Oh weird.

Okay.

So hold on one second.

Thank you.

Screen sharing is paused.

It is.

Right here says your screen sharing is paused.

Did we pause the screen sharing on our end?

Maybe?

I don't know.

It says my screen sharing is paused.

Which I've never seen that one.

Sorry.

I don't know if anyone from IMP is watching, but it says that the screen sharing is paused on this screen.

And the director's trying to share her presentation.

He's texting somebody.

Yeah, they're working on it.

So while they're working on it, is it do you want to start working?

Actually, pass me one of those.

I can keep talking.

Just yeah.

Oh, yeah, thank you.

I can't see my screen on the screen.

Okay, perfect.

Sorry about that.

I apologize.

No, no.

And then you all have a paper copy too, so you can see the presentation.

So yeah, we um we are the service, you know, arm of the city.

Um our team is there to provide programming across all of our parks and assets, but we really are laser focused on our older adults and young people who sincerely need additional services in our spaces.

Um and then I did have a slide just listing out all of the uh different places where we do receive funding.

So we rely on a number of trust funds, and Pete did a great job uh describing those, but truly it's um a blending of resources that makes the parks and recreation uh department go.

Um our org chart, uh, which I did also include in the presentation, uh, but you can see there uh includes all of our pools, includes our community enrichment programs, um, our special events team, our recto tech program, um, our recreation centers, Shenley Ice Rink, our city sports team, which grew um tremendously this year thanks to the support of council to be able to leverage stop the violence funds as a part of that work.

Um our senior centers, of course, our youth food programs, um, and uh emerging uh work that we're doing in outdoor recreation.

And one thing I did want to call out specifically is the work that we're doing around community food programs.

You know, we have our four farmers' markets, which thanks to the support of council last year, we had our first time full-time support for that work, and we were able to really turn our markets into something special.

Not only to focus on city markets, the ones that we run and make them more than just a transaction, but really an experience for folks who come there.

But we've also helped other markets get off their get off the ground.

We're actually working on building a farmers market coalition and think about like you know, the city should be playing a leadership role in supporting all of the farmers markets.

Um our city farms team has grown tremendously, and um one of the things you might notice in the budget request uh was some support for um for someone to help oversee the work in the community systems area.

That's because we have done um some deep work this year with uh the city planning department on building out a gardens and greenway stewardship program for the greenways um system.

Yeah, please.

It just says my screen is we'll pause while I why IMP helps.

Sorry, thank you.

Yeah, thank you.

Uh thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Bill.

Thank you.

All right.

Um let me go to the right screen now.

There we go.

Um so you'll see that we've built out a larger arm of work.

Um we have the Food Justice Fund, we have the stewardship program for Greenways, which um is something we've already started to plan on for the new year, um, and a whole uh arm of our work that is committed to building out um sustainable food systems in Pittsburgh.

So quickly to go over some of the successes of this year and what to look forward to in uh 2026.

Our special events office um continues to host over 100 events every year.

This is you know, our races, our movies, our music.

Something that sometimes I think doesn't get a shout out, is that special events both provides all of the public-facing events that the community goes to, but they're also the support arm for uh council and the mayor's office to do press events for the public as well.

So they are a small and mighty team.

Uh this year uh is the 20 uh the 250th um anniversary of America.

Uh so the 4th of July is going to be a big deal this year.

There's already been a series of planning um uh meetings around um a number of partners who are invested in supporting uh the city and making sure that we uh have a big celebration.

And one of the things I also want to shout out the special events team is that you know, in the last four years, the footprint of that event has gone from Point State Park to also including Grandview, so up in uh in your district, um, and the North Shore.

And we're looking at potential expansion into Shenley because we know a lot of families go there to also watch the the um 4th of July.

So again, really thinking about how um the things that we've done historically continue to be high quality, but also growing um the impact there.

Uh so that will be something important for the city to be looking out for in special events is that this year um nationally, uh the 4th of July will be uh a bigger celebration.

Um in our recreation space, uh, you know, we continue to have our free um summer camp and after school programs across six of our centers.

Um, you know, this year what's been really special about um especially our city camp, uh, the number of field trips we were able to provide, you know, just to show that what's happening in our camps and in our after school programs are not just a safe place for families to have their kids, but also a number of unique experiences that kids would otherwise not have access to.

Uh we also saw a huge uh summer for summer meals.

We had 44 locations that we supported and served over 100,000 meals in those programs, and the roving art cart um added another day of the week uh to its roving uh in our parks uh with support of RAD, of course, that that's been made possible, but those are families who come out to our parks who look for that engagement, and um you know, we have uh the ability to continue to grow in that space because of our partnership with RAD.

Uh I also mentioned that City Sports, we were able to expand this year.

Um, again, thanks to council for um providing um our department with the ability to leverage stop the violence funds for that expansion.

Um so we've traditionally had one uh staff member who does an amazing job supporting a number of leagues seasonally.

But this year, because of the growth, we've been able to have not just leagues that we support, but also clinic style play.

We've done more sports, we've added volleyball, which is really popular this year.

We added golf for the uh first time ever, which was great, uh partnership with First T that we have kicking off.

Um we added a weekend component to kinder sports.

Um we've added flag football, um, and that's been a really awesome partnership for us.

And so our ability to grow in what we're able to offer folks in the area of youth sports was a hundred percent made possible with the fact that we were able to expand the team.

Um so we've gone from one person to four people.

But I what I want to say is that that growth means that we can just we can do more to offer that to the city, and we were able to do that thanks to council's leadership and providing that opportunity.

Um also our pool saw its biggest season ever in terms of numbers of people.

Um we were able to open 16 pools this year, um, but we had over 180,000 visitors, which is about 20,000 more than we had last year, uh, which just shows that Pittsburgh's very serious about its aquatics and what we can do as an aquatics unit.

And the aquatics team has been growing every year in that way.

Um I will say that 2026 um is going to be uh a transformative year for aquatics.

Um we both have the Oliver Bathhouse coming online, it better.

I mean, I plan I plan to be doing my Rod Aerobics there too.

Um, you know, our team is ready.

Once the keys are handed over to the team, they already have we're gonna expand the hours than what it traditionally used to operate.

Uh we have plans to open it earlier so that more lab swimmers can get in before work, and we have um a whole set of unique programming that they're looking into and really excited to provide.

So we're going to go back to having full year um aquatics um operations, but we also have a number of new aquatic systems that need to be looked at.

So, you know, we talk about the infrastructure needs of the city, and to be realistic, some of our most complex facilities are the pools.

These aren't, you know, easy things to fix.

It's why every year there's something else that needs attention.

Sheridan Pool, for example, needs some serious attention.

Um, as we've been bringing on new pools.

I'm like the throwing that we do put two million dollars in for the Sheridan Park Master Plan, which would help take care of that pool.

It's been there for over two years.

Go ahead.

Well, I mean, it's gonna be needed.

So I I my you know, my thing that I want to make sure council's aware of is that every time we've been bringing on a new pool online, Oliver Bathhouse is one, um, the Moore pool we have just finished, Homewood pool, which is going to be near completion soon.

We're also looking at um uh transitioning our chlorine system.

We use a very old school method of chlorine systems in our pools.

So our aquatics team is both dealing with day-to-day maintenance, onboarding and training 200 new staff every year, and now also the transition from an old school chlorinator system to an a newer way, best practice model of doing chlorine.

So that is happening too.

Bathhouse will be an example of that, homewood will be an example of that, and then any facility that gets upgraded moving forward will be an example of that.

I mentioned that because that kind of change in operation is a big deal to a system that's worked the same way for a lot of years.

Um, and so you will notice in my um budget request there's been some uh rearranging of aquatics to provide them with a better infrastructure to do their work, and that is why, because not just next year, but probably over the next several years, that transition is gonna have to occur.

Let's make sure council's oh, and shout out real quickly to the Shenley Park pool.

We had a life-saving um incident at Shenley.

So this picture is from um is the Shenley guards getting recognized for that work, but it's also a sobering reminder that every year we have at least one um incident where our guards do save someone's life, and it just speaks of the seriousness of a safe summer.

And I'm gonna kick it to Luann to talk a bit about senior services.

Um good afternoon, council members.

Happy to be here as always.

Thank you, Louis.

And I also want to say we're joined by Council President Lavell.

Okay.

Okay.

Um director of the senior program.

Also in charge of administration as well.

Um so wear two different hats all the time.

Um, but let me say senior centers are alive and well, and we are funded.

We are fully funded, so no senior centers will be closing through this year because the money's there.

We've been reassured that um we have enough funding to operate.

One of the challenges that we're um finding is the county now, um, the new the new way that they are um you the new formula they're using to uh allocate the funding to the senior centers is so our four focal points.

