EVANSVILLE NEEDS A VIBRANT PARK SYSTEM: Candidate Position Paper by Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley

EVANSVILLE NEEDS A VIBRANT PARK SYSTEM

Introduction

The quality of a City’s park system is directly related to its economic health and development. A vibrant park system helps stabilize neighborhoods and property values. A diverse park system with lots of recreational opportunities also improves the health and quality of life of residents. Quality of life is a big part of what attracts business and creates jobs. New businesses and businesses looking to relocate are looking for quality of life and a strong infrastructure. We can provide both. The park system is a big part of our quality of life.

We have an incredible resource in our park system. It’s one of the largest in Indiana and one of the largest for any community of similar size in the United States. The Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) operates and manages over 2300 acres divided into 65 parks and 21 special facilities in the City and County. The Board of Park Commissioners (BPC) oversees the DPR and Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Gardens (Zoo). The Zoo has an Advisory Board that makes recommendations to the BPC. Burdette Park is the only facility that is not under the control of the BPC. Its Director reports directly to the County Commissioners. Last year the budget for the DPR was over $13 million.

Issues

The issues facing the DPR include a decrease in revenues and the public’s use of the park system, crime, broken and dilapidated equipment, and workforce that is not big enough to keep up with maintenance.

A. Decrease in Revenues and the Public’s Use of the Park System

In 2006 an Efficiency Study of the DPR was conducted. It was determined that “[i]n order to maintain the existing park programs and develop new ones while maintaining quality, the services provided by the Parks Department must become more self-sustaining. This would require an increase in the public’s use of the parks, an increase in fees charged for their use, or a combination of both.”
Since 2006, the quality of the park system has degraded. It seems clear that in the last five years the DPR has failed to become more self-sustaining. When quality goes down, usage goes down, which decreases revenues, which triggers a further degradation of quality, and so on. It becomes a downward spiral. The budget for the DPR should focus on providing quality services and reflect the value the community places on the park system. As quality goes up, usage and revenues will increase. Additionally, a significant portion of the DPR budget is the Zoo, which operates at a loss. If we can make the Zoo more self-sufficient, the DPR will have more funding for the parks.

B. Crime

The crime issues in the parks include drugs, crimes against DPR property, sexual activity and fights. Judging from the current state of the parks, these problems have gotten worse since the Park Rangers were eliminated. When the Park Rangers were eliminated, additional officers were not added to the Police or Sheriff’s Department. There is currently not enough manpower to adequately patrol the park system. In considering whether to add manpower for park patrols, we need to consider the cost to the community in continuing to leave the parks with their current level of coverage. There are significant costs associated with repairing and replacing vandalized signs and equipment, and there are people who are deterred from using the parks because of a perception that they are not safe.

C. Broken an Dilapidated Equipment/Insufficient Workforce

The DPR is unable at its current staffing to adequately maintain the parks’ equipment. Over the last 20 years, the number of employees has decreased while the area managed by the DPR has increased. The additional summer employees for this year will help get some of the maintenance backlog cleared, but it is a temporary fix. A longer term solution is needed. An Assessment should be done of the park system to evaluate and prioritize the issues to be tackled to get the parks back into good shape. We also need to really look at what it takes to maintain the parks. It’s pointless to fix our parks and then let them degrade in quality again.

In looking at the current volunteer issues related to the contract the City has with the Teamsters, we need to understand from where the language comes. It is my understanding that during a time when there were significant layoffs in the DPR, the Teamsters sought language to try and protect the remaining jobs. The language of the contract is understandable under those circumstances. That being said, the DPR needs to be able to more freely use volunteers for trash pick-up, weeding, and other simple tasks. I do not advocate for violating the current contract. I think the Teamsters are entitled to the benefit of the bargain they made with the City. However, I think the City should make it a priority in the next negotiations to work on this issue. Making it easier to use volunteers should not mean that the number of employees at the DPR should be reduced further. If anything, we should look at the cost of not taking better care of our parks compared with the cost of adding addition full-time employees. There is only so much that volunteers can do.

Conclusion

The quality of our park system is directly related to our ability to attract high-paying, quality jobs. Evansville is already ahead with the size and diversity of the park system. However, we need to work on quality. After an assessment is completed, the community can develop a game plan. We will definitely need a vibrant volunteer network and lots of public/private partnerships to take on various projects. Maintaining the park system in good condition may require additional full-time employees. We may have to make some tough decisions in determining the correct budget for the park system.

Stephanie Brinkerhoff Riley
Candidate for City Council in the Third Ward