[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of East Fishkill 3-31-2011 by L.L. No.,
1-2011. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Parks and recreation areas — See Ch. 136.
A.
The Town of East Fishkill has a long and rich history of providing
excellent recreational facilities and programs to its residents. Over
the last few decades, the Town has acquired property constructed and
improved parks, provided fields, skating rinks, community center,
and other facilities for the use of the Town residents.
B.
The Town's recreation program has over the years been administered
by volunteers from the community who has served unselfishly in service
of the Town. As times change and the programs increase, the Town has
slowly hired employees to assist one part-time Recreation Director
in the operations of the programs while still relying heavily upon
volunteers.
C.
While it is still appropriate to continue to encourage volunteers
to assist within the programs, changing times and increased activities
are causing the Town Board to consider hiring additional staff to
effectively manage the programs and the recreational facilities of
the Town.
D.
The need to have employees supervise the programs and staff is being
driven not only by the large numbers utilizing the facilities but
new insurance regulations, programs requirements, funding concerns,
etc.
E.
It is with the best interests of the residents of the Town in mind
that the Town Board hereby enacts this chapter which the Town Board
hopes is an appropriate mixture of employee staffing with volunteer
input and involvement to continue the great quality of recreational
programs and facilities that the Town of East Fishkill has become
known for.
There is hereby established within the Town of East Fishkill
the Department of Parks and Recreation, which pursuant to Town Law
shall be deemed a separate and independently functioning department.
It shall be the responsibility of the Department of Parks and
Recreation to be responsible for the operation and maintenance of
all recreational facilities within the Town. Furthermore, it will
be the responsibility of this Department to administer all recreational
programs sponsored by the Town and to coordinate the use of the Town
facilities by any group within the community who utilizes the Town's
facilities for the betterment of the recreational need of the Town.
The Director of the Department of Parks and Recreation shall
be responsible for the overall operation of the Department. The Director
shall be responsible for the day-to-day operations and shall supervise
all employees within the Department and shall be responsible for communicating
on a regular basis with the Town Supervisor and Town Board and the
Town Recreation Advisory Board as hereinafter established with respect
to all information necessary for the Town Board to ensure the proper
functioning of the Department and the recreational programs of the
Town. The Director shall be considered a department head in accordance
with the provisions of Town Law.
Over the last few decades, the Recreation Director of the Town
has worked ably and efficiently in administering and establishing
programs of the Town. In recognition of the long service of this employee,
the Town Board has determined that upon the initial creation of this
Department, the position of Associate Director should be established
so that the appropriate person may be hired by the Town to learn the
duties and the history of the program from the current Director and
to assist the current Director while transitioning in the future whenever
the current Director may seek to retire or leave the position.
There shall be such Assistant Directors as the Town Board from
time to time determines are appropriate.
The position of Recreation Leader is hereby established. The
Recreation Leader shall be an employee whose job description shall
be in accord with the provisions of Civil Service Law and will provide
assistance with respect to providing recreational programs and duties
within the Town. The specific number of said recreational leaders
shall from time to time be fixed by the Town Board by virtue of budgetary
appropriations. The Recreation Leader shall be an employee of the
Town and shall report to the Director of Recreation and assist the
Director in whatever assignments are given to the Recreation Leader.
The qualifications of the Recreation Leader shall be as set forth
in the civil service requirements of said position but shall include
educational training and/or experience in the field of recreation
programs within the State of New York.
Under the supervision of the Recreation Director and Associate
Director, the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds of the Recreation
Maintenance Division shall be charged with the day-to-day care and
maintenance of all park land owned by the Town of East Fishkill and
shall keep the same in a manner that is usable for the Town purposes
and as required by the Director and the Town Board. The maintenance
workers shall perform all duties as required in the furtherance of
the programs of the Town and maintenance of the facilities.
There is hereby established in and for the Town of East Fishkill
a Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Said Board shall consist of
seven members of the community who shall be appointed by the Town
Board. The members shall be appointed to seven-year terms. Immediately
upon the effective date of this chapter, the Town Board will duly
establish the first Advisory Board, and the members thereof shall
be appointed for terms ranging from one year to seven years. If the
members of the Town Board cannot agree as to what person shall be
appointed to what length term, a lottery will be held to determine.
The first person appointed shall be for a fixed term of (x) years
as determined by lottery. The members who shall be appointed will
be selected by the Town Board, and the Town Board shall consider their
demonstrated interest in the Parks and Recreation programs of the
Town. It shall also be that the members shall be of diverse backgrounds,
from different geographical areas of the Town and of different sporting
interests as well as general recreational interest within the Town.
The Board will choose a Secretary from amongst the members of the
Advisory Board.
A.
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board shall have the following
duties:
(1)
To recommend qualifications and specifications which shall be met
by prospective nominees for the various departmental positions.
(2)
To formulate and make recommendations upon basic policy with respect
to the parks and recreation programs of the Town.
(3)
To develop and recommend long-range plans for park and open space
acquisitions and facility development in conjunction with the Director
of the Department.
(4)
To recommend a capital project plan which shall be submitted to it
by the Director and when so received and recommended shall be submitted
to the Town Supervisor and the Town Board for funding and further
consideration and approvals.
(5)
To recommend all matters having to do with the regulation, use, fees
and charges with respect to parks and recreation programs and facilities
and to comment upon any other matter that will be referred to the
Board by the Director of Recreation and Parks.
(6)
On an annual basis, to review the proposed budget submission of the
Director prior to its submission to the Town Board and to provide
comment and recommendation thereon.
The Advisory Board shall meet once each month on a date to be
selected by the Board and may hold such other meetings as the Board
from time to time may determine. Four members of the Board shall constitute
a quorum. Whenever approval by the Board is required, a majority vote
of those present shall be required. Any member of the Board absent
from any three consecutive stated or adjourned meetings shall automatically
forfeit his or her appointment unless renominated by the Director
and reconfirmed by the Town Board to the unexpired term. Upon the
recommendation of the Chairman and the approval of the Town Board,
the renomination and reconfirmation may be waived if an active member
is absent with justifiable cause.
The Town Board shall designate one member of the Board to be
the Chair of said Board in each calendar year.
The Director of Parks and Recreation is hereby vested with the
authority to formulate and promulgate any rules or regulations necessary
to implement the intent of this chapter. Said rules and regulations
may relate to any aspect of the services provided by the Department.
Said rules shall set forth the requirements and limits for the delivery
of services to the Town residents. All rules promulgated hereunder
shall be filed with the Town Clerk and posted upon the Town Clerk's
official sign board, and the Town Clerk shall submit said rules to
the Town Board at a regular meeting. Said rules shall take effect
30 days following their filing with the Town Clerk unless rejected
by the majority vote of the Town Board.
The Director of Parks and Recreation shall submit to the Advisory
Board for review and recommendation his estimate of receipts and proposed
expenditures in connection with the preparation of the annual budget
prior to the submission of said estimates to the Supervisor and shall
set a time for a conference with the Advisory Board on such estimates
which may be the date of any regularly scheduled monthly meeting.
Prior to the Town Board authorizing any capital purchase or
improvement payment from the recreation trust fund, it shall refer
said proposal to the Recreation Advisory Board. The Recreation Advisory
Board will review said proposal and deliver their comments and recommendations
to the Town Board. The Town Board shall not authorize any expenditure
from the recreation trust fund until the Recreation Advisory Board's
comments are received or more than 30 days has elapsed since the date
of the referral.