They must have an average daily attendance of 45 at those centers.

Our pods, which are the smaller centers that connected to the focal points, they must have an average daily attendance of 25.

That's what they look at to figure out how much money we're gonna get per those centers.

Um we have a center that's struggling a little bit, so they didn't quite get all the money that they should have if they were able to get those numbers up.

But the challenge for that center is I'm finding parking issues, bus stop issues that were changed, um, plus some problems in the community.

There's been some you know things on the police reports and on the news and things that are happening in the community.

So there's a little fear from people coming out as well.

I can tell you that the staff and I are working hard to find new programs.

Um we've been trying them out, testing them out, trying to um draw more seniors that come to the center.

I know last time I was here I was talking about that.

Hey, people I tell the people in the community that are watching, please come on in and see what we have to offer.

Um we're offering new programs, the meals are wonderful.

We're getting a lot of people who have come in because we have um new meals, we have hot soup we never had, fresh made salads, um the meals are tasting much better.

So people have come in for that.

We have found that we did a um age friendly came in and they had money and they did a little marketing campaign at the um Beachview Center where they put pictures out on the windows.

The people saw them.

They were of the seniors, people in the community.

Well, I can tell you that brought people in.

People were riding the trolley and they saw these pictures, and they said, hey, what are they doing there?

And they saw those pictures and they started to come in and ask, and we've gotten new members because of those marketing campaign by age friendly.

So that's worked out really well.

So marketing is a big thing for our senior center because that helps a lot.

Um we're trying to do, we've been working with all the other providers on reimagining senior centers and the work that we can do there.

Um that means you know, looking for other funding sources that we can find to keep centers going.

Um it means you know, different program ideas.

They might they talk about um consolidating some centers.

I said, Well, I don't I don't see that happening in Pittsburgh.

Every, you know, we have our centers and our 90 communities of people go to, and that's going to be a little difficult, challenging.

So one of the things we've tried recently, at their suggestion was to take two of our smaller centers that are close vicinity to each other and try to split like okay, so many days here and so many days here to see how that works for us.

And we just started it.

I'm not sure how it's going just yet, but we're we're gonna try it out, you know, and see if this is something we can sustain where everyone's happy.

We bust seniors from the one center down to the other center, so they're not missing out on anything.

And we'll take the other group when that's close up and transport them up to the other center on our vans.

Um, but so far it seems to be working okay.

Um we'll see how it goes.

So we're testing it out, trying to create a you know uh the sharing program.

But there's they're not as well attended, so we'll see how that that um group goes and what we're trying experimenting with based on what the county has asked us to do.

Um the other thing I've been working on for a while now.

I've been working on trying to improve inside the centers that people want to come here.

They haven't had renovations for a while.

So I've been working with our grants office, Amanda, Burkhart, which has been great over the past few years, and public works.

We've been able to apply for some grant money through Harrisburg throughout the years, and we've been able to get some work done with our centers.

So we put in, I can name the centers, but right now we've we've um just completed one at Hazelwood.

Hazelwood just got a complete renovation inside new carpeting, new lighting, new furniture, a new kitchen.

I fought so hard for that kitchen.

You wouldn't you wouldn't believe it.

I wouldn't let up on the kitchen until we got the money to get that completed.

And actually, we just got the parking lot paved two weeks ago, which we so badly needed.

Um the other thing we've worked on.

Um, West End was just completed and it had an opening um a few months ago.

Um we actually just bought the West End building because yes, yes, yes, we did.

And then we did um Brighton Heights is our next one.

It's closed now for an extensive remodel.

It might take 17, 18 months.

I expect it to be a little longer because things come up during those projects that are unexpected.

Um shout out to our workers.

You know, I gotta talk about our workers.

I'll end with them because then we're gonna run out of time.

They are some of the best people.

They come out whenever we need it.

They made sure all the centers were open today with this bad weather, they all got there.

Um they opened the warming centers.

When I call, we need warming centers, they're right there.

I I rarely have a no.

I'm always able to get our centers open.

So I want to attribute to all the parks employees.

They're amazing.

Um always count on them.

They are like they're they they make low salaries, you know, they're not they're paid well, but you know, they can do a lot better for the amount of work that they do for us and for the city of Pittsburgh.

Um they're out there on the proving enhancing the quality of life for the residents.

So a shout out to them.

And one last thing, Councilwoman Kill Smith.

You've been wonderful, amazing to work with.

Um, I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for the residents of Pittsburgh, and I've enjoyed so much of my time working with you.

Truly be missed.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Now I'll be ready for that senior citizen center activity putting some beyond the age.

So we'll be ready with you.

I mean, thank you both for your presentation for kind of.

Oh, yeah, just a tiny bit.

Real quick.

One little area I want to talk about.

Um I know Council Lingross would probably wait for it.

Um community food systems.

So I did mention I did mention our work uh that we've developed over the last several years in the in the area of supporting community food initiatives.

So, of course, the Food Justice Fund is one that you're all familiar with that continues into its next year.

Um, I do want to shout out some initial um successes from that.

Uh we know that with our partnership with the Greater Uh Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, over 77 food pantries across the city were supported with that money.

Uh we also know that with the Snap Match program at the farmers market, over 34,000 of additional funding money went into the hands of shoppers who are on SNAP that needed that support.

So really showing that this kind of work is necessary.

Our farmers market team, we had our first year of a full-time farmers market manager, and that's allowed us to do more in that space as I shared.

And then most exciting, our city farms program and the potential for growth there.

And I think it's important that the parks department start to talk about that work more broadly as a as a component of our work.

One thing I thought, you know, working with some folks, national partners of cities that have done food justice funds, for example, about a third of those are within their parks and recreation departments.

So this is a trend that as the need around food and urban agriculture and how people are supporting that with our green spaces, the parks and rec departments are becoming those places where that work is landing.

And so I wanted to shout that out.

Also, a quick shout out to RAD.

So RAD is probably one of our biggest partners in this work.

We get a significant amount of support from RAD this year was their largest allocation to the city to date, and we're really fortunate to have that.

So I did want to share that with the RAD support, we've been able to partner on things like the growth of the Shinley Ice Rink and getting that to a year-round activation, not just in the wintertime, but also find purpose for it in the summer.

We've been able to grow the park ranger program.

This year alone, they had over 460 programs to the public.

The majority of those in RAD parks, because that is the majority of where we're able to support the growth of that program.

We've also become more intentional partners with the outdoor recreation community.

So up until recently, RAD in its most recent budget has approved a position for an outdoor recreation coordinator.

The city has never had someone focused on working with outdoor recreation partners, but yet we are also a community where the outdoor recreation work is thriving.

We just became a Thrive Outdoor Thrive community, which is a national recognition of the work that's being done here.

And it's important that the city play a role in RAD's been supportive in that.

So wanted to shout out how our partnership with RAD has gone.

So just a couple of final thoughts.

Whether it's a bigger partnership with PPS to be in places where we don't have a rec center, you know, those things are important for us to think about, and that fund has been helpful to our ability to grow in that way.

Second, I already went on about it, but just to reinforce that the pools, keep your eyes on the pools, they're important to the city.

You know, they are.

And they are in need of a lot of growth over the next couple of years.

And we have an incredible team that knows these pools inside and out and that can help lead in that.

And then supporting, continuing to support the food program systems.

And as Lou stated, I do want to say that the senior programs are important to the city as well.

Um, but the funding is is going to be stagnant in that space, and we're gonna see higher numbers of older adults in our community.

We are one of the fastest growing uh, you know, um counties as it relates to older adults.

So we really need to be thinking about serving older adults in different ways.

That includes using the bathhouse and others.

Um that's really important.

Council President Lavell and I were just talking about the growing seniors.

Yeah, and and older adults want to do different things.

You know, this year our park rangers did a 50 plus hot hike club just to like again look at how what we should be doing is looking at serving older adults not just as how many buildings do we have, but how are all of our parks, all of our recreation centers, our bathhouse, our ice rink, all of our programs touching older adults.

Um, one thing that's really cool is that in January our new data system is gonna be kicking off, which doesn't sound that exciting, but it is exciting for us because it's gonna allow us to talk more purposely about our work, but it's also gonna allow us to see, you know, who is coming to our rec centers, who are the folks that are working out.

I bet you'll see that a lot of them are over the age of 55 and are also, you know, we should think about that about how the city is in total serving older adults beyond some of the services we do at our centers.

Um so with that, you can find us on um social.

Uh you know, our Facebook is very active, our website is always up to date.

Um, you know, communications from our uh departments really important because uh we do know a number of people are looking to find out what's going on in the city through through our channels.

So with that, I want to thank council again um for your time today.

Um and uh you know, just working with you guys over the last several years has been awesome.

