New ‘standalone’ Watertown Parks and Recreation Department making progress

The city took another step to get the new and improved Parks and Recreation Department in place when the Watertown City Council approved budget changes Monday night that reflect staffing reassignments and the hiring of a new management team.

This past summer, council members directed City Manager Mary M. Corriveau to separate the Parks Department from the Department of Public Works after they learned of major financial and accounting problems that had gone on for years.

On Monday night, Mrs. Corriveau outlined the overhaul before council members agreed on the budget transfers that will make it possible to remove Parks and Recreation from Public Works and into a standalone department.

The changes will take place at the beginning of next month and affect the current budget through the end of the fiscal year that ends June 30.

The realignment will end up costing the city $56,073 more than the $183,189 appropriated for the current Parks and Recreation Department administrative budget, Mrs. Corriveau said. That is mostly for creating a program manager position, promoting a maintenance worker to crew chief, purchasing new office equipment and installing carpeting for the Parks Department office, she said. The city will use its fund balance to pay for this.

But she said the city is not quite ready to start signing contracts for the use of the facilities at the Alex T. Duffy Fairgrounds by concert promoters or the new owners of the Watertown Wizards summer collegiate baseball team until council members adopt a policy for alcohol sales and a new Parks Department superintendent and program manager are hired.

On Monday, she met with Sebby R. Abbate, an owner of AMP Entertainment, about next year’s concert season at the fairgrounds but told him that she is not in the position to enter negotiations for leasing the facilities.

“I told them that if they want to schedule a date and they want to pencil it in, we’re still open for business,” Mrs. Corriveau told council members Monday night.

She’s also anticipating meeting soon with representatives of the Disabled Persons Action Organization about having concerts at the fairgrounds next summer because this is the time when the organization starts scheduling concert dates with performers.

Mrs. Corriveau said she’s moving quickly to get the beer sales policy in place and is close to making a decision on hiring the management team, which includes a superintendent with new job duties and creating a program manager position. Mrs. Corriveau is checking the references of finalists for both positions.

She plans to ask the council “in a week or so” to approve the salaries for both positions.

Under the realignment, the superintendent will oversee the department, while the program director will focus on recreation programs. A senior clerk/typist will continue to work in the department.

Four maintenance workers will be transferred from the Public Works Department into the Parks Department and one will be promoted to crew chief. The Parks Department’s maintenance supervisor position will be eliminated.

As for the new policy on beer concession sales, Mrs. Corriveau said, she and city Attorney Robert J. Slye have been corresponding with consultant Anthony Casale on what it should entail. A draft resolution should be prepared soon for council members to act on, she said.