Ft Worth Times

What’s the budget proposal? Park & Recreation Department (PARD) is requesting $70,849,484 in the FY2024 Budget.

What it does? Provides parkway improvements, beautification, mowing and litter removal, new community center and community center safety.

What’s the benefit to taxpayers? Better resources and services.

What’s next? The City of Fort Worth FY2024 Budget will be presented on Tuesday, Sept. 19.

 

The Park & Recreation Department maintains 297 parks (12,893 acres) and public spaces citywide, as well as providing recreational activities and educational programming at area community centers. The department has asked for an increase in their FY2024 budget to make parks and community centers safer and cleaner for Fort Worth residents.

Why it matters: Parkway improvements at such places as University Drive, Forest Park Blvd and Rosedale are main focuses to increase maintenance in the city. medians in high-traffic areas and with enhanced landscaping need additional attention for regular maintenance and litter abatement. Crews would address issues in the medians and rights-of-way more to preserve capital investments and general beautification.

City management wants people to be proud of the City, and enhanced green space maintenance and beautification of Fort Worth would be part of this effort. A total of $3.5 million is being allocated for increased mowing frequency and litter removal for all parks, medians and other properties. Additional crews would be added to maintain medians and for litter abatement.

• Increasing frequency allows for all areas during growing season - especially those that have faster growth or more complexity - to exceed expectations.
• This also allows the City to increase its level of service to residents and visitors and prevent unnecessary damage or degradation to hard surfaces.

Enhanced tree trimming is also part of PARD’s budget request for 2024. The current tree hazard abatement scope only addresses hazards on or threatening City-owned property. Current programming does not address trees in highly visible public spaces that create visual blight, particularly downtown. Additional funding for enhanced tree trimming allows routine and regular tree care in high-visibility spaces creating an attractive and welcoming gateway into the heart of the city while increasing the feel of public safety and civic pride.

Forest Park Boulevard is an unsightly arterial leading into downtown from Interstate 30, with persistent visual blight existing for decades along the eastern edge of Forest Park Boulevard between Interstate 30 and West 10th Street. This tree enhancement project would help transition this arterial into a distinguished, true boulevard ushering the public to the new city hall.

Go deeper: PARD will open the new Northwest Community Center and expand hours at Southwest, R.D. Evans, Eugene McCray, Highland Hills and Chisholm Trail Community Centers. The expansion of hours will be funded by the Crime Control & Prevention District.

PARD community centers are divided into three tiers of operations:

• Tier I: open 45 hours a week.
• Tier 2: open 53 hours a week.
• Tier 3: open 80 or more hours per week.

By the numbers: 10 of PARD’s community centers are currently Tier 1 & Tier 2 centers. Hours at the Tier 1 centers have been static for almost three decades.

• To expand needed programming based on community needs, more staff is required if hours of operation are increased.
• There has also been increased demand for senior and teen programming over the last several years, as well as demand for more rentals/reservations.
• The solution will also meet the recent request of City Council to expand PARD community center hours at specific locations.

The added position at Chisholm Trail will help provide better coverage for their 102 hours of operations.

• The positions added at the other centers will allow them to operate 60 hours a week, and vacant positions will be moved to Fire Station and Handley Meadowbrook centers to facilitate their increase to 60 hours per week.
• The increased hours will vary center to center and serve the area of most need from each specific community.

Community Centers lease vehicles at a cost of $16,200 per vehicle per year with the contract more than doubling since last year. Due to Federal Bus Safety Standards, the centers are not able to rent 15-passenger vans. Instead, they must rent six-passenger vehicles to transport children, requiring multiple trips to pick up children for the After-School Program.

With a request of $500,000 in the FY2024 budget, PARD would buy eight new 15-passenger vans. This would provide year-round access to 15-passenger vans, improving programming opportunities for the community and provide an efficient and economical method to transport children.

Original source can be found here.