City Budget Minimizes Future Park Maintenance

Posted on 04. Jun, 2009 by admin3 in Featured

More than 100 volunteers celebrate their work at the Hardy play area, October 2001.

FROG and RCPC (Rockridge Community Planning Council) have each written to City Council President and District One councilmember Jane Brunner protesting City plans to curtail maintenance of FROG Park. The proposal is part of the draft 2009-10 fiscal year budget, which attempts to address an $80 million budget shortfall.

The proposed budget calls for no maintenance at the Hardy Park play structures and swings, the Redondo Park play structure, the grassy areas of FROG Park, as well as the basketball courts and the dog park. Only the pathway from Clifton Street to Cavour Street would be maintained, because of recent capital improvements there.

FROG and RCPC’s letters points out that FROG Park has benefited from over $2 million dollars in capital improvements, as well as thousands of hours of volunteer efforts, and the loss of maintenance could put all of that at risk.

The letter notes that park deterioration could lead to a resurgence of rodent problems at the park, converting it from a community asset to a public nuisance.

Finally, the letter requests that the City not lay off the park’s only maintenance worker, Clinton Pugh, whose outstanding efforts led to his being named “employee of the year” two years ago.

The City has held two public budget workshops, May 28 and June 1, where RCPC reiterated its concerns. An official public hearing on the proposed budget will be held June 16 at City Hall, with final adoption slated for June 30.

As always with controversial Council decisions, expressions of public concern are influential. Express your feelings about FROG Park at the June 16 public meeting or write a letter to Councilmember Jane Brunner. The full FROG letter is available here and the RCPC letter is available here.