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Assignment 1: Anatomy of a Problem

Eva Youman

Walden University

Anatomy of a Problem

Local parks and recreation director has contacted me for consultation on possible ways to stop decreasing or redirecting of department funds. Since the closing of the local mill 15 years ago the town has suffered financially, especially in the parks and recreation department. Layoffs, infrastructures have all been implemented to keep the light on in the parks. Since the increase in vandalism and gang-like activities tenure, local constituents want parks and recreation funding to be redirected.

Problem Statement

Reducing of parks and recreation funding should be redirected to police and public safety to help curb ongoing gang-like activities. Increase in tenure residents seems to sale the city council on implementing these fund to public safety. The city has seen the increase in immigrant population, graffiti, and vandalism. No needs to keep continue or increase parks and recreation funding when it could be used to facilitate on going gang-like activity.

Correlation

What correlations I noticed were between the new residents and possible gang-like activities. Vandalism, graffiti does correlate with gang-like activities. This may have generated an increase in the ongoing problem, but more research would need to be done to determine when these type of activities began. However, the two has nothing a little to do with another unless this can be proven further. The local park is for local communities and visitors, decreasing or redirecting these funds could cause a decline in property value and even tourist.

Perspective A

As a consultant, my perspective would be to explain the importance of parks in cities and towns what type of revenue they can generate for the city if more time is put into the upkeep.

Anatomy of a Problem

Parks and recreations serve as an asset to build communities. Implement Adopt A Spot program as used in The City of Shawnee. This gives local community volunteers or groups the ability to help out and clean their local parks, and at the end of that program, the section of the park would then be named after family or group that kept that area clean. "City of Shawnee Adopt-A-Spot is designed to give volunteers an opportunity to contribute to the maintenance, improvement, and beautification of our community."(The City of Shawnee, n.d.). This would alleviate outside funding for maintenance on the up keep and generate funding for parks and recreation.

Perspective B

The city council feels that by reducing and redirecting parks and recreation funding to police and public safety. This would deter or slow up gang activity that the elder residents are complaining more about. Currently refusing to pay the electric bill to keep parks lights on until 7 pm and to extend playground hours would be a waste due to the current graffiti and vandalism going on. The City council feels this would eliminate some of the vandalism and other activities carried out by the youth if more police were available.

Hypotheses

The hypotheses I came up with to help me resolving this problem is if volunteers donate time to keep with maintenance four times out of a year that would eliminate the cost of maintenance throughout the year. If equipment is updated with volunteer time, then the park would begin to generate business from visitors who may have heard about your local Adopt-A-Spot-Program. Once the locals see the improvements, then I'd generate a spot on the ballot for Parks and recreation which also could lead to future ongoing funding. Once tourist began to visit, the town would then began to generate revenue for the upkeep and funding for parks and all would be well financed.

Anatomy of a Problem

Analysis

Once I took on this problem my intuition immediately kicked into play. I began brainstorming things to be implemented for cost-free improvements and maintenance to make the parks more family and neighbor oriented and beautiful. I immediately felt I had all sorts of ideas to help keep this parks and recreation up and running not only for the bored youth but for the beautification of the community and the possible increase in property value it could generate. I noticed that volunteer time is offered for other amenities within the city. Adding this same type of volunteer time and the donation from developers to install new equipment for people who won't improve their health which could lower their medical bills. This could also lead to less vandalism and graffiti in the town if the parks were open until 7 pm for youth to spend time, exercising, skateboarding all can be donated put together by the same group or other community members willing to help.

In conclusion, the parks and recreation for this town could have become obsolete. With the tenured residents felt that the up and coming changes caused and effect in their way of living what they had been using to before new residents moving in. I think more time should have been taken to think over the resolution to this problem instead of immediately redirecting. I feel the reasons were not sufficient enough. Youth today are our future the last thing anyone wants to do is to shelter them from what's available to be free.

References

City of Shawnee. (n.d.). Adopt-A-Spot. Retrieved from: https://cityofshawnee.org/residents/volunteer_opportunities/adopt-a-spot