Politics & Government

Recreation Committee Wants Broad Mission for Rec Department

No action will be taken until the council communicates with incoming councilmembers after the November election.

The debate over the vision of the Takoma Park Recreation Department continued Monday night at the Takoma Park City Council meeting where the city's Recreation Committee gave it's recommendations for the future of the department.

The committee wants the new mission of the department to be broader and allow for more interaction with the community.

We wanted to do a broad mission statement that gave flexibility to whomever director is," Recreation Committee Member Jay Keller said. "And we want the staff to work with the committee and citizens groups to develop programs."

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

In a document presented to the council, the Recreation Committee recommended the mission of the department be to "strengthen our community through providing recreation programs, services (broadly defined) and facilities to city residents which emphasize a healthy lifestyle, physical well-being, personal development, citizen involvement and integration of differing cultural and economic communities."

The committee wants the department to develop specific program goals in the areas of: community involvement and volunteerism, social integration (common ground for diverse cultures) and youth development health and wellness, including sports arts and cuture.

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

The council will take up the revisions at the Oct. 24 regular council meeting, Takoma Park Mayor Bruce Williams said.

Correction: This story mistakenly state that the council would wait to consult the incoming council after the November election before acting on revisions. We regret the error.


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