A long-range planning exercise could determine future upgrades and expansion for Starkville Parks and Recreation’s facilities.
Aldermen selected Oxford- and Memphis, Tennessee-based consulting firm Dalhoff Thomas Design Studio last week to lead an overall effort developing a master plan for the park system.
The firm, which has provided similar studies for Senatobia and the Mississippi State Park System, works in tandem with civil engineering group Neel-Schaffer and GreenPlay LLC, a consortium of park programming experts.
Once the city determines the scope of the project, Dalhoff Thomas is expected to inventory the existing park system — its facilities and the system’s activities — then hold public forums in which park users will provide input on how they want the system to grow in the future.
Aldermen asked its representatives to come back with specific planning proposals and their associated costs.
“It’s necessary to go through an intensive exercise of determining what services we want our parks to provide to our citizens and what types of programs we want to host for our citizens and tourists alike. Once we set that vision, the major task becomes making sure we’re on track to make our facilities match our vision,” said Mayor Parker Wiseman.
Hiring a long-range planner was a recommendation made by the Starkville Parks Advisory Board, which was formed by aldermen after the city’s takeover of the financially fledgling park system.
While developing a master plan for facilities will help the city implement its vision for the system, Wiseman said it will also identify staffing requirements for the future.
Staffing issues and performance were at the center of SPAB discussions this summer, as many board members said communication and accountability issues plague the department.
Wiseman began a hands-on study of both SPR’s financial and staffing issues once the city took over the department. Many of the issues that stymie the department’s efficiency, he said, come back to the same issue: SPR is understaffed.
“I’ve spent extensive time learning the budget and finance system of parks, and I’ve got a pretty good grasp now of their operational needs and organizational resources. I can tell you that the parks and recreation department is definitely understaffed,” Wiseman said.
The parks department is currently staffed by a director, program coordinator, sports turf manager, sports coordinator, administrative assistant, three maintenance workers, five part-time office assistants, a temporary maintenance worker and two part-time custodial workers, the city’s human resources department confirmed.
The department’s contributions for salaries, retirement, health insurance and worker compensation are budgeted at almost $500,000 for the upcoming fiscal year, while supplies ($28,000) and contractual services ($476,000) push the department’s total budget above the $1 million mark.
A portion of Starkville’s 2 percent food and beverage tax receipts fund park improvements.
Aldermen placed the entire department’s staff on probation this summer and fired Kenneth Gordon, its former maintenance supervisor, earlier this month.
“There aren’t enough people on the staff as a whole to carry out all of the responsibilities in an effective manner,” Wiseman said. “A knee-jerk reaction is to just start hiring people, but that can lead to even more inefficiency very quickly. By going through a thorough process with master-planning facilities and analyzing the current financial position and organizational structure, we should naturally get to the point where we’re staffing to achieve the outcomes we desire. It’s the same process you have to go through with all operations — determine how best to allocate the scarce resources you have to meet the needs beginning with the highest-identified priorities.”
As far as SPR’s long-range vision, few aldermen have commented on their goals for the park system.
Ward 4 Alderman Jason Walker, who was the board’s liaison to the advisory group, has repeatedly said the department should focus on increasing sports tourism for the city, as major, statewide tournaments can help bring in additional sales tax receipts.
“I want the consultants to address all of our parks and assist us in determining how they can best meet the needs of all park users. That will include active and passive programming across age groups,” he said. “I do believe that enhancing our existing sports facilities or developing a new facility can substantially improve the funding available to parks and can provide additional tourism revenue for the city as a whole.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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