The Courant, whose coverage of Manchester has been, er, lackluster at best, published a worthy article in Saturday’s paper.
According to the Courant, Chris Silver, Asst. Director of Recreation, has been efforting an expanded programing schedule at the former East Side Rec. Center when Bennet comes back on line later this year. Estimates indicate that it will cost approximately $230,000 to provide for a full-year of intense programing, both drop-in and scheduled. The densely packed proposal includes opportunities for all ages, with a particular focus on Manchester’s youth.
Several months ago the Democratic Directors proposed a resolution that would require funding the entire proposal, however, that initiative was dismissed by the Republicans, who indicated a desire to postpone substantive discussions until budget season, when they will presumably discuss the necessity of the program and then fail to fund it, citing “budget constraints”.
Town Manager Scott Shanley has indicated that his budget proposal, which will be released in the coming weeks, allocates about $83,000 to fund the “core piece” of the plan. Highlights of the plan include:
• The “core piece” of drop-in adult and youth basketball, a fitness center, a homework and social room, adult fitness classes and a junior basketball league, similar to what used to be provided;
• The “6th Grade Rocks After School” program, which would include two projects already operated in different town facilities. One is Living Well After School, a pilot program run at the local YMCA, where Robertson School elementary students learn about health and are physically active. The other is the Center for Service Learning that started at Bennet and was moved to Illing Middle School when Bennet closed.
• A high school and middle school leadership camp during school vacations.
Silver has indicated a willingness to work with the Town Department of Recreation to identify private grants and alternative funding sources to help offset the cost differential. Silver’s dedication and innovation are examples of what makes Manchester such a wonderful, and desirable, town to live in. Town employees genuinely care about the future and direction of Manchester and are willing to go well beyond their job descriptions to bring about authentic and necessary change.
Silver concluded the article by saying, “”For every program that you cut within a community, you might as well fund another police officer because you’ve taken an opportunity away for kids and it leads to unwanted behavior and action. It really is time to stop talking about [helping youth] when you have a comprehensive plan in front of you.”
Posted by gmyd 
