Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver led an unsuccessful attempt to remove Starkville Parks and Recreation Director Herman Peters from his job Tuesday and vowed to continue discussions on a perceived lack of leadership in the future.
Carver attempted to tie the personnel move into the board’s acceptance of a master plan for its park system, saying responsibility for maintenance and facility issues falls squarely on Peters’ shoulders.
Specifically, the second-term alderman moved to demote Peters to sports coordinator and advertise the then-vacant park director’s position.
Carver aired his criticism of Peters in public, saying the department is “basically falling (apart) from the inside” because of an “if you don’t tell on me, I won’t tell on you” mindset plaguing its employees.
Evaluations of employees’ job performances are one of numerous topics that can be shielded by closed-door discussions. No attempt was made to go into executive session to discuss Peters’ position and performance.
Carver’s motion died without a second from his fellow aldermen.
“I don’t think the leadership is there now that’s going to take the proactive (steps) that I’d like to see. I would say, without mentioning names, a majority of the board probably feels we have serious issues down there with leadership,” Carver said. “I’m saying what a majority of the public is feeling at this point. I promise you I’m going to come back to this in six months or a year, and I’ll have more votes. I’ve at least made peace with the public, and they know how I stand. More than likely,
I’ll get applauded wherever I go tomorrow, and people will say I did the right thing,” he added.
Carver pledged to hold his position unless “drastic improvements” are made and said he would oppose new park construction efforts until Peters’ department “can take care of our own house.”
Mayor Parker Wiseman, who has worked closely with Peters since the city took over the once autonomous department, praised the park system’s director for his leadership as SPRD transitioned from commission control.
“I’ve been very pleased over the past year with how Mr. Peters has guided that department through a very turbulent time. It’s not easy for any organization to undergo a governance transition as the parks department has,” Wiseman said. “I believe (Peters) has done an excellent job responding to the concerns that have been expressed.”
Both he and Ward 2 Alderman Lisa Wynn said many of the park system’s issues are due to its lack of resources, not its personnel.
“I will tell you the playing surfaces have a long, long way to go, but I will also tell you with the resources they have, the playing surfaces have improved significantly since this time last year,” Wiseman said. “To do some of the things you’d like to do to those fields, you’re going to have to make major investments.”
“Let me get the elephant out of the room: If you want to be Oxford or Tupelo, you have to have money,” Wynn added. “You can hire anybody … but until you provide them with money … they will be a failure, also.”
Other aldermen declined to address Carver’s motion at the table, but Ward 3 Alderman David Little said future discussions on Peters’ job performance could be revisited in a future executive session.
Parks master plan
Aldermen unanimously approved Dalhoff Thomas Design Studio’s master parks plan Tuesday, which calls for hiring a maintenance manager to reorganize operations, creating a parks advisory board of community volunteers invested in the system’s success, controlling unauthorized use of athletic fields and lights and reviewing opportunities to contract out services in the next 18 months.
Other long-term goals include funding additional maintenance personnel positions, replacing aged and outdated playground equipment and ensuring SPRD functions under a detailed maintenance management plan.
The parks plan also states Starkville’s current park system will only provide about half of the acreage needed to support the city’s projected 2020 population estimate and needs to add about 50 acres to meet the demands of the next two decades.
Dalhoff Thomas recommends the city develop a large community park in southeast Starkville, two mini-parks north and south of Highway 12 and four neighborhood parks around the city’s northern, western and southern peripheries in order to meet the demand.
Developing these facilities and utilizing space-sharing agreements with Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District playgrounds will allow SPRD to cover a majority of areas zoned for residential development, planners said last month.
More than half of Starkville’s eight public parks are in poor condition, according to the report, and only the Greater Starkville Development Partnership-managed Fire Station Park received an excellent designation in previous assessments.
Dalhoff Thomas’ report evaluated each location on a three-point scale. Parks given a 1 are in poor condition, and the report suggests their elements need to be considered for removal or replacement. A two-point score carries a “good” designation, while a three-point score reflected no need for repairs or replacement.
Five parks — George Evans (1.93), Josey (1.33), McKee (1.78), Moncrief (1.45) and Westside/J.L. King Senior Memorial (1.70) — all received sub-two-point scores, while Patriot’s Park (2) and the Sportsplex (2.31) both received “good” designations.
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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