the various centers in the Recreation Department?
I believe the biggest part of the role that we will have will be fact-finders 1106 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget to make recommendations back to the City Council, back to the administration, along to the fiscal and budget directors for the City based on all of the facilities and what's happening around the rest of the country.
There is a little component that you didn't mention. Will the impact of communities be involved in the process?
How long do you think this review will take and what happens in the interim with your capital repairs in the short term?
The first half of your question, right now I'm not available to give you a time frame on what exactly is going to happen. I'm sure I will take directive from the managing director, the finance department as well. As soon as those directives are definitively given, quite naturally I will come back to each and every 1107 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Councilperson to let he or she know what we are going to do, why we are doing it, and, quite naturally, you will be at the table helping to make the decision.
We certainly don't want to be putting money in facilities that perhaps may be closing. I'm sure you would agree.
You stated in your testimony that by the end of FY '03 you will have four teen centers. Please name the locations of the four centers and the selection process your department used in their selection.
It's Rivera up at 5th and Allegheny, McVeigh up at Ontario and D, Kingsessing Recreation Center, and the fourth one is Francis Myers. The process taken was a collaboration along with the police commissioner, Philadelphia Safe and Sound, Youth Violence Prevention and the COMSTAT numbers from the police. We determined areas of where we are going in to try to offset the crime, especially in juvenile crime, but not just offset it, to give another outlet for hopefully children not to make the wrong decision. 1108 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Thank you. Would it be opening any additional centers in the FY '04 or at any time in the out-years of the City's five-year plan?
I would like to say yes, but it will all be based on money -- all of it was done mostly with money from youth violence reduction prevention grant funding, not general funds.
How many full-time general fund positions were you budgeted for in FY '03 and how many in FY '04?
There will be a difference of two, 593 I want to say and 591 for '04.
Your position level is being reduced, as you said, by two and at the same time you are budgeting almost $500,000 in turnover reductions while you are assuming the responsibility of the three additional pools and six recreation centers. How will you be able to do this?
We are working separately -- let me talk about the immediate budget first. We are not taking any cuts relative to the operation and the manpower except for two bodies 1109 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget that are in the DROP program that we didn't decide --
I'm sorry, Commissioner. I was distracted. Do you mind repeating?
Before you repeat that, it is my understanding that Councilman Nutter would like to be recognized very briefly.
Thank you, Madam President. I wanted to put on the record that I'm going to have to leave the chambers for a few minutes. There is a press conference that has just been called with regard to the young girl who was shot senselessly last week in the snowball incident. I'm going to leave the chambers for a few minutes. I do have some questions for Recreation, and my hope is that they will still be here upon my return. If not, Madam President, I would like to reserve the opportunity for a callback so that I can get answers to some questions that I have.
Thank you, Madam President. 1110 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Commissioner, I'm sorry I had to interrupt you, but would you mind explaining about your budgeting on those $500,000 in turnover reductions?
We're not reducing our work force, Madam President, except by the two that you see. The $500,000 is regular turnover. People are trading out. Our goal is to maintain our same level of service and that manpower. We are not looking to make any reductions in service and just with the two with the staffing.
And how many did you indicate will be leaving under the DROP program?
My records indicate that in this calendar year there's employees by 12/31 18 of '03. 19
And you will 20 be able to hire all 23 without any problems? There 21 are existing lists in each category? 22
Yes, ma'am. We just 23 completed a new district managers listing. I know there will be a program director's test and I want to go on record to say that it has been very 1111 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget refreshing when we have had to replace employees to meet with Mr. Dubow and the rest of the finance team giving us the opportunity to replace people. The only real problem that we have had, and it is really not a problem, is because the budget is not sufficient enough to carry two people at once, but as the employee either transfers out or retires, once they totally clear off the payroll, we are given the opportunity to replace. We don't have the luxury to have the flexibility to put additional employees, but we have been given the responsibility to replace as people retire or transfer out, so we have been able to maintain --
So you are telling us that you will be able to hire the 17 employees? 18
It may not be all 23. 19 Some of those positions we may not rehire and I 20 would have to look at them. If we don't rehire, it 21 will probably be most likely in the management 22 ranks, but on the front line, yes, and we are 23 rehiring now.
Then on the other side of the coin we are hearing testimony that 1112 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget approximately 50 percent of the people going out on DROP in all likelihood will not be replaced. With that being said, how could you ever do the job that you are supposed to do?
It would be virtually impossible. I don't foresee that happening to the Recreation Department unless the level of service and the level of responsibility is changed to meet the amount of funding or staffing. It has to coincide.
Commissioner, on -22 of the detail there are three professional service items. I would like you to explain them to us, if you will. Explain what they are, how much they are and what they do. For instance, you have the Keel Communications for promotion of children's issues. Tell us about that.
Okay. We have been working with Keel for the last I want to say maybe two or two and a half years during developing our quarterly newsletter and also a new logo and tag line. Right now the department is developing and getting ready to go to print a full-scale color directory that will be published to go out citywide. 1113 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Then I believe we have the Mayor's fun and fitness program for social service initiatives, $50,000. Can you explain that, please?
No, it is in Class 200 so it can't be for the fitness czar and I think she makes more than 50,000.
This is Ellen Steiker from the managing director's office. The 50,000 funds some services that are provided to the fitness czar through PMHCC.
They are primarily accounting and other fiscal-type services.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz for a point of order.
That money comes out of the Recreation Department's budget, that money, $50,000. I would like to find out whether those services are recreation center directed and how do they go to enhance the programmatic aspects of the 1114 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget recreation center and advance the charge that the recreation center has. I would like that in writing.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo for a point of information.
Thank you, Madam Chair. That also jumps out like a red flag to me. Could you provide to the Chair the various documents that were circulated to promote the promotion of children's issues? So I understand, it was 50,000 in 2002, 48,000 estimated obligation for 2003 fiscal year. That's at least what the budget sheet says. And then in fiscal year 2004 it goes to $10,000. So could you provide to the Chair all of the documents that were developed in the effort and, it says, promotion of children's issues?
Thank you, Madam Chair. 1115 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
You're welcome. Also, there is another item here, Safe and Sound United Way Health Safety Fund, $146,906. Could you please explain that?
This is Ellen Steiker. The health and safety fund was an item that specifically Council asked us to include last year at the end of the budget process to find funds, 300,000, for the health and safety fund. We have endeavored to find grant funding for that rather than general funding and we believe actually that that 146 will not need to come from the Recreation Department's general fund, that we will be able to cover it using some grant funds.
Commissioner, on -68 of your detail you are requesting $1.5 million for contributions to educational and recreational organizations. Who do these funds go to?
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Blackwell. 1116 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
I'm honored to have this opportunity to say thank you to this department and you even have the mural arts under your direction. I tell you, between the two of you I think you are one of the, if not the, most exciting departments we have in the city. I only want to say -- and I have said this to the Mayor -- that when we talk about cutting back, let me decide which institutions in my area along with my people, that we need not affect our Recreation Department. We need everything we have and more and we are absolutely overjoyed and grateful at the progress we have made under your leadership, Commissioner Richard, and certainly we love Jane Golden as well. Thank you.
At this time the Chair recognizes Councilwoman Tasco.
Thank you very much. 1117 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget How you doing?
I can see that Finely is nice and clean, no chewing gum on the floor.
I do notice it when I go in. Since we did make that call to you about the condition of the floor, it does look much better and I want to thank you for that. I am also concerned about this transfer, not that this is not something we have discussed before in Council and it has been, I believe, if I'm correct, something that Council thought should happen, an item for discussion to merge Recreation into Recreation and take away the recreation facilities from Fairmount Park. I think it is the process we are concerned about and how that is going to work and how will it impact on the quality of services. I have one. Fisher Park is now Fairmount Park and will go to the Recreation Department. And will there be any impact on the programmatic activities or quality of service 1118 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget provided by that facility in terms of the transition, not that I am questioning the quality or competency of the staff, that is not the issue, but in transferring funds and transferring operations sometimes things can get lost.
And I want to say thank you. Our team is very excited about making the transition. We are very excited about spearheading it. We believe it is something that should have been done and we are pushing it. The only thing, if I have any concerns, is the timing and within the next two weeks I'm trying to get the final document from Fairmount Park that will show me by facility what staff is coming and after that we are running with it. Our goal, if everything goes right, is to take the first facility hopefully by the end of this month, the last Monday of this month. I don't recall the date. And I believe the site we selected -- is it Parkside Evans? Our first site that we are looking to take over is Parkside Evans and after that every other Monday from then on out, if everything goes right, we are looking to roll. Yes, are there some other little 1119 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget particular concerns as far as the amount of funding that needs to be done in order to bring them to the present level or to the levels that we have been striving to bring the rest of the rec facilities to? Yes, but overall we are totally comfortable and confident that we will be able to take them over, not hinder or change any of the preexisting levels of service and continue to go further. I know some of the other issues are especially Hunting Park and I have been in Hunting Park in the middle of the night on two occasions with the pool. We know that is going to be a challenge. We are looking forward to the challenge to make it a safer pool especially in the middle of the night. But we're excited about doing it. It is the right thing to do for the City. It is more our core mission as the rec department and it could take valuable operations or management time away from the Fairmount Park team. So we would like to give it back and we take it and do it and get it done. So we are very confident about doing it.
I have a question here presented to me by a constituent regarding the after-school programs. The after-school funding from the City no longer exists and now the after-school programs are funded by TANF. Can you explain that to me?
Half and half. I will either give it to Mary or Ellen and they can talk about it in better detail than I could. My goal is that none of them close and we don't lose any bodies, so I'm happy with that.
My name is Mary Platt-Coles, deputy commissioner of recreation, and I would like to, first of all, state that the after-school funding is totally intact in our budget, that the TANF initiative that was instituted some months back in the fall of last year was a creative grant endeavor to offset expenditures in the general fund of $1.3 million. We are currently checking TANF data at approximately 29 sites and 1121 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget will continue to do so throughout the rest of the school year and we hope to bring in the 1.3 and it looks very possible at this point, but, again, our budget was not cut in the general fund for that endeavor.
Would the TANF funds be appropriated to all of the recreational facilities?
At this point in time for oversight issues we are only collecting at 29 sites. Probably in the fall we may roll out training to several additional sites.
We had some assistance with Safe and Sound in determining the sites and we did some GIS mapping through Safe and Sound, through the economics of the areas and population.
Thank you, Madam President. 1122 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Does it have to do with violence reduction or crime or any other criteria that makes a site selected?
The TANF piece was another piece used by the finance department and budget to try to free up City dollars, general fund dollars, so the immediate look was the economic need by particular neighborhoods and that was how the sites were done to try to offset some of the after-school money, but the entire after-school program is fully intact, will stay intact as well. The crime piece that we used statistics on was for the four teen centers. We used the COMSTAT numbers and also the juvenile justice system numbers of where the majority of juvenile crime was taking place.
That's not 14 of the 28, or is that an additional 14?
No, I was just giving the difference of how we use data, yes, ma'am.
So we are talking TANF that has to do with the welfare funding?
Right, the eligibility. The City will be eligible to receive money back to 1123 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget pay for the services that are given in the after school to help take some of the burden off the general fund. So we haven't gotten there yet. We just started -- we have trained the staff. We are doing the download and the input to start sending it back to the state, but there are 29 sites that have been selected to participate in that, to help take the burden off the City's general fund.
So who found that money? That's really good. Somebody went out there and researched and found those funds.
If we look at the TANF funding to supplement the after-school 1124 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget programs -- if you have a center, they are receiving general fund after-school programs, you would look at the TANF dollars to supplement that center and lessen -- take away some of the money from the general fund. Is that correct?
How long are the TANF dollars guaranteed for and, of course, if something happens to those dollars, how do you go back to the level of funding for that recreation facility if you take it -- because we look at -- 2/04 looks okay, but as we look at the out-years, the general fund is going to be in trouble, so what happens to those programs at those facilities if TANF dollars are not available?
That's a very good question, Madam Councilwoman, but I think the budget office in their wisdom, that is probably one of the reasons they did not cut our general fund budget for after school, and it's my understanding that we will do the TANF applications in the '04 school year and after that we are not sure what TANF dollars will be available for us to go after. So it is an issue.
So in the meantime 1125 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the after-school programs will be at their operating level?
But the question becomes, if you get the TANF money, okay, the money may be in the budget for 2/04 from the general fund, right? You get the TANF funds 2/05. You cut the money out of the general fund budget. 2/06 no TANF dollars. 2/05 is where we have the crunch beginning to hit the general fund budget. How do you bring it back to the level of service if you don't have the funds in the general fund?
That is something that you and your counterparts and I will have a 16 discussion with Mr. Dubow and Miss Davis prior to. One of the things I appreciate is that it's still being funded and my goal is not to let the funding leave unless we know we have permanent funding, but, yeah, that's legitimate.
Certainly it seems to me that the TANF dollars ought to be used not to lessen the burden of the general fund but maybe to create more additional programs at the center so that we are always guaranteed of the dollars for the 1126 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget after-school programs.
