The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Department
State House Boston, MA 02133
(617) 725-4000
MITT ROMNEY
GOVERNOR
KERRY HEALEY
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 19, 2003
CONTACT:
Shawn Feddeman
Jodi Charles
617-725-4025
Katie Cahill (ENV)
617-626-1126
ROMNEY ANNOUNCES NEW UNIFIED PARKS SYSTEM FOR MASSACHUSETTS
Promising better services for less money, Governor Mitt Romney today unveiled a new Division of Conservation and Recreation to oversee the management of all state-owned parks, skating rinks, swimming pools and other recreation facilities.
“We should not accept the status quo,” Romney said. “Every park in Massachusetts should be world-class and the way to achieve this is to create a unified, world-class management system.”
Under Romney's plan, the new Division of Conservation and Recreation will merge the functions of the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) with the Department of Environmental Management (DEM), eliminating duplication between the two agencies and allowing them to maximize expertise and equipment. The Division of Conservation and Recreation will remain a part of the Department of Environmental Affairs overseen by Secretary Ellen Roy Herzfelder.
The merger is one example of the fundamental restructuring Romney will introduce as part of his Fiscal Year 2004 budget proposal. The MDC, long criticized as a patronage haven, was targeted for elimination by Romney shortly after he took office.
“It is time to quit tinkering around the edges with an organization that over the years has proven immune to serious reform,” Romney said. “Massachusetts taxpayers and the people who use our state recreational facilities deserve better. Under my plan, they will finally get the accountability and cost-efficiency we should all expect from those entrusted with the management of our public funds.”
Within the Division of Conservation and Recreation, a Metro Parks Bureau will address the needs specific to urban parks and recreation centers, maintaining the visions of Frederick Law Olmsted and Charles Elliot in a comprehensive way. The Metro Parks Bureau will also retain custody and control over the parkways system, with road maintenance being handled, in accordance with preservation guidelines, by a Parkways Bureau within the Division of Public Works at the Transportation Department.
Over the past few decades, numerous studies have exposed the management problems and inconsistencies within Massachusetts' state parks system. In addition to the blueprint laid out by those studies, Environmental Affairs plans to convene an Implementation Advisory Group that includes local officials and community representatives to assist in the design and implementation of the details for these new Bureaus.
On a broader level, some of the key objectives for the Romney administration include plans to institutionalize community involvement, volunteer support, and public-private partnerships within the new parks system as well as create transparency and accountability in the management systems.
“Collaboration is the cornerstone of this administration,” said Doug Foy, Chief of Commonwealth Development. “Our ability to reach out to constituencies within and outside of the state house will enable us to create the most successful public parks and recreation system in the country.”
The new Division will fall under the new Executive Office for Commonwealth Development, which also consists of the state's Housing and Transportation agencies.
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