And councilwoman Cale Smith, your leadership um as our chair over the last two years has been wonderful and and I do want to echo, you know, I've known you for a very long time.

Um and I've just I've appreciated all the ways that we've been able to work together, and um you've been nothing but supportive of anything that we ever needed um you know for for our department.

And you know, I generally find that council has been huge supporters of of parks, and so we appreciate that, myself and Luann um both, and I know our team appreciates that too.

You know, their work can be difficult, but they're out there every day doing it.

So thank you.

Thank you all so much.

We we just adore our city parks team.

So thank you very much for everything.

Members of my turnover, Council President, did you want to start?

Sure.

Thank you.

Um just a couple quick personnel questions.

This is a press officer positions being moved from the mayor's office to parks.

What yes.

So that is um I'll have to take a little bit of a journey.

That position used to be in our department about four years ago.

Then um it was moved to the mayor's office um back at that time.

And it has been moved back.

Um one of the reasons, you know, you I think there's been a couple of press officer positions that have been placed in certain departments.

I think the um the thinking behind why parks and recreation is one of those is because we do have one of the most active social media media needs.

And we do fly, I mean, our newsletters, our flyers, our um our summer guide, our communication arm is pretty um constant.

You know, when there's, for example, a warming center, cooling center, we have to get that information out right away.

Um so part I think of the logic was it was a position that was in our budget long ago, and now they're putting it back.

But I think the reason why parks, if you're thinking like I know I think there's only a couple of departments, it's because we do such quick turnaround on communication pretty much all of the time.

That's my you know, that's why I think it was placed back into our budget that way.

Okay.

But it was a pre-existing position in our budget.

In fact, it used to be Sue Lucas, then she moved out.

We got we had her brought on in a different capacity.

Um, but yeah, you might remember that.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um and then in personnel, there appears to be an increase in the part-time positions.

What are what are those positions?

Increase of about 200,000 approximately.

Am I reading this wrong?

Let me see real quick.

2025 budget for part-time was 1,467.

For 2026 is 1,679.

Part time.

Where do we increase part time?

I don't know how we call.

Yeah, I apologize for that.

I don't recall either.

There could have been, so this shouldn't have been an increase though.

We did a budget neutral for um for salaries.

We did over this last year um have some part-time increase with the farmers markets and with city farms, but we had traded some things for that, so I need to take a look at why it's showing up that way.

Thank you.

You can let me know.

Yeah, we had we had given up some things to be able to add to that part-time capacity for the farmers market team in city farms.

So it may be showing up as an increase in that line budget, but we did we did um give something up to make that um that switch essentially.

So we'll find we'll find where that is and get that to you.

I think that's what it is.

Thank you.

Okay.

I don't really have questions about your department or what you do.

Um I'm a huge fan of you all and the work that you all do, so I don't question any of that.

Um the only concern is that we are in a a lean fiscal year.

Um and so your department does show an increase of 6.9%.

Um unfortunately we're considering where we're going to have to make cuts.

So it's just something for you to probably give some consideration to as well as us as a body.

Um, but I don't at all question your work.

Like the work speaks for itself.

So I don't really have any questions there.

Thank you.

Can I can I may I say something that I've done a lot of work on the budget myself over the years.

And I was talking a little earlier to someone about this.

I know in parks department, there's maybe some increases for new positions that have taken place and some more money needed for some programs.

But I I think I assure you we uh we are cut to the bare bones in parks.

Uh whenever people ask for money over the year, five percent, three percent, five percent cutting positions.

We've done that.

We've done a really good job of that.

I just want to make that known that um it's really tough.

I don't know, you know, the only other thing I think that would we could cut in this budget if you want to close some stuff or pull it.

That's not gonna happen though.

You know, people won't that won't happen.

But we have nowhere else to um cut from our budget.

There's no room that I want to put out there and say without really hurting programs.

No, I don't I can't mention that.

I think it was a good job with our budget and keeping everything the same as as it has been.

Um, but I I just don't know where that would happen.

And if I could just real quickly just add to that, I just wanted to um just say that I think one of the things that we do try to do is leverage some of our other partners like RAD and other places.

So that's something we could also look at is you know, how are we leveraging um we have a number of different uh budgets that we pull from and uh we also get a lot of sponsorships for special events, but we could get sponsorships for other areas of our work too.

Thank you, Director.

Well, I'll just simply say I appreciate those comments.

I tremendously thank you.

We've been really good at I do think we as a body are in a very tough place where I know we don't want to have a conversation about raising taxes.

Um if we're not gonna have that conversation, and we're also unfortunately going to be in a conversation where we are talking about reducing activity or programming is the better word, um, which none of us want to do.

Um, but that is the unfortunate conversation we're having.

Quick question the um where is it on the chart?

The food justice funding, that comes directly out of your operating budget.

So that is um has been ARPA money.

Um, but where you'll find it in this budget now, it's in the grants line.

There's about 500,000 there.

That is marked for a food justice fund.

So no, but in that budget, that is what that is.

Okay.

And are you won't because that all has to be expended by the end of next year.

Yes, so the ARPA, the ARPA related portion has to be expended by next year.

That is not the under the grants line, that 500,000 is uh general fund.

The other portion that came from ARPA is has all been allocated, so it's all out the door.

We had 30 programs that got funded um that are active now.

Those will close and then those will be reported on.

But yeah, what's in the budget there under grants of about 500 of that is um for the food justice fund.

Okay.

And that would be that would be like a you know, that's in the proposed budget.

Okay.

Yeah.

I think that's all.

Thank you.

Thank you for your work.

Councilwoman Graves.

Thank you.

Um I don't think I can speak more eloquently than Councilwoman Smith already has, but again, I'm a huge fan of your work, and it's been amazing working with you.

And um the the amount of lives that are changed by the parks and rec department is you know far, it's an amazingly positive impact on the city, and I really thank you for your leadership, the both of you in making that happen.

Thank you.

It's it's um I think it's critical work.

Um so I also want to be very cognizant that you know, I've said many times on the record, similarly to what council president said, this is a really terrible year, and we really are told we need to cut millions out of this out of the budget total budget proposal.

But what I heard from our city council budget director on page after page here is that the positions that are in this org chart are not funded by the general fund.

So I I think that six percent number is misleading because it's not if we cut it, it wouldn't help the general fund at all, is what I'm seeing.

Um, or very, very minutiae, right?

So there are things like the parks tax trust fund, which you know, we allocate a flat amount to each year.

We're not gonna allocate less money to that parks trust fund.

So if we cut positions that are funded by the Parks Trust Fund, there's just more in the Parks Trust Fund, not more in the general budget.

Um the RAD trust fund, right?

I mean, that's the Allegheny County Regional Asset District, it's funded by Allegheny County's sales tax, and then is allocated to the city.

So, you know, people buying expensive cars in suburban districts are contributing the money into that trust fund, it's then for you know the rad board decides how much to allocate to the both statutory assets, but then also grant funding, and then so we have an allocation in that trust fund.

If we cut the budgets in person in parks, that money's still sitting in the trust fund from Allegheny County.

Um the Mellon Park Trust Fund is revenue generated from the fees paid at the tennis ball.

Cutting those positions is we're just gonna leave revenue sitting there.

Um senior citizens program trust fund is revenue is right now at 1.169 million dollars.

That's allocated through is it all area agency on aging?

And C D B G the C and CDBG again.

That's it's so and there's more.

There's actually like another one, right?

The special food trust fund, the Frick Park Trust Fund, which unfortunately doesn't fund our personnel at all, which I think it should, but we write the tech every year to the Pittsburgh Park Conservancy for their staff.

So I say that every year.

I'm just saying it again for the record this year.

And so and so on and so forth.

And the amount, it's still, and I I think I've said this for many years, the the this may be the smallest department and personnel costs, even including that it's literally creatively paid for by non-general fund sources, right?

The amount of work that this department does that is publicly facing the number of citizens that are touched by the personnel in this department positively I think is is irreplaceable.

And I I've always said I think we should double the parks and rec department.

Thank you budget.

So I know so this is it's a very, very lean program, and it is not gonna save us.

It's not gonna save the general fund.

That is absolutely sure.

So cutting it would would serve, I don't think any purpose.

So I just wanted to get that off um the record.

But I do have also um I I do have some questions because I want to make sure that we um you've made changes, I think, to and spoke in your presentation about trying to adapt to like current city residents needs, both in terms of food programs or senior programs, recreation, community, and aquatics, all kind of you know, all across the board.

And when you say, you know, talking about like what do seniors need, I'm like six months away from being eligible for those senior programs.

I'm 59 and a half, and you all start at 60.

Correct, right?

And so, you know, listen, I get really mad at my kids when they call me like this the like the you know slander word boomer.

I'm like, I am not asking boomer, all the respect, baby boomers at the table.

