This evening, City Council's Park and Recreation Committee will consider outgoing Park Director
Greg Weitzel's plan for our swimming pools. The plan has a name,
Swimming Toward The Future. Weitzel is racing toward his future, leaving the city in three days, for a new position in Idaho. Although I'm glad he can add this proposal to his resume, hopefully Allentown will not add the plan to our debt service. Weitzel spared no expense on his resume; The plan costs over $80,000 to present, prepared by a consultant from Indianapolis. It would cost close to $12million to implement. Among other things, it involves moving CedarBeach Pool up the slope, and adding a destination WaterPark. Tonight, the committee will be submitted to this Administration's usual push and pull politics. They will be told of a poll indicating the public wants this plan. They will be told that the Federal Government will fine us if it isn't implemented. The photograph above shows the dedication of the Irving Pool in 1941. Weitzel's plan includes closing that pool, the only one on the east side. Allentown should continue the tradition of providing it's children with clean, safe pools, in each section of the city. The meeting is at 6:00 p.m.
That $80K consultant fee seems outrageous. How much did Weitzel make in a year??? Wasn't the consultant being paid to do a portion of Weitzel's job? This seems like yet another example of the people in power in Allentown buttering the bread of friends and ignoring the nuts and bolts of city management. I'd love to know the connection between this consultant and the Pawlowski administration.
ReplyDeleteIs it true that Wetzel has been appointed Secretary of The Interior under Obama? Wonder how Ed feels about such a meritorious climb up the ladder?
ReplyDeleteMM -
ReplyDeleteWhy not solve two problems at once?
The city should fill the hole at 7th and Hamilton with water and make it the new city pool.
Bread and Circus
ReplyDeleteI'm actually in agreement with MM here. The city pool system shouldn't be turned into a water park. Though, as a cost-benefit analysis, it might make some monetary sense to move cedar beach based on the regularity of its flooding. That can't be cheap to clean up time and again.
ReplyDelete