This is Ellen Steiker from the managing director's office. I wanted to say for the record that the general fund for the Recreation Department has the 1.3 million in it through each year in the five-year plan and the TANF dollars are also budgeted in the five-year plan in the Department of Human Services. So if those dollars are not available, again, you are still approving a plan that has appropriation that is sufficient to run the Recreation Department programs.
Thank you. As you know, there are some projects -- I think that Councilwoman Verna raised this issue. I am now and have appropriated dollars, sent a request back to the capital funds office giving dollars to recreation facilities for roofs or whatever the facility requires. I hope that we will know soon what centers are going to be closed so we are not putting money in a center that is going to be closed.
I agree. I wish I could 1127 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget give you a time line, but I can't because I'm not in the position to do it as of yet. I can't tell you that rec centers are going to close. Is it something that the City is considering? Yes. Will you all be at the table? Yes. If you ask me is it something that we need to look at? Yes, it is something that we need to look at and part of all of our responsibilities, especially mine as well, is not just to make decisions that are in the best interest of the Recreation Department, but it's in the best interest of the Recreation Department and also to keep the entire City running fiscally responsible and in the black, so I'm all for it. I'm sure if you have had an opportunity to read the testimony that we have submitted, we are very proud of the work that we have done especially in the last 14 months, but all of the work that has been going on prior to me coming and even more so now -- we have totally rehabbed four major facilities in ten months. Right now No. 5 and No. 6 are being done simultaneously, being Vare and Francis Myers, and we have already identified No. 7 and No. 8, being M.L. King, Happy Hollow and I believe Olney may be somewhere in there, but we are 1128 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget taking and using overtime in a different way. We are taking and using capital funds as much as we can, or if we have money left over in a particular project in a Councilperson's district, pushing the contract all the way to the limit to get the entire job done instead of a piece or a half. Where we can make permanent changes, something that is going to stay in the facility, yeah, I don't want to be making that kind of manpower investment or making that kind of investment in materials in a facility that we are not going to continue to open, maintain or be operable, but I think all of the things that we have done, the sites that we have selected right now and any future sites will be great sites. The reason why is we are looking at the age of the facility, is it feasible and does it really make sense to dump $2 million or $5 million into an 80-year-old building, or what can we do on our own to fix it or should we make the recommendations to you all to demolish the building and for the same amount of money you have a brand-new state-of-the-art building instead of trying to fix up one that is 80 years old. So these are the types of decisions and 1129 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the process we are taking in rendering the decisions. We are looking at the neighborhoods, the volume of usage in the neighborhood of the facilities and the type of usage of the facilities to say this is where we need to go. I intentionally asked the team and I said where is the most deplorable or the next deplorable center that we need to go in there and bum rush or send the SWAT team approach that we have been taking and that's how we have been able to accelerate and revitalize and refurbish some of these major facilities.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
Thank you, Madam President. I just want to clarify, going back to the TANF. The TANF money supplement does not replace any of the operating budget?
Yes, Mr. Councilman. 1130 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
And supplements it during the next couple of years, of which you have protected?
What are we doing in terms of the transition from Recreation Department to Phillies and what our relationship will be in terms of the stadium issue?
Good question. Right now all of that is being handled by the City solicitor's office along with the prospective attorneys for the Philadelphia Phillies. So right now I plan -- in my budget we are planning to have the stadium all the way open, but I know for a fact the Phillies' regular season ends the last week of September and hopefully they are lucky and we can go all the way into the play-offs which will go into October, but I'm not able at this time to give you a definitive answer of when the stadium will be closed, demolition.
The other day we held a request for some boilers in Vet Stadium that the Recreation Department wanted?
I was in there. The 1131 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Property Department of the City is interested in obtaining -- there are two boilers in there, I believe they are both approximately a half million dollars apiece, to see if they can be retrofitted into preexisting City facilities.
And it was made clear under the new contract we don't -- we own Vet Stadium, don't we?
No. To my understanding and, I'm sorry, I would need someone from the solicitor's office to --
That's a million dollar gift we are handing them it seems.
I agree with that as well. There are some other things we are interested in as well.
Somewhere along the operation of the Vet Stadium the liquidation rights 1132 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget were given or transferred to the Philadelphia Phillies, but I don't know the legality. I would need help from the solicitor's office. Other areas or other things that we are interested in, there's tons of plumbing in there that we could use throughout the 300 facilities, 150 rec centers that I think if we had the ability to access and not all of it, but part of it, it would make sense for us as a city to salvage some of that stuff and warehouse it because we could reuse it.
Yes, sir. Lavatories, I'm interested in toilets, urinals, face bowls. I'm also interested in petitions in the rest rooms as well. So those are some of the immediate things. I'm also trying to retrofit to see the possibility if I can get at least 10,000 seats to possibly upgrade the seating in the Dell East as well. I have not been given an opportunity to get into the detail to do it.
We are going to have to buy those 10,000 seats, aren't we?
I don't know, 1133 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Mr. Councilman. I can't answer that.
I don't know. I'm not at the table so I'm unable to intelligently answer that.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown.
Thank you, Madam President. Good afternoon, Commissioner, and your team. Let me open by underscoring and echoing Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell's remarks about the out-of-the box thinking that your team has done over the past many months that you have been there, and one example is your recruitment of lifeguards that I read in your testimony. You covered a lot of areas. I would like to offer up for consideration maybe a connect with the Philadelphia School District Fiscal 1134 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Education Department as another place where you can look to potential young people who might be interested in that kind of employment for the summer.
Great. Thank you. I believe it was this weekend it started running. Last year we were very fortunate to have Temple University reply to a request that I made to have a television ad developed and also I just sent the letters out the week before last to all the GMs of the television stations to begin running it, but we are also paying some of the movie theaters to run the television recruitment ad for the lifeguards in the local movie theaters and also there's four or maybe six McDonald's locations that have the little teletype TVs while you're standing in line so we are paying to do that, so it's a different way. I want to say last week or the week before, thank you, Mr. Carapucci and some of his team met with an official from the School District so we can enhance that relationship, so thank you very much.
You're very welcome. I too had questions about the 1135 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget after-school programming, but you covered it adequately for me in your testimony to Councilwoman Tasco. I am curious to know, however, when I came to Council 40 months ago there were 100,000 young people in the city still in need of after-school programs. With the advent of the additional ones you mentioned today what number are we at now of young people still not in some safe, secured structured setting between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00? Might anyone know what that hard number is today?
I'm not able to answer it now. I'm sorry. But I would seek some help from probably DHSC to get back to you.
Please. We have had conversations too around the safety of playground equipment and I know the, I'll use the word, pioneering disposition you have taken with regards to upgrading or at least meeting the national safety standards, so where are we in your inventory of playgrounds that indeed have met the national safety standard for playground equipment?
Good afternoon, Madam 1136 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget President, and honorable ladies and gentlemen of City Council. My name is Carlton Williams and I'm the deputy commissioner of the Department of Recreation. Earlier this year we had a very productive meeting in regards to an overview of where we are with our playground safety initiative and it was with regards to the standard ASTM 1491, which is the standard that allows our equipment to be in compliance with the national standard for safety for children. One of the things that we have identified as one of our immediate needs was to inventory the entire Recreation Department staff's play equipment and right now we have inventoried six districts. Also, what we are looking at also is the number of inspectors. Earlier today you heard Fairmount Park testify about the routine inspections that will be given. Our department also has taken on that initiative. We have 13 inspectors on board to date to go out and perform routine inspections which we plan to do in the spring also. Once the initial audit of inventory of all of our equipment is in place, we plan on putting together a program through the Procurement 1137 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Department that would allow us to make repairs and upgrades immediately. One of the problems that we have been having in the past is the determination of what is considered a capital expense and what is considered a maintenance expense. This year what we have done is identify a contract that would allow us to draw down funds so that we can repair and replace equipment immediately. And that's where part of the funding will go through to so there is no 12 determination between what is capital and what is maintenance. It is a maintenance function and therefore we allocated funding for that in this year's budget. Also, some of the initiatives that have taken place around the play equipment initiative again is the routine inspections but to inventory and categorize over 771 pieces of play equipment, and that's not considering the individual pieces; that's the composite structures. So that has been a tedious and long process, but we have made progress in that area and we look to continue to do so.
If I may add, the directive that I gave a year ago was real simple. 1138 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget If it's not safe or you think it could fall and injure somebody, cut it out and I will talk to the community and the councilperson after, but if we know it could kill somebody, cut it out immediately.
And so the initiative, though new, I would imagine has been embraced by the committee advisory boards of your rec centers, has it not?
Camp William Penn, you have indicated or I have read in testimony that the number of campers attending each year continues to decline, so tell us how you plan to reach the goal of 705 for FY '04, what creative things you have in mind in terms of recruitment and outreach.
Bill Carapucci, recreation deputy commissioner. Councilwoman, in the past couple of years now our goal at Camp William Penn has been on the quality of the programming. We have very few incidents of problems either with the campers or with staff there as we had in the past. We had 630 children I think last year and we had a very safe 1139 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget summer. We have put a lot of attention into the camp. I have to say in the past three years more people from our department and management have visited the camp than I have ever seen in the 35 years that I have been in this department. I think that the fact that in the past you might have seen 900 children or 800, I don't think that is an appropriate standard on how to judge the job that is being done at Camp William Penn. I think 700 would be a nice goal. We are at 630. I think we could reach the extra 70 this year by extra recruitment efforts through the rec centers and through the schools. We are right now in the process of recruiting for a new camp director. We put different ads in the American Camping Association and various newspapers and, in fact, this week the commissioner and a team of other management people will be interviewing two of our top candidates that we recommended to the commissioner. So there's going to be more changes at the camp and I think it is on its way up.
Thank you. My final question for this round is your teen centers, you're proud to announce the third teen 1140 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget center, and I think it's great that you are responding to the changing times and making sure that we touch our adolescents, but we have to treat them differently than we do the young people in the after-school programs. So with that, the 13th center is about to open and after that the next one is scheduled for when, in this fiscal year or not?
Yes, ma'am. It was Kingsessing. As a matter of fact, it was a week before Christmas they had the first dance and they had close to 200-something young people hanging out and that was one of the challenges that the staff and my executive team had given back to myself particularly about doing a dance with that age group because they felt it was high risk and I already felt that it was high risk, period. Things were going to happen anyway and I would feel a lot more comfortable going in front of the neighborhood or anywhere and saying, yes, we did have an unfortunate incident, but we had it while we were trying to do something different or do something good, so I would much rather have an incident while we are participating in the game instead of standing on the side line. 1141 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget No. 4 is the Francis Myers one, and we had some problems with a contract, that it went into default. We finally got out of that default. As a matter of fact, the City is being reimbursed for the default, and, if everything goes well, we should have it finished and up and ready for the 1st of April and all the equipment for the facility has been delivered and we are working hard. I'm very proud of the work that our team has done in the whole and especially the pressure that I have put on the maintenance staff to take on this extra work.
I couldn't agree with you more. I did have another question. Your arts program -- could we please have Jane come forward?
I can wait until it's time for that. Thank you. Thank you, Madam President.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilwoman 1142 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Miller.
Thank you, Madam President. Good afternoon again, Recreation Department. I just want to say that I think that you are doing a good job and I certainly like this maintenance program where it is not taking forever to get a Class A or any kind of center renovated with much needed repairs. In my district we have a lot of large old buildings, but we also have a lot of small buildings that are just so old, and when you talked about getting the items from the stadium, the first center I thought about was Panati on 22nd Street and you know when you and I toured, that bathroom is just so old, so I think that that has created an innovative. One of the things I wanted to ask though, and maybe you or Carlton could respond, does anybody go around and check snow removal after these large storms? It would do you good to do that. I called your office this morning and left a message. I'll tell about it later, but...
Yes, ma'am. We have a snow removal program that has been put in place to 1143 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget prioritize the areas that we would address first. They first start with the older adult centers and after-school programs, the facilities that get the highest usage with children and other people that visit our facilities and from that point on we go on to Class A, B, C and D centers and then parks in area neighborhoods also. So with the manpower we have, that is the priority order in which we address our snow removal.
You might want to make sure that you put on your priority list the playgrounds that are near schools.
I just want to thank you. I agree with all my Council members. I think Councilwoman Blackwell said that you are an exciting department. I know we have a lot of exciting things, and when we talk about pools, the first pool I think about for the summer -- and you know, Mr. Carapucci -- is Waterview, and I know that is something we are going to have to begin to work on now so that maybe we can do some intervention and prevention between now and the summer, but I do appreciate your patience last year with dealing with 1144 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget that pool because it is a much needed pool for 95 or higher percentage of children in the neighborhood. It's just a small percentage that continues to cause trouble, and I just wanted to thank you. Thank you, Madam President.
The supervisor of Waterview will be visiting me this week so we are going to discuss this already. Thank you.
