72 Rec. and Park workers lose jobs due to budget cuts

by Thomas K. Pendergast

The SF Recreation and Park Department laid off a total of 72 recreation directors and assistant directors from recreation centers throughout the City recently, trying to save $3.6 million in an effort to join other city agencies in closing a budget gap estimated at more than $500 million.

This means the loss of hundreds of programs because there will be no one to run them, and the closing of many recreation centers for the same reason. Those facilities that will remain open are having hours reduced.

In the Richmond District, a total of nine directors and assistant directors were laid off, leaving a total of six for those positions. Recreation staff have been entirely eliminated at the Laurel Hill and Presidio Heights playgrounds and facilities at both those locations will likely be rented out.

Recreation programs and facilities at the Argonne and Rochambeau playgrounds will remain open, but the hours of operation for both will be reduced due to a lack of staffing.

The Richmond Recreation Center has lost two staff members but will remain open, though the number of programs offered and operating hours will both be reduced.

According to Shawn McGrew, recreation director at the Richmond Recreation Center, a total of eight facilities in the Richmond area will be staffed, including the Richmond and the Cabrillo playgrounds.

The Fulton Playground facilities are presently closed for construction, but when that's done, said McGrew, it will also be staffed. Angelo Rossi Park has seen staff transferred out but will remain open, though hours will be reduced.

According to a supervisor there, Marlene Evans, the pool will no longer be open on Sundays and will not be available on weekdays from 11 a.m. to noon and from 2 to 3 p.m.

"A recreation director does many things," said McGrew. "They're the ones that work with your kids and teach them good rules of fitness and to get out and play, showing that through play they can stay fit. They're also the first line against incidents at a facility. They're the ones working with those teenagers that most people will walk across the street to avoid. They're the ones that teach the sports programs. They're the ones that do the team programs. They're the ones that when you walk into this building, you're going to deal with first. They're not supervisors or administrators, they're hands-on people making a difference in this society."

McGrew argues that keeping recreation and park services going delivers more bang for the buck to the City and the community.

"In these difficult economic times all of us are looking for bargains," he said. "The reality is the Rec. and Park Department is one of the best bargains in the City. I mean the amount that we're talking to restore us is $3 million dollars. It's not that large of an amount of money because we're not that big of a department. If you look at it in terms of what we do and who we serve, we're a huge department and we make huge impacts. I really hope the mayor and the SF Board of Supervisors stop thinking penny wise because it's going to be a pound foolish at the end."

Lisa Seitz Gruwell, communications director for the Recreation and Park Department, said the department is understaffed.

"Certainly this is not the ideal situation," she said.

Gruwell explained the department's thinking regarding cutting recreation directors and assistants. It comes down to the fact that other parts of the department have already taken big budget hits in recent years.

"It's a tough decision," she said. "We were already at the base level for national standards of gardening and maintenance. We chose these positions because recreation is more easily staffed when times get better. Our priorities were maintaining our parks and facilities. Most people use parks for self-recreation. A smaller portion use the recreation part of our system. Our biggest cut was to management more than staff. That was where we cut first."

"This is a very big, active recreation center, here and at the Richmond Rec. Center. They're both very, very active," said Larry McNesby, president of SEIU Local 1021, while speaking at the Sunset Recreation Center. He stressed that he was speaking as a union president and not on behalf of the Recreation and Park Department.

"With the cuts, exactly three days out of the week, I'm one phone call away from opening up late and I am two phone calls away from not opening up at all. All a person has to do is call in sick and I won't be able to open," McNesby said.

"What's going to anger the public more than showing up here and not being able to get in? With the margin of error so thin, one person calls in sick, or another person has a car accident, I got nothin'," he said.