Response From Beach & Parks Commissioner

In response to comments made in City Council Chambers and around the community, Dr. Dennis Frisch, seat 1 incumbent candidate for the Commission has responded…

Greetings Boca Watch readers,

Thank you for being a concerned and informed citizen.  The upcoming Greater Boca Raton Beach and Parks election has become overly and unnecessarily politicized. Both of my opponents campaign platforms are based on improving relationships with the City of Boca Raton.  That makes for nice reading and a warm, fuzzy sentiment.  It does not however tell the story. Had either of my opponents made more than token appearances at  District meetings and had they truly investigated the issues they would understand the communication issue better.

The District pays the City of Boca Raton over 15 million dollars a year for park services.  Questioning this budget is NOT adversarial.  It is NOT being confrontational.  It is all about being fiscally responsible and a diligent caretaker of YOUR tax dollars.  You elected me in the past to do this and I take that responsibility seriously.  The District and the City are in the midst of negotiating a complex Intralocal Agreement which is designed to reduce 8 different agreements to one master agreement.  This is changing the way we have interacted since the District was formed in 1974.  There are some bumps along the way in getting this done..  And that is good.  What is ineffective is the way the District and City staff interact on this.  The elected officials need to discuss the process more and be directors of policy making.  I have, and will continue, to propose development of a Policy & Procedure Manual to create a working document that will outlive the current elected officials.

I presented some of my concerns about communication and interpretations before the city council during their July 26th meeting.  I encourage you to view this on the City of Boca Raton web site. I appeared  at approximately the 3:16 mark (3 hour 16 minute).

The Sugar Sand Playground repair and replacement has definitely taken longer than any of us would have hoped.  This issue primarily dealt with safety issues and the bid process for construction. The City was not involved in this in anyway.

The District has worked with the City effectively for years.  This will continue.    The current work on the Intralocal Agreement has only affected one project which is the  development of Phase 2 at Spanish River Athletic Complex and the installation of artificial turf at Patch Reef Park.  The District had hoped to develop Phase 2 first and then proceed with Patch Reef.  Proceeding in that order would maximize the availability of athletic fields and have the least effect on sport programs. The District will go ahead and continue planning and improving Patch Reef Park and continue to advocate for  Phase 2. The current work on the Intralocal Agreement has NOT caused any other  delays in service, NOT affected any plans for future development of parks, and  is NOT the issue in this election.  This is about YOUR parks.  It is about effective stewardship of YOUR tax dollars.  It is about asking questions that need to be answered.  Asking questions is not confrontational nor should asking questions be portrayed as bad relationships. The District welcomes your input.  We have an open and transparent meeting. Please attend and ask your own questions.

Respectfully, Dr Dennis Frisch

BocaWatch.org will be hosting a debate moderated by Randy Schultz.  All candidates will be present on August 11, 2016 at 6:30pm, Boca Raton Community Center.