CHC 1979-02-06 - Laserfiche WebLink

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DEPARTMENTAL It was moved, seconded and carried that the TESTIMONY: Rules be suspended and the Commission return to the Departmental Testimonies. PARKS & Introduction was made of Mr. Milton Hakoda, RECREATION: Director who presented the Commission with his prepared statement. MR. HAKODA: This, as you are aware, is the overview of the department. It is charged with the responsibil- ities of maintaining and operating recreational yeas and facili- ties under 'bounty jurisdiction. . It has as another major function, the conducting of organized recreational activities. Senior citizens are provided, in addition to recreation, a nutrition service, a volunteer program and community service employment. The reason I mention this is that there are three basic depart- ments, divisions , rather, in the department which are the parks maintenance, the recreation program, that is the organized program and another big program is the elderly activities or the senior citizens program. Traditionally, the state has operated those recreational areas and facilities which tend to conserve or enhance our natural resources and they tend to operate those facilities which are considered passive recreational. The county:;: on the other hand, has developed and conducted programs and facilities which cater to the more active types of recreational activities, such as ball fields, tennis courts , swimming pools, gymnasiums, etc. To carry out our responsibilities , the department is organized into three major divisions and seven sections. The divisions consist of parks maintenance, recreation and elderly activities. The sections, of course, are administration and we have a number of facilities which do not quite fit into one of the divisions and they are the municipal golf course, the County Band, the zoo, our culture and arts program, the Hoolulu complex and aquatic section. The department operates and maintains about 140 facilities on about 1 , 100 acres of land which consists of about 50 neighborhood parts and playgrounds, 29 gymnasiums and recrea- tional centers, 28 beach parks , 7swim pools , a golf course, a zoo, an equestrian center, a drag strip, and 3 cemeteries. In other words , we go all the way from the cradle to the grave, literally. In addition, the department has jurisdiction over the 2 County Bands , the one in Hilo which is the Hawaii County Band, and the Hamakua Band in Honokaa, the culture and arts program and summer fun program. There are 170 full time regular positions auth- orized. The elderly activities division employs 20 exempt full time positions. These are primarily federally funded. You might call them contractural positions. In addition, there are 64 part-time regular and 12 part-time exempt workers; The Hawaii County Band and the Hamakua Band are staffed by 40 and 24, respectively. The summer fun program which runs for about seven weeks during the summer employs about 200 summer workers. -7-