Proposed $27 Million Budget for Parks, Recreation & Community Department Includes Expansion of Boxing Program

The Parks, Recreation & Community Department is proposing an operating budget of $27.3 million for fiscal year 2025.

The proposed budget is 3.5% higher than this fiscal year’s budget. The increase reflects the expansion of the Department’s boxing program as well as other enhancement requests.

“We’ve noticed quite the increase in demand for the boxing program and the success of most recently held the Golden Gloves tournament where we doubled the number of participants in that tournament. So with that, we’re asking to reclassify a part-time instructor, which is a 0.47 FTE [full time equivalent employee], to a full-time instructor at a cost of 63,529,” Koko Panossian, Director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services said at the Public Safety Committee meeting on May 15.

The Department is also requesting janitorial services funding for the newly opened Washington Community House which would cost $28,386.

The bulk of the budget is allocated to personnel costs, with $16.637 million allocated to personnel costs, $6.468 million to services and supplies, and $4.194 million to internal services charges.

At the meeting, Mayor Victor Gordo asked the Department to look into the cost of opening Villa Parke Community Center and Robinson Park Recreation Center on Sundays this summer.

All of the facilities being maintained by the Department are closed on Sundays.

“Given the level of interest in swimming on a hot summer day, I do think the cost associated with keeping both of our pools open on weekends would be interesting to see,” said Gordo. “I think it would be beneficial for kids and families to have our community centers available.”

The Department’s priorities for the upcoming fiscal year also include enhancing its marketing and communications, building partnerships with organizations to provide additional services and programs, strengthening the Parks After Dark program, and using the Citywide Park Assessment Report to develop an annual deferred maintenance program.

Panossian said the Department has maintained 26 parks, 2 joint-user parks, seven library grounds, 43 landscape median sites and 17 other landscaped properties totaling 951.87 acres this fiscal year 2024.

It has also completed the beautification and repair of projects including Sierra Madre Boulevard Median, Villa Parke Community Center Terrace, Robinson Park Recreation Center, Villa Parke wall, and Victory Park parking lot.

It has also provided on-site before- and after-school care for 646 students at 11 Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) schools and one recreation center and facilitated full-day programming for 404 PUSD students during fall, winter, and spring break.

This year, the Department also held summer day camps at six parks serving 684 children and hosted grand opening ceremonies and a variety of cultural and community events such as the Latino Heritage Parade & Festival, Black History Parade & Festival and Older Americans Month.