Thank you. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I know Camp William Penn is going to be here, but I think this is more than just the normal questions about the facility. I guess it was an oversight, but maybe it will be discussed when Camp William Penn gets here and I have a couple other questions also, but I'm pleased to report that I have requested of the United States Senator Arlen Specter a $100,000 appropriation for improvements at the facility and I want to thank Ed Fagan for completing that application, and it is interesting. I would like to take an opportunity to read this because this probably will paint a picture of what you are dealing with at Camp William Penn. This is 1145 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the application for this hundred thousand dollar grant which I have requested Senator Specter to submit to the appropriations committee. This is the summary of the request. "Camp William Penn, a 677-acre ACA accredited overnight and nature-based camp located in the Pocono Mountains that is operated by the Philadelphia Department of Recreation. Philadelphia children between the ages of 8 and 12 of age can participate in a five-day or eight-day encampment during the months of July and August. The Recreation Department is requesting funds to address infrastructure needs that will result in increased safety for campers and staff as well as providing additional recreation and educational opportunities. Safety enhancements" -- here we go -- "will include a new roof at the dining hall, estimated $15,000, a new roof for the girls' recreation hall, $15,000, and replacement for one staff resident's cabin at $50,000. "In addition, $20,000 of this requested funds will be used to renovate the roof interior, lighting and physical plant in the camp's nature center. The nature center is the home of the 1146 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget environmental educational activities and provides initial exposure for many of the camp participants who reside in urban neighborhoods." When I visited last year, I saw these deficiencies there, and it bothered me that our kids had to go there and be exposed to this. Camping is supposed to be rough, but this is rough, and I would hope that the administration -- I understand that they are going to be plugging in the grants office. I don't think a councilman should be out looking for money for the Recreation Department or this administration, by since nobody else seems to be doing it, I decided to take this on and hopefully this hundred thousand dollars will come. If it doesn't, these conditions still exist, so someone that controls this budget really needs to understand that this facility, even though it is a hundred miles away in the Poconos, has our Philadelphia kids in it. Commissioner, correct me if I'm wrong. I remember that the eight-night encampment wasn't there, I believe, when I was there. I believe that I was told by the past director of the camp that they wanted to hopefully extend because the season 1147 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget seems to end prematurely in my opinion. You know, in mid-August it is ending and I was hoping that they could have another encampment, but what about the fact that it is a five-day or eight-day encampment? Do we have presently eight-day encampments? I don't remember that when I visited.
First I wanted to say thanks for everything. I know you made the visit last year and the year before as well and thanks for stepping out to identify some other monies. There are four encampments. Three of the four are five days and one is eight. I know they used to have more than that, but we are changing all of them to shorter because sometimes the kids are a little more homesick with an eight-day than keeping them all to five. Deputy Commissioner Carapucci stated that we are in the changing of the guard. The camp director has just recently retired a couple weeks ago. I believe there were six or seven candidates that the executive team interviewed and I asked them to present to me the top two candidates, which those two persons will be interviewed at 9:30 and 10:15 respectively with a group of outside managers and 1148 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget one other commissioner besides myself this Thursday. Last year we sent up approximately 60 to 70 employees that volunteered to go up to the camp and they spent the night. They had a good time working and we rehabbed and painted the exterior of the infirmary where two nurses are housed. All of the camps have a pavilion with a concrete deck for outdoor camp fires and all of those have been recovered and refurbished and pressure-treated wood instead of having to tear up the concrete. We were also very innovative last year before the end of the fiscal year and we were able to buy all new bedding, $40,000 worth of brand new bedding for every camp person. That's something else that I'm trying to accomplish this year with the team to address the bedding for the camp directors and workers as well. We are also looking at using capital funds if we have to in an emergency situation to address the roofing or any other needs that you have been so helpful in trying to help us fund.
Commissioner, the only thing I would like to get out of you today is do we have an opportunity -- how many encampments do 1149 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget we have planned for this summer, this season?
This is Bill Carapucci, Councilman. It is three eight-day encampments and one five-day. The very first one is a five-day and that is because it is the beginning of the season and then the three in the middle of the season are three eight days.
Deputy Commissioner Carapucci, what I observed was the fact that it seemed like it shut down a little bit early. In other words, when did the last encampment end?
I think it is approximately August 16 or so. I don't have the exact date in front of me, but it's in the middle of August. I know the last week of August has always been -- the end of August. Why they cut back was in the past it was almost impossible to get an adequate number of children to go there plus staff. Some of the kids that work there are college kids and today 90 percent of the colleges the kids are going back to school around August 20, 21.
That's fair. That's 1150 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget fair.
I think we begin -- I think it is June 29. I think that is our first encampment.
I just hope that this materializes. I know Senator Specter indicated that this was a top priority because I explained what I saw there and I figure if we can't get it done with City budget money, we can certainly go after the federal money and I would hope that we would be looking at every opportunity for funding and that's why I get so disappointed that -- I talk to people all the time -- that we allow money to get away from us in an area like this. There is probably hundreds of programs that we have in this government that possibly -- and I underline possible. I don't want to shoot from the hip -- would be eligible for some type of federal or state money and we just don't go after it as vigorously as I would like. If it is there, I want our people -- what's that old expression? I want my piece of the pie? 1151 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Commissioner, another issue that I would like to --
If I may add something to what the deputy commissioner was talking about relative to your question of the length of time, the entire facility, as you know, is open and out, so it is up in the mountains. Normally the temperature degree is almost ten degrees colder up here than what it is here.
That's one of the challenges and, as Deputy Commissioner Carapucci was referencing, the staffing like the nurses that staff the infirmary, they are school nurses, and the majority of the staff that does the cooking and runs the cafeteria, they are all school employees, so we don't have the luxury of having folks that could stay up there extra weeks at a time and they come back, try to take a week off and then prepare themselves to go back to their permanent career as well.
You win that one. 1152 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget That's fine. I agree with you if that's the situation. Tell me about the relationship between city schools that have pools and the Recreation Department. I know I had a group of families come to me indicating that the swimming pool in Nicetown had no heat because the Recreation Department is responsible for taking care of -- this is some crazy relationship where you have a pool in a school and the Recreation Department is responsible for taking care of the pool heater in a city school. Is that --
All public schools, they all work under our budget, under our supervision. The maintenance of the facilities comes under the School District.
So if there is a deficiency, a broken piece of equipment -- are you familiar with the problem that occurred at that school?
So the School District is responsible. Are they agreeing to maintain that equipment? Because I understand that that pool gets very, very cold for these kids when 1153 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget that pool heater breaks and the response that the School District gives is not what it should be. How is that managed? How do you make sure that the commitment that they make is being carried out?
On my level I call the facilities director and basically beg him to do something for us over there. We have a relationship and they respond, but I would say if the community in your area has a problem with that particular pool, then they should make the people at the School Board aware of it. I could call and I did call, but --
But it shouldn't have to work that way. The deputy commissioner of the Recreation Department shouldn't have to call. That's like Sylvester Johnson going out and writing a parking ticket.
Councilman, I agree with you, but what I'm saying is when I call, it is a little bit better than the leader calling, but if somebody on your level makes a call, it gets even more attention, and that's all I can say. But I can tell you we are not responsible for the heaters in the pool. 1154 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
You know it's funny. You mentioned Picket School. Now I don't feel bad. The auditorium at Picket School doesn't have heat so if the swimming pool doesn't have it, I can understand the situation there, so I'm going to be addressing that. In the budget I see that there is school bus service, the rental for the school buses. Is this the School District we are renting these buses from, and, if not, why? If these buses are parked all summer, why aren't we trying to cut a deal with the School District and maybe get a bus at a better price? I see 160,000 plus in the budget for rental of buses. It says school bus service, so I thought it was school buses. So why does it say school bus service?
It's not the school buses. I think last year we used Romano's Bus Service -- excuse me. It was Atlantic Express.
I would suggest we 1155 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget have a new team at the School District. Maybe there is some relationship you guys could put together. I'm not suggesting it is going to be cheaper; it might be more money, but I would hope in this big fleet of buses that the taxpayers pay for that we don't need to do business with somebody in Montgomery County or wherever Romano or the other person is.
Also, parking lot rental, what's that about? Rental for parking spaces. Not a big deal, not a lot of money, but I would like to have $15,750. What's that parking spaces?
That's the parking for the management team or any of the field team when they come down from the field to meetings to do business, personnel issues, or whatever the case may be.
So employees that pay to park get reimbursed, in other words, for their parking?
We have a parking garage that we have a contract and there is a list of 1156 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget employees, mostly management, that use the parking services, district managers, program directors, the executive staff including myself, but especially the staff, the management team in the field when they are coming back for either meetings, paychecks, whatever, conducting daily business, sir.
There is one right on the corner of 15th and Cherry and -- what's the other garage, Broad and what? Broad and Race I think.
It's interesting you are telling me that because we have a parking lot that the City owns right across the street under the MSB Building and we rented that lot out to a private operator and I continually said to the administration before we rent that out we should make sure we have enough space to accommodate our own City vehicles. Isn't it strange that we own garages and we have to go and pay to park? Something is not right with that story and I know it is probably bigger than the both of us, but we have hundreds of parking spaces across the street, maybe several hundred in that underground MSB parking facility that the City owns and we lease it out to a 1157 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget private operator and then we have to go pay there. It makes a lot of sense. But I just was curious about that. Good luck. Let's hope we can get Senator Specter to deliver the hundred K and take care of some of those repairs up there, and when the forecast is high humidity and 99 degrees, I will be on my way up this year again, Commissioner. Thanks.
Commissioner, what's the current state of the vending contract with the Recreation Department and various rec centers for vending machines? Is it the same contract we have had? Is something done differently? What's going on?
It is funny you mention that because this morning I saw the vendors taking the vending machines out of our building in the elevators. I want to say it was what it used to be preexisting, but I'm not able to say what the change is going to be because there was a citywide bid and 1158 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget I don't know the details yet.
It was handled through Procurement, or were you guys involved at all?
One of the problems I think I have talked to about before -- I know I have talked to the deputy commissioner before -- a lot of rec centers have had in the past their own vending machines, which the money that was generated there obviously was plowed back into the program. There have been some issues of concern with regard to the control of the money and accounting and other things, which I think could be accomplished and solved with a good management oversight of how much is taken and to where the money goes, but if you could find out for me what the current situation is, I would like to see the money that is spent in the rec center go to the rec center. I mean I have been involved myself as a coach down at Rizzo Rink and I know for years they made a substantial sum of money which went into equipment, into extending ice hours beyond what the 1159 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget City was keeping open, and then we entered into a contract with a company that wrote a minuscule amount of money and a check once a month, if they did at all, and basically kept all the proceeds of the young people from that neighborhood that utilize the facility and pay for the soda or whatever it is that they are buying. So if you could give me some feedback as to what exactly the situation is now, whether or not it is the existing contract, when it is over, we had Procurement here already, so I probably missed my opportunity to talk to them personally about it. But I would really like to see with the right financial oversight that money staying at that center for furthering those programs.
Thank you. I would like to go on record and say that I also agree with you. It was things that I previously had done as well. The money is being spent in that neighborhood. It is generated in that neighborhood and I think we should afford the opportunity for that funding to be spent to regenerate or to continue to help those children and adult programs.
Thank you. Just one 1160 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget final note. As always, your department operates with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and effectiveness despite its lack of resources. All the people that I deal with in this department from the rec leaders to the part-time people to the top staff really do care about kids, really do care about getting things done in the City and making a better quality of life and environment for people that live in the neighborhoods. It is one of the departments in the City we should be proud of because you do more with less every year and you do it well, so I wanted to commend you and thank you and ask you to keep up the good work.
Councilman Kenney, I too would like to echo your words and compliment the staff. I will tell you they certainly are a joy to work with. They are always very courteous, always very responsive, and I appreciate their professionalism. I tell you they have a great deal of knowledge. If you combine all of their years -- Mr. Carapucci, I heard you say you have what years? 1161 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
We have a league leader here, Council President, Lawrence Spiegel, he is going on 50 years.
Really? Wonderful. They are all very wonderful. The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Commissioner, I was looking at the records in terms of professional service contracts for the Recreation Department and I have here a listing of personal service contracts that takes two and a half pages of personal service contract. This is for the year 2002 obviously, but there are companies that keep on appearing and I just want to know what these companies do for us that either, 1162 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget one, our own City departments cannot do and, two, how does it impact in terms of the amount of money that should be going to recreation centers and children and not to personal service contracts? I would like to begin with Ganza & Gans Associates. We have them for recruiting services and a couple of things and they are in here for recruiting services for the year 2/04. Who are they recruiting?
That must be a mistake on our part and that shouldn't be in there. I apologize if it is in there.
Recruitment 4000 something dollars for recruiting of deputy commissioner. Why do we pay 4000 for the deputy commissioner? 1163 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
That's a mistake. If it is in there, it's a mistake. I apologize and will have it corrected. It should not be in there.
I'm just looking at this, okay? In the year 2002 you spent 11,000 for the Kimmel group. I just want to know where this money has gone.
It may be some expenditure for the children to go somewhere, but, I'm sorry, I don't have that sheet with me and if you could give me a copy of it, I would like to see it.
I'm going to make a copy of it and I would like a description of each 1164 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget one of these contracts, what did they perform, what did they do for their money. You know, you have Keel Communications, $50,000 in year 2/02. What did he do? $250,000.
'02. Going from memory, it may be the development of the Crawley newsletter and also the development of the new logo, tag line, and it may be some other stuff, but that is just what I can recall right now.
It has here Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition, 745, street workers program. What is that?
