DEPARTMENT MERGER? REALLY?

I don't know how the initiative to merge the DPW and Rec. Departments together came to be. I certainly had no prior knowledge of the concept before the story broke in the local papers.

How is that possible you ask? Well, from what I've heard from my colleagues, no-one was consulted from the Council before the press release. Needless to say, a few of us have reservations.

Reading the banter between management and the union leadership, while chatting with the rank & file, I have to urge caution to those who are rushing to make this merger happen. Why?

The Departments were created separately for a reason. The training for operations in the two are different and the job description for either will provide much confusion during the time of transition. I'm not sure how much was developed as a proposal before letting the public know of the concept but so far, from what I hear from our employees, it seems empty.

Additionally, there is the threat of yet another wave of grievances and lawsuits as a result of this internal transfer of personnel. This may constitute a shift of job description without employee consent. Was this not considered? We don't have the money for this nonsense!

In an email to the Council from the CSEA Pres, Bart Robins says: "The Mayor did not involve us with this this move of his, he simply told us he was doing this in the near future and showed us some archaic code where DPW oversees maintenance of the parks. This can still be done without the merger."

The issue of Rec. seasonal help and their subsequent replacement by full-time employees came up. They'll be doing overtime hours with unforseen financial implications. [good greif] I think this may need serious discussion amongst the Council and the Administration to better understand the fast track nature of this merger.

Keep in mind, we have had years of discussion on the subject of how to collect trash and recycling better and yet here we are merging departments in a few months? Is it safe to say I feel apprehension as we step forward on this issue.

As Union leaders and the Mayor dive into this further, I'd like the Council to be more closely involved or maybe other Councilmen are having such discussions and I don't know about it. Wouldn't surprise me.

BARE BUDGET MY A$$

One of the annual rituals we experience in the first few months of each year, is the internal budget transfers. Almost every Department is guilty of this phenomenon.

This month we received an internal request from the Rec Dept. asking permission to shift $130K back and forth throughout their current budget.
I'm having difficulty understanding, If the financial needs of the Rec Dept surpassed the amount of money the Council offered in the way of a working budget, how is it they found this much scattered throughout their existing budget to shift?

We asked if the leaders of the Rec Dept would please come to Caucus, or at least the next Finance Committee, to explain how it is that they found extra/expendable funds in any accounts to pull money from for the purpose of suring up other accounts?

Didn't we hear the cries of poverty during the budget process? Didn't we lose a few positions?

There's more...$31K is expected to come out of the Fund Balance to sure up these accounts. Bob Senor made the right complaint when he said: "When the Council tapped into the Fund Balance last fall to provide some resemblance of tax relief, we were scolded by the Mayor for doing such, but here we are allowing the Rec Dept to do the same with his permission! Who's running this ship?"

Well, I'm just looking at two pages of account numbers and dollar amounts showing credits & debits. Some lines as high as $15K and $10K. What lines in their budget had that much fat?

That Finance meeting, March 18th, is going to be interesting!

CITY SEEKS ESTUARY EDUCATION GRANT

When was the last time YOU went to a city park? Do you realize just how precious our parks are? Well, they’re about to be discovered all over again.

Our Parks and Rec. Department have applied for the Hudson River Estuary Grants Program. What is that? Its monies available for the education projects focused on connecting local citizens with our cherished river and $40 thousand isn’t just play money.

The programs in this grant provide a hands-on learning experience for up to 2500 people, both local students and their parents. With over 20 acres of our managed park system located right at the rivers edge, we have the best resource for an eco-education program to highlight both the shoreline significance and the historic role the river played in the founding of Kingston.

Our Parks & Rec. Dept started the environmental education programs back in 2002, based at the Forsyth Park on Lucas Avenue. The City Zoo and education center is located there. Limited to just camp enrollees in those early days, the programs have expanded and we now employ two full time educators who preside over a myriad of hands-on programs year round.

Let’s face it, our school children don’t always get to experience what we did when we were younger. Over saturated with TV and video games, we see the kids get more detached to nature and our intimate interaction with it. These programs, with this financial boost, will bring students and parents back to what’s important, and were better than at our Hudson River’s historic shores.

The Council and Mayor hope that there is a significant increase in people interaction at the Hudson, considering 2009, New Yorkers celebrate the Quadricentennial benchmark of Henry Hudson’s journey along the banks of the river.

CORNELL PARK AWAKENS

One of the nine maintained parks in the City of Kingston is the Cornell Park on Wurts Street in the Rondout area. A charming plot of land in the middle of the rejuvenated residential district is a patch of green that has been all but forgotten.







Cornell Park once adjoined the mansion of the local robber baron Thomas Cornell, who owned steamships, railroads and shipyards during the late 19th century. The mansion, located on the level lot above the park, was raised around 1948.

Today, a well groomed park, it doesn’t get the use it should. But this may change.

The Park’s lower portion has a natural slope that’s perfect for an amphitheater and has been the site of the newly formed Folk Festival, put together by my friends Larry Zalinsky and BC Gee of the Mezzanine Coffee Shop on Broadway.

By accident, I encountered a Kingston resident walking out with a map of Cornell Park from the planning office, I didn't get his name, but I found there are preliminary plans for a performance structure at the lower corner. Fantastic!

A band shell of some kind would alter the use level in a drastic way. A good way.

Last October 31st, a group of Kingston residents, mostly from Ward Nine, celebrated the Celtic Holiday of Halloween in the park. With a bon-fire roaring, a good time was had by all, safely. In the United States, the Celtic holiday of Beltane, usually the first week of May was merged with Mothers Day. Perhaps we could kick off the spring with an event at the same park?

The picture you see to th left is of the minor safety hazard I filled in last Monday. Shovel in hand, I managed to reverse the groundhog damage to the cement stairs. The Recreation Department is beginning their season, so I’m expecting to see the crew out there any day.

Now if only I could get the district lines changed during the 2010 census to include this gem of a park for Ward Nine.

NATIONAL POWERDOWN WEEK

Power-Down Week is a national experiment that the City of Kingston Recreation Department is participating in this year. What started a few years ago in other cities, with impressive results, is the push to decrease the amount of time our youth watch TV, surf the web and play video games.

What the Rec. Department has offered is a week of motivational activities for families to rediscover the great outdoors. We have 9 sensational parks in Kingston. Each one is unique in uses and history. Here is a list of scheduled activities:


Monday, April 21 – Family Hike @ Kingston Point Park 6 pm

Tuesday, April 22 – Earth Day: Spring tour of Forsyth Nature Center. First 100 arrivals gets a tree sapling for home planting. Starts 3:30 pm

Wednesday, April 23 – Active Indoor Games @ Midtown Center. Kickball, Dodgeball and more. Starts 6 pm

Thursday, April 24 – Treasure Hunt at a mystery park. Check in at the Midtown Center at 6 pm for your first clue. You will trek to a park to find clues and prizes.

Friday, April 25 – Get Up And Dance @ Gallo Park. Starts 6 pm. All ages bring your dancing shoes for the Cha Cha Slide, Chicken Dance and more.

Saturday, April 26 – Global Youth Services Day: Meet at Kingston Point Beach at 9 am for the community clean-up and nature trail building.


Power-Down 2008 promotes getting out as an active family and leaving the TV behind. The success of this week long push to change the unhealthy winter habits of a couch potato have altered enough family schedules nationally that the energy invested by our Parks & Rec. Staff is worth it. This week of activity also sparks an increase in Park activity for townships that participate.



For more information; 331-1682 All activities are free!