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By Penny Fletcher
penny@observernews.net
RUSKIN -- Carlos Curnow found himself on the hot seat July 17 with only one hour to prepare.
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| CARLOS CURNOW |
Parents whose children attend the after-school and summer programs at South County’s parks assembled at the Gardenville Recreation Center to speak with Mark Thornton, director of Hillsborough County’s Parks, Recreation & Conservation Department since 2005. The parents were there to hear more about his previously proposed cuts in the children’s programs beginning Jan. 1, as part of the county’s $87 million budget cut.
May 6, Thornton’s staff released his department’s Master Plan which included a good probability of cutting the programs, which affect 5,800 after-schoolers and 8,800 summer participants.
At that time, Thornton said he was considering cutting the programs because they “affected the least number of county residents and cost $16 million of his department’s $19 ½ million annual budget.”
Since then, however, Curnow, an acting section manager for county recreation, said County Commissioners have said they will not eliminate the programs, although many children may not get bus service to parks from their schools and parents may be asked to pay a larger portion of each child’s costs.
Curnow held the meeting in Thornton’s absence. He said he had only had an hour to prepare after Thornton called him to say he was sick, but he tried to answer the many questions parents had for him anyway.
“If we don’t get another $1.7 million we will have to lose 41 staff positions from the program,” Curnow said. “And with the ratio (the number of staff members to children mandated by law) that would mean fewer children could participate.” Another way the number of children attending could be affected is if the county begins charging parents for services like a child care center. Now there is just a one-time registration fee plus fees for special extra-curricular activities. If parks charge regular child care fees, then they will come under ‘child care facility’ rules for licensing which would further lower the ratio (of staff to children), he said.
If that were to happen, only 2,910 after-schoolers could attend (at all the South County parks combined) instead of 5,800 that are attending now, he explained.
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| Penny Fletcher Photo
Carlos Curnow, acting section manager for the county’s Parks, Recreation & Conservation Department, substituted for parks director Mark Thornton at a meeting July 17 to discuss proposed cuts to children’s programs at South County parks. |
Parents feared cutting experienced staff would leave the children who are able to attend in the hands of lower-paid, less trained individuals. They also worried about not being able to get their children from school to parks in the middle of their workday.
And, of course, if the cuts go forward, many will lose their slots altogether.
Parents said they were willing to pay but were told they may not get that option.
“Last year we were told we had to pay for a bus to take our children from school to the park but then the day before school started when I called to ask which bus my child would take, I was told, ‘oh, we aren’t going to be able to do that after all’ and we were given only one day to run around and find transportation,” said Karen Dean, whose children attend Sessums Elementary School in Riverview.
“Here they are talking about a $40 million sports park and they have to cut kids’ programs,” said Carla Miles, who heads a volunteer program at Wimauma’s Bethune Park. “The kids always seem to be on the bottom rung of the ladder.”
Miles, who attended with another Sun City Center volunteer, Roz Cruthis, said that children should always come first, not last.
Curnow explained that money cannot be shifted from one budget to another in a different department, which created many angry responses from the crowd.
“It’s our tax money. Why can’t it be reappropriated?” asked Shanisha Brown, whose children use Gardenville. “As a taxpayer I want to know why funding sources can’t be found. Someone needs to be accountable.”
Others pointed to large salaries of commissioners and local officials in public office.
“Let them try and live as we do. Let sheriff’s deputies stop using patrol cars for their own personal use. Make them park (at the station) and use their own cars and gas,” said Karinna Miranda from Covington Park.
“I want my kids to go here,” said Paul Horton, who works in the healthcare field and has two sons at the Gardenville center. “Before they started here, one had asthma and they both used to get strep throat. They get outside time here, and lots of activities. And these things have made a (good) change in their health.”
Teo Leonard of Apollo Beach pointed out that sports had already been curtailed at the athletic fields, which also come under the parks department. “We are asked to do more and more and get less and less at the athletic fields,” he said.
In a previous interview with Thornton, he said that the sports leagues were now responsible for their own practice and game fields because of budgetary cuts. He also said mowing common areas (like in environmental land preserves) was only being done every 27 days, which resulted in very high grass.
Many parents, including Jesus Melendez and Allen Raysor, said that every year citizens get less and less from county government and at one point angry shouts from all over the room drowned out any understandable comments.
Curnow regained control by saying he sympathized but he was only “a messenger.”
“You need to take these comments to the commission,” he said. “There will be a public hearing tomorrow night at 6:30 and they will vote later.” Although unsure of the voting date he said he did not think any vote was scheduled before August.
“There is still time to make your voices heard,” he said.
Most in the audience said they wanted to speak to Thornton, who had proposed the budget. “He should have come tonight, sick or not,” some shouted.
Meanwhile, concentrating on the issues, Miranda insisted that there should be some way to shift budgetary items from one category to another. “I don’t understand what is so difficult about putting money wherever the need is greatest,” she said.
Interested parents may make an appointment to see any of the seven Commissioners at 601 Kennedy Blvd., Tampa., or write to them at P.O. Box 1110, Tampa, FL, 33601. They may also be reached by telephone or emailed by going to the county government Web site form at www.hillsboroughcounty.org, locating each commissioner’s mailing address and clicking on “contact us.” The telephone number for each commissioner is different but can also be found on the county’s Web site. The commission number – where you may obtain dates and times of agenda items – is (813) 272-5900.
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