It was only a matter of time.
Three members of the five member recreation board resigned last week — leaving it unable to function.
The November monthly meeting was canceled.
Board chairman Johnny Thigpen Jr. and members Barrett Boatright and Timothy Griffis all resigned.
Thigpen Jr. and Griffis did not cite specific reasons for resigning. Boatright said he resigned due to work and family obligations.
There may be more to the story, however.
The Times has received word this week of turmoil, confusion and disagreements at the Pierce County Recreation Department between the director, the county commission appointed recreation board and parents of participants.
Here we go again. Commissioners were warned when they revived the recreation board in the fall of 2022 that the arrangement was ripe for conflict.
We’ve been here before. A joint recreation board was abolished in 2011 after the Blackshear City Council withdrew from a joint department — amid the same kind of infighting and conflict that seems to be going on now.
Then, meetings dragged on for hours and the department had eight directors in 10 years.
We were optimistic when the newly revived board was formed. Members Thigpen Jr., Boatright, Griffis and the two remaining members, Brad Arington and
Is the recreation board really a great idea?
We need to trust the person that we put in charge and not micro-manage the department
Anna Saucedo are all honorable people — parents who have children in the department or who are volunteer coaches dedicated to helping our kids.
Our hopes were further lifted when veteran coach and former Middle School Athletic Director Coach Maureen “Mo” Brown was hired to be the new director.
Since then, our hopes have been dashed.
We know Coach Mo can do the job. She led a very successful sports program at the middle school for years.
We commend the board members who volunteer their valuable time to serve their community and help assist the recreation program. We realize service on such boards is often a thankless and unenviable task.
So, what is wrong here? Meetings drone on and on with no agenda made available in advance. Few votes are made on policy.
Sources in county government indicate the department is over budget and purchases are made without getting bids.
Discussions ramble, ranging from reports on facilities, to hosting travel teams all the way to how to cook french fries.
Parents have privately complained to The Times that decisions are being made on the fly and no one seems to know who is in charge or what’s going on. There is no order and no direction to the department.
We’ve heard decisions are being made by text messages. That is no way to operate.
These are very serious problems that need to be addressed. In fact, they must be.
The Times suggests the county commission step in and restore order.
We don’t care how it is done. They may elect to allow the recreation director to be fully in control of the department.
Or, they may decide to allow the recreation board to set policy and give instructions to the director for those policies to be carried out.
If the latter is the choice, those decisions are to be made in a public meeting and debated and voted on in the sunshine.
It’s got to be one or the other. It can’t be both. This is far too important to stay in such a mess. Our recreation department deserves better. More than that, we owe it to our children to get this right.
At long last folks, let’s just do it.
