ROCKLAND — More questions were raised, during the Wednesday, May 27, department budget meetings, while previous questions still await answers in regards to the recreation center budget.

As the City of Rockland seeks ways to slash $1 million before fiscal year 2016 beginning July 1 and $100,000 from the recreation budget, councilors are also looking for long-term benefits.

According to Mayor Frank Isganitis, several people made comments about ‘Rene and his rolodex’ during a previous budget meeting two weeks prior. Rene Dorr, director of the recreation department utilizes a third-generation computer for work and cited many areas where electronic technology would be beneficial to the department and building as a whole.

Dorr told councilors a membership system, along with electronic cards that would require swiping, would allow staff to know who was in the building at any given time.

“If Mom calls up, ‘Where’s Johnny?’ Let me go look. Twenty minutes later I go through that giant building. I don’t see Johnny. Oh, wait, Johnny checked in at such and such a time. Checked out at such and such a time.”

Dorr also spoke of the need for security cameras because of the continuation of theft and vandalism of materials. “I’m on my third weight from home because someone will smash a door open and go in and grab the stuff and clean it out,” Dorr said.

Though the Rec. Center is used by active adults and senior citizens groups, Dorr sees the center as a place for children to go without knowing they’re being supervised. The children engage in constructive activities while building positive relationships with their peers and adults. Through collaborative activities with other towns, the children also create friendships with future classmates of the consolidated high school.

However, the Rec. Center is not yet a source of revenue, according to Dorr. Through the years building maintenance and upgrades strained the budget and grant funding. The leaky roof has been fixed, closets filled with mildew have been cleaned, office space created, and the gym floor refinished.

Dorr said that he’s trying to keep the new gym shine intact, but the cheap sneakers afforded by children and adults result in scuff marks on the floor. Midcoast Mental Health uses the facility with no ability to pay. Alternative schools run their phys. ed. classes there with no ability to pay, according to Dorr. Another group meets at the center on Friday nights because Dorr doesn’t want to tell them no.

Before the downward turn in the economy, the game room was generating up to $600 per weekend. Now it generates about $100 per weekend.

Costs are offset by room rentals. A knitting group rents a room. Because of media coverage of this year’s budget issues, Spectrum Generations and Bancroft autistic program have expressed interest in accessing space. 

The biggest revenue, according to Dorr, is the summer camp. The cost per child is $100. This year Rockland Savings Bank set up a scholarship to send four children to the camp, which does not add to the revenue due to capacity restrictions. Youth basketball brings in a little bit of money, and soccer won’t bring in money this year because of the need for new soccer goals.

This year the afterschool program will be revamped. It will not be offered everyday, but the activities will be more focused, such as knitting with a volunteer knitter.

Banner sales and advertising sales generate some revenue, until the advertiser enters the building and sees an alternative option, leaving the department to pay for the switch. And now, because of the new mural in the gym, potential advertising space has been reduced.

The burden of keeping local parks and the ferry terminal clean and maintained has shifted to the public works department, which also transfers the employment of the summer crew out of the rec. department.

Though expressed appreciation for the rec. center and its positive effect on area youth, some councilors still had concerns.

According to Councilor Valli Geiger, a number of parents are “uncomfortable with their kids going there because there is not enough supervision. I don’t think holding the building open takes care of the issue. When I fist saw cuts toward rec. I thought ‘Oh no, we can’t do that. Kids need a place to go.’ The only reason I found that I was comfortable with that cut was because we were going to offer something instead more robust to the City of Rockland  by negotiating with Midcoast Rec. It that’s not going to happen, then I can’t support the budget cut.”

Councilor Will Clayton said that he can’t support a recreation budget that has doubled over seven years. Dorr said that wages, benefits, heat and water have increased in price, but cost for programs has not increased.

“Oil, electricity, water hasn’t doubled. There’s something in here that we’re missing,” said Clayton.

Councilor Larry Pritchett suggested a combination of both private and public interest. He said, ”Have a conversation with MRC. Have a conversation with the Y....How much of the building they want to utilize....There may be something where you can generate additional programing if a third party’s in there, while maintaining some city programs.”

City Manager James Chaousis sent requests for information to entities such as the Midcoast Recreation Center and the YMCA. The council would like to understand how those organizations would run the building, and how they deal with the community’s varying abilities to pay membership fees.  

See our previous articles

Passionate crowd gives testimonial to value of Rockland library, recreation center

Rockland City Council begins budget talks with department heads about requests

Rockland’s city manager introduces $21.6 million budget

Rockland Dodgeball: A circus all its own

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com.