After spending over $6 million in 2002 to purchase and renovate a new headquarters building in order to centralize staff and save money, the Park Board is now decentralizing staff and adding a new layer of governance to the Park Board administration.

Three new area district manager positions have been created. Each position pays $90,000 for a total of $270,000, plus staff and office expenses. These area district managers will have offices that are located away from the headquarters building.

How essential are these three positions? Wouldn’t $270,000 plus costs have been better spent in supporting the Park Board’s underfunded battle against Dutch elm disease?