Commission or committee?
During its regular meeting tonight, the Caledonia Board of Aldermen is expected to determine how Ola. J. Pickett will be managed.
The board meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.
Tonight’s potential decision follows an Aug. 21 work session in which the mayor and aldermen considered two management structures to guide the park that has become the focal point of community events.
In addition to its baseball and softball fields and playground, the park now also features a soccer complex. A part-time park director now manages the facility, but the growth of the outlying community has created greater demands on the park, which calls for a new management structure, city officials say.
“For last 10 years, the park has grown to the point where we have to make a decision,” Alderman Matt Furnari said. “If we really want to take it to the next level and make sure the park is self-sustaining and profitable, we’re going to have to take some action. It can’t just be the status quo.”
The debate may come down to how much control aldermen want to retain over the park.
A committee would make recommendations to aldermen on park matters, giving the board full control of park decisions. But there is some sentiment among board members the growth of the park in recent years requires more attention than the board, which meets just once a month, can provide.
A commission, on the other hand, would function as an autonomous body, using state guidelines as a blueprint for its management. Under that plan, the commission would manage its own budget and appoint a parks director. Proponents say a commission would more efficiently manage the park.
“I’ve heard from three or four of the aldermen, and while I don’t think it will be unanimous, I feel like the majority favor of going with the commission,” Mayor Mitch Wiggins said. “I think the feeling is that the commission adds more accountability.”
Wiggins said although a commission would make decisions on park operation, the board would still exercise some control.
“It’s not going to be a rogue commission that does whatever it wants,” Wiggins said. “First, the board selects the people on the commission and, more importantly, the board ultimately controls the park budget. The money comes through the board.”
Tonight’s decision will clarify the town’s search for a permanent parks director. Mike Savage is operating as the interim parks director until the management structure of the park is determined.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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