I am the baby baby.

I will always be a Gen X.

I don't care what new, you know, the like randomly new, they keep taking years off of the Gen X generation.

We're like don't have as many years as the other generations for some year from Swimmers and so um there is definitely our different interests and needs, and there's a different amount of seniors, and that is something that I I you and I have we've chatted with the teams offline or even here at the table before about kind of like when where we have sometimes we call them rec centers, but they're not really rec centers, they really only are serving our seniors because they're healthy active living centers.

I think we'd you know I'm in favor of having more facilities doing more things but we do have budget restrictions for sure.

But where seniors are living in the city changes right and so I have streets many streets in my district that were all seniors for you know a couple decades and are now only young families with toddlers.

You know because that happens on a city street where people age a place they kind of all buy their houses at the same time they say and then they're all gone at the same time.

So you know it's they're all gone now they really are they really are you know like the the the the neighbors I had in in Bloomfield when I bought my first house in 2000 we're we're world war two generation silent generation or before before silent generation greatest generation and so and they aren't they are not with us.

They would be over a hundred years old now.

And so that is all young families um and there are other streets in my district again it's wonderful to see so many strollers out on the porches and see playgrounds crowded with families and little kids that were empty for a while a long you know a a long time ago now again I'm getting older um so similarly I don't know if there is like where when is the right time to look at we shifting operations from being a recreation center to a healthy active living center or vice versa or blending them.

Yeah and you know it's interesting is that we do have centers that kind of already serve in that way even though they're designated you know so an example would be actually the Southside market house where we do have the city's largest um uh gym is up there I mean uh you know um I didn't think it's yeah right up there yep um and what we found is that you know we not only do a ton of programming out of that second floor um but we've also been able to open it up as a place where we now have a very robust pickleball community that comes out and plays there it's a different than maybe the folks who might come down to be in the daily operations of the senior center.

We also work with some partners I you know the food bank runs a food pantry out there and we also you know I would say are open uh when people need to be have a space to be you know warming and cooling centers um so we've been looking at things like that the Brighton Heights model so the the current center that's being um renovated is meant to serve a broader community in its remodel so there's a um you know the partner uh organization is at the table as part of that um there's an annex space that has the potential to be utilized for recreation um so you're absolutely right you know some of the places where we have the most oh in greenfield probably the best model that we have is you know when we have this kind of campus like um opportunity so we have a senior center and a rec center combined and aquatics behind there and the ballparks I mean really it's one place where everyone can go and get services um depending on you know whatever it is they want to do so I do agree with you that that model is certainly um attractive um we got to do some things with the county where we went outside the city to look at different senior um facilities in different places and you know when you have uh more folks who are aging and staying healthier longer they rather go to a center that feels more like a recreation center.

So what's really effective is when you have a place where all of those needs can be met we still can serve the high need senior with what they need and we have something there that attracts somebody who's into being more active or doing something a little bit different.

So that is absolutely you know I I want to shout out the market house again because there's a lot of opportunity there with the Oliver Bathhouse opening to really look at how the bathhouse you know becomes another place where older adults you know when aquatics is a great activity for older adults um and we we plan to do some joint programming with the market house uh we also have a pottery room that we're trying to open up and that would be open for anyone seniors it's already there active for the seniors and then anybody can go so all that said that's absolutely how we should be thinking about serving more seniors without having to really think about you know more efficiently essentially by looking at our full complement of services that we do as a department.

Well there's a good segue there because my next question is I think also important it's it is also about changing demographics and where kids are in the city similarly right and also not assuming that the same way we've been doing programming forever is the way we should be doing it now and members have heard me ask these questions um and other kinds of funding but when we've got a part of the org chart that's city sports I think it's always important to ask ourselves um are we serving boys and girls equally right and so I don't expect you to have it like at your fingertips if you do have to be really impressed.

And members have heard me ask these questions and other kinds of funding.

But when we've got a part of the org chart that's city sports, I think it's always important to ask ourselves um, are we serving boys and girls equally, right?

And so I don't expect you to have it like at your fingertips.

If you do, I'd be really impressed.

Um, but for something, especially in active programming, so like not the senior column, uh, which I'm not gonna concern myself with right now.

But like in the community outreach and the in the sports, it even in the aquatics, but I think also in the food programs, um, which might aren't only kids, but um do I know touch a lot of kids um at the community gardens.

Um what would it take to be able to see that gender breakdown?

Because what we don't want to see, like we did this when we gave grants for um from Dick Sports, and a lot of members were doing baseball and football, which I totally understand, and I love my sports coaches, and I respect all the volunteer work and I want to support them, but I gave mine for roller skating, which is like a burgeoning aid the couple of clubs that are reaching not only kids, like adults and kids, but um they really had a need to buy skates to do this like pop-up skate roller skatings back again, which is super great, and it's a little more gender equitable.

So um that's my question.

Well, so you're in luck because um, you know, over the last year we've been building out this new data uh system.

We've we got that funding to do that the year previous, and as you know, you have to go through the whole process to get the company.

Our past data set uh rec pro we had it for like 20 years.

You couldn't even add a gender category.

I mean, it was very, very difficult to work with.

This new system is going to be able to keep all of that information um and it's being designed specifically to be able to look at certain demographics so that we can be more intentional about our work.

It's really exciting.

I mean, if you have a City Parks uh card, you're gonna have to get a new one.

So everybody look out for that in the new year.

There'll be some some promos for that.

Um but what it's gonna do for us is allow us to be more intentional about programming and be able to actually give you those numbers.

Um the other thing I do want to mention though, with the growth, we were intentional about what sports we brought on.

So um uh flag football is a co-ed sport.

And uh so is volleyball, and we saw huge numbers.

I mean, we we basically had to like grow how many staff we had out there to handle the number of kids that signed up for those.

Um, similar with our futsal program that continues to grow.

Um, so we have been very intentional about being um uh you know, wanting to bring on sports like roller skating, for example, and offering that um that have co-ed, you know, um opportunity at the forefront, and those have been the places where we focus that even golf.

You know, everybody participated in that, and that was um that was a co-head a co-ed program.

I'm glad to hear about the pottery.

So even while it's a it's a kind of good public policy initiative, and I think the city should invest in people being physically active, and that's good for mental health.

Sometimes even the handwork, I've said that before here at the table, is also really important, especially for the kids and teens these days.

Um I thought you said hand signals, I've been giving them all day.

No, and anything that you know you see the hands.

You know, it's like arts and crafts stuff, but isn't only like there could be other kinds of builder and maker things that kids are doing.

It's really, especially this COVID generation that still have so much higher levels of anxiety, there's just more trouble in the schools.

It's really something that isn't just a gender divide, but it's important, and we don't have as strong an offering.

I think because of previous decades, budget cuts and things like that.

I know seniors older than me in Bloomfield, like when I've liked knocking on doors who you know, we have a uh a rec center in Bloomfield that's been closed for decades.

And they'll point at it and say that place saved my life.

Yes.

Every day after school, we had crafts, there were social workers, there was therapeutic counselors, and it saved my life.

And it's been closed for decades.

Um so and it's the kind of activity that we lost, I think, in Act 47.

That we it was, you know, I'm glad that we've saved sports, and we do still have sports, um, and we have our aquatics and we have our senior programs, but I I'm in favor of us meeting our constituents' needs, and I see a need there that we have nonprofits who are trying to fill that need and some aftercare program and all that kind of stuff.

But um, I'm glad I'm glad to hear that, and I will be looking for that gendered uh participation.

I don't want the Parks and Rec department because it's so amazing to not reach girls, especially as much.

Um I do a big shout out to you because that was one of the things a long time ago I walked into, and I was acting director, I walked into one of the centers, I won't mention it, and I saw these cute little guys I said wait, we're the girls.

We need we should go programs.

Let's get it going.

We need to see growth in these centers.

And that's one of my mantras' bit.

We're gonna have to offer programs for girls too.

So yeah, we'll look at that when we see the data.

I asked the same question of our stop the violence um violence interrupters the first year.

Um the forget their the reach.

Yes.

Um, and they've done a great job.

Because that first year there were men, all the mentors were here, and it was a big team of people.

They brought a lot of people in the chambers, and I was like, okay, where are the women, you know, mentors, and where are the girls, mentees?

And it has really improved, and they'll they've done a great job.

And they're like, it was actually really important because it was really a lot of the girls were causing the girls were participating in violence.

Um, and so it was uh a whole in their first year or two that they weren't kind of staffing up and concentrating their programming.

Um, and they've done a really great job since.

So um I'm I was really glad to see that.

I think that is the kind of collaboration that you were talking about, maybe seeing and at you know, there's there's room for these programs to kind of work together.

Oh, absolutely, and I do want to share, we've had some success with uh definitely with working with REACH.

