The proposed budget for the city’s parks won’t include money to pay for rangers to patrol the park system.
Park Director Ed Swicklas said that instead of asking for the park rangers, he’s likely going to seek more video cameras that can help officials keep an eye on trouble spots.
City leaders have said for several years that they plan to add three or four rangers to the park staff to make sure the millions of dollars spent renovating the parks succeeds in creating a vibrant, safe park system.
The spending plan for the parks hasn’t yet been worked out, but Swicklas told park commissioners that won’t be seeking a go-ahead to hire rangers in the upcoming fiscal year, which begins in July.
The parks have already begun a program to put video cameras in place on Memorial Boulevard and other spots where vandals have struck. They’re tied in to the city’s computer network.
It isn’t clear how many more cameras Swicklas may seek, but it appears that officials are interested in putting some at Rockwell Park, where a major renovation program is in the works that aims to pump life into the historic park.
Consultants have said that making sure the parks are safe and well-maintained is crucial for attracting residents into the park system in large numbers.
Most of the big ticket spending sought by the parks won’t be part of the departmental budget, assuming any of it makes the cut.
The capital projects list that park officials are eyeing includes another $4.5 million for the Rockwell Park renovation that’s underway now, $1.5 million in improvements at Muzzy Field, a $410,000 upgrade for Casey Field, $250,000 to enhance the entrance to Muzzy Field, $75,000 for new park signs, $2 million to overhaul Page Park, and $150,000 each for Kern Park and Pine Lake.
Officials are still considering a $10,000 bocce court at downtown’s Brackett Park and $25,000 for fencing a proposed dog run that might be put in at Rockwell Park. They expect to receive at least some of the funds from outside groups.
The department is looking to spend $2,400 to stock fish in the ponds at Rockwell Park, Memorial Boulevard and Page Park.
A tentative park budget should be ready by early February, with Park Board approval slated in mid-month.
The Board of Finance will begin reviewing the spending plan in March. A final city budget, which includes all departments, is approved in May.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
9 comments:
What is this, Yellowstone?
How about some more real police officers on the street making their presence seen, I'd like to be able to go to a local gas station or bank or pick up a pizza and not worry about them being robbed while I'm there.
Shame we spend all this money on the parks and we cannot protect them or the people who visit them! Shame on the finance board for not seeing the need for them!!!!
Why not have the police patrol the parks? Criminal behavior in the parks would seem to be a police rather than park department responsibilities. Last time I heard, vandalism, drug dealing, petty theft, etc. were criminal activities.
Our police chief has requested additional personnel to expand the role of the police into non-traditional police work (code enforcement, community outreach, etc.). Maybe, if he would switch his focus from empire building to law enforcement, we could get somewhere.
Speaking of empire building, it seems that our Parks Director, is engaging in a bit of his own. Once park rangers start providing security for the park system, they will need the power of arrest, i.e., they will become the park police.
Its mostly because the Police Chief is incompetent that the Parks get no attention unless something like a rape of a 13 year girl happens. His idea of community policing is saying he supports it.
Wan't Swicklas's idea, it was Commissioner Defilipi's idea.
it was a request brought to the park board by the park rev. committee - who cares who brought it up - we need protection in our parks and for the parks.
Defillippi probably thinks Park Rangers are like Army Rangers.
Park rangers, you must be joking. The park problems are far more than littering. Make the Police patrol the parks! But this will probably never happen because people like to drink beer illegally at the Parks, so no police, no lawbreakers.
Take it easy on the police .... They have their hands full arresting those vicious criminals that even today continue to drive through the great metropolis of Bristol w/o wearing their seat belts .
for the poster at 1:52 only you could be that stupid to think that. At least defilippi makes a difference in our city unlike you who feels bashing good people is appropriate.
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