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Simsbury Parks and Recreation chair backs separating cultural functions into a standalone body
Summary
David Busch, chairman of Culture, Parks and Recreation, told the Charter Revision Commission that creating a separate arts/culture body could help focus programming and attract events, and said staff and selectmen support further discussion; commissioners raised questions about staffing and membership.
The Charter Revision Commission on April 15 received comments from David Busch, chairman of the town’s Culture, Parks and Recreation Commission, who said a standalone cultural body could help the town pursue events and programming that currently sit partly outside the parks-and-recreation operation.
"The idea that we place so much emphasis on culture, on music, on programming, in this town...gives the ability for an organization, a group of folks to focus on one thing and one thing only," Busch told the commission, arguing that a dedicated cultural commission could pursue larger cultural projects without diverting Park and Rec’s operational focus.
Why it matters: Separating cultural work from parks and recreation could change budgeting, staffing and the way cultural programs are developed and supported. Busch said staff does not expect an immediate new full-time director for culture and that any budgetary impacts would be discussed with the Board of Selectmen.
Commissioners pressed for details the charter would need to address. They noted a current charter clause (Section 704, paragraph 3) that names a "director of cultural parks and rec" as a full-time administrator responsible for the cultural, parks and recreation program; commissioners asked how that clause would read if culture were split from parks and recreation.
Busch said a separate cultural commission would not necessarily require a new full-time staff position at the outset. "No. I don't necessarily believe [a full-time director is needed], but I think that's a great point of discussion that we can have with the Board of Selectmen," Busch said.
Commissioners also discussed membership, partisan or unaffiliated representation and attendance expectations. Busch and others said the commission currently has nine members and that the group values having a mix of longtime volunteers and younger residents; he said the commission supports keeping nine positions to preserve that balance.
The commission was advised that code-level changes — for example, dog-leash rules, alcohol or cannabis policies in parks, or operational details — are more appropriate to the town code and Board of Selectmen than to the charter. Commissioners encouraged Parks and Rec to submit any formal charter language in writing for review.
