Parks Seeks Funding Bump to Help Maintain Downtown, Linear Trail, Cemeteries

The city is seeking about $17,000 more funding in the 2012-2013 proposed budget to help the parks department keep downtown, the Linear Trail, and some of the city's cemeteries clean and well-maintained.

Parks and Recreation Director Mark Zebora and City Manager Lawrence Kendzior presented these requests as part of a proposed Parks and Rec. Department budget to city councilors Tuesday night at a Finance Committee meeting. It was the second of five meetings focused on different segments of the , before the council votes on the budget, likely in May.

The bulk of the request would support a new $12,000-a-year part-time position devoted to cleaning the city's downtown and Linear Trail.

"Both of those are special areas - they're sort of highlighted areas, the center of the city, and the Linear Trail is probably the most popular recreation spot and project that we've ever done." Kendzior said. "Parks is short staffed. I think this is a good way to give attention to those particular areas."

This role is one of the special requests departments filed with Kendzior this year after he asked directors to highlight "a service that has been needed but not funded in prior years," according to the budget's executive summary. The new position would be 15 hours a week and be a grade under "laborer," the lowest-paid position the city currently has, according to Kendzior. The city has already negotiated the job with the public works union, he said. A retiree or a student might fit the spot well, Kendzior said.

"They're meant to take care of the litter, make sure there isn't trash around - spruce it up, make it look as good as it can," Kendzior said of the role.

The downtown area covered by the position would roughly include the city's Transit Oriented District, the half-mile radius from the current train station. 

Most councilors seemed to support the position. Councilor Dante Bartomeo (D) said she hoped that down the road the amount of hours or workers devoted to these areas could increase, noting cuts to parks positions in previous years to save money during the economic downturn.

"I think those are areas we have really struggled with," Bartolomeo said. "I know you've been doing it with less people. I don't know that it's enough - hopefully things will turn around in the future."

In addition to the position cuts, the Parks Department has gotten more land to take care of in recent years.

"We've got over 3,000 acres of parks in Meriden, and have received more property over last several years, like the Linear Trail and the HUB," said Mark Zebora, "We try to do the best with the effeciencies that we have."

Councilor Kevin Scarpati asked if the position would be truly devoted to these specific areas and that the staffer would not be pulled to work in other areas.

"If Mark feels that he wants to use this 15 hour a week employee for use other than this – we'll let the council know first," Kendzior said.

Kendzior is also asking for $5,000 more to fund the Parks Department's maintenance of some of the city's cemeteries, bringing the total request to $10,000.

Though some Meriden cemeteries are privately managed, the city is charged with maintaining those whose management has gone out of existence, Kendzior explained to councilors.

These include the city's first graveyard in town, Meetinghouse Cemetery, which lies at the end of Dexter Avenue.

"We need more work done more often on these cemeteries," Kendzior said, explaining the increase.

Other increases in the proposed budget for the department include those for vehicle maintenance and contractual wage increases for staff. Some of the upticks were offset by about $25,000 in projected energy savings from various capital improvements like a switch from oil to gas heat in City Hall and the Library.

In all, the City Manager's tentative budget proposes allocating $3,225,469, to the Parks and Recreation Department, up from the 2011-2012 budget of $3,178,279 with an overall increase of about $47,190.

The next Finance Meeting on the City Manager's Proposed Budget will focus on the Board of Education on Wednesday, March 28. Other meetings are April 3 (Capital Improvements), April 10 (Fire, Emergency Communications, Police), and there is a public hearing on the proposed budget set for April 17.