Sports and parks ask $10M; committee presses on playground grants, racetrack costs and utility overruns

The Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation asked the Legislature on June 25 for $10.03 million in general-fund support for FY2027, with personnel and fringe costs accounting for most of the request. Commissioner Vincent L. Roberts told the budget committee the department oversees more than 120 positions across three divisions and manages territorywide parks, rental facilities and vendor spaces.

What the request covers: DSPR proposed FY2027 totals include $5.38 million for personnel and $3.29 million for fringe benefits; operational supplies and other services are modest line items in the general-fund request, while the department also manages several federal and non-appropriated accounts for capital projects.

Capital work and grant balances: Roberts said his team used a federal grant to install more than $800,000 of playground equipment across 12 sites and plans additional site amenities and fencing; an EDA award has funded planning for an Oppenheimer Beach coastal-protection project and other local improvements. The department also reclaimed $5 million previously allocated for a racetrack project, completed 100% of facilities design and procured an equine surface mix for the Ronald "Doc" James racetrack; Roberts said bid packages will be issued soon.

Committee concerns: Senators pressed DSPR about contractor performance on a DOI-funded court-resurfacing contract (a contractor claim is being developed with DPW and DPP), the pace of federal-grant spending (several awards still have major balances), and unusually high utilities expense—Carol Peters, DSPR's finance director, reported utilities at roughly $721,000 through late June and noted FY2025 utilities ran about $846,000, far above the department's $85,000 utilities line in the FY2027 request. Roberts said the single-payer utility process is handled centrally but acknowledged lighting and water costs have risen with new facilities and recommended energy-efficiency measures already under way.

Other items: DSPR described a pilot facility-based staffing model to assign grounds crews to specific parks (reducing vehicle and fuel usage), creation of a special enforcement unit to manage vending, crowd control and theft, and plans to increase revenues through paid parking and market-rate facility rentals.

Nonprofit grants and disbursement: DSPR administers $1.48 million legislatively earmarked for 38 nonprofits; officials told the committee only modest amounts had been released so far ($100,000 to one group and $350,000 in seven applications in process), and that many organizations had not yet submitted formal requests. The committee asked DSPR and OM to improve outreach and release timetables so community programs can begin this summer.

What's next: Committee members requested breakdowns of outstanding vendor invoices, the current status of EDA and DOI grant balances, details on the racetrack sand and equine-mix procurement (price, tonnage and shipping), and a plan to manage utilities and energy costs across the park system.