Flint,
MI January 27, 2010 -- Genesee County Parks and
Recreation Commissioners and staff have learned a lesson
that others would be wise to consider: $10 ideas add up
big. And fast.
What
started as an initiative to save a little money became
an all-staff effort to save jobs and thereby preserve
park services for the residents of Genesee County. And
the result was huge. In just 10 months, the group
tallied up savings of $167,000 in fuel, office supplies,
electricity, postage, uniforms and telephone charges –
after expenses.
Faced
with an ever-shrinking budget, Amy McMillan, director of
the Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commission,
headquartered in Flint, Michigan, turned to her think
tank – her staff – for help.
“I put
the challenge before them,” she says. “Whenever we need
to reach out or communicate or get something done, we
are always more successful when we bring the staff in on
the plan to get their ideas and their support.”
McMillan
asked the staff to think of ideas they could implement
that would each save the Commission $10.
“$10
ideas seemed a good benchmark because that is the
average cost per hour of the average seasonal employee,”
says McMillan, who has directed park staff for 10 years.
“$10 is an amount we can all relate to when thinking
about our personal budgets. $10 ideas seemed do-able. I
hoped we could save between $25,000 and $40,000.”
The
six-figure payoff stunned her.
“We set a
goal. We met that goal. We blew that goal out of the
water!” McMillan says with her signature enthusiasm.
Practical
suggestions were quickly implemented. Cell phones used
by seasonal staff were put on “vacation” mode to save
monthly fees. Computers, screens and typewriters were
turned off at night. McMillan agreed to let staff wear
blue jeans instead of the uniform pants that are
purchased for them. And when possible, sand is being
used in place of salt for snow and ice control.
Staff
also suggested adding one day to the routine mowing
schedule to save fuel and labor, and they advocated for
“grow not mow” by enhancing natural features of the
parks and reducing areas that need to be regularly
mowed.
An
“office supply round-up” encouraged everyone to empty
their desks and offices of supplies they don’t need so
other staff can use them. Trophies were switched from
mugs to less expensive medals. Even a step as simple as
changing the default to black on the color copier saved
money by eliminating accidental expensive color printing
Some
staff took the challenge one step further by proposing
revenue-generating activities such as cutting dead ash
trees in the parks and selling it as firewood at the
county campground and holding a giant garage sale at the
county’s historic Crossroads Village. Revenue was not
included in the final tally.
“Our
11,000 acres of county parkland belong to the residents
of Genesee County,” explains McMillan. “Residents pay
for their care through a property tax millage that they
voted for. They love their parks – many are used 365
days a year - and they support the services needed to
maintain them.”
As
properties nationwide have declined in value, and as
businesses such as General Motors request tax abatements
to ease their own financial woes, McMillan has watched
Genesee County millage revenue decrease dramatically.
She
worried that losing staff would result in closing some
parks - an option she says is just not acceptable to
her. That $167,000 in savings meant jobs were retained
and park services continue. It equates to roughly 16,700
hours of labor – enough to keep machines running and
workers mowing, and it leverages grants received by the
parks from local funders such as the CS Mott Foundation.
There’s
another side to the $10-idea victory that pleases
McMillan. It’s the economic impact – the domino effect
of a person earning a paycheck.
“That
$167,000 keeps our staff employed – and they, in turn,
can buy groceries and gas and shoes for their kids, pay
their rent or mortgage, and take their family out for
supper,” she explains. “The expenditures of those who
are still employed help keep others in the county
employed as well.”
Many of
the savings realized this past year will continue to
make a difference in the
commission’s bottom line for years to come.
“In some
cases, we’ve changed forever the way we do things” says
McMillan, who now reads by energy-saving light bulbs and
turns off her computer before she goes home.
McMillan
gives full credit to the employees and members of the
Commission who, she says, consistently put jobs and
services ahead of other priorities.
“Our
employees love the county parks,” say McMillan. “They
know that what is good for the parks is good for them.
They were proud to be part of this campaign, and every
time they do something as simple as turn out the lights
after leaving a room, they know they are part of its
success.”
