US75Guy
30 March 2006, 11:43 AM
Dallas parks in dire need of green
Years of budget cuts have left $900 million maintenance backlog
08:09 AM CST on Thursday, March 30, 2006
By KATIE FAIRBANK and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
It rains on the inside basketball courts at Exline Recreation Center. Volunteers paint the grubby walls at Harry Stone. Staffers scrape together money to replace a stolen air conditioner at Mildred L. Dunn. Budgets are so tight at Dallas' Park and Recreation Department that a $900 million maintenance backlog has built up over years of belt-tightening. The city is cautious about accepting land donations for parks because there is little spare money to maintain them.
Supporters fear things are only going to get worse with new Trinity River facilities and parks, adding what is essentially a 6.5-mile-long park complete with a chain of lakes, amphitheater and trails. "The money is going to get tighter," said Darlene Green, a 25-year volunteer at the Exline center in southern Dallas. "There will be less money for recreation centers, especially after they add that Trinity." If more funds aren't allocated, "we'll get in a deeper hole," said C.W. Whitaker, president of Dallas' Park Board. "The money has to come from somewhere. I don't want it to take away from the little money that we're getting now." The Trinity River plans, much of which should be complete by 2012, would cost the park department about $4.2 million annually and require 35 additional full-time employees for maintenance and operations under the barebones estimate. The deluxe package would take an estimated $10.5 million and 131 new employees.
Those needs add to what is required just to maintain the park system and recreation centers the city has now. The park budget for fiscal 2005-06 was $65.3 million, including $19.7 million for maintenance. "It will be like any new facility or new capital program we go into. We'll have to maintain it," said City Manager Mary Suhm, noting that the park department's maintenance backlog is not surprising.
In the late 1980s and early '90s, maintenance cutbacks looked like a painless way to trim the budget. But the cuts went on for so many years that they left a significant backlog, park officials say. "I think that every part of the city has suffered from reductions in maintenance and operations over the past several years," Ms. Suhm said, noting that the citywide needs inventory carries a $7.2 billion price tag. "We've just been kind of patching things over for the last several years. Do I know they've got drastic needs? Yeah, I do know."
The city has more than 21,500 acres of dedicated parkland and about 1,500 facilities – including pools, golf courses, tennis courts and soccer fields. More than 2.6 million people use them annually. Despite that popularity, the parks and recreation centers have seen their budgets shrink – so much so that Dallas now spends less on its parks than most other large cities, according to the most recent comparable statistics from the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit land-conservation group. "We are the fourth-largest park system in the country, land-area-wise," said Michael Hellmann, a park planner for the city. "We've got a whole lot more to deal with than these other cities that are spending a lot more."
According to a survey by the trust, Dallas spent only $60 per resident in fiscal 2003 for operating and capital expenses for parks. The average was $91, and Dallas ranked behind cities such as Fort Worth, Arlington and Austin. "It's definitely way below average," said Peter Harnik, director of the Center for City Park Excellence with the Trust for Public Land. "They're hoping that it can get by on sort of a minimal level of funding."
It's quite a change from the park department's heyday. In 1984, Dallas received national recognition as a premier park system. Then money got tight and the city started hacking away at the budget and staff. It took only a few years before the system was "caught in a downward spiral," according to the Park and Recreation Department's long-range development plan. "The ongoing effects of this prolonged budgetary malaise include deteriorating parks impacted by limited maintenance levels and capital investment, lack of citizen satisfaction and a poor image for the city as a whole," the plan said.
People understand that slashing funding for essential services such as police and fire protection can cause problems. But drastically siphoning away funds from the park maintenance budget is just as shortsighted, Mr. Harnik said. "It doesn't make sense to not keep it up, just like if a homeowner didn't keep up his home," he said. "Parks are as much a part of the infrastructure as highways, sewers and housing, and you just can't take it for granted."
Things have deteriorated so badly within the park department that the needs inventory totals $2.7 billion, with about one-third required for deferred maintenance. That's after the department used most of a bond program worth about $100 million from 2003 to repair run-down buildings, update playgrounds and fix up parks. "There are just not enough bucks available for all the needs," said Joyce Lockley, a volunteer at the K.B. Polk Recreation Center near Love Field since the 1980s. "The parks and recreation centers are stretched probably as far as they can go." The department is hoping the next bond proposal will come to the rescue and is expecting to request $200 million to $300 million.
