Providence Leaders Blast Secret Recreation Report

Providence Leaders Blast Secret Recreation Report

A recently uncovered report by a Providence Mayoral Fellow advocating for the upkeep of the city's recreation centers -- and pools -- has raised questions among city leaders as to the Taveras Administrations' decision to close the Davey Lopes pool this year, despite the report recommendations -- which had not been previously made public.  

The report, submitted in August 2011 by fellow Mathew Kramer, advocated for improving existing recreation infrastructure and expanding programs for city youth. However, Councilman Davian Sanchez, whose district has the Davey Lopes recreation center, said he was unaware of the report's existence -- and said that since the first three months in office has had minimal communication with the Mayor's office at all.

"This is political," said Sanchez of the City's decision to close the pool, which he said was retaliation for his voting against this year's budget. "Since I've been in office, there hasn't been good communication from the Mayor's staff -- I find out things last minute. I was only tipped off about the pool closing the day before it was to be discussed at Ways and Means [Committee]."

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"I hadn't heard about this report until just now. I'm even more surprised that such a study was done in light of what's happened. There's more than enough money to keep it open, and employ more kids," said Sanchez.  "We now don't have a pool, we have less jobs for our youth."

On Wednesday, former State Representative and Deputy Secretary of State Ray Rickman issued a fundraising challenge to Mayor Taveras to re-open the pool. "I've heard that it would cost $40,000. I will personally write the first $1000 check to kick-off the fundraising," said Rickman, addressing the funding issue.  

Council Members Question Communication Channels

"I asked the Council staff to see if they could get a copy of it," said Providence Councilman Luis Aponte, referring to the report that emphasized the importance of the city's pools for policy purposes. "I think it may have been an internal [document] in the Mayor's Office."

"It appears that they had an insightful young person make thoughtful observations, and for whatever reason, they chose to ignore it, or use other information to make their decision," said Aponte.

"It seems counter-intuitive that you would create and develop policy in a vacuum without consulting. No one I talked with today said that they saw this prior to this."

Aponte continued, "The question then begs, if no consideration was allowed to the council, and you had these recommendations, where did this other policy to close the pools come from? Cost of insurance? Actuarial risk for liabilities?"

According to a statement made on Mayor Taveras' Facebook page on July 1st, "The Davey Lopes Pool was closed and will not open this summer due to structural problems in the pool's deep end and due to lack of use. Attendance numbers were very low....since the new pool rules and regulations went into effect in 2010, the average attendance at the [pool] has been 20-30 children per day, sometimes less. We have redirected the funds for a summer day camp at Davey Lopes."

Sanchez spoke to the support he was receiving in the community following efforts to bring attention to the situation. "At our rally, we got a petition with over 300 signatures to keep the pool open. Since then, I've got a lot of phone calls, and they've all been positive. Most of the council supports this. State reps and senators have come out in support of this. And it's being held up by one person...the mayor."

Fundraising Challenge Issued

"I read the report," Rickman told GoLocal on Wednesday. "In fact, I read every line twice."

"This should not have been a hidden document -- this should have been public," said Rickman.  "The [city] council should produce a law that all city documents should be uploaded in a public database."

Rickman was impressed with the detail of the report.  "The findings are solid. As for the suggestions, I don't think it would take a rocket scientist to see that things that aren't working well -- this isn't a good way to run a recreation department. That's clear, and the answers are clear," he said.  "Receipts for petty cash? How much more down-to-earth can get? The suggestions made in the report are not radical, nor expensive."

"It was the pool usage stipulations put into effect after the drowning tragedy [at West End Rec Center in 2009] that are at the core of the issue here," said Rickman.  "Telling kids they have to bring their parents -- most of whom work during the day, and not guardians, mind you...or that you must be a certain height to swim. These rules were made to curtail the use of pools...then the city points to numbers to show they're not being used?

"What I find unbelievable here is say, for instance, that students are having trouble reading.  Are we going to stop teaching?" asked Rickman.  "So they say the pools are hard to manage, so we're going to close them?"

"You're supposed to teach swimming - that's the answer to the drowning issue. Not "close the pool so the drownings can't happen on your property". If you're a kid and you don't learn tennis, so what. If you don't learn to swim, you can drown. This is a safety issue," Rickman offered.  "It may be the most ill-conceived urban public policy decision ever where roughly half of its residents are low income."

Rickman challenged Mayor Taveras to seek the funds from private sources, just not public. "[The Mayor] should go to the Rhode Island Foundation and ask them for money to open the pools. I keep waiting for the Administration to do more with the private sector."

"I've heard that roughly $40,000 is needed. I'll be the first to write a check for $1000 for the cause at the outset.  Right now," pledged Rickman.  

Rickman is the Project Director for Swim Empowerment RI, whose mission is to create a new generation of swimmers in the African American Rhode Island community and to provide all Rhode Island children with the opportunity to learn how to swim.