Clovis recreation programs benched

Devastated by budget cuts, Clovis is shutting down most city recreation programs today.

The recreation department headquarters in a cavernous former winery at Clovis and Dakota avenues, home to programs for children and adults for 11 years, will close.

Clovis is among the many cities in California and around the country that have had to cut city services because of plummeting sales and property tax revenues.

Because recreation programs have to compete for the same dollars that also pay for police and firefighting services, they are frequently first on the chopping block.

“It’s just a matter of priorities,” said Michael Coleman, a fiscal policy adviser with the League of California Cities. “When your priority is clearly public safety, then a lot of times the culture and recreation kinds of things take a back seat.”

The cuts being made by Clovis will dismantle every program held in the recreation center.

Recreation officials haven’t given up, however. They’ve been holding brainstorming sessions to find ways to raise money and find volunteers to help keep recreation programs alive, because community interest remains high, said recreation supervisor Glen Beatrez.

“Our programs are the fullest they have ever been,” he said. “It’s just the overall funding we get.”

Clovis recreation programs serve 150,000 to 200,000 people each year. However, the Clovis recreation staff has declined from nine employees two years ago to two employees now, including Beatrez.

The recreation division budget, which was $877,000 two years ago, is $206,220 this year.

“It’s pretty disappointing,” Beatrez said. “It would be different if our department wasn’t used, but we definitely are reaching a lot of people.”

The only program that will remain after today is adult softball.

Staffing has been cut back at Letterman Park skate park but the facility remains open, as do the batting cages at Sierra-Bicentennial Park.

Other Valley cities also are being forced to make cuts.

Fresno is closing community centers two hours earlier to save money, but the city was able to limit the impacts of substantial budget cuts with volunteers, donations and partnerships with other agencies, said Heather Heinks, a Fresno parks and recreation spokeswoman.

A shrinking budget forced the city of Tulare to eliminate its aquatics program for the summer and also to replace its senior center cooks with a contractor.

Hanford officials reduced part-time staffing and imposed fees for programs that were traditionally free, said Scott Yeager, the city’s recreation director.

Hours also were modified for the city’s community centers, he said.

The city will likely have to eliminate more programs and will target those that attract few people or require high subsidies, he said.

To help close Visalia’s budget gap, officials closed one community center on Saturdays and reduced staff size by not replacing retirees, said Eric Frost, Visalia’s finance director. Visalia also replaced its senior center cooks with a contractor.

Although they are often first to be cut, recreation programs provide health benefits to a community, said Jody Hironaka-Juteau, professor and chairwoman of Fresno State’s department of recreation administration.

“You are choosing between public safety and what some people see as value added,” she said.

Some people with disposable income don’t use recreation programs, but many young, elderly and cash-strapped residents rely on them for low-cost activities, she said.

And those programs often help young people develop self-esteem, socialization, leadership skills and sharing, Hironaka-Juteau said.

“There are benefits aside from the activity itself,” she said.

Her son, she said, caught his first fish through a Clovis recreation program that now has been eliminated.

With people losing jobs and taking fewer vacations, low-cost options to participate in healthy activities should not be taken away, Hironaka-Juteau said.

Between jump shots and dunk attempts, a group of basketball players said they were disappointed the Clovis center was slated to close.

“We haven’t found a lot of places to play indoors,” said Robbie Armstrong, 21, of Fresno, who has been playing in an adult basketball league for five years.

Outdoor basketball courts are usually too warm for games in the summer, and they can present hazards such as pavement cracks.

The Clovis center “is a nice place to play, and I’d rather play indoors,” Armstrong said.

Jared Friesen, 23, who lives near the recreation center, said he has been a regular visitor for three years because it’s the only indoor basketball court near his home.

He said he may go back to skateboarding.

“It’s definitely kept me out of trouble,” he said. “It is a nice facility and sometimes it’s packed and hard to find a place to play.”

HOW TO HELP:
Clovis Community Foundation has opened an account for tax-deductible donations to help Clovis Area Recreation. Send to: The Clovis Community Foundation, P.O. Box 1531, Clovis, CA 93613-1531. Put Clovis Area Recreation’s name on check memo line. Information: (559) 324-2780.

The reporter can be reached at mbenjamin@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6166.