Good afternoon. My name is Josephine A. Mangano and that expenditure in fiscal year 2/02 was for the safe and sound program. That expenditure was made with grant funds, the juvenile accountability grant.
What is it? Don't you expect a report, something in writing, how $700,000 was spent of money that came out of your department?
Yes, sir, and I will be more than glad to give you an itemized line by line on each one of those on the list that you are 1165 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget working from, sir.
You have here Kelly and Myelo, Inc., architect and engineering services, 300, close to $400,000.
That probably was a capital, but I will be more than glad to go through it.
I'm just going down the line. I just want to know what they do for their money.
They are designing the Dorothy Emanuel Recreation Center. That I do know.
She knows. I want to give you a list of these things and I would like to have a rationale for these professional service contracts and how they were given, the RFP that was put out, whether it was sole-source and down the line. Okay? And I want to know whether the vending contract that Councilman Kenney just mentioned is included in these areas.
May I forward everything to Madam President? 1166 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
The Chair recognizes Councilwoman Reynolds-Brown.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Simply, if I could put my colleague's questioning in context, as I mentioned maybe last week and earlier today, there has always been a sentiment amongst this body that we look out for Philadelphia residents and in more recent weeks it has begun to resonate that that is not being done at a level we would probably expect, so that's why we are asking a number of departments to provide for us that kind of information because we are looking to see where we are doing business with Philadelphia residents who are women, who are minority, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. We have just done homework which reveals that the City is not where it could be or should be in this area.
Following the line of Blondell Reynolds, in these contracts for 1167 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget professional services, I would like to find out who, if anyone, are minority contractors that are subcontracted who have been employed in any of these contracts, and, really, you know, give the rationale. If and how we decide to take money out from Recreation, which I consider hugely important, and that money that we spend on a professional service better make a heck of a lot of sense in terms of whether those monies should have gone to the recreation centers of the kids across the city. Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam President. Commissioner, obviously a lot of questions have been asked. If I ask anything that has already been asked, please just tell me that. I will read the notes of testimony. We don't have to go back over it, but in the area where I know that Councilman Ortiz just left and possibly Councilwoman 1168 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Reynolds-Brown, can you tell me on the capital expenditure side, the provision of equipment and specifically recreation-related equipment, the names of any minority or female firms that provide equipment to us for our rec centers?
I'm not aware of any off the top of my head, but I will look to see if there are any.
No, I don't think so, sir. Deputy Commissioner Williams and I directly handle all of the capital with the capital departments division and they know the detail better than I would.
Let me make sure I'm understanding the answer. Is the answer you don't know at the moment or the answer is you don't think that there are any minority or female companies that provide equipment to us for recreation centers when we upgrade or change equipment? Which is it?
We don't have a complete listing right now. We don't know at the moment. We know Kelly and Myelo was one of the design 1169 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget consultants.
They are an architectural firm. I'm talking about the actual equipment.
How much do we spend on an annual basis for capital equipment?
So we spend over $10 million on equipment in our rec centers?
Well, that's total capital, construction money, and a majority of that money is spent for hard stuff, big jobs.
That's what I thought. But no firm in particular is coming to mind in terms of providing that equipment that might be minority owned?
of the 1170 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget testimony makes mention of a written facility caretaker manual has now been implemented to assure customer and quality satisfaction on building conditions. Is it possible that you could forward a copy of that to the Chair for all members to have?
We will be happy to get it to you. It was a year's worth of work and we are very proud of it. Thank you.
The bottom of 1, recreational will be offering state-licensed after-school programs in six recreation centers in FY '04. What are the six?
Mary Platt-Coles, Department of Recreation deputy commissioner. The rec centers are Simons, Christy, Tarken --
I'm sorry. I don't mean to interrupt you. Were you here at last year's budget hearings?
I think you were 1171 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget relatively new at the time.
I know Deputy Commissioner Williams and Carapucci and what their respective areas are. What is yours?
That's okay. The recreation centers that we are looking to provide after-school license services are Simons, Christy, Tarken, Hawthorne, Max Meyers and Dendy, and we hope to rule out all six sites as licensed sites in the next coming school year, fall of 2004.
Let me make sure I'm understanding the testimony, because the next sentence says, "Simons, Christy, Tarken," which I think you just mentioned, "received licenses in FY '03." Maybe I misread the testimony. I thought it was six additional. Is it six in total?
Simons, Christy and 1172 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Tarken. What are the others?
Where are all these centers? Simons is up in the northwest.
Simons is in the northwest. Christy's is in the southwest.
Tarken is in the Northeast. Hawthorne is at 12th and Carpenter. Max Meyers is in the lower northeast and Dendy is at 10th and Jefferson. I know the next question.
Right. That would be where is the one in the 4th District?
Of those six, sir, none of them are in Councilmanic District 4. 1173 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
None right now are in Councilmanic District 4, but we can work on that.
I'd love to come over there, but it would be hard to take a couple thousand kids from the 4th over. Christy is the rec center that I actually grew up playing in in West Philadelphia. So on a more serious note, so why isn't there one?
There is really no reason why there wasn't one. The sites that are initially being done were sites that we had been working on and trying to accelerate the process to get state licenses based on the conditions of the facility, but our goal is to go throughout all of the districts throughout the entire city. Thank you.
Is this a funding issue, or what's the process on how you decide where to put them?
Tarken and Christy are two sites that are currently latch-key sites. They 1174 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget received licenses over the last few years. They have been licensed, so we thought that was a natural fit to look to do after-school subsidy payments there, eligibility. And Simons recently received a license because of the condition of the facility. Hawthorne is very close to receiving a license. L & I passed -- gave them certification a couple weeks ago and the state is coming out some time this month. Dendy and Max Meyers --
Who decided to pursue the licensure of the facility? How is that initiated?
It was initiated through the CIS, through Safe and Sound along with Rec and DHS. We sat down and looked at facilities and also the condition of facilities in after-school programs in particular areas where we could enhance the quality of that after-school program by having it state accredited.
And what were the selection criteria for determining what sites were going to receive a license?
Good afternoon. My name is Kathy Muller and I'm a district manager with the 1175 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Recreation Department and I can speak somewhat to the issue around the selection process for the licensing. This began approximately two years ago through the -- excuse me. It goes back about four years ago through the previous mayor's children and family cabinet, and while we looked at the issue of licensing, the primary idea was where can we generate funding where we would be able to draw down on subsidy, balance that with where did we have the physical plant that required a minimal amount of adjustment, and we worked --
In other words, where would it cost the least amount of dollars to retrofit the buildings.
Many of our buildings are very old and it would cost a lot of money with fire detection systems and things like that that have to go on all the floors. So we worked with L & I. Safe and Sound worked with us and we also worked with some of the child care providers in the Philadelphia area. They went out, they did an 1176 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget assessment of the different facilities. We started with approximately sites. I can probably go back 4 and get to your office a list of those original 5 sites. A recommendation was made of I think six 6 sites, and we looked at them. 7
It was done with Safe and 10 Sound, the child care community, and recreation 11 staff. 12
And was there 13 something so unique about the northern part of West 14 Philadelphia or North Philadelphia or 15 Roxborough/Manayunk that didn't warrant providing 16 services to those children? 17
Primarily the sites 18 selected -- and we were trying to do some as a pilot 19 to see how this process would work with L & I and 20 with the state, and we looked at facilities that were basically easy, one- or two-room facilities, that did not require major capital improvements where there were at least 20 to 25 children in the program and where the economics would dictate that we could get subsidy from those children. 1177 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
I think, you know, Shepard, Tustin, possibly Panati. I mean Shepard is actually mentioned two sentences before this. I don't think it is a mysterious facility to the department. I'm just trying to understand how this all works or in this particular instance does it work for people in an area who I'm sure by way of anyone's criteria, whether income eligibility, subsidy, need or reimbursement, would clearly qualify, so I think this has kind of moved beyond the pilot stage and is in the realm of why not. We are not still trying to figure out whether we should do these or not, right?
No, sir. We haven't started drawing down the money. We just got, I believe -- two of the facilities just got temporary type of accreditation, but, as Kathy was saying, the goal was to begin as a pilot, get it up, make sure that we made sure that we had all of the criteria in place and then continue to go and implement 1178 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget throughout the City. The piece that Kathy was saying was that we were starting out with some of the facilities that were in real good condition or either had just went through a major capital renovation and/or either one of the small facilities that only had a couple of rooms that we could go in there and accelerate the physical conditions.
I think we have put about a half million dollars into the Shepard over the past few years. Was it looked at a potential site or any other site in part of West Philadelphia?
Councilman, I do believe that Shepard was initially considered prior to the extensive renovations done by the Recreation Department. The other consideration was that it was a two-level facility and the fire alarm system -- and again I'm not really sure of the exact dollar amount, but it was a significant amount of money, someplace between 50 and a hundred thousand dollars.
I will give you that right now. Is that the issue? Are you saying I don't have a center because of 50 or a hundred thousand dollars? 1179 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
I'm not saying there's a valid reason that you don't have one. We just haven't gotten to that stage, Councilman. We are beginning the pilot process and we are going to continue to grow and expand and every facility that we feel that we are diligent in becoming state accredited, we will actively pursue.
Commissioner, I hear what you are saying and I appreciate it. I would like to be in the pilot. I don't want to be in tomorrow. I would like to be in today. If it is about 50 to a hundred thousand dollars on a fire alarm system, I'll give you that right now. What I want to know is when is that center going to be No. 16 7?
Can I get back to you later on? I need to go back and look at all the criteria, open the files and let me make some recommendations to you and you can throw back some from your general knowledge of your district as well.
We can do it tomorrow. 1180 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
I will certainly be here. I'll look forward to that. I like a pilot as much as the next person, but I would like to be able to participate in some of them and not end up on the list of we will get back to you when we get back to you, which often is never. I'm not saying that that's your policy, but I think as we spread these centers out and recognize that different neighborhoods have different needs, I mean kids are kids and to the extent that we can maximize our coverage and not have a big, gaping hole on one side of the city, again, I'm just going to make a fairness argument. Children need certain things. It is not a function of geography. It is not a function of location. It's not a function of what district they are in. If you are 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 years old, you want and need certain things and parents need certain things, regardless of where they are in the City. What I would like you to do as a part of our discussion is I would like you to put on a map the six that you have. I would like to visually be able to see where they are and how much they're covering and I think the map will probably tell the 1181 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget rest of the story.
Can we all have that information? I didn't see any in South Philadelphia.
So you will share all of that information with us tomorrow?
No problem, Madam President. Any request that I make for information should almost always be considered a general request. All of those requests for information should go to the Chair. They will be distributed. If you could either overlay or by some other legend designation put on that same map the teen centers and the youth access centers. You can do blocks, squares, triangles, whatever geometric symbol makes 1182 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget you happy, but I would like to be able to see just kind of what's where, especially as we embark on this new realm of facilities. Now, let me ask this question: On we talk about after-school programs and programs in general in our recreation centers. How many children are there in the city under the age of 18?
I think we generally know that there are what, 212, 210, 205, somewhere in the 200 plus thousand neighborhood of school age children in public school. I think we also know that there are probably upwards of at least another 150,000 children split somewhere between parochial and possibly private schools. So why don't we call it maybe an even 400,000. Is that fair?
If we are serving 50,000 of them, what are the other 350,000 doing?
I can't answer for 1183 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget everybody else, but I'm sure that children participate in things at their individual schools or maybe the local CYO or the Y or whatever the case may be.
But generally we don't know what children who are not participating in our programs are doing?
Children have different needs or different things that they want to participate in, so I can't answer for every child across the City of Philadelphia.
But some kids like bowling. Some kids like soccer and there are different opportunities for children. I know that is part of some of the things that the City Council and the leadership of the city has been doing to increase after school hours or nonschool-hour activities for children, not just through the rec centers but using the schools with the Beacon programs and things of that nature, nonprofits, church organizations, teaching golf or whatever that particular activity may be.
Still on 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the testimony -- and I appreciate your having in your testimony the information we were looking for during the Fairmount Park discussion. Again, if you have gone over this, please don't go over it again. The six recreation facilities that are proposed to shift from Fairmount Park to the Recreation Department, to your knowledge has there been any discussion with the advisory groups or constituent groups or friends groups of these particular centers about this transition and what efforts will Recreation make to talk to the people who care about these facilities?
Thank you. That part of my testimony had been answered or requested, but I do plan -- we haven't now, but I do plan once we are ready and we have all of the manning in place where I can go back and talk in detail with the community leadership, ward leaders, advisory groups within those particular rec centers or pool areas, yeah, we plan to do it face to face upfront, sir.
And that will take place before the transfer actually is effected?
On of the 1185 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget testimony you make reference to the UPAAR and the DCNR grants for various renovations, repairs, replacements. Can you tell me where those grant dollars are going to be spent or what they are going to be spent on?
The UPAAR grant was designed to completely finish the rehabilitation work at Kingsessing Recreation Center. One of the things that we have targeted in the department is to improve safety around our pools. We wanted to use some of the money for the deep end filling of a pool at Kingsessing Recreation Center as well as finish all the other sites. Preexisting DCNR funding has been used for area parks, neighborhood parks. Mainly the relationship is with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and also we have put in more funding this year to address our playground safety initiative to rehab capital programs and projects, one being at 29th and Chalmers.