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-- In its
effort to responsibly manage and balance the quality and
diversity of natural habitat, the Genesee County Parks
and Recreation Commission is contemplating a tentative
archery only, deer harvest by lottery at For-Mar Nature
Preserve and Arboretum. In the event the Parks
Commission decides to proceed with this program, it has
determined that it will prequalify potential
participants. To participate in the program, you must
pre-register in person at Genesee County Parks and
Recreation Commission main office, located at 5045
Stanley Road. Parks office hours are Monday through
Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Deadline for
pre-registration is Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 5:00
pm. A $5.00 non-refundable registration fee is required.
Participants must be Genesee County Residents and are
required to take an archery proficiency test to qualify
for the program. Qualified archers will be entered into
a September 30, 2009 lottery. Those selected will be
notified by phone on October 1 or 2. All prequalified
participants will be notified if the Parks Commission
decides not to conduct the program.
The proficiency test dates
are Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20 from
10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The test will be held at the E. A.
Cummings Center’s 4H Barn and conducted by Genesee
County Parks and Recreation Commission’s Rangers.
The program is scheduled
to be conducted when For-Mar is closed to the public on
Monday and Tuesday. Tentative dates are October 5 & 6,
12 & 13, 19 & 20, 26 & 27, November 2 & 3 and 9 & 10.
All DNR rules apply and participants will be required to
wear hunter orange hats. Additional details will be
given at the time of pre-registration.
For-Mar Nature Preserve
and Arboretum is owned and operated by the Genesee
County Parks and Recreation Commission and is located at
2142 Genesee Road, Burton. For more information, please
contact Chief Ranger, Greg Parks at 810.726.7100, ext.
830.
# # #
Second Film production this year to come to
Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad
Flint, Michigan
- For the second time this year Genesee County Parks and
Recreation Commission will host a film production at
Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad. When Dean
River Productions’ Line Producer, Kevin Reidy, entered
Crossroads Village for the first time his initial
response was, “This is way better than a studio back
lot. Crossroads Village is actual historic buildings,
not replicas or sets. And the best part is having a
real steam engine railroad. I think when the film
industry finds out about this place, it will be booked
all the time.”
Filming will begin early
in September at Crossroads Village. The working title
of the new feature film is Alleged. The film is
about a talented young reporter who is stuck in a rural
Tennessee town in 1925. When a few town fathers hatch a
plan to host “The Trial of the Century” over coffee cups
at the local drugstore, our reporter sees the trial as
his opportunity to finally break into the journalistic
big leagues. The background for Alleged is the
real “Scopes Monkey Trial” and the movie incorporates
many actual historical people and events. The real
trial (which was indeed the “Trial of the Century”)
involved a high school teacher’s violation of a
Tennessee statute prohibiting public schools from
teaching that mankind evolved from monkeys.
The film will be directed
by Tom Hines. Alleged is his second turn at
directing. Tom’s first film,
Chronic Town,
was an official selection at The Sundance Film Festival
(2008). The stars of Alleged will be announced
in the coming weeks.
With over 150 cast and crew
members expected during the production, local hotels and
down town lofts will house crew and the production
company. Thanks to the assistance of the Genesee
Regional Chamber of Commerce, Dean River Productions
will rent both office space and house set production at
the location previously occupied by Red Ink Studio
across from the Farmers Market.
Local casting will be held
at Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad. Times,
dates and other location details will be posted at
www.geneseecountyparks.org, Facebook and Youtube. Line
Producer Kevin Reidy, who has produced over 40 films
including Georgia Rule, HOOT, and Ever
After, has also agreed to host workshops on film
production and set and wardrobe design at Crossroads
Village and Huckleberry Railroad. Times, dates and
location details for these workshops will be posted at
geneseecountyparks.org, Facebook and Youtube.
A formal announcement of
the film production will be made at a 10:30 am press
conference on Thursday, August 6 at the Colwell Opera
House at Crossroads Village. For more information,
please contact Genesee County Parks Director, Amy
McMillan at 810.736.7100, 800.648.7275 or at
amcmillan@gcparks.org.
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Flint, Michigan 48506