Rec centers need publicity, residents say

Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2007

Rec centers need publicity, residents say

County to evaluate 18 facilities; report calls for the closing of five others

by Mike Meno | Staff Writer

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Some of Montgomery County’s underused recreation centers that might be facing closure could benefit from proposed marketing campaigns, according to some east county residents.

‘‘I think it’s a shame to close the rec centers,” said Roseanna Mason, a former chairwoman of the Colesville Strawberry Festival, which takes place every year at Colesville Local Park on Hobbs Drive, one of the centers recommended for evaluation and marketing.

‘‘We should advertise it more,” she said. ‘‘You can drive by and not know it’s there.”

Montgomery County parks officials released a proposal in July that calls for the closing of five recreation centers and a three-year evaluation and marketing campaign of 18 others.

In the first review since 1984 of 31 small and medium-sized recreation centers and their usage, the county Department of Parks found it lost about $214,830 in 2006 on the buildings, which were in use only about 26 percent of the time. Recreation centers are available for residents to rent on an hourly basis and are reserved through permits.

The staff analysis refers to ‘‘too many buildings with too much unused time,” with the system losing money and a looming future maintenance liability.

The centers traditionally have been rented for birthday parties, celebrations and other community activities, but have declined in use over the years, said Mark Wallis, a senior planner overseeing the review for the department.

As a result, the proposal recommends that buildings at the Hillandale, Randolph Hills, Garrett Park Estates, Clarksburg and Camp Seneca parks, which it said are underused and in need of repair, be demolished or transferred to another agency.

Eighteen buildings that were found to be used less than 30 percent of the time but structurally operational were recommended to undergo a three-year evaluation and marketing campaign that will attempt to increase usage, after which they will be reevaluated.

Seven centers were found to recoup their expenses and have above-average use, or 30 percent or more of their available hours, and will continue to be operated and maintained. An additional building, the Bureau of Animal Industry building at Norwood Local Park in Bethesda, will be evaluated in order to assess its historical significance.

Officials said they would schedule public hearings on the center’s fate in the fall before making a final decision.

Mason said the Strawberry Festival, which is always held the weekend before Memorial Day, draws about 3,000 people to Colesville Local Park each year. The rest of the year, though, she said the recreation center is often empty.

‘‘Our neighborhood is getting older,” she said. ‘‘I know when I was growing up, I used to go to rec centers all the time. I don’t know what youngsters would do without these places.”

Luella Mast, who lives on Hobbs Drive, said she frequently goes to the playground at Colesville Local Park with her 4-year-old grandson, but said she was only in the recreation center building once this year when it was used for his preschool graduation.

Betty Burkhardt, director and owner of Casa de Montessori elementary on Hobbs Drive, said she was ‘‘totally” surprised when she heard about the proposal. The 50 students at her school often attend events at the Colesville Local Park recreation center, she said. The school uses the center for its end-of-the-year activities, as does a neighboring day care center and Head Start program. ‘‘I would be distressed if we found out they weren’t going to have it there anymore,” she said.

At the Sligo-Dennis Avenue Local Park in Silver Spring, one of the 18 recommended for the marketing campaign, about 80 children attend a summer day camp sponsored by the county Department of Recreation, said Richelle Worrell, a tennis coach with the camp. She said that while students are outside — on the tennis courts and park trails — for a lot of the day, they use the recreation building for arts and crafts and other activities.

The goal of the marketing campaign for the 18 underused but functional centers will be to raise local awareness of the facilities and exceed a minimum of 30 percent capacity usage. The department recommended increasing and improving the parks’ Web sites and Internet advertisements, as well as encouraging repeat use and offering discounts to existing customers.

The buildings recommended for demolition or transfer all require costly structural improvements. The center at Hillandale, for instance, needs a new public sewer system that would exceed the building’s value.

Recreation centers to be reviewed

Montgomery County Department of Parks proposal:

Buildings to be demolished or transferred

Hillandale, 10615 New Hampshire Ave., Silver Spring

Randolph Hills, 11805 Ashley Drive, Silver Spring

Garrett Park Estates, 4812 Oxford Ave., Garrett Park

Clarksburg, 22501 Wims Road (at Route 355), Clarksburg

Camp Seneca, 14500 Clopper Road, Boyds

Buildings to be evaluated and marketed over three years

Capitol View-Homewood Local Park, 2929 Edgewood Road, Kensington

Colesville Local Park, 610 Hobbs Drive, Colesville

Ken-Gar Palisades Local Park, 4140 Wexford Drive, Kensington