Thought you would just throw that in there to see if I was paying attention, right? You will give us a break-out -- because 1186 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget you mention a number of these centers in the testimony, you will give us a further breakdown of how the DCNR dollars are spent by way of those facilities?
Continuing in that area or the next area rather, you talk about utilizing a SWAT team approach to use staff and funding in a more efficient manner to revitalize our physical plants, revitalize inhouse facility upgrades. Tell me how that approach fits in with a couple of situations that we have dealt with recently whether it is Nichols or Granaham?
One of the things that we thought that would improve is not to address things in piecemeal fashion but to go on a full-scale approach or a comprehensive approach to address all the problems at area recreation centers. And these projects and programs were selected based on -- it started with the teen centers, but we saw that it was definitely effective to go out and address all of our recreation centers in that fashion and therefore we have addressed many of the centers and 1187 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget identified them in a comprehensive approach by the multiunits of the department and the maintenance division, carpenters, plumbers, painters to fix all the problems that have come up over a work order system. So therefore we have addressed that in that fashion and that's why we take a comprehensive approach rather than a piecemeal approach to addressing our maintenance problems.
What kind of cycle is the department on in terms of inspection of facilities and how you stay on top of the normal wear and tear of what happens at our rec centers?
As part of the recreation facility caretakers' manual, their job is to routinely, daily, provide inspection of fixtures that need to be addressed or problems that exist in and outside the recreation facility. So that part of the inspection program is on a daily basis.
Last year we had discussion about -- I left my charter downstairs, but we had a fair amount of discussion last year about the charter provision requiring a coordinated recreation plan for the City. Can you tell me where we are with that? 1188 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
There is nothing formally that has been addressed or changed with that. That was something that Mr. Goldsmith and I were going to begin to work on and then he made the change to become the managing director and, as a matter of fact, that is how we have gotten to the point now where we are going to take over the six rec facility centers and also the three pools. I know the new executive director is coming in and that is something that we have to continue to look forward to work on.
Commissioner, I appreciate your response. Let me just, without pulling out the record, remind you that at least my recollection of that hearing last year was when we were downstairs I believe you and Mr. Mifflin were at the table and I asked a question about that particular charter section. While Mr. Mifflin did not have a specific response, your response was a ten-day response. Subsequently, I believe that was amended when the managing director at the time, managing director Richman came up to the table, but, to the best of my knowledge, other than hearing that that 1189 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget was possibly going to be a part of the strategic plan that was being done for Fairmount Park, which does not involve the Recreation Department, to the best of my knowledge since that time I have not seen any semblance of a coordinated recreation plan for the City in accordance with that particular provision of the City charter and that was long before managing director Richman left to become secretary. So let's go from the time last year up through the tail end of '02 and tell me what, if any, effort was made to either respond to the question or be in compliance with that particular provision of the Home Rule Charter.
I want to make sure that I respond properly. I remember us being here and I remember that piece of the conversation.
Thank you. And I don't believe that there was a document or anything what we had developed between Mr. Mifflin and the managing director. I would have to see maybe a reference back to the testimony that was given. If I can get a copy of that, I will, because I want to 1190 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget make sure that I respond properly.
Commissioner, I would be glad to send it over to you. Again, I actually tried to follow up on this shortly after that time at the budget hearings. I actually received a response. It was not an answer. It was a response that basically indicated you guys were looking at it, there were some discussions, possible anticipated changes under discussion over at Fairmount Park. We know subsequently Director Mifflin left, but my impression of the response or my recollection of the response was that a fair amount of discussion was going on, but it also potentially involved changes in the leadership over in the park director position. Again, that is long gone and I can send a copy of that particular portion of the testimony back over to you, but I would like an answer to that question and I would like it to be definitive. I would like it to be responsive. I would like it to be in conformance to the provision of the Home Rule Charter that involves a coordinated recreation plan for the City of Philadelphia that also encompasses Fairmount Park for any facilities that they have jurisdiction of. 1191 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget As we know based on earlier today and from your own testimony, almost all of the Fairmount Park recreational facilities will be under the responsibility of the Department of Recreation, so you will, in essence, be writing a complete plan for all recreation centers, but I will be glad to send you a copy of the testimony, the Q and A as well as the provision of the Home Rule Charter about this particular issue, but I would like an answer.
Let's go to the performance measure impact statement. There is something on here I don't exactly understand. Under aquatics it says number of total participants. Now, I know our programs are highly attractive and are superior in nature, but I need you to explain to me how you had between June and September 1,900,000 people participating in the aquatics program.
Councilman, that's a cumulative number. That is over a ten-week period, so that will be around 190,000 a week, and then they just added it up and that's how you come up to that. 1192 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget If you add it up, we have 80 pools approximately. There is 2500 to 3000 in each pool per week. That is how you come up to that number.
Thank you. I'm going to assume that Councilman Ortiz went through -- when I came in, I heard he was on or in another document in the contract area. You had a fair amount of discussion about contracts? Were you in 3922?
Yes, sir. He wants us to reply back. He is going to give us a copy of the contract summary that he was referencing and we will reply back and give it to Madam President.
Okay. Just tell me one thing. I think we may have heard about this at budget time. The health safety fund, what exactly is that?
That's a contract through Safe and Sound that, according to the advice we were given by the budget office a couple days ago, it looks like Safe and Sound has found 1193 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget additional funding and will not be needing those funds so those funds will come back to the Recreation Department.
Well, I have a program that I would be interested in -- if you are going to have those dollars back and they are obviously not designated for anything right now because you just found that out, there is this state-licensed after-school program that I would like to propose that you utilize that funding for out in the 4th District. It just occurred to me that maybe we should seek to pursue that. Commissioner, tell me a little bit about recreation facilities, how many we have, how many we need. The Mayor's budget message seemed to indicate that from his perspective at least we may have too many recreation facilities and because of our budget issues some may need to be closed. Can you tell us what your plan is to be responsive to the Mayor's concerns about budget?
I already spoke to that, but in brief I have no plan as of yet. That is something that will be developed through all of the Councilmanic districts and throughout. 1194 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget What we have looked at from a City and administrative viewpoint is all of the other large major metropolitan cities, the population and the type of facilities. That will be something that you and your other co-workers will work with for us 7 to continue to work on. There is nothing 8 definitive. 9
That was a nice 10 try. That was a nice try. 11 Commissioner, what do you think the 12 criteria will be to try to arrive at these 13 decisions? This is one that I guess you really do 14 want us to participate in unlike some of the other 15 decisions that get made where you guys just decide 16 on your own what you're going to do. You want us now to be involved in the closing discussion. We don't get to be in the opening discussion, but you want us to be in the closing discussion. I understand that.
Thank you so much. Why don't you maintain the same policy that you have been utilizing on the opening policy and you maintain that on the closing policy? 1195 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
I understand that. I didn't think you were going to be taking the locks off of doors or anything, but I'm assuming at some point you are going to have to make some recommendations or go through some analysis. Can you give me a little advance understanding of your thought process about this?
The biggest thing, first of all, will probably be proximity and location, probably the size, where are the facilities and the types of services, the age of the facility, things of that nature.
What facilities do you think would qualify under that set of criteria?
I have no idea right now, Mr. Councilman. I haven't even begun.
When do you think 1196 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget you will be talking to us about it?
I probably will have to get with the managing director and the finance department to find out because I'm sure it will be a huge effort if it is something that is definitely going to take place. I will get with Rob. I will get with the rest of the administration to find out.
Well, I think the five-year plan is assuming savings in fiscal year '05. Now, that starts July 1, 2004. It is actually not that far away.
If I'm not mistaken, which I am often mistaken at times, that may be the closing of the Vet Stadium.
I'm reading from the budget message on , "but you can rest assured I do not propose to simply close facilities at random. Instead my administration will work closely with City Council, the School District and community groups to determine which venues can be combined, which services can be incorporated into other 1197 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget facilities, the best ways to invest some of the savings in other City and School District facilities so that residents have a higher quality of service than may now be available. In order to allow time to make thoughtful decisions, the plan does not assume any savings until FY '05." I mean no one needs our permission to close Veterans Stadium. We made that decision when we funded the two new stadiums down in the sports complex, so I don't think that's what the Mayor was talking about. Nobody is going to be upset about Vet Stadium closing.
Right. I understand that, but we haven't begun -- I haven't begun as of yet to look and to start doing this process or this plan and, once again, in my earlier testimony, that was a directive that I will have to take from the high level of administration and it will be a much larger coordinated effort including you all people and the neighborhood as well, sir.
All I can suggest to you is since that information has been put out, the citizens of the city are on rather high alert. They have their own alert system and so now people are 1198 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget trying to figure out whose center is on what list. They are asking us that information. I didn't put that out there. It was put out in the public, but I think a reasonable person would think that if that thought is out there, there must be something going on within the government, and you will never be able to convince anyone otherwise, that it wouldn't be put out unless something was going on with it. I mean you are not going to wake up one day and just arbitrarily, I would hope, make these kinds of decisions. So there must be some decision-making process. There must be some criteria. There must be some standards that will be utilized and I think this Council deserves on behalf of our constituents to know as early as possible what the situation may be. That will also affect funding decisions. I mean it makes no sense with the limited funding that we have and a declining capital budget to make investments in certain facilities if they are subsequently going to be closed. You are a business person. You understand cost benefit analysis and a return on investment. That wouldn't make any sense. So I think we do have to have some level 1199 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget of understanding at the moment and be honest with the citizens about what's going on.
Rob Dubow, budget director. Our goal is to have a process that will let us make decisions by the time we hit the next budget process, which would mean towards December of this year. We want to work, as the Commissioner said, with the community, with Council, with unions to figure out the exact criteria. We have a sense that among the things we want to look at are proximity of facilities to each other, usage, but we don't have a final set of criteria, but that's the kind of process we want to go through to get us to a decision point for next year's budget.
I think to put a number on this -- I'm looking at Page Roman Numeral XVII in the introduction page of the five-year plan, you have a line item near the bottom, right-size the number of facilities, which again I will assume are not only rec facilities but possibly some others. You are anticipating saving $16 million.
I understand that, 1200 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget but $16 million is a lot of money.
That's right. And we are assuming when we get to the end of this process there will be facilities that will close and that will generate savings. The number is clearly an estimate.
Who is going to make the closure decision? How is that going to work?
In the end the Mayor working with Council will make those decisions.
Let me just make sure that I'm understanding this. We have told people that we may close some facilities. We cannot tell them when. We cannot tell them where.
And between now and 1201 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget then some process may or may not happen that may or may not involve them.
No, there will be a process. We said there would be a process that will involve community representation, involve Council, and it will have a set of criteria that hasn't been finalized yet that will include things like usage, proximity to other facilities.
And the expectation here is that people would then somehow agree to allow you to close their facility.
That they would agree on criteria that would be used to determine facilities to close, yes.
Let me ask this question: How about the flip side of that? How about rather than trying to just, as they say sometimes at the hospital, make the patient as comfortable as possible and let them slowly go away, how about if we try to actually get more people in the City? Is that a plausible alternative as opposed to just slowly declining and shrinking, how about if we try to grow the population for a whole host of reasons, not just to keep rec centers open? 1202 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Tell me about that game plan. Or how about increasing the usage at facilities? It is not like we don't have a larger universe to work from. If we are serving 50,000 kids now and we believe we have upwards of 400,000 kids somewhere running around the City, how about trying to offer programs and facilities that encourage even more people to come and use them?
We do offer programs that we hope will encourage people to use our facilities. We do have programs that the Commerce Department runs, for example.
I don't want to be misunderstood. I think we have a lot of good programs. I think we have a lot of good facilities. What I'm suggesting is if more people are using the facilities, does that affect whether or not the decision is made to close the facility, or does that not matter?
Okay. But that would then affect your budget issues, right? Because you are expecting to get savings -- at least 1203 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget from a five-year plan perspective, this is an item that is being looked at not from a service standpoint, but from a saving standpoint. We are trying to save money.
Right. In some ways it is looked at in both because one of the things that we are saying we want to do with savings from closing facilities is invest in facilities that are left -- that are still open to ensure that there is higher quality service.
You have capacity at those facilities. You can only put -- there are only so many hours in the day, only so many rooms, only so many instructors, only so much space that you can fill a place with. Has that analysis been factored into this?
Yes. That is part of the analysis, where are the facilities that -- I mean part of the analysis is usage, yes.
Okay. Commissioner, we are clear about you have some information requests that need to come to us and we are clear on what they are?
Yes, sir. The coordinated 1204 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget recreation plan; am I correct?
Also on the licensing issue, give you a map showing the location of the teen and the license and after-school sites. Did I get them all, sir?
Those were mine, and I think the other outstanding ones I know had to do with contracts and professional services as well as you are going to let me know whether there are any minority or female companies that provide equipment to us, right? Okay. Thank you, Madam Chair.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm going to be brief. Could you explain, whoever the most appropriate person is at REC, the Mummers Museum, what responsibility the administration has, the Recreation Department has in the maintenance at that facility?
That would be our 1205 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget division. We are responsible for the day-to-day maintenance and operations of the facility, Councilman.
