Sunday, March 29, 2015

THE SKINNY ON THE DIP

UPDATE: PASSERO WINS WARD 2. JUST ANOTHER LIAR AT THE TROUGH.


Of course, we're talking about the Kinsmen Pool, the grab-onto-project that a couple of candidates think will propel them to the Ward 2 seat on Fort Erie town council. Stephen Passero tried unsuccessfully to use the issue in his run for mayor but he has managed to time events to his advantage in the by-election to fill the seat of the late Rick Shular. Too bad, one of his opponents, Larry Graber is president of the Kinsmen, for he too has jumped into the pool, taking credit for the ridiculous presumption that the pool could be open this summer to young swimmers. (That is, if you believe the badly written, research-challenged report in the Fort Erie Times.)

Alrighty then, let's fire up the Way Back Machine and take a look at the situation, complete with the facts. Pay attention, Sarah Ferguson. I am going to link an article from your own newspaper: Fort Erie Pravda (™George Jardine)

It was 17 October, 2011 when the long-awaited Feasibility study of the Kinsmen Pool was presented to council. It was charmingly called The Outdoor Aquatic Facility Feasibility Study, Phase 2.

It presented five options for the future of the Kinsmen Pool.

1A: DO NOTHING  44 year old facility; pool tank, deck, mechanical equipment, and change room facility in poor condition.  Lifespan optimistically 1 year before current physical state of repair will require remedial actions and capital investment.

1B: TEMPORARY FIX  - Capital cost: in the order of magnitude of $610,080 (2011$) • Annual operational financial performance: ∙ Estimated annual operational expenditures (2011$) = $65,700 ∙ Estimated annual operational revenue (2011$) = $10,000 to $12,600 ∙ Estimated net operational cost = $53,100 to $55,700

2. REPLACEMENT ALTERNATIVE Capital cost: in the order of between $2,460,000 and $2,680,000 (2011$) ∙ Not including potential costs related to site acquisition ∙ Some recently upgraded equipment at existing facility can be carried forward (filters, pumps, heater, etc.)

3A:REPLACEMENT ALTERNATIVE Financial Implications of 3A: • Capital cost: in the order of between $3,059,000 and $3,495,000 (2011$) ∙ + optional 1 metre diving board ($14,000) ∙ + optional in-pool underwater lighting ($20,000) ∙ Not including potential costs related to site acquisition.

3B REPLACEMENT ALTERNATIVE Financial Implications of 3B Capital cost: in the order of between $3,536,000 and $3,884,000 (2011$) ∙ + optional 1 metre diving board ($14,000) ∙ + optional in-pool underwater lighting ($20,000) ∙ Not including potential costs related to site acquisition

This is where we were at in 2011. The choice was clear. Spend almost three quarters of a million dollars for a band aid solution that may work for a couple of years; spend millions to completely replace the pool or DO NOTHING.


Here, Sarah Ferguson, is the article about the Kinsmen Pool as reported in the October 18, 2011 Times. Here is what Passero said back then:

Coun. Stephen Passero, who is the chairman of the pool's fundraising committee, asked his council colleagues to support the reconstruction option, which would cost about $2.5 million. However, he said residents shouldn't be on the hook to pay the entire price tag.
He asked staff to prepare a report explaining the budgetary impact should the town pitch in $1.5 million, leaving his fundraising committee to find the additional $1 million through grants, community sponsorships and fundraising.
"I think we should at least be looking to maintain what we've always had."
Coun. Rick Shular said spending that type of money isn't as easy as it was when the pool was built by the Kinsmen Club 44 years ago.
"This is not 1967, when we had $30 million to bank on," he said.
Shular suggested the town consider a splash pad as a temporary solution, and in three to five years take another look at a new pool.
Based on a staff report as well as the funded report,council eventually decided to do nothing and the pool was closed, 2011 being its last year of operation. Four years have passed and nothing has been done to the pool. It sits in an ugly state of disrepair - an eyesore. Yet Stephen Passero and the clubbies from the Underwater Recovery Unit (a complete misnomer as they do nothing of the sort) think they can have the pool open and running some time this summer. And their few loyal followers think they can get funding for the re-opening through grants and fundraising. 

Sure, we'd all like a public pool for the kids to learn to swim and enjoy the water in a safe environment, but the resurrection of the Kinsmen Pool will be a very costly one for the taxpayers. 

 It truly will be a money pit.

And that's the skinny on the big dip - into the taxpayers' already stressed out budget.

Further, there is a big problem with cement pools. Once the slime water is removed, volunteers are planning to scrub the pool clean - like in one of those commercials for scrubbing bubbles. Not so easy as referenced HERE.  Good luck with that. 

