E-mail
Print
The director of Baltimore's Department of Recreation and Parks, Wanda S. Durden, resigned Monday for "personal reasons," Scott Peterson, a City Hall spokesman, said. She is being replaced on an interim basis by Dwayne B. Thomas, who has been with the agency since June.
Peterson declined to comment on whether Mayor Sheila Dixon asked for Durden's resignation from the $127,500 position that she held for 17 months. Durden, reached at her home, also refused to comment.
First Deputy Mayor Andrew B. Frank said in an e-mail that the administration would "conduct a search" for a new director. Durden oversaw the $31 million agency during a difficult time -- declining tax revenues caused the mayor to slice $2.6 million from the Parks and Recreation budget this year, shutter pools, layoff workers and shorten rec center hours. The mayor also transferred 14 Police Athletic League centers to the agency.
The layoffs included two employees who worked on the Gwynns Falls Trail, which left advocates fearful that the city was backing away from a park that cost $15 million and 10 years to build.
Peterson pointed to a recent citizen survey commissioned by Dixon which found that 66 percent of respondents visit parks either occasionally or never. The city's swimming pools, which Durden's administration oversees, were rated as one of most poorly run city services.
The survey also showed that about 75 percent of those who do visit parks were satisfied with their location, cleanliness and safety.
Peterson declined to comment on whether Mayor Sheila Dixon asked for Durden's resignation from the $127,500 position that she held for 17 months. Durden, reached at her home, also refused to comment.
First Deputy Mayor Andrew B. Frank said in an e-mail that the administration would "conduct a search" for a new director. Durden oversaw the $31 million agency during a difficult time -- declining tax revenues caused the mayor to slice $2.6 million from the Parks and Recreation budget this year, shutter pools, layoff workers and shorten rec center hours. The mayor also transferred 14 Police Athletic League centers to the agency.
The layoffs included two employees who worked on the Gwynns Falls Trail, which left advocates fearful that the city was backing away from a park that cost $15 million and 10 years to build.
Peterson pointed to a recent citizen survey commissioned by Dixon which found that 66 percent of respondents visit parks either occasionally or never. The city's swimming pools, which Durden's administration oversees, were rated as one of most poorly run city services.
The survey also showed that about 75 percent of those who do visit parks were satisfied with their location, cleanliness and safety.
Digg
Twitter
Facebook
StumbleUpon
I noticed that the article said that the aquatics division was the most poorly run in rec and parks, says who? Aquatics is the least supported division (this past season) and faces as many unique challenges as any division in rec and parks and yet they had no drownings in 2009 despite the buget cuts impact on the number of staff and the hours allowed to work this past season. Aquatics only has 3 full time workers in the entire division, the rest are all part time and part time seasonal employeees.
aquaboogie
bmorebunky (11/04/2009, 11:45 AM )