In preparation for this upcoming Tuesday night events, Mummers Under the Stars event that is conducted there, hundreds of primarily senior citizens attend that on Tuesday evening where different bands perform, and a few years ago I asked for some improvements to be made there, broken concrete, benches that were broken, no 12 place for people to sit. They have to bring their own beach chair, which is okay. It is kind of like the little niche that is associated with that, but no permanent seating and they drug in some old, beat-up grandstand that they probably found someplace. I would really appreciate -- I see there are 60,000-some dollars budgeted for that operation at the Mummers Museum -- that like we do at other recreation facilities prior to the recreation season that there be some consideration of the safety of that facility especially the outdoor area. There are trees that are uprooted that are creating tripping hazards at that facility and again I want 1206 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget to mention that this is a facility, those evening events, are primarily our older folks out for some recreation, and I would feel real, real bad if one of them got hurt at that facility trying to spend a couple hours out having fun, and it is a nice, nice draw. And I would also consider, since we are doing all of this advertising in the Recreation Department, that that program get a little publicity also. I know it's fairly well attended, but I think it's another secret that we keep about some of the good things that we do and I truly enjoy stopping in there for the half hour, minutes that I stop. 15 It's a lot of fun and you see people dancing, again 16 our older folks, and I would like a commitment today 17 that we are going to try to make that place a safe 18 place with seats that aren't broken and all the 19 things that we need, proper lighting. The stage was 20 in bad shape. That was vandalized and I know there had to be some emergency repairs to that, but I would hope going into that season that that facility be neat and clean and safe.
Yes, sir. Items that we can repair inhouse we will take care of from a 1207 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget department standpoint and some capital items we can discuss with the capital programs office to see that they are addressed in the budget in the capital program.
I don't see any really big dollar items there. There may be, but I think the stage was recently redone, which is great. And I suggest that you stop down there, Commissioner, if you haven't to see how much fun the folks that attend that Tuesday night event and the other events and I'm equally as concerned about the inside, but I'm primarily concerned about that particular venue, that Tuesday night Mummers Under The Stars event which I recommend to everyone. It is fun and I think it's free. Isn't it free? It is free. You can't beat that, fun and free.
I will work closely with Tom. He's closely associated with the Mummers Parade.
So we will work closely making sure we get those items done, sir.
They still want to 1208 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget march on Broad Street, by the way. Madam President, thank you.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Kenney.
Thank you, Madam President. You should see Councilman Rizzo do the Mummers Strut.
He's a veteran, and that's coming from somebody from 2nd Street and a Mummer myself, and Tom Fox does a great job with the Mummers. I know it is such an easy group to deal with. It's like dealing with the Balkans. Commissioner, how many years have you been commissioner?
So you have been around since the inception of Safe and Sound.
In your experience, what I'm trying to determine, is there money from 1209 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the Recreation Department that was originally in the Recreation Department's budget that was diverted to Safe and Sound, and, if so, how much over the period of time since you have been commissioner?
I'm aware of -- we had one employee, Chiefy, Anthony Nazario, and it was his salary, but I'm not aware of anything other than that that is directly in there.
Could you explain to me the difference between teen centers, after-school programs and recs and how they are different than -- first of all, where they came from, what agency was the initiator of those programs, and how they are different than or better than the programs traditionally conducted by the Recreation Department since I was a child growing up in the department, in the rec centers. What's the difference and how are they different?
The after-school program is something that had taken place not just here in Philadelphia but throughout the United States. Back 1210 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget in the '80s when not just here in Philadelphia but all across the United States they were cutting and slashing budgets and some of the first folks to get slashed were the parks system or the parks in recreation or the Recreation Department and then a lot of social worker psychologists dealing with children realized that funded right and properly managed, that rec centers could help be a major crime deterrent, so funding was started to be put back in. A lot of the statistics were showing that in the hours of 3:30 or 3:00 to 8:00 at night kids didn't have a lot of things to do, unstructured activities.
I don't mean to interrupt you because I agree with everything that you are saying. I don't think there is any dispute that those are all the facts, but in traditional rec centers in Philadelphia, and I'm 44 and lived in Philadelphia my whole life, there were programs, all kinds of rec center programs. There were athletic programs, cultural programs, different types, not your traditional athletics, but gymnastics and tumbling and you name it. All of those programs existed. The rec centers were open after school. I 1211 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget obviously didn't go during school. I went after school, so I guess that was kind of an after-school program, weekends, summer. There were programs specified for teens. There were older programs where kids of the teenage years would participate. As computers came on line and became more functional and available, we started to see computers pop up in rec centers, and a lot of these programs were thought up and conducted and carried out by Recreation Department personnel. Are we just putting different names on what we have been doing forever in the Recreation Department despite the lack of resources? I don't really seem to understand that if I go to the rec center for a program after school, it is now called an after-school program. When I was going there, it was called the rec center, which is where I went and that's where young people went and had a rec leader and assistant leaders and others in the department, in the facility that organized the basketball, organized the arts and crafts, organized the sculpture, whatever it was that those rec leaders did. What's different and why do they have different names? 1212 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
I think maybe because of some of the intentional results that they are trying to create and I respect and understand and follow everything that you were saying. I did the same thing, went to the rec center, CYO after school. I know the after-school program was specifically designed to enhance, to help kids with homework. I know there is also a food component to help, which I am sure you know that as well, helping feed the children snacks over there, whatever the case may be. The rec program is something that is an offset to continue to compliment the computer technology, the accessibility that the library had already begun, and I know for a fact that some of the rec centers had computers; some of them didn't. Some of them were hand-me-downs, and it is just enhancements to continue to improve or give options, and the same things with the teen piece.
My concern is that somehow because they have different names to these programs now, that somehow the rec department wasn't successful in its mission, that somehow we had to change the way in which services were being 1213 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget delivered, but it seems to be the same services just delivered in many ways under different names, and again we are always talking about budgets, always talking about not having enough money and the way in which the Mayor has delivered the budget address, it seems that we are going to be trimming or tightening other things, but after all the discussion of all of these different programs I still don't understand what is so different about what we have always done, and I would like your perspective. Is there something really -- Deputy Commissioner Carapucci, you have been around longer than I.
I will give you a couple differences on the teen center, youth access center and a regular A center. The youth access centers began about ten years ago and they were -- the idea of those were to put extra resources into the centers so that they would not only just be a rec center but you could work with, say, the health department. You could work with people from the schools to enhance the services and a lot of the funding from those youth access centers come from HSDF. It doesn't come out of the regular operating 1214 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget department. In other words, the supervisor and we have one leader, let's say at a center like Vare, that will come out of the regular City operating budget, but the others that we hire to supplement the program there, they come out of the HSDF funding. So that is your youth access centers and they are basically -- I think we have seven of those and that money is purely grant money and we have been getting it every year now for about nine or ten years. The teen centers came about a few years ago based on the crime data and things like that and that was supposed to be for expanded hours and to fix the facility up and to buy equipment that we normally can't buy like pooltables and games for the kids and their own lounge and all that type of thing. And we have some expanded hours there also. And that also is grant money. The after-school program, and I remember exactly what you are talking about, going to the center after school, because we all did that as kids, but the after school is basically centered for the kids say ages 6 to 11 and we hire a staff person 1215 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget with City funds and they are there from 3:00 to 6:00 to work with the kids and basically in their own room where it is a separate -- it is more like a classroom structure. And that's the only difference whereas when we grew up, we went to the rec center and you had the ceramics room and you had the basketball court and it was a little different, but you still have that. You still have your regular rec centers like, for instance, down not too far from the area you are in like Palumbo's. That is not a youth access center or a teen center. That is a rec center, but it also has after-school programs.
My point to the question is can't you simply model all of these programs based on our traditional model with some changes for the times and have them in every playground? Again, Palumbo's does it on their own because the rec leader and the district people initiated that I assume. Why do we need to wait, as Councilman Nutter questioned, on which districts get their rec centers chosen, how this happens? If we were coordinating -- you're the recreation commissioner obviously and you have control of those 1216 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget centers. Why do we need to go through this other process of deciding who gets opened, who doesn't, why, what's a pilot program, why aren't we just replicating what they are doing at Palumbo's, what they are doing at Rizzo Rink, what they are doing at Marion Anderson? These are all Recreation Department personnel doing these things they have been doing for the 44 years I have been on the earth and probably for 44 more years. Why are we going through this process of who gets what and who gets chosen and having Councilman Nutter concerned that they don't like him anymore or something, that none of his stuff is getting picked? I really don't see much of a difference.
Oh, no. I'm being facetious. I'm just trying to be funny. I'm sorry. But it does lead certain members to believe or be concerned what's the matter with me? Were we annexed by Montgomery County or something or we are not part of the City anymore? I think a lot of these good programs -- I know at Rizzo Rink, for example, because I'm involved with it personally, 1217 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the computer programming and all of the stuff that has been there was done not as a youth access center or a teen center; it was done as part of the Recreation Department. That's their mission, and I think, to me, we get lost in all of these titles and different programs and we can access grant money through the rec department as well as anybody. So I think the Rec Department should be more in control of what it is we are doing in our rec centers as opposed to probably having some influence from outside the department or in another part of the government. Thank you.
Thank you very much. I want to talk briefly about my favorite subject. Guess. The Dell. Tell me a little bit about the Dell. What's going on? I'm looking through this book this afternoon and I see the Dell listed on -48. The staff is listed under maintenance.
That's correct, Councilwoman Tasco. When I first came to the Department of Recreation April 10 of 2000, I was 1218 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget assigned to the Dell East, but I was also assigned to the maintenance division and it was always on the program; however, I felt if it is under my jurisdiction and responsibility, it had to be under the department in which I worked in. That's why I was transferred over to maintenance. It's still a separate item. I would like for it to be a separate item in the budget, but currently since I'm in charge of maintenance, it is under my division.
And who is the concert facility manager? Is that Rush?
He is acting concert facilities manager. We haven't identified a full-time permanent concert facility manager.
At this point in time, no, but we are considering looking for one for this year and the years beyond, to put someone in permanently.
Where would the other costs for the operation of the facility be in this budget?
At this point I don't see 1219 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget another fiscal line item that shows the cost for the Dell East. Normally it was reported separately.
So how do we know how much we are paying for the Dell and what we are paying for?
I'm sorry. On -53 there are in terms of the operating facility costs for contracts and so forth. That is in that line item also.
I don't know how I missed that one. It is under maintenance; that's why. Okay. So what does that buy us?
The approximate 388,000 covers the operational cost of the venue including talent costs, professional service contracts including electrical, sound, stage and lighting and so forth. That has not been included in this budget, but I can provide that to you.
How are you going to pay for it if it's not in the budget?
It is in the budget. It 1220 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget is not itemized. But the 388,000 does cover it.
The food service contract, is that a sole-source contract or is that bid out every year?
That is bid out every three years. It is bid out through the Procurement Department.
Yes. It is a one-year contract with the department's option to renew every year.
The Procurement 1221 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Department can better answer on how that process works.
I know. We went through that. One of the things that I noticed that has changed, you know I'm a frequent patron of the Dell in the summer, and I do have a concern about not being able to take a bottle of water there. I do not like standing in long lines to get a bottle of water and we are searched when we come in to see if we have anything in our bags. I do not like that.
I understand. To answer your question in terms of allowing water to come into the venue, as part of the contract with the concessionaire, the policy has been that since that is a beverage that is sold, it affects the cost that comes into the venue, and since they have the concession, they make the decision in regards to water coming into the venue since it is sold through the concession stand. The second part of your question was the search. Although we have not had many incidents at the Dell, we have had people that come to the Dell 1222 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget with firearms, with weapons, and we have taken that out of people's hands and make them return to the car if it was legal or turn it over to the Police Department, and although 99 percent of the crowd comes in a peaceful environment, we can't risk having just one person injured as a result of us not taking safety precautions and that's why those systems were put in place. It was basically for the public's protection and not to harass and intimidate anybody else.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Rizzo for a point of information.
Do we have any plain old free Philadelphia water available at the Dell like in the form of -- Evian or however you pronounce it, I don't need that. I was raised on this. Is there a water fountain at the Dell that people can just go get a drink of free old water?
Yes, there is, and also we have made concessions for people with health and medical emergencies that need to come in and bring their own water into the venue.
How many water 1223 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget fountains are there, free water fountains, at Robin Hood Dell?
How many people? What's the maximum attendance at Robin Hood Dell?
You better not be thirsty. You would have to go buy a bottle at the concession stand. Seriously, how much is a bottle of water there?
I think you need to fix that real quick. I think we need to have some water fountains at that venue to allow people to get a drink of water that don't want to spend two bucks for a bottle of water, at least that's my opinion.
It is inconvenient and then not to be able to bring your own too.
Yes, ma'am. We can revisit that, definitely. 1224 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
The ladies' bathroom, are we going to ever fix the air-conditioning? Why does it blow hot air in the summertime?
This year we did make some structural arrangements and unfortunately it did not satisfy the constituents as we wanted it to. We tried to put another air-conditioning system in and also a ventilation system that will allow external heat not to flow into the ladies' bathroom, to flow outwards. So it is a structural problem that we definitely have to address. We can look at trying to put more ventilation in that area to try to cool the area off, but it is a continuous problem that we tried to address last year and we are going to try to focus on it again this year.
