Fairmount Park Commission and Dept. of Recreation--City Council Budget Hearings

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P.O. BOX 12677 PHILADELPHIA,PA 19129 - WWW.PHILAPARKS.ORG - TEL 215.879.8159 - FAX 215.879.8833

Fairmount Park Commission and Dept. of Recreation City Council Budget Hearings

As City Council budget hearings approach, we at Friends of Philadelphia Parks are asking you, Philadelphia’s citizens, to once again make your voices heard in support of Philadelphia’s parks.

This is a unique time for parks both nationally and locally. The parks movement in Philadelphia is growing. We are seeing increasingly active and vocal citizens groups, more media attention, and growing foundation and corporate interest. The city has just undertaken a strategic planning process which will involve considerable stakeholder and community input. We have a new and energized Fairmount Park Commission, and a nationwide search for an executive director for Fairmount Park is under-way.

We hear again and again that the key to an effective advocacy campaign is a coalition of voters who convey one clear and consistent message to elected officials in a unified voice.

This year during this time of city wide budget cuts the message we hope to convey to Mayor Street and City Council is that we are asking for three low-cost, affordable, and effective priorities that will provide big returns by strengthening and building the potential of our park systems and our neighborhoods. We also want them to know that our city cannot afford further park budget cuts.

Those priorities are:

Funding of Phase Two of the strategic plan ($347,000)
A grant researcher/writer for the Fairmount Park Commission ($75,000)
Increases in hourly wages (from $6 to $8), in hours worked per week (from 20 to 35) and in number of positions funded (from 34 to 50) for Seasonal Maintenance Attendants (SMAs) at Department of Recreation parks. ($230,000)

This is an excellent opportunity to remind Mayor Street and City Council that Parks Transform Neighborhoods and that park constituents are a powerful coalition of voters from neighborhoods across Philadelphia who speak in a united voice.

Thank you for your continued dedication to Philadelphia’s extraordinary parks.

CALL FOR PARK SUPPORTERS TO SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE

What You Can Do:

1. Write or fax Mayor Street and your District and At-Large Council Members

(Send letters until March 31, 2003 – The sooner the better!)

Identify yourself, your address and your community.
Personalize your letter. Write about why parks are important to you and your community, and how parks transform your neighborhood and our city—its children, families, health, property value/economic vitality, education, blight removal, and quality of life.

*Join park constituents from across Philadelphia in a unified voice to ask for the following:*

Funding for Phase Two of the Strategic Plan for Philadelphia’s Parks. (Phase one began in January, 2003 and is being funded by The William Penn Foundation)
A grant researcher/writer for the Fairmount Park Commission
Increases in hourly wages, hours worked per week, and number of positions funded for seasonal maintenance attendants (SMAs) in Department of Recreation parks. Guarantee their continued funding.
Please also thank Mayor Street and City Council for their support of the Strategic Planning Process for Philadelphia’s parks.

2. Come together with other park constituents in room 696, City Hall to hear departmental testimony of the Fairmount Park Commission and Philadelphia Department of Recreation. Wear green and carry signs.

Monday, March 3rd - If you only go once, go on this date!

Fairmount Park Commission Departmental Testimony: 9:30 – 10:30 am
Department of Recreation Departmental Testimony: 11 – Noon

ALSO: FYI

Capital Budget Hearing: Tuesday, February 18th: 9:30 am – 2 pm. Public testimony 2 – 3:30 pm
Operating Budget public testimony: Tuesday, March 18: 1:30 –3 pm, 6 – 8:00 pm

*Timing of testimony is subject to change by City Council

Some Park Facts

Over 10,000 acres, almost 12%, of Philadelphia is parkland.
Philadelphia spends $50 per resident on park related expenditures. In comparison, Minneapolis spends $164, Washington D.C. spends $155, and Chicago spends $131 per resident on park related exspenditures.
More Park Facts

What Our Parks Should Be: A Thriving Resource For All Citizens

Friends of Philadelphia Parks
P.O Box 12677 Philadelphia, PA 19129 - www.philaparks.org
Tel 215.879.8159 - Fax 215.879.8833