Manila center's funding mulled By Matt Kapko Eye Reporter The Arcata Eye November 18, 2003 An ad hoc committee created to address and resolve issues at the Manila Community Center met last Thursday for the last in a series of meetings. The bulk of discussion was directed at specific wording for the committee’s report that will be sent to the Manila Community Services District Board of Directors prior to its meeting this Thursday at 7 p.m. The committee and audience presented a diverse range of suggestions for resolving the center’s budget shortfall. There are many plans for improvements that will enable the center to eventually run on a sustainable basis without its current reliance on funds from water and sewer services. The district’s boardmembers have been wrangling over issues regarding the budget and appropriate grant options for months. It was nonetheless an issue again, when the Ad Hoc Community Center Committee discussed proposals for the district’s approach to grant funding. The verbiage and wording used in the report quickly came under fire as many residents and committee members were uncomfortable with a phrase in the report that said planning is “reactionary to funding that is available.” Mostly, the desire was to admit that funding is pursued when opportunities arise, but also that community planning is well founded on staff and public input. Director Michael Fennell, a member of the ad hoc committee, said short-term planning is more reactionary to funding availability and the budget at hand. Long-term planning, he said, is less a reaction to opportunities and more the product of years of long-range planning. Dendra Dengler, recently elected to the board and member of the ad hoc committee, looks at the issue more pragmatically. She said, “No matter how much planning we do” no improvements will happen without funding available. Jerry Martien, the ad hoc committee chair, said planning and opportunities have driven improvements and development in the past. Bringing the opportunities down to a realistic level, General Manager Judy Hollifield said, “There is no money. Right now the Community Center is on a shoestring budget.” Many residents soon made it clear that they would like to see a special committee created to oversee all grants, track the implementation of grants, and report back to the board with their progress. Dengler, the current chair of the parks and recreation commission, said those duties already fall under the commission’s responsibility. Fennell seemed to not appreciate the commission’s role in overseeing grant use as he said it has yet to bring concerns to the board regarding grant problems. “Four out of five years we’ve had a budget deficit,” he said. “The commission has never come to the board with complaints.” For some, the confusion over grant tracking responsibilities was reminiscent of other overlapping responsibilities with other staff positions at the district. Echoing that sentiment, Joy Dellas, Manila resident and member of the parks and recreation commission, said, “There’s no clear process for how things are supposed to be done.” Soon the meeting came into true Manila form as a range of issues were discussed that didn’t necessarily fall within the ad hoc committee’s role. Some residents voiced their recurring concerns with accountability. These issues soon died down as Martien suggested the debate return to the actual report at hand. “We’ve got to work creatively with what money and talents we have,” he said. The report is expected to be finalized with the approved changes and ready for presentation to the board at its meeting this Thursday at 7 p.m. Home