You can take that sofa out. Nobody is going to sit on it.
You're welcome. Councilman Nutter, did you want to be 1225 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget recognized?
Thank you, Madam President. I love this place. Commissioner, can I have -- and, again, this is a general request. Please forward it through the Chair. This discussion about the after-school programs and the different programs that we have, it has been difficult, and I commend you guys -- and I mean guys in a gender-neutral way, everyone -- for your ability to actually keep up with the variety of programs, the different funding sources and the like. It would be helpful, though, if you could provide to us information with a listing by center, and what may be the most user-friendly for us at least because of our orientation to information is to maybe take all of the different centers and programs, whether it is the teen centers, this other thing, RECS, that acronym that I know stands for something, and the discussion we were having about the state-licensed after-school programs, and then all of the facilities, if you could tell us what different programs are offered at 1226 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget the various centers including after-school programs, who runs the program, what type of activity is available, hours of operation for the different programs, I think that would be very helpful because it's just hard at times to keep track of it all and you have a constituent who calls and they want to know what is available and other than telling them to call right to the center or go over for a visit, it is exceedingly becoming difficult -- you know, at a certain level it's a nice problem to have that we have so many programs, but it is getting a little hard these days to keep track of everything and who is funding what, who's in control of what, all of these kinds of issues. Along with that, who monitors all of the after-school programs?
It comes under the program division and my after-school manager is Kathy Muller for the programs that we have in our department. 1227 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
So, for instance, how many after-school programs does the department run?
And there is an individual at each site that is in charge of those programs?
Yes. The department hires one recreation specialty instructor, which is a part-time seasonal person to administer the program. In addition, what we have done is we previously had more programs. We had 144 programs two years ago. As we look to quality, we looked at our staff/child ratios and there were some centers that there were two or three children attending that they were two or three blocks away from another facility, so we reorganized our staff and we now have at many of our centers two people working with the children. We also have partnered with a number of faith-based institutions and through some of our grant dollars we bring in artists and enhancement staff, so at some centers we may have three or four people at a given time.
When you indicated 1228 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget that they are seasonal, my recollection of the seasonal designation is that it is usually about a six-month?
You are correct, but we went before the Civil Service Commission. Because we wanted the continuity with the children, we felt we needed to have the staff on for nine months. They work from the 1st of September to the first week of June, so therefore there is consistency with the children.
The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz for a point of clarification.
Does the same person then supervise the teen center programs?
In most cases, no, there is separate staff for the teen centers, but what we have done at two or three of the teen centers is where we have a good after-school person that has extensive training, we are able to appropriate additional hours so that they can supplement the program in the evenings with the teen centers.
I think the question that Councilman Nutter asked goes to the recreation 1229 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget centers are under your jurisdiction, are they not?
So you're responsible for any and all activity that takes place in there.
And now you have these other agencies coming in and I would like to find out, and I think Councilman Nutter, how the directions and responsibilities are shared and who shares them?
What we do with the after school, most of these staff are on our payroll. We hire them. We recruit them. We train them. We check their background. We make sure they have their first aid, CPR, their state child line clearance and their criminal background checks.
We recruit directly from the community. The leader at each of the sites, we have a job description, and it is really up to them to reach out into the community because it is our 1230 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget thought that the strength of the program is that someone from the community is hired. They know the children. They know the culture of the community, and they are the best people to work in the program.
As that activity takes place, as all of us kind of retreat from our various offices back to where we come from, is it possible that you could share some of that information when those opportunities become available?
Absolutely especially in some communities it would aid us with our recruiting.
We would only want to be helpful. We wouldn't want to be an obstacle to anybody.
So the people are on the payroll. You get your exemption or extension from Civil Service. Now, are these the only people who for the term "seasonal" means nine months as compared to everyone else who still means six months? 1231 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
At each of the sites in June there is a personnel evaluation conducted by the leader in charge of the facility. In addition to that, we track in the central office all of the training hours that the individual has completed. We require hours of staff training for every 11 person who works in our after-school program. 12 Myself and additional staff as well as the 13 recreation permanent staff, we know most of the 14 folks who work in the program, so therefore when we 15 receive the evaluation from the site supervisor, we 16 also review that, and if we have any comments, we 17 add them. 18
What about program 19 quality and any third-party or independent 20 evaluation of programs? 21
The Recreation Department 22 has worked consistently on the core standards. 23 These are minimum standards that need to be met for 24 any kind of programs that serve the youth in Philadelphia. We also have engaged the services of 1232 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget Temple University to conduct after-school evaluation and that has helped guide us as we have made decisions as far as program content, staffing evaluation, pretty much everything we do.
Is there a document that is actually produced and how often does this evaluation take place?
I believe the last evaluation was done in 1999 and I can certainly produce those documents.
At this point we are considering that, but we did not have an active evaluation plan in process.
It just sounds like the kind of thing that on a somewhat of a four, maybe five-year cycle you just want to have a regular evaluation. It may also potentially help with funders if you have regular evaluations that you can show --
-- what's going on. As a park is going through a strategic plan and 1233 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget subsequent evaluation of facilities, maybe this is something that we want to take a look at to have on a fairly regular basis. Also, if you could share that information with us in terms of an evaluation or a plan of regular evaluations, that would be helpful.
Commissioner, you are also going to get for us a complete listing of all the after-school programs, the site, who runs the program, the hours of operation, what the offerings are and what services and programs the kids have available to them?
Yes, sir. We have a document already, but we are producing a formal professional directory as well. We are looking around to the end of May to have it produced, but I have a document that I can give to you immediately, but, yes, sir.
That would be great. Thank you very much. Thank you, Madam Chair.
You're welcome. 1234 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget The Chair recognizes Councilman Ortiz.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm getting bleary-eyed here. Going back to the Robin Hood Dell, I am still not clear. You have sponsors for concerts, right, like Budweiser and --
That is not included in the overall budget that you submit to us?
Could you itemize to us the way in 39-53, support for summer concert series, is done? I would like to see that in terms of an itemized situation.
In terms of revenues that are brought in versus expenditures?
How you contract out who, what, where, when, that type of thing, how the 1235 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget money is spent.
If you can itemize that and a list of sponsors that you get that supplement the activities.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Good afternoon. I wasn't privy to all the testimony today and I want to ask a question that may have been answered earlier. During the most recent snowstorm particularly in newer parts of my district, I have gotten several complaints about the maintenance of the perimeter; i.e., the sidewalks of the recreation facilities in and around locations in Kensington and Fishtown. What's the strategy associated with maintenance of recreation facilities that happen to be in the neighborhood that have sidewalks that need to be traversed by constituents and residents? 1236 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
Good afternoon, Councilman. The snow plan for our department usually goes in the following order. We address the older adult centers and the after-school programs in priority order, older adults, school programs and after-school programs, and then Class A, B, C and D facilities and then parks, cul-de-sacs and breezeways, and that is the priority order in which we address them. Normally we make sure paths are cleared for walkways to and from especially during the entrance of those facilities where it is highly used and then other parts are done, whether we do paved driveways or streets and so forth.
Sidewalks are done to the extent that we get in front of the entranceways to the facility and we try to get the sidewalks around the existing perimeter.
Where is that on the list of priorities, the sidewalks? I mean the homeowners, their primary responsibility is the sidewalk, right, per the law, per the law? I mean, 1237 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget frankly speaking, I'm sure the City doesn't really care if most residents clean their porch, their steps. They want you to clean the sidewalk first. So shouldn't that be ranked rather high on the City's municipal facilities?
Right. It should be around the entire facility and, again, it is done in priority order based on the level of the facility and the usage level like older adult centers, after-school programs.
You keep talking about the level of the facility. If an A center has a sidewalk and C center has a sidewalk, are you telling me that the A center sidewalk is more important than the C center sidewalk?
The sidewalk has nothing to do with the facility. The sidewalk is the sidewalk. It's the pedestrian footway. So it should have nothing to do with the level of the 1238 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget facility being a Z facility. The sidewalk is a public easement. It is the responsibility of every property owner including the City of Philadelphia to clean the sidewalk, right?
There is no priority in terms of cleaning sidewalks and so forth. I was trying to explain -- I'm sorry for not understanding what you were asking -- what was being done first and what was being done on other occasions.
Let me be clear with this because, unfortunately, we will probably get another snow and I hope I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong because we can't afford another one. If we get another snow, the first thing that the Recreation Department does is clean the sidewalks.
Clean the sidewalks at the older adult centers first. A sidewalk is a sidewalk.
I don't understand what is the difference between a sidewalk at an 1239 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget older adult center other than the fact that the older adults may have a difficult time getting to the sidewalk, but a sidewalk is a sidewalk. It doesn't matter where it is.
Right. You are exactly right. It is because of the usage of the facility and also we feed -- a lot of the seniors are fed lunch or breakfast or do activities there, so we use that little priority to give service but, no, our goal like you said, Mr. Councilman, is to do every sidewalk, but we go to the senior adult centers first. We go to the sites where we host after-schools and the facilities that are adjacent or across the street from schools and then we just continue to work our way out from there, but that is how we prioritize to go to hit those facilities first. But a sidewalk is a sidewalk.
I don't understand. I hear what you're saying and I can understand providing access to a senior facility or a program, a facility who has an after-school program, but I think that the sidewalks should be the first priority, regardless of where it is, what type of program that is being run because if our Joe Q 1240 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget citizen is being asked to clean my sidewalk and if I don't clean it, I'm going to get fined, I don't understand why municipal facilities should be able to prioritize the sidewalk based on the usage of the particular unit. If I live in an apartment building or a single family dwelling, we want the sidewalk cleaned. It doesn't matter what goes on in the interior of the property. And you know the particular facility I'm talking about over in Fishtown. The sidewalk was not done. It took a few days to get it done and I was a little concerned. It happened not to be an older adult center, but the people couldn't walk down the sidewalk and having to walk in the street, it was extremely dangerous because of the small street and ice on the street.
We feel the same way. A sidewalk is a sidewalk is a sidewalk.
In earlier testimony in another hearing we were talking about advertising rights on facilities and on a couple of facilities we utilized advertisement to some degree. I know we got some backboards put up I think in Master playground and maybe a couple others where they had Sprite or Coca Cola on the backboard and I'm 1241 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget assuming that we were able to get some revenue to the facility or to the advisory council as a result of that. What is our policy on that? If we have a recreation facility -- and I was actually thinking about 26th and Master as an example. Commissioner, you and I visited the facility and the boxing program over there is a pretty strong boxing program and there was some questions as to whether or not we could solicit ESPN to advertise at the facility and support the boxing program. What's the process if we get a potential sponsor?
All of that is handled -- once it is presented, we will pursue it, but all of it is consummated and handled through the City Solicitor's office.
So we go out and we solicit the advertisement, the sponsor, which is then turned over to the law department to write a contract?
Yes, sir, making sure that everybody is covered, indemnified, all compliance on both parties.
Is there any 1242 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget criteria associated with what is allowable at the facility and, if so, is that designated by the rec department or by the law department?
I want to say I don't believe there is anything written, but I know that me personally and what I have done in the past and what I have been doing here now, anything dealing with the gaming industry or negative type of environment, tobacco industry or whatever, I will just tell the executive or the potential sponsor if you really want to do something, how much would it make a difference with you doing it without getting the advertisement. 99 percent of the time or a hundred percent of the time if it's a negative message to the youth, we say thank you but no thank you. The ESPN or the Nike or whatever it is, if we are fortunate to be able to pursue something in that positive level, we will pursue it and we would allow the staff to pursue it and we would have the solicitor's office to make sure everything is on the up for the City and for the potential sponsor or funder too.
And that criteria is 1243 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget something that you can determine internally?
Can I have a point of clarification on that if I may?
Commissioner, is it your understanding that the monies generated from whatever signage there would be would go to the Recreation Department or to the general fund?
It can be set up -- you can have a sponsor that may come up and say we would like to give a donation directly for athletic boxing or for Shepard boxing program or for Palumbo soccer group and we always embrace that. So we wouldn't want to tell a potential sponsor, well, no, it has to go here, so if there's something particular or specific that they would like to fund, we welcome that. We just make sure that it is from a good message and that it is in compliance through the City's Law Department.
Because I think it was my understanding that whatever monies were generated from a particular rec center would stay at that facility; however, in going through the 1244 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget five-year plan, it would appear as though implement strategic marketing initiatives and there is a figure and it would go to the general fund.
He's standing right behind you, so he can respond.
Monies generated through the strategic marketing initiative would go to the general fund.
But if it were for a recreation center, why wouldn't it stay at the center? Are they all in such wonderful condition that we don't need money?
No. We need money for many things throughout the City. One of the things that revenue goes for is for the Recreation Department, but it is something that -- 1245 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget
So if somebody is going to contribute, they have to be very specific that it is for the soccer team at such and such a recreation center?
If someone is giving a donation, that would go to that rec center. I didn't actually hear the first part. If that's what the question was, if someone has a specific donation for rec centers, then that would stay at that rec center.
But if it is advertising that rec center, what would happen to the monies?
If it is advertising, then it would be part of the Citywide initiative.
