Recreation and Park Department (RPD) Partnerships and Resource Development and Planning Division has made leasing out, closing up and otherwise limiting community access & programs in clubhouses its urgent mandate as an alternative to "shutting out the lights" as RPD's option resulting from revenue shortfalls.
Clubhouses are a community asset built and maintained with taxpayer funding. The members of the D11 Council adopted the following clubhouse policy outlining several areas of both concern and minimum requirements we believe must be incorporated into the subject of any RFPs or MOS’s relating to clubhouse leases.
1. RPD’s clubhouse plans must be considered individually, because each community’s programming & use of its clubhouse is different.
2. Remove the Cayuga clubhouse from any lease decisions. It won't be open for two years.
3. Clubhouses were designed & built to provide a certain type of programming responsive to meet the needs of the local communities. RPD, not the community, should come prepared to offer a list of all the possibilities they know can work in the clubhouse. The community can add to that and give final approval.
4. RPD needs to state whether its “Big Picture priority” is revenue first, use secondary or use first, revenue secondary.
5. Each clubhouse must have its own customized RFP, not a blanket system-wide RFP.
6. The community must know in advance, (1) the selection committee guidelines for a successful vendor proposal, (2) the higher “tweaked” weighting given to one section over another to total the 100 points.
7. The Community wants to see the vendor list (just the names, not the bid info) before the RFP is selected so the community can know who’s competing for their community space in what might be a permanent occupancy & participate in the decision.
8. The community needs to have input into the selections guidelines and final approval of them. RFP selection committees (including 1-year leases) should include at least one community member.
9. The current RFP process & selection favors existing 501c-3s & commercial vendors already “on the list.” RPD should design paths to open up leasing for local community-based programs to resident neighborhood community groups & qualified professionals.
10. The City should set up a structure to assume the liability for the resident neighborhood community groups, volunteer teachers & local qualified professionals to offer programming in their clubhouses.
11. Lessees must only offer recreation programs and abide by the RPD scholarship program.
12. Community access must be part of any lease agreements and free community access hours must be a requirement for a successful RFP applicant.
13. Clubhouse leasing must be equitable throughout the City so lower economic communities receive access to alternate funding opportunities on par with communities that can afford to pay for clubhouse usage.
14. Leased clubhouses must include open public restrooms during park hours.
15. Lessees selected should hold Open House community meetings to inform them about the programs they’re offering in their Clubhouses.
16. The RPD community outreach process needs to be totally transparent.
17. The RPD project manager should appoint someone who knows SF and outreach processes to perform this vital task.
18. RPD needs to recognize diversity & improve its community outreach in several languages, including Chinese, English, Spanish, Tagalog to find out what the community wants programmed in their clubhouses. The community groups will also do outreach within their community.
19. RPD needs to share the contact list names of all individuals and groups that are being contacted -- not necessarily the addresses-- so that the neighborhoods and the public can check them for completeness.
20. When members of the public sign up for meetings and other information, they should be notified that their names may be put on a public list and given a choice to "opt-out". Before making the department list public, RPD can send out a reminder notice explaining the new outreach and public transparency procedures to everyone on the list.
21. RPD’s Scholarship Policy must be clearly stated, posted and staff conversant with its availability. Inability to pay should not be a barrier to participating in programs.
(Rev. 12.21.10) Prepared by Linda J. D’Avirro, Secretary, District 11 Council