Both our um our city sports team work meets monthly with the REACH folks now to make sure that anything that we're doing, if they should be present or part of, they are.

Um, and I also want to mention that we have two rec centers that have been intentionally focused as a place where we've had social workers have office hours, and up at Phillips Rec Center, the female reach workers have been a major support to that community up at Carrick.

So we've absolutely had a great partnership with them.

Um, shout out to OCHS, also um, you know, uh providing social workers.

Um Alison's out there at uh um up at Phillips and out at Ammon on a regular basis, and in a lot of ways to work with both not just young girls and young boys with everyone, but also with parents.

So we've also had now some activities have been focused at our rec centers for parents who might have young people that you know are part of the the REACH community.

So they it's been a great partnership with those with those teams.

That's fantastic.

That's fantastic.

I'll move over to the food programs because I since you have this better data coming online.

It's my sense that again it's not heavily staffed.

This is not a lot of personnel um costs, but the demographics and the neighborhoods that they're reaching tend to be the underserved neighborhoods, and I see a lot of women gardeners and I see them doing a lot of kids programming.

Is that what you're seeing as well in that outreach?

Well, what we'll be able to give you right after this meeting, because we do have it and just didn't fit in my PowerPoint, uh, is we do have a mapping of where all of those sites are, so you will be able to see by community breakdown um uh particularly where investments for the Food Justice Fund went.

Great.

Um, but yeah, I mean, overall, women are leaders in in the urban ag space for sure.

And I see a lot of my like it's overrepresented with minority women that I've in my interactions.

And our largest uh investment in the food justice fund went to Grow Pittsburgh, which went to um farms that were minority owned farms to support some of those big hubs in various districts.

Okay, and and I think but our staffing time as well.

So not just the grant dollars.

Oh, yeah, oh yeah.

And like, you know, like we have uh the the farmers market staffing and the city farm staffing, which again is I think have time.

For that entire run of work you see, yes, there's two full-time people.

Right.

Right out there.

Got it.

So again, it's not a it's not a heavy load for us to carry, but it's doing outreach to the are very needy communities who are then the kinds of community participants who are reaching out to the the both kids and households in need, I think is what I'm seeing.

Great.

Um you remind me either a director or Mr.

McDebitt.

The C D BG funds that go into the seniors section.

Is that coming out of like the general CD?

Is it a special line item under CDBG?

Um special line item under C D BG.

Okay, so it just kind of stays the same, like whatever the feds give us.

Yeah, and this is yeah, it's the this is one of the regular ones that we put in.

It's actually slightly lower this year, and that's because of with the HUD guidelines of you can I think it's administrative costs, and we're kind of hitting the ceiling on that, so it's slightly lower.

So it's slightly lower.

This actually, so I kind of misspoke earlier.

This year there is $500,000 from the general fund that is going to the senior interest fund because of that smaller amount from C to BG.

Okay.

But that's good.

This is the only time I can remember that.

And it's feeding people.

Yeah, exactly.

Because those are just as a reminder, because I'm shocked sometimes that I've even had people who are kind of ardent hunger and food advocates not realize that we are feeding people every day in the senior centers, right?

Is it still 50 cent lunch?

Right.

Yeah.

Yes, or free.

Right.

That's the same thing.

So the 50 cents is just a suggestion.

So you have to lunch when you're going to be able to do that.

I know.

I can't.

Exactly.

I kind of feel like I might be able to get away with asking for one now if I tried.

I could I could do the donation.

But yeah.

Exactly.

We'll be meeting for lunch at the senior centers.

So I I mean I'm I'm totally supportive, 100% supportive of feeding people.

And I have often asked, and I you don't need to answer you've answered me many times before.

But this because it's mostly being covered, you know, we're all that's the only reason why we're restricting like who qualifies for the meals.

It's not our qualification, it's the counties.

Um and I've always said, especially when we've hit times of crisis like COVID or other times when um federal benefits have been suspended.

That like, why don't we just buy the meals and feed the people?

Um we can, we legally can.

Um it's just a matter of whether or not we want to spend the money.

So you can respond if you want.

But I think that's that's all the questions I have, Mr.

Chair.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman.

You know what?

Uh Councilwoman Strasberger's on here if she's in a rush.

Um I am not.

Yes, she's on.

Oh no, she's a high council person.

Okay.

Sorry.

Uh just wanted to be my full time.

Thank you so much for uh for being here today.

Um director, I I do want to ask, how was how was your road this morning?

Um so I actually left before they got to it.

Oh, did you?

To be fair, I got out a little bit early.

Um, but I parked my car at the top of the hill.

You were prepared.

I was prepared, but um I'm sure it's gonna look great once I get there.

So I appreciate you asking.

It is a it is a tricky little street.

I I uh usually text you um on snow mornings because there's a there's a lot of seniors and stuff that live on your street.

Absolutely, yes.

But uh you're you're usually able to let me know.

But I was thinking you're gonna was gonna see you today.

So um yeah, I uh I will be curious.

We we did break uh six six plows today in the fourth division.

So I will I will text you and let you know how it looks when I get back.

Yeah, please do.

Um so I one of the questions that has come up for both myself and I guess uh councilperson Strasberger and um uh councilman Lavell, and I don't really know what to do with this.

Is we've had the suggestion of uh how we need to get a warming center in Oakland.

Um there's no way that we're gonna be able to build a facility, you know, that like we're we're literally talking, you know, what will we can uh get rid of and what how we can cut in the budget here.

But it is something I'm curious like is there a way that we can do some form of um sanctioning, some form of you know, there's an uh all the university buildings and all the hospitals, there's all those things in Oakland, but is there something that we can do um to kind of make another warming facility or create that partnership?

Yeah, so um, you know, I want to also mention that we work with EMA as well around like the warming cooling operations, and I've been saying for a long time that I feel like just restricting it to our senior centers is tricky because it one means that our senior centers are the only game in town and those are fixed places.

Um so you know, there the kind of thoughts that I have on that is the first time I've heard about this, but I think we would want to be thinking creatively about assisting.

Uh one is that the county has put out there to all of its um funded other senior programs that they do fund an option to become a a warming cooling site.

So I'm happy to reach out to them to see if they have a footprint in Oakland and if they have a willing partner, that could be one thing, and we could work with them to get them on our schedule.

The other would be if there is either a city facility, which I don't know, not a great one.

Yeah, I just thought, yeah, that little one, no.

Um it would have to be ADA accessible.

That is one of the things that we want to make sure.

Um but if there was a willing facility, what we would need is the support from council, and this is just you know, again, in talking about our senior budget being one of our tighter budgets, is that we would need to be able to support one of our staff going out there to open that center.

That might mean taking them from another location or offering them, you know, the ability to work those extended hours.

But absolutely, I mean, I think you know, we have um facility usage agreements with partners as well.

So if there was uh you know a partner um, you know, that wanted to work with the city on providing additional locations, we'd be open to that conversation for sure.

So let's definitely talk about it.

Um I you know, Lou can get that conversation started.

Uh again, for us, the trick is making sure we can find staff to open the centers we do have.

You know, one thing that we could do, because we did this for councilwoman Cale Smith um in Mount Washington is we tested it out.

You know, we're like, okay, let's like find a location, let's test it out, let's see who comes out and uses this.

And then, you know, if there's you know, then we can reevaluate the you know, was this worth the additional investment of the city to make sure that we had this option?

We'd be totally open to doing something like that.

Um we would need to have, you know, again, if it's someone else's facility, we'd have to get a written agreement to have city there and have the liability insurance coverage.

Um if it's if it's um you know, a partner that wants to work with us, you know, we've we've had folks reach out who want to provide warming centers, and we would just have to talk through how we can add them to our communication and that they understand sort of like what it means to be open to the public for that period of time.

But yeah, that's a great idea.

I yeah.

So it is you know, I don't know how um I don't know how significant the need is, uh, but it is a request that one of the community groups comes to us with a a lot.

So um I you know, I'd just be curious what we could do.

You know, I guess again, I we're I know we're not building a uh we're not gonna be we're not in the in the space where we're gonna be building a senior center anytime soon.

But um just kind of but using a do is there a particular part of Oakland?

Yeah, uh the the folks that are asking are from the Oak Cliff area um in which is is not actually a city section neighborhood, but the South Oakland portion behind the Sunoko.

So uh yeah, I just be curious if it's something we can look at.

Um, on that note, I do want to mention uh I'm very thankful for your your successes with outside partnerships.

Um I think that is kind of the the future of this department and and where this department has to go in terms of having those partnerships with RAT or venture outdoors or um all things that I you know I'm not even in shore of, but I that that really that those sponsorships you're definitely an area of the city where we can get dollar bank to put their their name on something and get them to pay for something.