I just wanted to clarify that. Councilman, I didn't know what your understanding was, but I thought it would stay at that recreation center.
Based on my line of questioning, that is what I had hoped to be the 1246 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget case. I would be concerned if we get ESPN to advertise at an athletic rec center and that money then goes in the general fund and we have a boxing ring where the ropes sag to the floor every time somebody gets clocked, that would not obviously have been the intent of that sponsorship. So I would like to see, particularly in a case where it is relative to the particular program that we are hopefully offering the sponsorship to, that that money could be funneled into that particular facility, but, Mr. Dubow, you are saying that that goes into the general fund?
Right. If there is advertising revenue that we are generating through our Citywide initiative, that would go into the general fund. You are saying there is a specific sponsorship that --
Well, it is advertisement. It is ESPN. They want to put a logo. They probably want to put it on the front of the building. I don't know how the rec leader of the community would feel about that, but in exchange for that there was some suggestion that they give money to the program, so how would that work? Would 1247 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget we just say you put the advertisement on the building and then we wink our eyes and in some way funnel this money as a donation directly to the program? Would there not be an annex to the advertisement?
I think now when we do these things it is kind of ad hoc and this would give us a Citywide strategy for doing it and I imagine as part of that strategy still have room for specific sponsorships.
So you don't really know how we are going to handle it at this point, bottom line?
Looking at the five-year plan, I just cannot believe that we would only be generating about 11 million. Councilman Cohen, you have a question on this?
Yes. I think any argument against advertising was just proven, not that Mayor Street would do it, but another mayor might. He 1248 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget might want 500,000 or a million for some other project. He looks around and finds a sponsor among his campaign contributors who wants to do something in some department, use it for advertising purposes and raise money for some totally different purpose, but he will sell the playground's name in order to generate money for the general fund. We have always been told, at least the argument until now -- and I thank Commissioner Richard and the finance, the budget director, Dubow, for their honesty in saying the funds go to the general fund. All that is happening, I think all advertising on any City premises at all is a no-no because all you are doing is cheapening the city and putting it up for sale and finding an alternative way of depriving citizens of their right and their dignity because the City ought not to be for sale and you have proven it by the fact that the money goes into the general fund, not at all for the purpose for which allegedly the advertising is being sold. Commissioner Richard, we are delighted with a lot of the work you are doing, but I find it difficult to understand why you would agree that at 1249 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget a time when unemployment is increasing, when the economy is down, when the need for recreational services are increasing, why anybody could agree to a lessening of the facilities in the City. We need more recreational facilities, not less. You can't say that at any time in Philadelphia's history has there been adequate recreational facilities. There has always been a shortage and now when we need it most there ought to be more recreational facilities provided. I would suggest that the $50,000 that went to the Keel's PR firm to promote children's programs in the Recreation Department, that money could have well been spent much better for equipment for some recreational facility or for a number of facilities and I believe that monies dedicated to recreation ought to be used for that purpose and not for any other purposes like PR or advertising. Everybody knows we need more children's programs. Why in the world would anybody feel that there is a need for a PR contract for $50,000 to promote children's agendas unless, of course, you wanted to help the person who happens to be doing campaign work for you and then you might be looking 1250 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget for other income for him. So I want those views to be clear. And any advertising is going to generate lots of opposition because it is going to certainly generate lots of opposition from me and everything I can do in the community to stir it up. The City of Philadelphia ought not to be for sale to the highest bidders. It ought to be promoting things for the good of the City and not for the good of private interests. I see I dealt with the three items in one lump sum. I would like to hear your response to that, knowing full well that as a commissioner you are limited in your response. None of this is meant to be personal, Commissioner Richard, because in many ways you have done a great deal of good for the Recreation Department.
You have inspired a lot of new interest in it and I know you have been aggressively assisting in every possible way to promote the facilities, but I think you are moving into, to the extent you are responsible -- if you are not responsible, and I suspect that you are probably not for the issues I have raised about advertising and about closing facilities and about 1251 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget PR contracts, if you are free to say so, say so, or just ignore it because we know that decisions generally in cities are made by mayors and not made by commissioners, but I want you to know I think you are treading on very weak ground because if you permit advertising to help you raise funds, even if you use it for purposes of raising funds in the recreational department, all you will do is get the administration's top level official -- I said not Mayor Street, but some other mayor might well do it into the future -- to cut your budget by the amount of money you have gotten from advertising. So all you are doing is not -- you are not doing a thing for the Recreation Department except cheapening it and selling it.
Nothing is personal. Everything is noted and I thank you for your leadership.
I'll accept the answer because I want to see a healthy recreation department in the City. It offers so much to people 1252 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget in Philadelphia. We ought to be the number one City and we ought to proudly carry the name of Philadelphia, not the name of Coors or Budweiser or Nike on our advertising events. What the private companies do like the Eagles and the Phillies, that is their business, but what we as a government do ought to inspire pride in our people.
Thank you, Madam President. I know we don't like to question other Council members. I am just trying to understand if the Councilman's point relates to an organization who utilizes the athletic facility and somehow it was their wish to utilize the advertisement as a way of raising funds for their organization at that particular facility and if somehow we can -- and I hate to use the term "circumvent," but since we used it in an earlier hearing, I will use it here today -- the normal procurement and revenue-generating process where the money has to go into the general fund and it would somehow be able to be directed to the athletic organization in that facility. Would 1253 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget you be concerned about that? Is your concern just general in nature as it relates to advertisement or is it that funding going into the general fund and not directly to the community organization who would like to enter into an arrangement with an advertising entity?
As a multiple choice question, I would answer yes to all of the above. Everything you said would be a concern to me, particularly I missed one point I wanted to emphasize to Commissioner Richard, you stated that you checked things with the City Solicitor. The City Solicitor has no power except to define something as legal or illegal or within the power of the City or not within the power of the City. The City Solicitor makes no moral or ethical judgments. That is left to the City Council and to the Mayor to make the policy decision as to whether it is a good policy. The fact that something is legal does not mean it is acceptable policy. It merely means you 1254 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget are not going to be charged with a crime by the district attorney. And I think that's a very important distinction to make. The fact that something is legal does not say it is a good thing for the City of Philadelphia to do.
Councilman, would you excuse me just a minute, please. I would like to make an announcement. Because of the hour and many of the Council members have previous commitments, we are going to reschedule the Prisons and the Records Departments and we will notify you of the date and time that we will be hearing the budget. I'm sorry for the delay. As you can see, Council members are very much interested in what is happening in the Recreation Department. Thank you very much.
I would like to make an observation about this advertising. Commissioner, before I think you arrived and I don't think it is unique to Philadelphia, I could be supportive of advertising at various 1255 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget facilities, but let me tell you where I'm heading here. I remember when I worked for PECO Energy that we provided the backboards at various basketball courts throughout the City and we had the PECO logo on there. We provided that material to you for your maintenance people to install. That saved your operating budget dollars because we provided you a specification, a material. Now, after you came -- I have to be careful how I say this. I want to make sure that I don't suggest that you didn't follow on that particular track, but I think there are lots of opportunities to save the Recreation Department money by reaching out to corporate sponsors that would provide benches in a recreation center with maybe their corporate logo or backboards or I remember at some of the ice rinks we did the dasher boards -- is that what they call them? -- with advertising, so I don't know if that was money going into the general fund, but there are a lot of opportunities to help defray the cost that you have in the Recreation Department. And I don't know. I see Deputy Commissioner Carapucci shaking his head. I don't know where that program stands or whether 1256 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget there is any revenue generated from it other than providing the physical backboards and nets and all the things that go along with a basketball facility, so maybe you can elaborate on where a program like that is today.
On some of the sites like you saw the ice rinks, the local advisory councils many times will go out and elicit support from the community like with various businessmen and put their signs up and that money will stay with the local advisory council. Also, we have a development person in our office who will go out and deal with major companies for a multiple number of facilities. And that depends on whether we are fortunate enough to have someone who wants to donate to a number of centers. That money many times will stay within the department. But it has never been a major amount of money.
Commissioner, if a company -- I will just throw one out that does great things in this region. If Verizon wanted to sponsor this basketball season all of the backboards in the Recreation Department and put the Verizon logo on 1257 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget it, how could they do it? What would a company have to do? And I'm not suggesting that my colleagues would buy into that, but it doesn't sound improper because we are really not selling anything; we are accepting the materials to make the backboards work with their logo on it.
I appreciate that comment, Councilman, and yours too, Councilman Cohen. Those are things that are already in place. Those are things that we are continuing to do. The 76ers sponsor the Sixers Neighborhood Basketball League as far as equipment, coaching, refereeing. I know in the nine-year history of that project alone, that is a little over a quarter of a million dollars' investment that the Sixers -- the Shepard recreation facility is a prime example of how the City leveraged -- we used our labor force. We got money from the NBA organization. The Sixers bought the backboard -- I mean the new clock. We put it up. IBM even came to the table. So it's not like we are actively going out here soliciting for dollars, but, yeah, we hustle just like it has been going on, hey, can you help us out here and your name is up there, but the 1258 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget majority of it is either hardware, equipment for fixing buildings or whatever, you're right.
Commissioner, one of my staff looking around on the Internet found a program and I think I sent it over to you. Frank Alioto that works with me came into the office and he said, The NFL has a program where they will provide funding for lighting recreation fields. These are the kinds of things that we have to get onto and take advantage of that, so I would like to know, and I can't expect you to pull it out of the air right now, but I would like you to get back with me to let me know where that NFL grant -- apparently there is millions of dollars out there that the NFL has available for lighting recreation facilities.
Yes. I just want to suggest that when Commissioner Richard gives Councilman Rizzo his response, he points out that it is just a tiny return on the hundreds of millions of dollars this City made available to the football team. So that we are talking not of a huge contribution by the football group or the Phillies 1259 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget because both teams got hundreds of millions of dollars. We're spending over a billion dollars to provide them with stadiums, so that any return they give us is just a tiny little dot on a huge balloon that exists in the form of government aid to them. So that anything they can do along that way without publicizing their goodness would be to their credit. They ought to be very grateful for the support that Philadelphia gives to its sports teams both financially and in the way that the fans support the teams. Thank you. I don't mean any necessary disagreement with Verizon, but Verizon does awfully good business in Philadelphia and I think we are entitled to some returns from that too.
Some aspects of it might be worthwhile. I don't see anything wrong with Ocean City, for example, on the boardwalk they 1260 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget have seating benches made available with the names of the sponsors on it, but they are not trying to make a lot of money out of the city, Ocean City. They are not trying to commercialize it. They are offering some benefit.
I understand. Respectfully noted. I understand what you're saying. Thank you.
You're welcome. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will be quick, and, unfortunately, unless it is continued, I may miss the mural arts program, which I would again like to reserve the right for a callback. Commissioner, I need to get -- I missed a part of your response to Councilwoman Tasco's question regarding concessions out at the Robin Hood Dell East and apparently there had been a change in provider. I need to get clarification on who is actually providing food service or water service or 1261 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget whatever the particular service is in question at the Robin Hood Dell East?
Presently right now Milton Street Caterers is the present concessionaire at the Dell East.
Hot dogs, fish, basic concessionary items that you will find at a stadium of that type of venue.
Is that through an RFP process, or is that a professional services contract, or is it just a general concession --
And is that lowest responsible bidder or I guess in the concession case it's the highest?
What did the City 1262 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget generate revenuewise from that contract last year?
Do you know what the total revenues generated completely were?
Actually through the monies -- I'm sorry -- the food that was actually distributed there?
I don't have that figure in front of me, sir. I can do the research for you.
And that's a one-year contract with three one-year renewals?
I do have that listing at the office. I know Marietta Caterers was one of 1263 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget them.
If you could get that to us, I would appreciate it. Councilwoman Tasco said on the record that there was a situation or issue with regard to bringing water into the facility and you can't bring water into the facility; is that true?
Yes. One of the products at the Dell is to sell Dasante water through a beverage company so there was a conflict between the concessionaire and people bringing in water.
-- basket and picnic operation and potato chips and pretzels?
No, I'm going to say no. 1264 3/3/03 - Continuing FY '04 Operating Budget I need to verify to make sure because certain security issues changed tremendously from 9/11 and the things that we had been doing. Folks used to be able to bring stuff, but I'm going to say no. 6
I hear what you are saying, but this doesn't sound like it is 9/11 related at all. It sounds like it is an exclusive license on what is being sold and if the person wants to bring in something that is comparable, they can't. It doesn't sound like a security issue out at the Dell.
I'm going to say at the Vet no. We have a contract with ARAMARK as well and the contract with ARAMARK, they sell bottled water.
I understand that. But prior to 9/11 I didn't spend a lot of time down at the Vet, but it seems to me that people at most facilities bring -- they bring their bag of stuff and go to the game and sit and eat, drink, do whatever they want to do and as long as you were not bringing anything illegal or inappropriate, that's my recollection. So let's talk about prior to 9/11. You couldn't bring anything into Veterans Stadium?
So you are saying the reason you can't bring water to the Dell is because water is being sold and part of the contract is if you are selling a product that you can't bring the other product in?
Don't forget to drink your water. Let me better understand -- (Comment by Councilman Cohen was not heard by the