Hollywood Park City Council voted 4-1 Aug. 15 to create a parks and recreation advisory board.
The background
Council Member Dale Randol said he initially proposed an appointed panel of residents who could facilitate talks among stakeholders around complex parks and recreation-related issues, such as civic groups leasing storage space at the Voigt Center.
Previously, there were temporary ad hoc committees that focused on developing amenities at Voigt Park, including the Voigt Center.
The impact
The ordinance approved by council allows the formation of a five-member board, which will have representation from the city’s public works department, the Hammerheads swim team, the Hollywood Park Community Association, and one other local civic group that also regularly uses Voigt Park and other public city recreational facilities.
A fifth board position would be an at-large post unaffiliated with the city or any of the other groups with representation. All positions will have staggered two-year terms beginning Oct. 1.
What they’re saying
Randol said a parks advisory board will help review relevant matters and initiatives before making a recommendation to council.
"The advisory board can easily get those groups—[the Hollywood Park Community Association], the [Hammerheads] swim team, have [public works] on the committee—and get all that information, and see what makes sense as a solution for everyone involved,” Randol said.
Public Works Director Kelly Cowan said there is merit to having a parks and recreation board, adding the town’s tree advisory board has been helpful in examining tree-related issues, such as oak wilt disease prevention.
“The one thing that the [tree advisory board] does is that it streamlines getting stuff to council,” Cowan said. “Instead of bringing stuff to council like what we just brought to council and get thrown out because it wasn’t really what the residents wanted or what was good for the community, the board can meet before [a council meeting].”
Mayor Sean Moore echoed Cowan and Randol’s sentiment, saying the town’s deer and tree committees have served their purpose because the city often faces issues regarding the local deer herd and tree-related matters, both of which garner much interest from community members.
“The committees have really helped to facilitate what gets recommended to City Council,” Moore said. “Everybody still has access to [council]—call or email us, but the committees act as a good vetting process.”
Council Member Glenna Pearce, who cast the lone dissenting vote Aug. 15, urged city officials not to rush with creating a parks board and suggested a temporary pilot program panel to review related issues in its place.
She also said several residents told her they oppose a parks committee, feeling it adds a layer of bureaucracy or impedes direct communication with council members on parks-related issues.
Additionally, Pearce said there is some community concern that such a panel could get stacked with members representing a specific group or focused on one or two issues rather than caring about the entire city’s population.
“The overwhelming amount of feedback I got was negative,” Pearce said.
What's next?
The city secretary is accepting applications from residents wanting to serve on the new board. Any resident interested in serving as an at-large member is urged to complete an application and submit it to the city secretary by Sept. 7 via email at [email protected] or dropping it off at City Hall, 2 Mecca Drive.