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| - Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato (D) unveiled a plan for the county's nine regional parks which advocates public-private partnerships, creation of a park authority and designation of funding to kick off the program. It's similar to an ordinance approved by Allegheny County Council four years ago which called for creation of a non-profit management team that would seek out private funding to enhance the county park system, says one county council member. One difference, said Allegheny County Councilman Vince Gastgeb (R-Bethel Park), is that under Onorato's plan, he calls for the county to match donations dollar for dollar, and direct $1 million to kick off the proposal. "We've got a budget crisis here," Gastgeb said. "We're facing a deficit in the county budget, and we have to find money for Port Authority ($1.4 million-$1.7 million). Combined it's about a $40 million shortfall we have to resolve by December. Dan is pressuring us to approve a 10 percent drink tax, and a $2 tax on rental car fees. I'd rather not raise any taxes. It's fair to say Democrats on council have been blindsided by this too." Public hearings on the drink tax are set for this week. The key components of Onorato's plan are the creation of a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization to raise private funds for the regional parks, and the establishment of public-private partnerships to operate some of the parks' major amenities and attractions. "We have a tremendous opportunity to raise significant private funds and generate revenue from the parks' assets to help with renovation of the facilities and development of recreational programs," Onorato said. Onorato said he will name a board of directors to oversee the Allegheny County Parks Foundation within 30 days, whose mission will be to raise private funds for the county's regional parks and the proposed riverfront greenway. To help establish the foundation, Onorato said he will direct $1 million from the county's capital budget to the new organization, and he has committed to matching the foundation's future fund raising dollar for dollar with county capital funds. "He cannot arbitrarily designate $1 million to go anywhere without the approval of county council," Gastgeb said. "I'd like to meet with Dan to see what his ideas are to balance the $40 million deficit, and go from there. We all want to approve the park system, I think we have to see how this plan differs from our ordinance passed four years ago." Onorato said the county will issue requests for proposals (RFPs) for adaptive reuse of the North Park Boathouse, Hartwood Stables, South Park Fairgrounds, and Boyce Park Four Seasons Activity Center, including the skiing and tubing area. The county would also seek a private operator for its tennis courts in Boyce Park, North Park, Settler's Cabin Park and South Park. In addition, Onorato said county officials will hire the National Golf Foundation in Jupiter, Fla. to review the county's golf course operations in North and South parks. "We want to take advantage of the private sector's creativity, energy and resources to help us maximize the potential uses of our major park facilities," added Onorato. "We are also open to future private-public partnerships to further enhance the development of our parks." Many of Onorato's suggested changes were previously recommended by the American Institute for Leisure Resources, a firm that conducted a study of the Allegheny County Park System this summer. The Institute's study and report were paid for by a $25,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation and Benedum Foundation. Gastgeb said county council would like to meet with Onorato to discuss plans for the parks, specifically what areas would be improved. "In South Park, Dan designates the fairgrounds as an area for public-private partnerships and that makes sense, but what about the other areas of the park? Can we do more? Will this plan move the tennis courts from the Oliver Miller Homestead, for example? What kinds of public-private partnerships does he endorse? I'd like to improve the entire park. That has been my goal since coming to county council." Onorato said he will explore the use of naming rights to also raise funds for the parks. Another recommendation Onorato asked staff to explore is working with law enforcement agencies to establish a supplemental labor force to perform special maintenance projects in the regional parks. This workforce could include weekend offenders, community service workers, welfare workers and juvenile work crews. To accomplish these goals, Onorato has named County Parks Action Plan Implementation Team, which includes Deputy County Manager Kathleen McKenzie, Parks Director Andrew Baechle, Public Works Director Tom Donatelli, Economic Development Director Dennis Davin and Administrative Services Director Tim Johnson. Onorato said he will host community meetings in or near all regional parks to solicit public input.
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