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MAMARONECK, NY Parks within the Village of Mamaroneck may see an uplift this year now that the Parks Division has been separated from the Department of Public Works.
On Monday, the majority of the Board of Trustee voted favorably to separate the two divisions into separate departments. Originally, they were two separate entities, but were consolidated in 1968.
Sometimes we change things for the better, and sometimes we change things and look at the past and say, Maybe the past was better, Trustee Toni Pergol Ryan said at the board meeting. People who saw what the parks looked like in the past wanted to see them look that way again.
During 2010 and 2011, a consulting firm reviewed the Sanitation Division and Parks Division, both part of the Department of Public Works, and advised the village to separate the two divisions for better productivity. Often workers from the Parks Division were used to fill in for workers in the Sanitation Division, leaving the Parks Division shorthanded.
I feel, along with the majority of the board, that the separation will improve the productivity of the park division and the appearance of our parks in the village, Mayor Norman Rosenblum said.
Since 1968, the Parks Division has been supervised by the Department of Public Works, which is overseen by the village manager, currently Richard Slingerland. Now, Slingerland still will oversee both departments, but he will have the discretion to share workers between the two as he sees fit.
During times of flooding and snow, the village manager will be able to move workers around to get various jobs done, such as clearing waterways of debris prior to storms, cleaning up debris after storms, fall leaf pick up, snow removal and tree planting. But, for the most part, each department will operate independently.
This will help the village operate to its peak potential, Rosenblum said.
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