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Politics & Government

Recreation Committee Backs Plan to Move Public Use Policies from Code to Administrative Item

The request came from Seamens and not directly from the council.

Takoma Park’s Recreation Committee endorsed a City Council plan to move the policy that governs requests for the use of public facilities—including fees and regulations—from the City Code to an administrative-line item.

However the recreation committee approved a measure requesting the city council let the committee collaborate with the recreation department staff on making recommendations to the council on any proposed changes to fees, procedures or rules governing the use of public facilities.

The Recreation Committee made its recommendations on that issue at the behest of Takoma Park Ward 4 Councilmember Terry Seamens, who sent an e-mail to Committee Chair Jay Keller and C-Chair Cindy Dyballa asking for input into the process of moving the policy governing public facilities use requests from the City Code and making it an administrative line item, Keller said.

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Seaman’s e-mail said:

“I favor charging community organizations such as the Recreation Committee with establishing the fees, rules and guidelines for recreational activities and programs. Others have suggested they should be developed in a collaborative manner by the Recreation staff and Recreation Committee members. The proposal the council considered last evening would give the responsibility to the city staff with merely an opportunity for public comment.

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“This issue will be considered at the March 14th meeting. I appreciate your committee’s recommendation for the establishment of fees, rules and guidelines for recreational facilities and programs. Please assume no limitations as you propose what you feel will be best for the community. I’ve attached the materials the council considered last evening.

“Recreational facilities include all community center rooms, except the art gallery and auditorium; the recreational center at New Hampshire; Hefner Park, including the building, all parks and fields. I imagine your committee may have questions; feel free to contact me if I can be of any assistance. Please remember my question is about the process to be used, not about the specific fees and other details included in the attachment.”

Committee members said Seaman’s request was from him and not the city council.

“That’s my sense of it,” Keller said, adding, “and from talking to the mayor (Bruce Williams), that this was a request from Terry.”

Seamens is “asking us if we want to be involved in consulting the staff on the policy, on the regulations, on the rules; that’s the first question,” said Howard Kohn, committee member. “The second is on (the committee) actually getting involved in the policy. The process is useless unless we are involved in setting the policy,” he said. “Changing (the recreation facilities use policies) from the code to administrative regulation, I don’t have any problem with that,” Kohn added.

“The bottom line is we’re responding to Terry,” said Ray Scannell. “We’re asking the council to do something. If the council says ‘no,’ that’s fine.”

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