Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s plan to turn over about 28 recreation centers to private groups took a major hit yesterday when only 12 bids were submitted – and just five bids were initially accepted as meeting minimum city requirements.

The poor response increases the likelihood that dozens of rec centers could be shut down after Dec. 31 unless additional money is found. Hours of operation are expected to be cut at the centers that remain open.

While city officials refuse to put a number on the facilities that could close, informed sources told The Brew last night that Recreation and Parks currently has enough money to operate only 25 of its 55 rec centers after Jan. 1.

This means that even if all 12 bids were accepted – which appears unlikely – about 18 rec centers would still have to be closed under the city’s budget restraints. “This is a scenario we don’t want to see happen,” said a city official.

Recreation and Parks, which runs the centers, had hoped that a wide array of neighborhood, civic and “grassroots” organizations would step up to run the centers. Transferring management would free the city from the cost of updating aging and sometimes dilapidated facilities.

Last year, the centers provided 294,244 “program experiences” for city youth, according to Recreation records.

But with little information and even less publicity provided by the city – in part to avoid political blowback during the mayor’s reelection campaign – few community groups were aware of the pending changes to the rec programs.

Within her administration, Rawlings-Blake has made cutting back the number of old and small rec centers – and expanding and modernizing facilities that will remain in city hands – a priority.

She’s made little effort to discuss her plans publicly, preferring to let Deputy Mayor Kaliope Parthemos and Recreation and Parks take the initiative.

First Hint of Trouble

Last week, about 125 people protested the privatization or potential closure of Roosevelt Park Rec Center, which has served Hampden for many decades.

For City Hall insiders, however, the protest was not the first sign of trouble.

That came during the Sept. 15 pre-bid conference at City Hall when just 17 potential bidders showed up. Many were small for-profit companies. Only three were identified with neighborhood groups.

The number of applicants was whittled down to 12 when the sealed bids were opened yesterday.

The city comptroller’s office last night released five of the bids to The Brew – the only media group that waited for the results – and referred the seven other bids to the law department to determine whether they met the city’s minimal requirements.

The five rec centers and their proposed managers are:

• Brooklyn O’Malley – Boys and Girls Club of Metro Baltimore
• Liberty – Little Dimples II
• Roosevelt Park – Little Dimples II
• Towanda – Park Heights Renaissance Inc.
• Woodhome – Little Dimples II

The seven bids undergoing legal review are:

• Barclay – John Darrell Brantley Financial Services
• Bocek – Katrina M. Anderson/Granny’s Place
• Coldstream – Reclaiming Our Children and Community Project
• Collington Square – Reclaiming Our Children and Community Project
• Easterwood – Omega Baltimore
• Hilton – Reclaiming Our Children and Community Project
• Lillian Jones – Reclaiming Our Children and Community Project

Who Are the Bidders?

Little Dimples II is owned and operated by Thomas Hardnett Jr., who runs the Phyllis Wheatley daycare center in East Baltimore and a second daycare center in Somerset County, Md.

The bid proposes to operate Roosevelt Park, Liberty and Woodhome as for-profit centers whose specific youth and adult programs would follow an extensive survey of the needs and interests of the communities.

Little Dimples expects to earn the bulk of its income from daycare centers at the facilities. Its budget anticipates first-year revenues of $365,000 and a net income of $78,822. The company said it would use $300,000 in “seed money” offered by Recreation and Parks ($100,000 for each facility) to pay for building improvements, computer equipment and public outreach.

Park Heights Renaissance, a non-profit community group, projects a budget of $250,000 a year for Towanda, with support coming from the slots money provided for the Park Heights Master Plan area and from Sinai Hospital. The group says it will have a full array of sports programs, arts and crafts, adult and senior activities, and life skills classes.

The Boys and Girls Club said it currently serves 2,500 children and young people at four club sites and the Juvenile Justice Center. The non-profit proposes to operate Brooklyn O’Malley on a $895,000 first-year budget.

The other submissions were not open to public inspection.

No Bids from City Schools

The current city budget reduces funding for Recreation and Parks by $518,747, with the bulk of the cutbacks coming after Jan. 1.

A mayor’s task force has estimated that the city could save between $300,000 and $400,000 a year by spinning off rec centers to third parties. The task force also recommends modernizing rec facilities that remain in public hands (city voters approved a $12 million bond issue to build new rec centers).

One group that the city was counting on to take over some rec centers was Baltimore City Schools.

The school system was expected to bid on rec centers located in school buildings. Bill Tyler, recreation bureau chief, said last week that rec centers could be a good solution to school space needs. serving as classrooms during the day and used for youth programs afterhours.

But no individual school – or the central administration – submitted a bid yesterday.

Given the poor results, Recreation and Parks is considering a second round of RFPs (Request for Proposals) with new incentives to engage community groups.