The city got into this fix because traditionally, the Dallas way has been to add on more land and facilities without increasing the money to take care of them. Since fiscal 1997-98, several recreation centers, a children's zoo and the Kiest athletic complex have been built. But the department ended up with only six additional positions, and the budget went up just $18.8 million. To try to bridge all the demands, the department stopped comp time and merit raises for a while and reduced recreation center hours during that same period. "Sooner or later it catches up with you," said Carolyn Bray, assistant director of the Dallas park system's east region. Her territory includes 23 recreation centers and almost 200 parks. "We have a constant repair effort that we have to make sure we're always on top of. We're struggling with old, outdated infrastructure," Ms. Bray said. "A lot of things you just have to patch up and hope that it doesn't get too bad."
"If something goes down, you have to get in line. You'd have that if it were a stove, an air conditioner, a heating unit. You're not going to get fast service" because of all the cuts, Ms. Lockley said. The parks' maintenance department, which is responsible for upkeep outside the buildings, has lost 36 full-time and six part-time positions since fiscal 1987. Those cuts virtually eliminated the ability to perform preventive maintenance and stretched the time to complete a repair, said Jerry Foote, manager of facility services.
For instance, sometimes it takes up to four weeks to fix equipment because just 10 mechanics maintain about 320 pieces of equipment such as tractors, mowers and chain saws. Only this fiscal year was Mr. Foote able to restart electrical preventive maintenance because four new electrician jobs were added. "We're going out and finding all this stuff that hasn't been done in 10 or 15 years," he said.
Cuts to other city departments that help maintain park facilities exacerbate the problem. The Equipment & Building Services department, which maintains the interior of facilities for the city, eliminated its painting staff in fiscal 2002-03, removing $214,727 in salaries from its budget. As a result, all city departments now must hire contractors and pay for their own painting contracts. The park department spent $40,000 last year on painting. Even so, office staff and volunteers do much of the painting.
In addition, park officials say many facilities simply don't get done. "Facilities wear out quicker when you don't spend on maintenance," said Willis Winters, a parks assistant director. "We can't keep going the way we've been going without getting adequate money to maintain or operate them." At the Exline center, workers struggle to keep the well-loved and much-used facility in good shape. "We have to fight for every little bit that we've gotten," said Ms. Green, a member of the recreation center's advisory board.
Years of budget cuts have left $900 million maintenance backlog
08:09 AM CST on Thursday, March 30, 2006
By KATIE FAIRBANK and TANYA EISERER / The Dallas Morning News
It rains on the inside basketball courts at Exline Recreation Center. Volunteers paint the grubby walls at Harry Stone. Staffers scrape together money to replace a stolen air conditioner at Mildred L. Dunn. Budgets are so tight at Dallas' Park and Recreation Department that a $900 million maintenance backlog has built up over years of belt-tightening. The city is cautious about accepting land donations for parks because there is little spare money to maintain them.
Supporters fear things are only going to get worse with new Trinity River facilities and parks, adding what is essentially a 6.5-mile-long park complete with a chain of lakes, amphitheater and trails. "The money is going to get tighter," said Darlene Green, a 25-year volunteer at the Exline center in southern Dallas. "There will be less money for recreation centers, especially after they add that Trinity." If more funds aren't allocated, "we'll get in a deeper hole," said C.W. Whitaker, president of Dallas' Park Board. "The money has to come from somewhere. I don't want it to take away from the little money that we're getting now." The Trinity River plans, much of which should be complete by 2012, would cost the park department about $4.2 million annually and require 35 additional full-time employees for maintenance and operations under the barebones estimate. The deluxe package would take an estimated $10.5 million and 131 new employees.
Those needs add to what is required just to maintain the park system and recreation centers the city has now. The park budget for fiscal 2005-06 was $65.3 million, including $19.7 million for maintenance. "It will be like any new facility or new capital program we go into. We'll have to maintain it," said City Manager Mary Suhm, noting that the park department's maintenance backlog is not surprising.
In the late 1980s and early '90s, maintenance cutbacks looked like a painless way to trim the budget. But the cuts went on for so many years that they left a significant backlog, park officials say. "I think that every part of the city has suffered from reductions in maintenance and operations over the past several years," Ms. Suhm said, noting that the citywide needs inventory carries a $7.2 billion price tag. "We've just been kind of patching things over for the last several years. Do I know they've got drastic needs? Yeah, I do know."
