Last Words from Jason Marra

Jason Marra, Scarsdale's Superintendent for Parks, Recreation and Conservation announced that he will leave his job in the Village after seven years in Scarsdale. He has managed a myriad of recreational programs, the Scarsdale Pool, the camp and oversaw the rejuvenation of Hyatt Park and the restoration of Harwood Park. Marra will be working in Great Neck where he will manage an even larger program and budget. We posed a few questions to him and here is what he shared:

Please tell us about your background – I grew up in Harrison NY, Westchester County. Growing up I began developing a passion for parks and recreation not only from using my local parks and athletic fields as a child but at age 15 my first job was working as a summer day camp counselor for the Harrison recreation department. From that moment forward I worked for the Harrison Recreation Department doing almost every recreation job from maintenance to program instructor. This gave me an appreciation to all the work that goes into maintaining parks facilities and program planning.

Where did you go to school? Where did you work before coming to Scarsdale, how did you end up working here and how long have you been here? In what positions? – I have a Bachelor's Degree in Recreation and Leisure Studies from Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT and a Masters Degree in Recreation Education from Lehman College, Bronx, NY.

My first fulltime recreation position was right out of college at a not-for-profit agency in Purchase, NY at the Purchase Community House. My position was Recreation Supervisor and I was responsible for recreation programming for two years. Then I took a position as Recreation Supervisor for the Town of Cortlandt Manor, NY as I wanted to be involved in municipal parks and recreation. After three years at Cortlandt Manor I took the position as Assistant Superintendent of Parks, Recreation and Conservation for the Village of Scarsdale which I held for four years. In 2012, I was promoted to Superintendent of Parks, Recreation and Conservation for the Village of Scarsdale. I have been with the Village for just over 7 years.

What do you like best about the community and the people you work with?
I loved working in this community as many of the residents shared the same passion I have for parks and recreation and they understand the importance it has in improving the quality of life for the people in the community. There is a great deal of community involvement and volunteerism across a wide range of recreational activities. It was so enjoyable to work with the many volunteer organizations such as the many youth sport groups, the Friends of Scarsdale Parks, and the PRC Advisory Council just to name a few. Whether it was parks, youth sports, or conservation it was great to work with the community to make Scarsdale the best place to live.

Did you find anything to be unique about Scarsdale?
The expectations in Scarsdale were high to provide the best services which I appreciated. I always embraced being held to a high standard. As a parks and recreation professional I strived to be the best and provide the best services for the community.

What are some of the initiatives you are most proud of?
The Parks, Recreation and Conservation Departments goal is to build community and I am proud of the work my staff and I do every day. We are currently working on the Hyatt Park Rejuvenation project which has been amazing to work on. The Hyatt Park project was a complete team effort by the Village as multiple departments worked together to build what is essentially a new park. The redesign focused on fitness and health and I know the park will be enjoyed by many residents of all ages for many years to come. Although work is still in the process of being completed the soft opening of the park has been successful as youth of all ages have enjoyed the park. The official grand opening will take place in May which I plan to attend.
I am also proud of new programs such as the Community Planting Day which brought over 135 volunteers to assist in the restoration of Harwood Park, Parties in the Park which were special event family programs that showcased Village Parks, and the Youth Sport Jamboree which showcased the wide variety of youth sports available. All three of these program focused on building community and bringing people together.
My staff and I were also able to improve and redesign current programs such as youth soccer and youth tennis by providing quality professional instruction. I believe the programs being provided are of higher quality and more efficient from an organizational and scheduling standpoint.

Finally, I am very proud that we were able to increase our revenues for the Village by improving programs and creating new ones. Revenues that offset expenses increased by 7% during my tenure and we are now at 70% revenue that supports the entire PRC Dept. This is the highest percentage we have ever been and what makes this special is we did it by not increasing fees but by improving the quality of service we provide which in turn resulted in high participation and enjoyment.

What are the challenges of working in Scarsdale?
The only challenge I found in Scarsdale was to constantly be the best you can be.

What will be your new position in Great Neck? What are your responsibilities? What challenges are they facing now?
My new position will be the Superintendent for the Great Neck Park District. It will be an exciting position from a career standpoint as Park Districts are unique for New York State. Great Neck Parks is its own taxing district which means all tax revenue goes directly to parks and recreation. The department is larger from a full time employee standpoint as I will have 50 + fulltime staff in Great Neck compared to 11 fulltime in Scarsdale. Also the community size is about double that of Scarsdale. It will always be a challenge going into to new position as I will need to evaluate the current operations and put a long term plan in place. This will take some time as there are many considerations when operating a parks and recreation department and many times operations are designed around the unique community needs. From a community standpoint I believe I am well prepared and there are similarities between Scarsdale and Great Neck.

Where will you live – is housing as expensive there as here?
I have always been a Westchester boy so my plan for now will be to commute from my home in White Plains. My plan is to see how things go for a year or two and make a determination at that time as to what would be best for my family.

Were there any plans in progress here that you hope the staff will continue to implement?
One of the hardest things about leaving the Village at this time is walking away from some of the plans and initiatives I was in the process of working on. As I transition out of my position I will be putting into place some important initiatives for the future incoming Superintendent. My staff and I have worked on improving the senior programs which will be redesigned to offer additional services beginning in June of 2016. Also, I had planned to focus on the Weinberg Nature Center to make that an area not only for outdoor education but to focus on environmental and conservation education. I believe the Weinberg Nature Center could be a jewel that many other communities do not have.

Most importantly, a plan is in place for a community needs assessment and creation of a parks and recreation master plan. The master plan would be designed as a guide for future facilities improvements and program planning for the next 5 to 10 years. It believe this is essential to make sure that the community's needs are being met.

What has been one of the funnier or more interesting problems/issues you faced on the job?
The funniest moment actually happened my first week as Superintendent of Parks, Recreation and Conservation regarding geese. When I took over, the Village had a plan in place to deal with the overpopulation of geese in parks and athletic fields. The plan was to have the USDA round up the resident geese, slaughter them and use them to feed the homeless. Not surprisingly, many people had an issue with this option but I had no idea how much press there would be. I received calls from fox, cbs, nbc, and every other news organization to do interviews. It was strange since it wasn't my plan but I was thrown right into the media fire. I will never forget people calling after the interviews saying they saw me on tv taking about geese poop. I knew in my position I would always being talking to the press but I didn't ever imagine it would be about geese poop? I was known as the "geesebuster" for months. In the end, the Village did not go ahead with the plan and we managed the resident geese population through humane methods.

Last Words
It has been a pleasure working with the Village of Scarsdale and this community for the past seven years. The Mayor and Village Board have always supported and recognized the importance of parks, recreation, and conservation initiatives which have made things easier to accomplish. The Village Manager, Steve Pappalardo, Village staff, and the parks and recreation department staff have helped me develop into the person I am today and none of my accomplishments would have happen without them. It is very difficult to move on from this community as I look to advance my career but my heart will always be in Scarsdale.