Missing money and a party featuring alcohol and male strippers at an Atlanta recreation center has resulted in the firing of three city employees.
An investigation summary obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from a city official details circumstances surrounding the missing money and an April party at the Rosel Fann Recreation Center that featured alcohol and nude male performers. The city prohibits adult entertainment when it rents its facilities for private functions.
Yet, two staff members of Atlanta’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs secretly rented the facility for the stripper party. They then kept the rental fees for themselves, according to a report from the city's Law Department.
"I am shocked and disappointed at what I have heard," said Atlanta City Council member Joyce M. Sheperd, whose district includes Rosel Fann, which is located on Cleveland Ave. in south Atlanta.
She called for specific measures -- including briefings for staffers on rules and policies -- to make sure the incidents never happen again.
In another instance, a chaperone from the Office of Recreation failed to report sexual contact between a 14-year old girl and a 16-year-old boyduring an overnight trip in early May to Sapelo Island on the Georgia coast. The girl had had sex with a 16-year-old boy while in a room that was supposedly under the direct supervision of the chaperone. The chaperone was unaware of the sexual encounter before the group left Sapelo Island, according to the report.
That employee was fired Friday. The AJC was unsuccessful in attempts to reach the staff members implicated in the report and is withholding the names of the employees.
A fourth employee was also fired after allegedly taking money in exchange for documents that falsely showed people on probation had completed court-ordered community service hours. He appealed his firing and was reinstated by the Civil Service Board.
"This can and will not be tolerated," Sheperd said in a statement Friday afternoon. "We must make sure that we are running a disciplined, safe and healthy work environment for our youth and family."
Some steps have already been taken in the wake of the incidents.
The Office of Recreation has created a more stringent procedures requiring all building facility rentals to be properly documented, and for all rental deposits to be reported within 24 hours. The Office of Recreation suspended all co-ed overnight trips to Sapelo Island, and all staff members got mandatory child-safety training.
"We're being very tough and very serious before we re-start any of these activities," said George Dusenbury, the department's commissioner.
It is not known how much money was pocketed at the undocumented party. Dusenbury said he believed the city has not been able to recoup the cash.
In the future, an online reservation system, along with weekend and evening checks of facilities, will help the department keep track of events and the flow of money, he said.
"We are making improvements and will continue to make improvements," Dusenbury said. "We sent a message that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior."
Opening the city's 33 recreation centers after they had fallen victim to budget cuts was a major first-year priority for Mayor Kasim Reed. The Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs is a $31.5 million department with 317 full-time employees, according to Atlanta's budget. It received a boost of about $648,000 in additional funding in the 2012 fiscal year broad.
In the 2011 fiscal year, it provided exposure to an arts presentation or "cultural venue" for nearly 38,000 Atlanta Public School students.
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