[POLL] Hastings, Dobbs Mull Sharing Recreation Superintendent ...

In addition to studying the effects of merging department of public works departments, the villages of Hastings-on-Hudson and Dobbs Ferry are also considering sharing a superintendent of park and recreation to save costs.

?There is general direction we?re moving in, not just in Hastings but throughout the state, to find opportunities to share and places to cut costs,? said Hastings-on-Hudson Mayor Peter Swiderski, at a recent board meeting. ?We?ve been handed one here that allows us to run an experiment with a neighboring community whose superintendent we?d try to hire, but despite that is interested in doing this with us and wants to run experiment with us for a year.??

However, many who packed Hastings-on-Hudson village hall during a recent presentation on the proposal spoke out against it saying that it would open a doorway into greater consolidation efforts that would ruin the village?s independent identity, that the measure should be put to a referendum and that it would mean money spent rather than money saved.

The idea to share superintendents came about when Hastings-on-Hudson?s superintendent of 27 years, Ray Gomes, retired last year, Swiderski said. While looking for a new candidate for the position the Village selected Dobbs Ferry?s current superintendent Matt Arone and went into negotiations with him.

Swiderski said that Dobbs Ferry?s Mayor Hartley Connett reached out to him and asked if Hastings-on-Hudson would consider sharing the cost to hire Arone to supervise both villages.?

The deal would have Hastings-on-Hudson pay Dobbs Ferry $65,000 for a one-year contract, which could be renewed, to have Arone perform equal duties for both villages. Swiderski said the Village would be paying about $120,000 to $130,000 for a superintendent, including salary, benefits, pension etc., if the Village were to hire a new superintendent on its own.

Ray Gomes? was getting about $110,000 a year, including all benefits and other employee costs, when he was superintendent, according to Hastings-on-Hudson Village Manager Fran Frobel. Since his retirement, recreation supervisor Kendra Garrison was given a stipend of $300 a week to serve as acting superintendent. The Village is currently paying about $85,000 a year total for her services, Frobel said.

With rising costs in health care and pension, Swiderski said cost saving initiatives crucial, as there are less places to cut from the budget without affecting services.

Under the proposal, the superintendent would report to both of the Village?s administrator or manger. Arone would be responsible for budgeting programs and looking for ways to find joint savings, overseeing staff and budgets in both communities, long-term planning, exploring options for joint and new programs and hiring staff.

Swiderski said having a joint superintendent would allow the Village to have a larger pool of residents to pitch programs to, possibly combine programs that aren?t fully enrolled. It would also give the youth in each of the communities a chance to ?mix it up? and serve as a chance to ?build trust within the community and between the two communities.?

Valerie Harmon said that the Village?s recreation department has running smoothly in a fiscally responsibly manner and that if the Village really wanted to save money it would keep thing the way they are and continue to pay Garrison to serve as superintendent instead of hiring a new one.? She also suggested that current employees could be paid a stipend to help out with any extra duties or for working extra hours.

Gene Calamari, a member of the Village?s parks and recreation commission and president of the Hastings Little League, said that the Village should not be focusing on the expense side of the equation in this situation and called the $65 k in savings ?insignificant.? He said this measure could lead to additional efforts to merge the two villages and its services.

?It?s nothing, but the road we?re going down is big,? said Calamari. ?That?s not the road that?s going to preserve the specialness of Hastings and we should fight that battle to the end. It?s ?assisted suicide.? I don?t think we should go down that road.?

He suggested putting the matter to a village-wide vote.

Hastings-on-Hudson School Board President Jodi Meyer, who also runs Hastings-on-Hudson Recreation Basketball with her husband Steve Tuber, said that change was a difficult road to go down and that the Village should do a better job of communicating its efforts. She said that the school district and recreation programs are what attract residents, so this matter should be carefully vetted.?

Hastings-on-Hudson Chief of Police David Bloomer said the result of having local teens ?mix it up? in order to save funds hasn?t been a positive one. A few years ago the district?s sports gaming schedule was altered to save on money gas, requiring Hastings-on-Hudson students to play more games against Dobbs Ferry, Irvington and Ardsley instead of Nanuet and Pearl River. Bloomer said that his department and the principal?s office has spent lots of time dealing with fights in the parking lot and other trouble causing since the measure was put in order.

Both Villages will continue to discuss the matter at future meetings.

What do you think of the proposal? Take our poll and tell us in the comments.

Source: http://rivertowns.patch.com/articles/poll-hastings-dobbs-mull-sharing-recreation-superintendent

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