Memo to Parks Commissioners

According to Matt Campbell, KC Star 7-22-07 – “KC park board’s mandate from new mayor: Make people happier” you, the new board will be taking a retreat to map a strategy. While on retreat please:
Consider that the director of Parks & Recreation, who at this time is Mark McHenry, serves at the pleasure of the board and that you have the authority via the City Charter to ask for Mr. McHenry’s resignation should he not be able to meet the deliverables you set before him. Somehow along the way this has become a job for life once in that seat – with no performance measures or accountability. This should not be. The buck stops on his desk. If you don’t hold him responsible and accountable the buck stops with you.
Contract out pool management; the Aquatics department is a mess. How can you have lifeguards that can’t pass the certification until the 3rd pass? Some lifeguards we are not sure that they can swim.
Word on the street is that one of the regional managers is not allowed into the Bruce Watkins Cultural Center when a certain employee is on duty? Why is that?
Why does the Tony Aguirre Center still not have anyone who can give swimming lessons and summer is half over.
Why do so many Parks & Rec. employees show up on Missouri Case.net? Employees include persons who have been charged with embezzlement, assault, and domestic-violence. Some of these people are working in, around and with our children. How do they get around the background checks? Is there a fault in the hiring process? Or is someone in a position of authority circumventing the system.
Why don’t the Community Center directors get a budget that they have to adhere to?
Why do Community Centers not have cash registers or a better cash tracking system? Or why are pants pockets acceptable surrogate cash registers?
What is the strategy to build our urban forest?
Why won’t Parks & Rec. more aggressively go after more Federal & State grants? I was told that they don’t have the staff to do the reporting paper work required. Is this true? How do we change it?
Why don’t the kids in summer camp in Central Region, not have their t-shirts? The camps are almost over? The other Region’s camp kids have their t-shirts. Did summer camp once again catch the Central Region Manager off guard?

More things to consider are to follow