Voters oppose cuts to recreation budget
Staff Writer
MAPLETON – At last Monday night’s annual town meeting, Mapleton residents rejected the town’s recommendation to cut the recreation department’s budget and eliminate some of the programs that have been commonplace for many years.
Under the initial proposal, the town would keep the nighttime Little League and swimming lessons/open pool hours, but do away with such programs as tennis, T-ball, Little League, and arts and crafts.
Town Manager Martin Puckett said after speaking to parents last year from Mapleton, Castle Hill and Chapman whose children participated in Presque Isle Recreation & Parks Department programs, he began to do some research.
“Last year we had 78 children who were using the Presque Isle Rec, and only 107 children were using our recreation programs,” he said. “We’re always looking at ways to collaborate efforts, so I sat down and talked to Presque Isle Rec officials, and was amazed at the number of different programs they offer. They offer 17 programs including an adventure camp, kayaking, mountain biking, soccer and cheerleading, which are well beyond our scope.
“In looking at all these programs that our children could be exposed to, we decided to pay the $10 non-resident tuition fee for any child who wanted to use the Presque Isle Rec,” said Puckett. “The parents would still pay the activity fees, but the town would cover the non-resident fees. We put in a tuition estimate of $10,000 into the 2010 budget and felt that would cover any child wanting to take part in the programs.”
Puckett said the swimming lessons and nighttime Little League are the most popular programs in the Mapleton community.
“Last year we had 55 children participating in swimming lessons and 45 children in the nighttime Little League,” he said. “Right there’s 100 kids that we’d be serving out of the 107 that took part in all programs last year.”
The 2009 recreation budget was $52,625.
“This proposal would be $39,025, which is a savings of close to $14,000,” Puckett said. “That wasn’t our aim though; our intent was to increase the number of activities for children. When we realized that 78 local children were already participating in the Presque Isle program and parents were already paying the additional program fees and transporting them there, we thought it would be a good time to see what we could do to enhance that partnership.
“I think the reason Mapleton voters didn’t approve the plan was that they wanted to maintain the recreation activities in town,” he said. “It wasn’t that they didn’t like the additional activities, but rather had a fear of losing those activities and getting the interaction between the children here in Mapleton.”
Under the proposal that was presented at the town meeting, Mapleton would not hire a recreation director. The $10,000 that was added as a recreation director expense was the money to pay the non-resident tuition fees; not salary as some may have thought.
Castle Hill’s town meeting was held last Tuesday and residents approved the recreation plan. At Monday night’s town meeting, Chapman residents voted to reinstate the Mapleton recreation programs and pay tuition for children to attend Presque Isle rec activities.
Puckett said since Mapleton opted not to pass the recreation budget, a special town meeting will be held to find an alternative.
A joint board of selectmen (Mapleton, Castle Hill and Chapman) meeting was held last night. Mapleton’s special town meeting is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, March 30 at 7 p.m. at the Mapleton Fire Station.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding the recreation issue is asked to contact Puckett at 764-3754.
