Politics & Government

Council Wants Vision for Rec Department Before Hiring New Director

The council said it hasn't articulated the role of the rec department well enough.

Further discussion of the vision for the Takoma Park Recreation Department is needed before the Takoma Park City Council hires a new recreation director, Ward 4 Councilman Terry Seamens said at Monday night’s council meeting.

"The recreation department is not fulfilling community vision," Seamens said. "The vision was never clearly articulated by this council and its predecessors."

The council unanimously agreed that there has been little focus and communication from the council to the recreation department and it has not been the fault of the department, Ward 1 Councilman Josh Wright said.

Find out what's happening in Takoma Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We have to figure out a way that the council can give direction to the city manager and the recreation department,” Wright said. “We need to articulate it and write it down. We’re in a unique situation since we are trying to hire a new director.”

Residents want more than fun and games from the recreation department, Seamens said.

Find out what's happening in Takoma Parkwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The recreation department is supposed to be a place where youths can develop into adults, Ward Two Councilwoman Colleen Clay said.

The department needs to give kids who participate the opportunity to become staff member, Clay said.

Though Ward 5 Councilman Ruben Snipper agreed that there needed to be more direction from the council, he warned that leaving the department without a director for too long could be a bad thing. 

"Morale declines when departments go a long period without director," he said.

The council will have more discussions and seek input from the public before setting out to write the guidelines for the recreation department. No public hearings have been set yet.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here