WM Parks Director eyes improvements in 2016

WM Parks Director eyes improvements in 2016

Plans call for city-wide approach to repairs, renovations

news@theeveningtimes.com

West Memphis Parks Director Lorenzo Parker presented the department’s 2016 budget proposal to the Parks Commission at the January meeting. He told commissioners that the budget hearing was amicable and went well. Parker showed a $750,000 plan for the neighborhood parks and the city’s recreation centerpiece Tilden Rodgers Park.

The salaries and benefits page remained level. Despite a citywide three percent blanket raise and a possible additional benchmark increase the bottom line showed identical to 2015 at $433,139. A $6,200 decrease for field and pavilion rentals income over last year projected an even $10,000 expectation against the budgeted amount last year of $16,200. Some supplies and services were tweaked netting a $9,759 savings over last year.

Parker highlighted one increase to commissioners within the capital improvement outlay. Last year, the money set aside for improvements was $15,000.

The director told commissioners this fund could be used on projects they had been eyeing with the fund that increased to $50,000.

While Parker himself had some ideas for improvements, he asked commis-

By John Rech