33 comments:

  1. I think all of the folks who funded the lawsuits against the 4 including Mr Thibert
    should open their wallets to pay for the pool. If they have so much loose cash lying around for frivolous lawsuits then surely they can help the little children enjoy a day at the pool. The taxpayers of Fort Erie can't afford anymore projects of this nature. Stephen has been in charge of fundraising since 2010 so far very little has been accomplished therefore if no funds raised in 5 yrs how does he expect to make it 3 months? He doesn't it is just a dog & pony show supported by the C of C & the new person in charge of the UW group.

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    1. There was also a staff study that showed that Kinsmen Pool attendance had dropped steadily over the years. Also, in 2011, the slots were still open and money was coming into the town coffers at a pretty good rate.

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    2. put Jimmie Dirt Bag and his expensive piss poor comedy act on a one way bus back to where he came from and presto you have a new pool in no time. Cut back a few other homegrown pigs at the trough and it happens right away. .......

      Sorry kids it's more important to keep the ol boys in control and well fed(snort slurp slurp grunt). Hope no one drowns in the meantime.

      "Fort Stupid, THEIR focus our future". They don't even try to hide it.

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  2. Attendence at said "debate" for the seat in council of ward 2? 40 or so. Population of said ward? 3900 "or so". Not to say there isnt a burning interest in hearing (and seeing said candidates as they all chose to wear their best bib and tuckers) but isnt something out of balance here? Or do people realize they are being played for fools? It looks and sounds like local council is just choosing another line cook or dish washer for the staff lineup as it seems very little if anything will change on their shameful agenda . Even their election ads in the papers looked like remarks any summer student would use to get some low end summer job. No great thinkers there being wasted on this towns council. Swimming pool? Swimming in debt comes to mind. Unless huge tax increases are welcomed, and services cut.

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  3. Calling that ward 2 "debate" a dog and pony show is an insult to both dog and ponys. No self respecting dog or pony would have anything to do with such nonsense, So stop it. Really, the nerve of these bloggers.

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    1. well, Passero won the election. No real surprise there. He got 658 votes. He spent a whole lot of money to get those 658 votes. The voter turn-out was a mere 1153. What did it cost the taxpayers? Somewhere between $20K and $40K to place one of the "old boys" in Shular's old seat. Great, eh?

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  4. Well the Mayor in waiting will be giving the mayor a few restless nights it will be interesting to see the "polished dialogue" with the underlining meaning by Passero letting Mayor Wayne know who is in charge.. Mayor Wayne will now have 5 to 2 vote for anything that has to do with the EDTC , racetrack and horse track. JT must be smiling he thought he had control before now he has it in spades . What comes to mind is power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely! Well in just over 3 months, we have given the DSBN $500.000 not a town responsibility, the race track $500.000 again not a town responsibility, raised taxes almost 8%, raised water/sewer rates around 2%, even with the regional water and sewer charges to the town decrease by almost 2%, that means our town is taking an additional almost 4% from the taxpayer, spent $40,000 on a by election : Anyone concerned about the next 40 months?? What was Mayor Wayne's saying, lets work together? Perhaps it should be now: Lets all spend together and give JT whatever he wants..

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  5. Yes it is a sad state of affairs. Council is now run by a group of yes men/women
    as directed by BUBBA aka JT. The taxpayers of Fort Erie need to start calling & emailing this group of 5 miscreants to let them know that their focus is them not a small group of old boys.

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  6. No real surprise the SP got in, he came in second for mayor, and the ward 2 plebs want to correct that oversight for what ever reason.
    Lots of talk about community improvements that may or may not come to light. A junk food driven councillor for what seems to be a junk food agenda so far. All bright colored showy work being done (aka; racetrack funding, needless byelections etc..) vith very little if any if any thought to the overall health of the community. Shows you CAN have your cake and eat it too. Now we get to watch the (tooth) decay to the towns budget, hyper activity from too much (sugar) spending and the painful (dental) tax bills soon to be presented to property owners both commercial and residential. Junk food councilor wins. What we really need is someone of substance to get this town back on track.

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  7. That is a strange headline on the Ninjuh site, "Fort Erie Has Spoken". Spoken? Maybe a small portion of Ward 2 "has spoken". (voted really, but we will let that one slide, the Ninjuhs are not noted for their acuracy using the English language.) Be advised, the last time "Fort Erie Spoke" they didnt want the guy for a mayor. We will let that one slide too. Cupcakes all around from Runny's pasties to celebate...er.. salivate?...er..commiserate...What ever you do when a sell out shows up again to enforce the status quo.

