Rec Committee Wants Assistant Director Position Reinstated
The Falmouth Recreation Committee is gunning to bring back the assistant recreation director position, which has not been filled since Joseph Olenik vacated it to take over as recreation director in 2016.
At a recreation committee meeting on Wednesday evening, April 13, the committee discussed the differences between the former assistant recreation director position and the current program director position, of which the recreation department has three.
Board chairwoman Sandy Cuny said that she put the item on the agenda for discussion because she spoke on the subject at Town Meeting in November. She saw it as an opportunity to “get it out there” that while the town is trying to create additional positions at town hall, some positions remain unfilled.
Ms. Cuny said a town meeting attendee asked Jennifer Mullen, director of finance, if the money for the unfilled positions is in the budget, to which she replied yes. But Ms. Cuny said after Town Meeting that the town has not funded the position. Committee member Robert Brown noted that the town stopped funding it about two years ago.
“That’s why, when they hired Joe, they said ‘you’re not going to get an assistant, you’re going to get a program director,’” Ms. Cuny said. “They never put the money in the budget, so all this time that we’ve been asking for an assistant director, they have [had] no intention of doing it.”
Mr. Olenik left the assistant recreation director position to serve as acting recreation director in the wake of Helen Kennedy’s retirement in February 2016. He was named recreation director in April 2018.
The duties that Mr. Olenik was responsible for as assistant recreation director—coordinating summer camp, scheduling fields, placing orders, and some additional administrative things—are now split up among the staff of himself, three program directors, and an administrative assistant. One of the three program director positions is vacant as well.
Committee members estimated that they have discussed bringing back the assistant recreation director position for at least the past four years.
Ms. Cuny suggested that the committee write another follow-up letter to the select board to reiterate their concerns.
Grant writing, she said, could be one of the responsibilities of the assistant recreation director.
“There’s grant money out there,” Ms. Cuny said. “That’s what I said an assistant director should be doing. They should be hired and they should help with grant writing.”
Retention of program directors has historically been tough, committee members agreed. When asked what the reason was for the last employee’s departure, Mr. Olenik replied that a few employees have left to become either directors or assistant directors for recreation departments in other towns.
“That’s what I’m saying,” said committee vice chairman Mike Heylin. “What’s going to happen when Kingston, Duxbury, those places will give you more money for the exact same job or double the money?”
“It’s a terrible reason to lose people,” said committee member Thomas Zine.
Mr. Brown asked Mr. Olenik if both of his program directors currently have part-time jobs to “make ends meet” and pay for housing, to which he replied yes, although neither lives in Falmouth.
The committee’s discussion of the cost of the two positions was frank, and it was said that the difference in yearly salary between the program director position and the assistant recreation director position is, at maximum, an additional $20,000 to what the town is already budgeting for.
“This is ridiculous,” Mr. Heylin said. “I thought they were fighting over an entire salary and benefits. This is just $20,000 if that.”
Mr. Brown said that his fear of not having an assistant recreation director is threefold: the town will need that position someday, turnover in the department is a problem, and this position should be thought of as one of knowledge and authority, which is an important piece in maintaining a safe environment for the children.
The committee voted to send a second letter to the select board to discuss the issue.