Hundreds of Essex Junction residents have signed a petition asking the village to transfer oversight of the Recreation and Parks Department from the school district to municipal government.
The petition was submitted last week to both the Essex Junction Board of Trustees and the Prudential Committee, the school board for K-8 schools in the village that also oversees recreation programs. Roughly 330 people signed the petition, and organizers eventually hope to gather up to 1,000 signatures.
The petition asks trustees and school board members to collaborate on the “transfer of governance.” Alluding to a stalemate between village and school officials about how soon that work should occur, the petition urges the boards to quickly meet and study how best to make the change “in an orderly and timely manner.”
The petition marks the latest development in a months-long controversy that started when an advisory committee recommended eliminating a popular baseball field at Maple Street Park to free up open space for other activities.
Read more: http://www.essexreporter.com/EssexReporter/Petition%3ATake_back_recreation_department__.html