All activities under the control of the Greenville Parks and Recreation department are back on schedule after the department was temporarily suspended and the director resigned.
The resignation came on the heels of a weekend festival that may end up costing the city more than $100,000.
Greenville City Council member Bill Brozovich said the council felt it was important to get the parks and recreation department re-opened while investigations continue into the mis-management of the festival.
Brozovich said the council still doesn’t know how much the festival may end up costing the city, but should find out in the next few weeks.
“But all activities in the parks and rec department are a go,” Brozovich said.
The phone lines are open to Buster Brown and any events or rentals are still on the schedule.
The suspension came after the city council voted 5-0 at last week’s regular meeting to enter an order suspending the department until “such time as an Accounting of Revenues and Expenses Related to the Taste of Soul Culture Fest is Provided to Greenville City Council by the Greenville Park Commission.”
Councilwoman Lurann Thomas-Kingdom abstained from the vote.
Mayor Errick Simmons in a statement said, “Mayor and Council are aware of the issues and/or concerns associated with the Taste of Soul Culture Fest. We are conducting an internal review and will report and respond transparently on any actions taken on this matter.”
The outcome of the festival was much more different than what Parks and Recreation director Corey Holmes had envisioned, in some parts due to unanticipated inclement weather conditions Saturday, which was slated to be the weekend’s “main event.”
Nonetheless, an event projected to yield proceeds that would be utilized for improving Parks and Recreation facilities and activities resulted in an abrupt halt to the operation.
At a June 15 special meeting, just two days prior to the event held June 17-19 on the Washington County Convention Center grounds, the council voted to authorize an allocation of $150,000 from the “Parks and Recreation Budget to the Petty Cash Fund for the Taste of Soul Culture Fest conditioned upon approval by the Parks Commission for all Contracts associated with the event and specification from which line items the transfer will be removed from Parks and Recreation Budget.”
Such a motion to approve Holmes’ request was made by Councilman Vernon Greenlee and seconded by Councilwoman Thomas-Kingdom, before being unanimously approved by the council.
The Greenville Park Commission consists of five members and is responsible for the Greenville Parks and Recreation department — the operations and the administration of services, Simmons noted.
“They receive two mills for their budget and the Greenville City Council appropriates and subsidizes funds to complete their budget every year,” he said.
According to the minutes of the June 15 special meeting, two members of the Greenville Park Commission — Al Rankins and Scott Rainwater — were also present for the meeting.
The $150,000 was allocated from among four of the Parks and Recreation department’s personnel line items — park administration, park maintenance, park activities and the municipal golf course.
The city council also voted at a May 17 regular meeting to authorize the transfer of funds from three line items in the Parks and Recreation budget to the petty cash account after receipt of an authorization letter by Rankins, president of the Greenville Parks Commission and confirmation from Holmes that such funds were available.
Councilman Al Brock’s concern at that time was whether there was a contingency plan in place given the request made the second time funds, roughly $30,000, would be moved.
“Hypothetically, if you don’t return those funds, are you in a position to continue to function and operate with the budget?” Brock asked Holmes.
“With the line items that I have, I can continue to operate from now until the end of the budget year,” Holmes replied, noting additional funds in the golf course line item.
Holmes informed the council he would be following up after the May 17 meeting with a report of revenue that had been generated from online ticket sales up to that point in an effort to put council members “at ease” and show that people were supporting the inaugural festival.
The decision to spend such a significant amount of money on artists was a “big” one for Holmes, but he was confident in the draw the featured lineups would likely create.
He also felt the festival would bring tax revenue and tourism to the county and demonstrate the positive impact such an event could have on the county.
Now, questions remain about the impact the suspension of Parks and Recreation will have on the various youth and adult summer league team activities.
With all that has been said by city officials thus far, those answers will require patience and possibly a positive result from the ongoing internal review of the department’s accounting.