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    1. Actually, only 1153 people in Ward 2 "spoke." 658 chose Passero, who spent a lot of money wooing those votes. Add to that the Kinsmen Pool Performance Art piece just at the end of the campaign.

      "Yon Passero has a lean and hungry look." Indeed.

      Redekop had better watch out; there is a political assassin in his midst.

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  8. I for wonder how long the "Passero will actually be in office, as the Judge has not brought down his ruling on the Doug Martin, Rick Shuler and Stephen Passero via Tim Whitfield , suing the FOUR for alleged conflict of interest, as a "Breach of Trust" case against Passero for divulging privileged and sensitive information to an outsider of Council, for a political gain could be made.. We will find out what the new Judge has to say, very soon. A person can be banned for life from running in an election or holding office, if found guilty .of Breach of Trust.

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    1. I must commend the 121 voters who saw through the BS and voted for John Millicone (101) and George Jardine (20). At least not every voter in Ward 2's expensive buy-election is a blithering idjit.

      Oh, how they'll scream like stuck pigs when taxes go up to fund all those expensive "priorities" of this Chamber Council. Wayne Redekop has a long history of spending taxpayers' money and gaming revenue without thought of long-term consequences.

      New hiring will be necessary to replace some empty places on senior staff. If the Whitfield lawsuit goes south, the town could be on the hook Big Time for the Four Councillors' legal expenses. Of course, the Molinaro lawsuit will be dropped at some point, having already served its purpose, just like the Kinsmen Pool issue. Now, the taxpayers will see council vote lots of taxpayer money to bring the pool up to code before handing it over to the Underwater Club.

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  9. This just in.. 2015 Fort Erie friendship festival has been moved to the newly renovated kinsmen pool! It's going to be a great summer!!

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  10. That will be one very friendly festival considering the size of that pool. Thank you Bill teal for that insight.

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  11. I see that the City of San Francisco holds an annual "St Stupid Day Parade" this year was the 31st year this event was held, this could be a really great idea for Greater Fort Erie to bring all likeminded people together, the logical place to have this event is our own Jarvis Street. There is no shortage of stupidity in our Town.

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  12. CorruptionFighter .... if you make one more post calling OUR TOWN " Fort Stupid " , I will seek legal counsel to shut your foul mouth. HOW DARE YOU TRASH OUR TOWN WITH YOUR VILE TONGUE.

    You are an embarrassment to every citizen of our community. Thank God you are a lowlife only posting on a blog and not a person of influence.

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    1. Well "Sally" what do you call it when things repeatedly happen that are so far short of intelligent as to be deemed stupid???......This is not Fort Smart that is for sure! I can provide a very loooong list of examples if you like starting with the recent by-election and going back decades.

      Someday you may thank me for trying to wake people up that they are being lied to and ripped off by calling a spade a spade but I doubt that you're smart enough to figure it out. Just remain in your comfortable, non questioning position with like minded friends and believe the asinine drivel they feed you and all will be ok as they say so, all the way to the bank in some cases. BTW here in FE it really doesn't require much grey matter to see it for what it really is, thus collectively we're anything but Fort Smart. After eons of defending this town from outsiders for our well deserved reputation, I no longer can stomach the stench that runs this place, mostly for their own profit and or ego. We have collectively ruined this town by either silence or just going along with it because you went to school(played hockey,/ belong to the same club,/ he's the neighbour's buddy etc etc etc) with the most recent self serving madman in charge.

      Vile but honest mouth now shutting.

      PS, while you're posting against me here, the real culprits are getting away with it as I like you am just another low life voter to be manipulated and they thank you for your mis-directed attack.

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  13. Sally is right, stupid means, "dull, insensible, wanting in understanding, sluggish, without skill or genius", CorFi might be giving this place more credit than it deserves.

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  14. Again with the Fort Erie visitors guide delivered mixed in with the sales flyers. Front cover includes 1800,s soldiers that show for a few days of the year, the PA lighthouse that at best can be seen for a few minits after buying a "ticket", (or maybe "signing in" at a gatehouse, cant be sure thats still available). Then a "speedway" picture, a place that doesent even exist (yet?). Is it just us or is there somthing wrong with this picture? Has anyone else gone somwhere as a tourist and faced this level of dishonesty from a visitors guide? Who ever authorised this type of spending for something this crooked should be investigated. This is when we need to make a fair and honest impression on the people that would look at this town as a place to visit with their familys. Thats just wrong and underlines the type of dishonesty that has become systemic to the running of the town. What a letdown for people considering coming here for a day or more. They say attendence at attractions such as the horsetrack is down. This type of misrepresentation doesent help the situation. (HMMMM...who can we blame, the printers?... the computer??... some guy that quit and is long gone??...) There will be some sort of passing the blame, but they sure shine when there is even the smallest bit of credit to be given for some small improvement.

