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3 Rec Centers To Reduce Hours

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By JULIA FERRANTE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 13, 2008

Three Pasco County recreation centers will close early on Saturdays and shut down on Sundays to reduce costs.

The county commission this week agreed the Holiday Recreation Complex, Land O' Lakes Recreation Complex and Veterans Memorial Park would be closed on Sundays and reduce hours to 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays. The new schedule starts June 22.

The recreation centers are now open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 9 p.m. Sundays. Programs on athletic fields will not be affected, Parks and Recreation Director Rick Buckman said.

"Those are traditionally our slowest time periods," he said.

The schedule adjustments are estimated to save about $116,000 in operating and staff costs, Buckman said.

The reduced hours are part of an overall effort to slash costs in light of state-mandated property tax cuts and a constitutional amendment that allows bigger tax breaks for full-time residents. Pasco officials must cut an estimated $22 million from the county's $1.2 billion budget. Most of the reductions must come from departments supported by property taxes, including the parks department.

Commissioner Michael Cox asked Buckman why the parks chief proposed making the changes now rather than waiting until the new fiscal year, which starts Oct. 1.
Buckman said his department is short-handed already. County Administrator John Gallagher last summer ordered a partial hiring freeze. This year, he asked department heads to freeze salaries and cut at least 10 percent from their spending plans.

"Part of the reason we want to implement this now is because we have about 20 frozen positions," he said. "We have trouble keeping the buildings open now. Either we need to hire more people now or we need to close these facilities."

The parks and recreation department is looking into the possibility of having nonprofit organizations run some of its programs and to operate buildings, Buckman said.

Pasco officials have put off expanding some parks - such as Wesley Chapel District Park, where a recreation center/hurricane shelter and aquatics facility are planned - because they do not have the money for workers' salaries. Construction is paid for with building impact fee proceeds.

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220 or jferrante@tampatrib.com.

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