That really, you know, I do believe is gonna have to be um even more crucial now.

And I really want to I think that really did happen under your leadership, um kind of expanding into that um not just not just funding things out of the operating budget.

So yeah, and I'll just say that you know, to date, most of that has been with our special events like movies and music in the park, um, and you know, our ability to enter into sponsorship agreements and then have that trust fund to hold that sponsorship for us so that we can then use it for that purpose.

I think there would be a mechanism that would need to be figured out um you know, if we were to get large sponsors for other activities, how we can make sure that like we can bring that sponsorship in, put it somewhere in our budget that makes sense for that activity, and then also, and then that's that kind of safeguards it, it earmarks it for that use.

Um so that would be important, but you know, I think a big uh example of that would be like our um our community enrichment programs, like the art cart, I think is ripe for for getting additional support, um, foundation support even.

Uh we know that we get hundreds of families for that kind of work, and we work with a lot of local artists.

So, what I think goes on recognized is that a number of the work, you know, the people that we support are local artists.

It is part of our local artist network that does a lot of this enrichment work.

We work with the cultural trust in big numbers for um their artists to come out and be part of the work that we do.

So therefore, you know, those kinds of activities are definitely places where sponsorships, you know, people can jump in and be a support to our work.

Absolutely.

Yeah, I I think I think that's kind of the um the future of how we you know, I don't know if we get to the point where it's like the you know, the Coca-Cola market house or something, but uh well, you know, the Shenley Ice Rink is a is another place where we could start looking at what it might mean to have an asset um sponsored, you know, does have the Shenley Ice Ring Trust Fund.

Uh we do have uh, you know, this year, if you go out to the ice rink, you'll notice we have some new it's actually helping us with the sun impact, but you'll see some new pictures that are up around the rink that are like making it so that our ring can stay ice the whole way around.

It's been a big problem.

But one of the things our team came to us with is like, hey, this could be an opportunity for sponsorship or something in the future.

It definitely things like that.

You know, we were actually doing a program with the Penguins this year for the first time ever.

So that goes well.

Is that something where the penguins see supporting the city's you know premiere ice rink location uh might be a good idea?

Yeah.

Uh let me ask this because this has come up a lot lately uh on the note of sponsorships.

Um what is your relationship with the or what is this?

What is our city's relationship with the Pittsburgh Pirates?

Yeah, so the Pirates um are uh honestly, out of all of the cities teams, they probably invest the most heavily in our work.

Really?

They do that as being close partners for the baseball league.

So what they do is um, you know, they have the baseball league team.

We have we have our folks who help organize RBI.

They take care of all of the ref cost um the umpires.

The the all the yeah, the pirates take care of all the costs for referees.

Years ago, back when Ross was here, there was an issue where the city was having, you know, we us managing the referee relationship is very tricky.

The pirates have agreed to take that on as their partnership, so they work with each team to make sure that all referee costs are covered for the league.

And that's a big significant cost.

Um they also have expanded in supporting not just the RBI team, so the teams that participate, they also support 100% of any non-city team that is part of RBI.

So RBI will have like Aetna and other, you know, we can't no city dollars go to that.

That is all pirates, making sure that there's like a regional baseball um presence.

Um but they've also expanded by having like a preseason clinics.

Um, you know, we do our big kickoff meeting, they donate the use of you know their facility as a partner.

So they are a key partner in our baseball league.

Um yeah, they take care of those costs directly with those teams.

So that's something that the city is not is not covering.

Uh but historically the city used to.

So it really has been like a pretty generous um relationship that they have specifically with the uh baseball baseball leagues.

I guess I'm I'm less familiar with that because I don't think any of that happens in my my district or my part of town.

The Southside South Southside's a team, yeah.

Yeah, but uh, I mean are they are they affiliated with RBI?

Yeah.

Really?

Okay.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I did I think I can double check, but I think they do play.

And then also um, you have parts of Mount Washington, but I don't know if you have a little bit.

I do have a part of the Mount Washington, you know, they win a lot.

So I that's why I remember Mount Washington with up there.

It's the district two side that we don't.

Yeah, yeah, that's that's probably it.

Um but yeah, they're so um the way RBI works, since we actually run that league, all of the neighborhood um teams have an opportunity to be part of RBI.

Absolutely.

Um any team that's offici of officially participating in RBI are part of that partnership.

So if they are playing RBI league games, then the ref costs are being covered by the pirates.

Um the pirates also have um two other things they offer to teams.

They have like a um uh a grant that can be applied for, and a lot of teams, you know, go for those grants and get them, and those also support, you know, the local baseball community.

But I can find out for sure which teams in your district are part of RBI.

Pretty positive Southside is in there.

I mean, yeah.

I'm uh I don't know, we're a little we seem to be a little hot to trot on the the pirates here and um Oh yeah.

So yeah, I mean, you know that's true.

Good point.

They as far as parts charities, they have been good partners with the baseball community.

They're pirates' charities, they're tax write-off, you know.

Just to make to make clear their their their charity is is so they pay less taxes.

But um so I I have a kind of a silly question that I feel like I should have known by now.

Every so often we get a bunch of invoices for um for tennis court training or for the the tennis bubble training.

Why is it something that why is that something that we seem to always be paying out every so often?

Why is that something that is there a way to save costs there?

What are actually are we paying for there?

So yeah, so we um we do hire and have um tennis pros that provide tennis clinics.

Um the city does um have our own clinics that are for the public.

We don't pay for like somebody to have their own like you know, private lesson.

These are 100% for public clinics for people to utilize.

So they're not so they might be clinics that are at a tennis bubble, they might be at Shen Lee Park, there are pickable, yeah.

Pickleball is such a big deal, clinics that we have hosted.

Um one of the things that we did ask um in the tennis budget for Mel and Tennis this year is to make um our tennis pros function more as like part-time employees.

So that way it's like rather than have to hire like special tennis pros that we have like a handful of people who are part of the team that also can host tennis clinics, you know, and actually just provide them.

Yeah.

So it would look a little bit different.

Um but yeah, we do a number of clinics, and if you if it's helpful, I can get you the numbers of like how many people attend those um each year.

So you can kind of see it's for all ages, you know, they there's special older adults, there's kids.

Um do people pay for that?

I mean, so yeah, there is there is a revenue that is generated, but not all of them.

So we do have some free clinics.

There's on Fridays, there's like um uh a free youth clinic, you know, like kind of like a try, you know, learn how to play.

Um so yeah, so those those would be um revenues that come in uh through Mel and tennis.

Um the ones that happened right there with our that's associated with our tennis pros, which is why we're actually we've asked, and it is in the current budget to transition to have those people function as staff members.

Okay.

Versus as like, you know, just outside, you know, tennis pros.

They could be part time on our team and then they that relationship would look different.

Okay.

That's helpful to know.

I I've always wondered that that every so often we just we've like uh Yeah, they all come in at the same time.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Um the other other thing I just want to mention, um your staff specifically at the market house.

Um we've you know, the the South Side's relationship with the market house has has changed over the last couple years.

Um we run the Southside Community Action Network meetings out of there now, um which we're getting like a hundred people to show up every every single month at this community meeting.

Um and it it is um the the staff there are are fantastic and are very accommodating.

I mean, I know that we're like often keeping them late and sometimes people are mingling and they're like, get out.

Um but the you know, to be able to have a monthly meeting spot like that and be able to use that like the community gathering space that kind of everyone knows where it is.

Um and again, we're we bring out I I've I've never seen a community meeting like this anywhere else in the city where we can get like a hundred people to come out every single month.

And you know, it sometimes it's different people, but um I really want to thank your your team for being able to provide that that space for us, um, which is you know, we're able the idea of bringing in the business district manager and um this weekend there's gonna be the big Southside light up night, like all of those ideas came out of out of these meetings um that we have there.

So you know, you that space is uh really valuable for us and you've never really had that in.

Yeah, no, they're great.

They talk about those meetings too, and that they get uh an opportunity to do a little shout out about the senior center is also really helpful to them.

Yeah.

Well, one of the I mean the way that group works is they it the breakout sessions are like like Jeopardy style in terms of how can you solve like what are you going to do to solve this problem, not just this is a problem.

Um and one of the breakouts last month was what can we do to get attendance up at the market house uh for senior programming?

Thank you.

Yeah, you know, and the the reality is like a lot of the people that are in that a lot of those hundred people are 60 and over, so they're like maybe we just need to stop in and grab a cup of coffee every so often, you know.

That's right.

And uh get those numbers up.

So yeah, and I if it's okay, I'd like to also just for the general public's awareness that we do have a special um community um organization permit that allows for um a monthly meeting that is covered because it's a community organization, it happens at rec or senior centers, any of our facilities.

