Don’t mess with our rec centers. That was the resounding opinion during Monday night’s town hall meeting at Fretz Park gym to discuss the proposed 2010-11 city budget.
But you probably already knew that — or saw it coming. Rec centers were the victims of last year’s budget crisis, and they’re taking more hits this year. (Read Advocate columnist Jeff Siegel’s analysis on the rest of the damage.)
The proposed annual budget of $2.75 billion includes reduced hours at the Campbell Green, Fretz and Churchill centers, decreasing from 55 to 40 per week while Timberglen will drop from 55 to 30 hours. There’s also a 30-percent reduction in park land maintenance.
Some seniors have been taking wellness classes three mornings a week for decades at Fretz, forming a tight-knit community. Parents worry their kids will have nothing to do after school. And one neighbor took a whack at the new Wagging Tails Dog Park: “The dogs have a wonderful place to play, but the children don’t,” she said.
District 12 Councilman Ron Natinsky said that on a per capita basis, neighbors north of LBJ see a bigger impact when rec centers close because the area has only three to serve about 200,000 people.
On a more positive note, Fretz will close for six to nine months in January for much-needed remodeling, something neighbors have wanted for a long time.
The No. 2 item that concerned residents isn’t in our neighborhood but it’s held very dear: the Central library. The city has proposed cutting hours from 68 to 44 per week this year and then down to 40 in 2011. That’s not good news for authors, researchers or people involved in genealogy. But it’s also what the library represents, how it sets Dallas a part from so many other cities. Did you know that the Central library has one of the only copies of the Declaration of Independence on loan?
Most residents support a tax hike if it means they can have their rec centers and libraries back. That probably won’t happen, but you can make your voice heard again Tuesday, Aug. 17 at Timberglen Library and Thursday, Aug. 19 at the North Central Police Substation. The city will hold a public hearing Aug. 25 at City Hall where council members will take more comments and suggestions from residents. The final budget will be adopted on Sept. 22.