The city has more than 21,500 acres of dedicated parkland and about 1,500 facilities – including pools, golf courses, tennis courts and soccer fields. More than 2.6 million people use them annually. Despite that popularity, the parks and recreation centers have seen their budgets shrink – so much so that Dallas now spends less on its parks than most other large cities, according to the most recent comparable statistics from the Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit land-conservation group. "We are the fourth-largest park system in the country, land-area-wise," said Michael Hellmann, a park planner for the city. "We've got a whole lot more to deal with than these other cities that are spending a lot more."
According to a survey by the trust, Dallas spent only $60 per resident in fiscal 2003 for operating and capital expenses for parks. The average was $91, and Dallas ranked behind cities such as Fort Worth, Arlington and Austin. "It's definitely way below average," said Peter Harnik, director of the Center for City Park Excellence with the Trust for Public Land. "They're hoping that it can get by on sort of a minimal level of funding."
It's quite a change from the park department's heyday. In 1984, Dallas received national recognition as a premier park system. Then money got tight and the city started hacking away at the budget and staff. It took only a few years before the system was "caught in a downward spiral," according to the Park and Recreation Department's long-range development plan. "The ongoing effects of this prolonged budgetary malaise include deteriorating parks impacted by limited maintenance levels and capital investment, lack of citizen satisfaction and a poor image for the city as a whole," the plan said.
People understand that slashing funding for essential services such as police and fire protection can cause problems. But drastically siphoning away funds from the park maintenance budget is just as shortsighted, Mr. Harnik said. "It doesn't make sense to not keep it up, just like if a homeowner didn't keep up his home," he said. "Parks are as much a part of the infrastructure as highways, sewers and housing, and you just can't take it for granted."
Things have deteriorated so badly within the park department that the needs inventory totals $2.7 billion, with about one-third required for deferred maintenance. That's after the department used most of a bond program worth about $100 million from 2003 to repair run-down buildings, update playgrounds and fix up parks. "There are just not enough bucks available for all the needs," said Joyce Lockley, a volunteer at the K.B. Polk Recreation Center near Love Field since the 1980s. "The parks and recreation centers are stretched probably as far as they can go." The department is hoping the next bond proposal will come to the rescue and is expecting to request $200 million to $300 million.
The city got into this fix because traditionally, the Dallas way has been to add on more land and facilities without increasing the money to take care of them. Since fiscal 1997-98, several recreation centers, a children's zoo and the Kiest athletic complex have been built. But the department ended up with only six additional positions, and the budget went up just $18.8 million. To try to bridge all the demands, the department stopped comp time and merit raises for a while and reduced recreation center hours during that same period. "Sooner or later it catches up with you," said Carolyn Bray, assistant director of the Dallas park system's east region. Her territory includes 23 recreation centers and almost 200 parks. "We have a constant repair effort that we have to make sure we're always on top of. We're struggling with old, outdated infrastructure," Ms. Bray said. "A lot of things you just have to patch up and hope that it doesn't get too bad."
"If something goes down, you have to get in line. You'd have that if it were a stove, an air conditioner, a heating unit. You're not going to get fast service" because of all the cuts, Ms. Lockley said. The parks' maintenance department, which is responsible for upkeep outside the buildings, has lost 36 full-time and six part-time positions since fiscal 1987. Those cuts virtually eliminated the ability to perform preventive maintenance and stretched the time to complete a repair, said Jerry Foote, manager of facility services.
For instance, sometimes it takes up to four weeks to fix equipment because just 10 mechanics maintain about 320 pieces of equipment such as tractors, mowers and chain saws. Only this fiscal year was Mr. Foote able to restart electrical preventive maintenance because four new electrician jobs were added. "We're going out and finding all this stuff that hasn't been done in 10 or 15 years," he said.
Cuts to other city departments that help maintain park facilities exacerbate the problem. The Equipment & Building Services department, which maintains the interior of facilities for the city, eliminated its painting staff in fiscal 2002-03, removing $214,727 in salaries from its budget. As a result, all city departments now must hire contractors and pay for their own painting contracts. The park department spent $40,000 last year on painting. Even so, office staff and volunteers do much of the painting.
In addition, park officials say many facilities simply don't get done. "Facilities wear out quicker when you don't spend on maintenance," said Willis Winters, a parks assistant director. "We can't keep going the way we've been going without getting adequate money to maintain or operate them." At the Exline center, workers struggle to keep the well-loved and much-used facility in good shape. "We have to fight for every little bit that we've gotten," said Ms. Green, a member of the recreation center's advisory board.