So we're happy to be able to provide that um free of charge, those um kinds of events, um, you know, because of course we have our permit fee for for our standard permits, but we do have a special permit that is specifically for community groups like that to be able to meet on a monthly basis.

Can I can I add to that a little bit this important so everyone know you so people console people know this?

So when we have people work at those centers or employees prior to um what we've learned, they receive comp time for that.

So they could use it as another time.

Now we must pay them over time to work at those.

And so it's getting costly to the budget.

And I think you should mention that's because of our recent union negotiation.

Yes.

Right, right.

What what bargaining unit are they?

ICIU.

Oh, really?

668.

It's a little bit costless.

Yeah, it's rec teachers.

Gotcha.

So we have two workers, right?

It's days.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And then the last thing I wanted to mention, we had talked early in my time in office here about the desire to get Wi-Fi at all of our pools so that we can uh use debit cards to uh to charge people instead of uh making them pay for cash.

Is that happen?

So it's happening alongside the um the modernization of the Cat 6 wiring program that IMP is running.

Our facilities are baked into that, and that includes our pool facilities.

So I think what is important there is that prior to this new process that IMP is going through to modernize the city's full, you know, complement of um Wi-Fi capabilities across all facilities, our pools were never included prior previously.

So they had to like build out like whole new wiring for those to get on on there.

But they are they are part of that system.

So as that project project continues, our pools will be able to modernize as well.

Um there's also some opportunity with our new um data.

It's also a um processing for online, uh, something that um you know the aquatics team uh really should be looking to in the future.

We've tested it out at like the ice rank, you can now get tickets online.

That was not a thing like two or three years ago.

COVID actually is what sparked all those changes.

Um so people have other ways to be able to get their um aquatics, you know, admissions paid.

But yeah, so yes, in terms of our, you know, we're not at the driver's seat of that, but we have been able to make sure that pools are part of that um upgrade.

Cool.

Yeah, I mean, I think that's as we again continue to move forward, it's like getting the pools, having having Wi-Fi, you know, being able to rent chairs at pools, being able to have concession stands, those are all things that we'd like love to see at our pools, like in years to come here.

So um all right, that's really all for me, and just want to thank you guys for being here and uh for the the work over the years.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman.

Thank you.

And we have councilwoman Strasberger.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you.

Thanks to everyone for being there today.

And um, I really could reiterate every single thing that each and every one of my colleagues said already, but um one that I will reiterate verbally rather than just sort of in theory, is um that uh director of our guests it's it's just been so impressive seeing you work um in this role over the last several years and accomplish what you have, and it's we have such a joy to serve as chair of the uh parks and rec committee and work more closely with you and Louanne as well.

Um I've really appreciated your your willingness to be a yes person, like how do we get to yes?

Recall uh sometime last year bringing you the idea of um incorporating you know parent and baby classes into our rec centers and then like by last year's budget season, you had made it a reality in one of our rec centers.

It was pretty amazing.

So appreciate all of your work uh over the years, and it's been such a pleasure working with you.

Thank you, councilwoman.

I also do want to share um hot off the press.

We are also officially a partner with Beverly's um birthdays, uh, and that's gonna happen at two of our rec other rec centers, which is also focused on uh you know, new new parents and having supports for them.

So uh again, thanks to your um, you know, willing to put a good idea out there uh so that we could act on it.

That's amazing.

It's such a good organization and love that group.

So I'm glad we're partnering with them.

But my bigger point was just thanks for always being willing to not say no and to get to yes.

So um appreciate all of that.

I have I guess three questions.

The first is building off of um what council president Lavell was asking, and that is for that one position, the parks and rec or the press officer who would be moving back to parks and rec.

Um, no need to actually say who it is now if you don't feel comfortable, but is that position currently filled?

Do you know?

It is a currently filled position.

Oh, okay, great.

I'll follow up offline about that.

Um and then I guess just more generally, since most of my questions have been addressed already by council by my colleagues, there's every department has a lot that is happening all at once and a lot to report on parks and rec is no exception, and there's a lot to absorb.

If you are able to distill everything into kind of just one answer for each example or one example for each question, if there's one place where if we were able to invest in a small or a big way, it would be like a visionary growth, like a generational change or something that would be like an amazing, you know, um, we did like on the vanguard of whatever that program or issue is statewide or nationwide.

Like, is there one category that fits that example?

And then on the other side, if there's one place where if we didn't invest, it would be um far worse than other you know, then other areas where we didn't invest.

Uh as an example, I didn't really ask that that clearly, but as an example, like you might ask public works, where's the place where we need the most investment, and they're gonna probably say fleet, right?

Is there an example like that for parks and rec where if we don't invest it's catastrophic over the next two to five years?

So I know that both of these are a little bit theoretical because of the challenges that we've already discussed that council president Lavelle um reiterated, but I just want to get your thinking a little bit um right now based on all of your experience over the last several years.

Okay, wow, what a question.

Um I have so many places I want to say.

Um but honestly, um if we were gonna look at a place where we can make some real transformational change, you know, I personally feel like when I look at other parks and rec systems and the programming capacity that they have in partnership, like true partnership with their school district, that being able to figure out a after school and summer solution for parents in Pittsburgh is a big deal.

And we are so close to being um we just we are we do a great job with our part with our part that we play at City Parks, and there's so many partners that are also playing a role, but what we don't necessarily have at the city is that really intentional and clear partnership with the school district that leverages each other's resources, both physical assets and people to serve more key more families in a strategic way.

And you know, some of the things I just want to point to in that is that you know, last summer, you know, the district wasn't able to support summer learning at all, and they used to have a premier nationally recognized summer learning opportunity free to Pittsburgh public students.

That went away.

Um we saw, you know, that our numbers uh in supporting uh kids in city camp, you know, we we always run out of spots because we are at capacity, but if there is a way for us to be strategic and leveraging assets between Pittsburgh Public and the city to serve more families, that would be transformational.

That's not really like a budget answer necessarily, but I think it's an answer in terms of how two big systems could better work together to make a change in how things function.

And that's not to say the rest of our work isn't important.

I know it's a very unfair question because it's like favorite, it's like choosing a favorite child.

It's like I know you don't want to have to do that, but I appreciate the answer.

Thank you so much.

Um yeah, and I hear that, and I and I don't disagree, so thank you.

Is there is there something that if we didn't invest, it would be pretty catastrophic.

Like I I hear the pool, I hear aquatics, I hear pools, I hear you know, food systems, I hear senior seniors, like there's so many different areas, but like is there one where we're really just holding it together, and we really need to continue the level of investment where it is or more.

So I would say the one of greatest concern because it's so reliant on additional funding, you know, would be the senior budget.

It is tight.

Um, and it's not only to support senior services, but it's also to you know jump in when we have warming and cooling centers.

And um, you know, often like if there's an emergency, it's one of our centers that needs to be part of that um fix.

Um, you know, with CDBG money having to be um decreased last year, and that's just the start.

That's a federal fund, so it's reliant on a large portion of federal funding.

The re the remaining on state funding, which we've been told we're good for this year, but we know that that particular funding source is vulnerable.

Um there's very little now out of a necessity coming from the general fund.

So it's something to watch out for that if we're not really strategic about watching how these other pots of funds change, then the city could be in a position where let's say CDBG money is just gone, like it'll be catastrophic to the senior operation.

If Area Aging funding formula changes dramatically, where it's like, okay, city, we can't, you know, really invest in this as heavily, it would be catastrophic to, you know, and and because so much of our staffing comes out of those two pots of funding, it would be like a very quick change that would have to occur.

So I would say, in terms of like vulnerability right now, um, because we don't know what the climate is, you know, everywhere as it relates to funding sources coming from different locations.

That is one that one change in sort of the three areas of support of which city general operations is the smallest, could make a dramatic difference if we don't, you know, if we don't continue to to look at that.

Um food systems, which you don't know.

If I could really quick just about food systems, I just want to say that like we have momentum, and we just saw that there is a great need when you know when other systems aren't at working at full capacity, people are coming to their local governments for that support.

And that is what what has happened most recently when it came to food um issues.

Um we have so much momentum there that to completely turn that faucet off and just like take a system that is growing and working and not invest in it, it'll take much longer to rebuild um uh the infrastructure that we do have currently because we are sort of on this growth cycle, and I don't think it's something that takes a lot of resources for us to continue to support that work and watch it grow even more.

But it is becoming, you know, as we think about sustainability, the most sustainable thing we can do is support um our communities to be able to own and be owners of things like a sustainable food system across our city to support residents who are doing this work in the small ways that we can makes a huge difference, and I think we've just been, you know, none of that work existed four years ago.

And so for it to just go away uh and not be a critical arm of the department would would involve having to like significantly rebuild.

