ROCKLAND, Maine — Rene Dorr said he does not know what his future holds after he ends his 16 years as director of the city-run recreation department.
“Maybe I will pound some nails. I did that while I was in college and for a few years after,” Dorr said.
The Rockland City Council gave unanimous approval Monday night to an operations agreement with the Penobscot Bay YMCA that will end the city’s recreation department as of Oct. 1. The agreement runs for two years with an additional two-year extension allowed if both parties agree.
The city will pay the YMCA $84,000 for the first year of the agreement and $130,000 in the second year. The subsidies in the following years will be tied to the rate of inflation.
The city will be responsible for maintaining the community building and paying for utilities at that complex.
The YMCA is required to provide Rockland children through eighth grade with a free membership for the Rockland community building during the hours the YMCA has it opened — currently planned as noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The YMCA said it does not plan to run the building for programs during the summer.
The YMCA will operate the summer camp program at Chickawaukie Lake, youth soccer, youth and adult basketball and an after-school program.
Dorr was hired to be the city’s recreation director beginning in January 2000. He is a graduate of Medomak Valley High School and the University of Maine at Orono, where he earned a degree in physical education and recreation management. He was health and nutrition director for four years for the Knox County Head Start program in Rockland and later was a physical education director for the elementary schools of School Administrative District 5 for nearly two years before being hired as the city’s recreation director.
The veteran recreation leader said he is disappointed that the City Council opted to end the city-run program.
“I’ve put a lot of time and effort into the program,” Dorr said. “We’ve made it a better, safer place for children.”
Dorr said that last year was the first year in many that the entire building was available for use because of ongoing renovation projects.
The city spent $661,000 on renovations in 2009 and 2010 that resulted in the center being closed for eight months. That work included installation of a new gym floor, a sprinkler system, new retractable bleachers, a new boiler and underground oil tank. New locker rooms also were constructed in the space previously occupied by a racquetball court.
After those renovations were done, the city received a report from engineers and architects that called for additional work on the structure to prevent leaking that was creating mold and air quality problems.
In November 2011, voters supported borrowing up to an additional $675,000 for such work. The vote was 1,107 to 656 in support of borrowing money for the recreation facility repairs at the same time that voters rejected money for a new public works garage.
The exterior bricks were repointed and roof work was done to prevent leaking.
Dorr will remain in his position through Dec. 30 to help the YMCA with the transition. After that, he said he doesn’t yet know what he will do. He said his son is a high school junior and he does not want to relocate until he graduates.
The director said he felt one of the important parts of his job was to connect with young people and to create a place for them to feel comfortable. He said that during the summer, young people went to the facility for the free community breakfast program and then those youths played basketball or just hung out at the center or walked around town with their friends before returning for the community lunch program.
“That’s the community benefit we had running [the recreation program] through the city,” Dorr said.