Authorizing City Council's Committee on Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs to hold public hearings regarding the relationship between the Department of Parks and Recreation and the various organizations and individuals that support and use facilities operated by the Department.

WHEREAS, Philadelphia has over 11,187 acres of parkland, 254 playgrounds and 156 recreational centers; and 220 miles of recreational trails; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia's Park facilities includes 405 ball fields, 465 basketball courts, 1 disc golf course, 2 environmental centers, 6 golf courses, 55 gymnasiums, 242 historic structures, 21 hockey courts, 5 ice skating rinks, 1 indoor pool, 70 outdoor pools, 140 picnic sites, 6 spray grounds, 279 tennis courts and 8 war memorial parks; and

WHEREAS, The Philadelphia Parks Alliance reported that Philadelphia spends approximately $46 per resident for parks and recreation and $6,375 per park acre; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia employs 3.8 Parks and Recreation employees per 10,000 residents and; and

WHEREAS, Over 120 Recreational Center Advisory Councils and formally organized “Friends” groups, along with over 30,000 individual volunteers, serve 200 Neighborhood and regional parks. According to the Philadelphia Parks Alliance, those volunteers worked 235,000 hours in Philadelphia's parks in 2012; and

WHEREAS, Numerous other park users are organized into less formally recognized groups that may not have formal legal status but are otherwise long-term users of the parks; and

WHEREAS, Philadelphia's Parks and Recreation facilities, and the organizations who support such facilities and the individuals who enjoy those facilities, are a vital regional asset, and there is a great need for further exploration as to how the City can help foster and encourage the growth of our the relationship between our Department of Parks and Recreation and those organizations and individuals; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PHILADELPHIA,

That we hereby authorize the Committee on Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs to hold public hearings regarding the relationship between the Departments of Parks and Recreation and the various organizations and individuals that support and use facilities operated by the Department.

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