Whereas I think kind of keeping it at the momentum that it's at and keep like investing and keep making small but important changes there is only going to impact Pittsburgh communities in a large way in the long term if we can work on what it means to have a sustainable um local food system.

So I do think that that is equally important.

And then I I won't cheat anymore, I'll stop.

I appreciate that.

Thank you for your insight and director, assistant director, thank you both so much.

And please pass along our thanks to your team.

I know that um Madam Chair has has honored many of them already with proclamations, but we we really are so appreciative of the work they do every day.

Thank you.

Thank you, councilwoman, and thank you again for your time as chair with us.

It's also uh you've always been big supporter of our work too.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, thank you, councilwoman.

And um, that's my turn.

Do you have any heels you want to say?

No.

Okay, so I just um there's a couple things I want to say, but I do want to say how we met.

We worked for wireless neighborhoods, which is now neighborhood learning alliance, and you worked in Gahari Mosley's district.

Um, every one of our districts, you worked, we worked with partners with the Hill House with uh Johnny Monroe and Nikki Monroe's program, Northview Heights.

Uh I mean, and then you chose to move to Bob Charna's district, but I was trying to get you into my side of town.

Well, you've got to my side of town, but just we need to come down a little.

But anyway, but um you have been all over the city of Pittsburgh, and then not just this time that you've been here, but for decades.

And so I I know that we're not seeing the end of you.

I know that you're gonna be doing a lot of amazing things in the future too.

Um, but I want to thank you for all the work you did prior to you got time here and and currently, and um your entire team is always as councilwoman sitting.

And I do want to say this is the most sought-after committee.

When I first got here, it was everybody wanted public safety or public works because they're big committees and powerful committees.

Well, it was Corey O'Connor got elected, and I was the chair of Parks and Rec at the time.

And Bruce Krauss, who was the council president, called me and said, you know, he just got elected and this committee's really special to him for his because it was his dad's committee.

He said, Would you give him the committee?

I said, wait, I'm the s I'm I've been here longer.

He just got in, but he explained to me a little bit about the about the family.

And so he took the I gave him that committee, and then I got the public safety committee.

And I said when I was leaving, I have to end with this committee because this is my favorite committee.

I love this committee.

I love all of our employees in the city.

I think they work so hard.

But this committee is it's rewarding in so many different ways.

And so I just want to thank you for the work that you do and all of the your entire team does.

Um, and the everyone in the city and all the employees, they just do such a great job all in every department.

But I do want to talk a little bit about the senior services.

Do you next year will be the first time that I know that I can recall that you have three members over the age of 60.

16 of you have the first council with that many um seniors.

So I just think that you know, we're talking a lot about what we're doing for bike lanes and other infrastructure, but I think we're forgetting about people that are really gonna make up making up a large part of the city of Pittsburgh, and that's the senior members.

Um scroll.

And um, and I think I'm hopeful having people that are will be over the age of 60, that they'll continue to make sure that seniors are um front and center in in a lot of the decision making.

Um and I do want to tell you already, Councilwoman Warwick told me she has dibs on this committee for next year.

She wants this committee.

Um but I want to thank your special events team because they did so much in in our across the city of Pittsburgh and in our district um with the concerts and the parks and uh just so many different things and you know, um whenever we need a podium, they're they're ready to you know help us, a sound system, they're there um setting up events.

But councilwoman gross and actually the women's caucus for years have been talking about child care and we we put funding in, we did all s all sorts of work, child care and pools and and lifeguards and paying them better and doing those kinds of things.

So I think we're really in touch with the needs of our communities and what the people want.

And I want to thank you for making sure that you're still keeping that conversation going, but also um for the work with the pools because we know they do an amazing job at the pools.

I mean, they really do, keeping those pools running and and and making sure that they're training people and helping people get into the job into jobs and into the city of Pittsburgh.

So I want to thank Shelley and her team as well.

I think they all do a great job.

But um for the budget, if there's any one wish that you have I mean, are you able I heard Councilwoman uh Strasberg ask a little bit of that?

Is there anything that that we are that's in the budget or not in the budget that you would like to see changed?

I I would like just to reinforce uh what is in the budget is a person to really solidify the food community food system work as a part of our department's intentional work.

I mean, honestly, because we've had you know the farmers markets, city farms, and food justice fund all growing within this last couple of years.

They've all directly report to me because it's such a new piece of our work to be treating it that way.

So you'll see in the budget there one of the requests that I'm hopeful can remain would essentially make it so that they have a real system of support, and that becomes like a part of our department, part of our mission, which it already is, but it becomes like supported the same way that our other operational areas are.

Um and along with that is the ability to continue food justice, um, because you know, just you know, we haven't this last year as uh councilman Lavelle mentioned.

We still have grants that are out there, you know, a big part of that will be uh uh, you know, are this department will need to report back to you as council.

Like, how did that go?

What did that look like?

But that's also like something that is being tested and and happening in other cities, and we can be at the leading front of what it means to truly support that kind of work um at the city level, you know.

We're one of many food justice funds that ARPA helped to create, and I think that we should remain an active part of that community.

So I would say in the budget, that part of my request, you know, um would be on the top of my wish list because what it's going to do is make sure that regardless, you know, years in the future that this kind of work maintain is maintained as a primary um focus for parks and recreation, alongside all the other great work that we do.

Um, you know, that and aquatics.

I've changed on all of them, but yeah, and you know, councilwoman gross just to also just mention that your leadership in the food system space has been very helpful um in um our department's ability over these years to do things like have an intentional outreach and urban ag.

Um our department's ability over these years to do things like have an intentional outreach and urban ag um what we saw before that is that we have an awesome planning department with really smart people who are making lots of really smart plans about how we treat our land, but we didn't have the program complement.

So those things weren't able to happen.

But now those things are happening because we have the program complement.

So that would be the one area that I think if we could make sure that that investment stays um, you know, stay strong through these lean years.

I think it'll pay off in the future.

And um, you know, I honestly I think this is one of those things and one of those times when the city's struggling and you know all the good things you do, and we know what the what happened when we did cut some of these things in the past.

And they were horrific.

And I think it's important for our community partners to really step up now and know that we need help here, and the residents need help.

And you know, it'd be great to see either some investment in you know public safety equipment, but also in our youth.

And a lot with our senior programs because I mean a lot of times you those senior centers are a place for care for people to go work full-time while they're seeing while they're seeing your parents that they're caring for is uh you know, taking care of in a safe place.

And so, you know, I'm afraid my kids are gonna drop me off, so we I hope that's as nice as a place as a senior center, though.

But um but I but I just want to say I think that um it would be great to see people step up to the plate now and say, you know, we see the city of Pittsburgh struggling, we see a lot of things happening.

I do think that we have to be more mindful about the money that the grant funding that we get that we distribute.

It would be great to see our partners in the foundation community say to us, not just to the mayor's office, but to council members.

What is it that you'd like to see funded in and what's working in your community and how can we help you instead of us hearing their agenda and their constant um you know, movement forward to doing the things that they care about, it would be nice to know that they actually cared enough to come talk to the people that were elected, you know, by the people to represent those areas.

I would love for them to come talk to us.

And you know, I won't be here, but they can come talk to all of you.

Um but I think it would be great to say how you know how can we fund things and how can we help with this budget for this next you know, year or two.

And I and I think that when then we have to be mindful and we have to be agreeable to to be responsible with the funding that we're getting, you know, and any help we're getting.

So with that said, I just wanted to um thank you.

This is my last meeting I'll ever cheer for any budget.

I'm gonna be honest with you, I'm not gonna miss this part.

I love all the things we do to help people, but the budget meetings are like more typical.

But I have to say we have an amazing director in our our council budget office, and he makes up great folders and papers and you know, it really is helpful.

So you and Kirsten, I just want to thank you both for the work that you've done throughout this entire you know process, but for all the years that you've been here now.

Um that's three.

Uh four years.

I think it's my fourth budget cycle.

Yeah.

So budget second.

So thank you.

Great shout out to Kirsten, who does a ton of the work in the office.

So thanks to that.

Absolutely, absolutely.

Thank you to both of you and um to Sean Carter for the work that he does also.

And um I want to thank our our budget office, our Sergeant at Arms, our cable bureau for everything that they've done to help make all these meetings go smoothly.

But I thank you both for your work and um know that I we've not seen the end of you.

And um can't wait to see what happens next in your life.

I'm gonna be there.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

Thank you a lot for your leadership and your leadership of this team.

It's been an amazing six years with the city.

Oh, thank you so much.

It's been amazing.

You I'm gonna shut up right now.

Anyway, um with that said, um there's no further questions than can I have a motion to um recess or adjourn?

Recess.

Recess this meeting.

Motion to recess.

Second.

All in favor.

Meetings recess, thank you.

Sorry.

I thought you were got that part right now.