Director Keeps Nutley's Recreation Budget in Line

Commissioner Mauro Tucci has directed Nutley's Department of Parks, Recreation and Public Properties since 2000, and said he wants to balance costs while keeping a recreation program that is competitive with others in the area.

To do that, Tucci said he is undertaking a complete reorganization of the department, looking into each position and the dollars being spent.

"We need to maximize the use of every dollar, like we've done with installing new synthetic turf at Monsignor Owens Field," he said. “That will now save us money going forward because it needs less maintenance and allows us to use the whole park as much as possible."

On July 12, Nutley recreation officials broke ground on a 169,000-square-foot synthetic turf field on Owens Field off Park Avenue, with two regulation-sized softball fields, a regulation sized football field and short-sided soccer fields for younger children.

With personnel, Tucci said a frugal economic climate means that every position is being evaluated. With some employees thinking of retiring, Tucci said making the right transition is key.

"We need more boots on the ground and less administration," Tucci said. "Those 3 or 4 percent salary increases add up, so we need to put the most people into the programs while keeping taxpayers in mind."

"It's not easy, but it has to be done," he said. "We have to continue to make things better even while things are changing. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

Keeping all the programs and improving the quality is more important than ever during tough economic times, Tucci said.

"We're not stopping programs now," he said. "People now are staying closer to home, and we have to keep people productive, all while we're doing more with less."

Tucci said the recreation department has about 125 programs in addition to the special summer clinics for sports like wrestling and football, and the programs include everyone from toddlers to senior citizens.

"If we don't keep our programs, we will be like every other mediocre town, and that's not what we want for Nutley," Tucci said.

Parents at the Owens field groundbreaking complimented the recreation programs, saying they can’t wait to walk around the new track, while their children tossed softballs, laughed and kicked around a soccer ball after the official ceremony.

The programs include a diverse variety of youth sports activities and programs for seniors and adults, which listed on the township website.