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    1. And don't forget the fabulous marina that is not in existence and the Bay Beach Condo Tower. All were included in the Visitors Guide and none are to be seen. Meanwhile, there are glorious free beaches; a free Friendship Trail, splash pads, loads of restaurants and other attractions, like Safari Niagara. But, Jimmy and friends are hung up on the race track and the dreams of foreign developers. Fort Erie is so much more than that.

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  15. If you want to see a clear picture of what is lacking in tourism promotion have a look at the most visited travel site in the world, Trip Advisor. Dated old postings about how the cranky owner of the only hotel in Crystal Beach made their guests feel unwelcome. In Fort Erie itself a few restaurant reviews, looking like there may be two or three places to eat in the whole area. People asking about the services available along the waterfront, boat rentals, nope, bicycle rentals, no, sorry... even something as simple as a lounger and umbrula rental? Nope, cant help you. These are people asking the most basic stuff any visitor would look for. Trip Advisor, excess of 3.5 million hits a day. Fort Erie/ Crystal beach? Looks like our potential visitors just stay north in Niagara falls and spend their time and money there. Who could blame them. One small beach left for the public to enjoy? How about those shots in the visitor guide of an ants nest someone stuck a stick in?. No. Wait. Thats arial shot of Bay Beach on a hot day. Sure want to go down there and stake out a few feet of hot sand to sit on, (after you get your bags illegally searched passing through an eight foot chain link fence). Somehow some of these details get passed over in the "Visitors Guide". Someone really missed the boat when it comes to promoting this area and supporting small business opportunities related to tourism. That Visitors guide is sure no help.

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  16. I happened to come across an article" dated April 14 2007 Fort Erie Pravda", a petition was presented to Town Council by a 17 year old girl from Stevensville named Jessica K. she had 15 hundred signatures to keep the magnificent swimming pool open, Martha Lockwood got the then council to add on $3 dollars on every property tax bill to finance this deal about $48 thousand dollars ,per year and a fund raising program was started to raise $1.2 million dollars towards a new replacement pool.. I presume that was run by Stephen Passero. how much was ever raised ??? I can't find that out. or was it scammed away by somebody, much like money scammed from The Friendship Festival once upon a time .We may never find that out.

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  17. Gee Porgey, if that is true there s/b over $300,000 sitting somewhere in the Town coffers. BUT maybe it was used for yearly staffing etc until 2012. According to the bullies the funds are secured already over $1 million from corporations & you can register to swim now for summer. Great to see that someone has stepped up to the plate instead of the taxpayers.

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  18. "Register to swim now for summer"? Does curious mean regester for lessons? "Someone has stepped up to the plate"? Perhaps curious is bi-lingual, speaks american AND Canadian, please clarify. There has been enough confusion about this issue already and some good news would be most welcome.

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  19. If you check back thru the Town minutes over the past "4" years you will see exactly what 4 individuals scammed it away. Would you like to insert your other foot in your mouth now too Porgey ? Hope you have sold yourself some life insurance before you choke on your own words

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  20. Owch, this blog is starting to look like the ninjuks site before the last election. How about that bunny hop thank you with a spanking to some poor business who wouldnt do something (not exactly sure) to help the bunny make the "kids" (children) happy. 4Forterie may have a point but if someone is putting a foot in a mouth it might be a bunny foot.

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  21. It seems that Arlene doesn't work well with others, tyrants seldom do.

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  22. H. Sanford- if you read my comment I stated that the Bullies - Village of Crystal beach Facebook - they are saying the money has been found & shared a link to register to swim. BTW I am a Canadian & really what does that have to do with someone understanding the English language unless of course someone only has a grasp of Urdo & has an affliction such as you.

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  23. We wonder if curious is refirring to Urdu, a language spoken by upwards of 170 million people in asia. Hope that wasnt a racist remark, that would be a new low we dont need to see on this or any site. Perhaps curious is a cam-arikan. The use of the baseball? references might be a hint. The bullies of crystal beach? on facebook? We leave that for those who would be so foolish as to subscribe to a site like that with such disregard for peoples privacy.

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  24. Sharon you have been infiltrated by the dark side. I guess they weren't getting enough attention so needed to piss off everybody here.

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    1. that little sycophant Bonito has probably figured out his usefulness to the ol boys is over and after selling his soul for them for next to nothing, still doesn't have a place at the cool kids table. Now he, like a few others are just a used up embarrassment to them.

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  25. Please dont feed the trolls, they only come back for more if you throw them a bone or two.

    ReplyDelete

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