Who will stand up for recreation center users?

DC’s Department of Parks and Recreation is getting a lot of attention from top city managers at the moment, but it’s all about a grass cutting contract and not about the real issue: DPR is severely underfunded to carry out its mission.

DPR’s operating budget for 2012 cuts nearly $5 million (14.1%) and 69 full-time equivalent staff (12.0%) from DPR. That’s on top of an over $10 million drop from the previous year.

Instead, the debate focuses on a $1.6 million difference between grass cutting contracts, the employees of the grass cutting companies, and the merits of first source hiring.

Where was the emotional debate about the reduction in DPR programs? Did someone defend residents who want to see their parks facilities properly maintained? Why should anyone expect that DPR could continue to operate with a sharply cut agency budget and similar cuts in related support services?

Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas Jr. has talked a lot about the benefits he sees to the District of selecting a DC-based landscaping company. It may indeed bring benefits, but Thomas should also consider the benefits to many more District residents of having rec centers open for more hours in his own Ward 5.

Ward 5 has seven recreation centers, three community centers, and a cultural center. All 11 centers are closed every Sunday of the year. Three centers (Fort Lincoln, Theodore Hagans, and Edgewood) are closed all weekend year-round. Not a single center is open for more than six hours on Saturdays. Are these limited hours adequate for Ward 5 residents?

For other signs of problems from underfunding, Thomas need look no further than the now-unavailable DPR Kids Retreat program. The program launched in 2010 as a coordinated effort for kids activities at rec centers on days when DCPS teachers have scheduled professional development. The program only lasted a couple professional development days because of funding constraints. There is no Kids Retreat planned for today, October 14, 2011, the first DCPS professional development day of the year for teachers and staff.

What will it take for Mayor Gray and the Council to examine how the grass cutting debate distracts from the poor state of DPR funding? Aren’t tens of thousands of rec center users more important stakeholders than the employees and owners of various landscaping firms?

Focusing too narrowly on the grass cutting contract will only further hurt District residents by neglecting DPR’s much more severe funding woes.

Update: John McGaw from the Mayor’s Office of Budget and Finance has provided a clarification regarding this post.

The decrease in 2010 is more than offset by nearly $9 million being transferred to the newly created Department of General Services (DGS) to perform facilities maintenance. This adjustment gives DPR a total of $45 million in 2012 with the DGS funds. Nevertheless, the 2012 budget remains well below the $63 and $59 million available to DPR in 2008 and 2009, respectively.