Friday, May 22, 2015

ST. CATHARINES CLOSES POOLS, HOPES TO OPEN ONE

Even the city of St. Catharines has had to make some tough decisions regarding its outdoor pools. On March 30, St. Catharines Council voted to close five pools in the city, citing failing attendance and high costs of rehabilitation. The projected savings to the taxpayers would be $228,000.

But, according to an article in The St. Catharines Standard, all hope is not lost for the Burgoyne Woods Pool. Due to a valiant community fundraising effort, over $80,000. of the $100,000. needed to operate the pool has been raised and it is expected that council will approve a staff report recommending the Burgoyne Woods Pool be opened in July, using the community donations.

Is there a lesson in this latest development? Yes, there is. Remember when there was a big effort to raise funds for the Kinsmen Pool? Started by a young woman who wanted to save the pool for future generations. She was pushed aside by Stephen Passero who became the "leader" of the effort. When he realized that it takes a lot of work to fund-raise, he put it on the back burner while he set his sights on public office. Once elected as Ward 1 Councillor, he did little or nothing to advance the cause of the pool until he decided to run for mayor. Then he suddenly hauled out some vague deal with a social club of divers. Didn't help him get elected mayor, but the tragic death of Ward 2 Councillor Rick Shular opened another opportunity for Passero to get into the political trough. So, he used the Kinsmen Pool once again to lull people into thinking that, through his efforts, the pool would open again this summer. Got him elected to Shular's vacant seat thanks to his friends from the Chamber of Commerce, already on council who ignored a staff recommendation to appoint the runner-up in the October 2014 election instead, voted to hold an expensive ($30,000.+) by election.

Now, people are patiently waiting for the promised opening of the Kinsmen Pool in July. Too bad Fort Erie didn't have someone like Jan Cook working to raise funds for the pool. Mr. Cook has been "working the phones" for two months and is very close to the $100,000. goal that will enable the children of St. Catharines to enjoy the pool from July 11 to September 4. All thanks to the people and businesses of St. Catharines.

Of course, the pools in St. Catharines were not allowed to get to the deplorable state of the Kinsmen Pool. At least the town recreation department seemed to have been run by a sober, qualified person, a far cry from the political hanger-on who held the post for years in Fort Erie. One of the old "hockey boys" of yore who was too busy taking care of his own bidness to worry about keeping the only pool in Fort Erie in good running condition. Now it's a money pit with a huge price tag to bring it up to code and operation. Far too much for a small social club to finance on its own and there is little grant money available for a crumbling mess that should be totally replaced. So, guess who will ultimately pay for the Kinsmen Pool refurbishment? Taxpayers who will already be hit in the pocketbook due to the budget of the new council.

I feel sorry for the kids in Fort Erie who don't have a supervised, safe  place to swim. We had such an outdoor pool in my old neighbourhood in Buffalo. It was built decades ago and is still operating every summer. Why? Because it has been taken care of and it sits in a busy family neighbourhood.

Good luck to the people of St. Catharines. Good job!

8 comments:

  1. The City of ST Catharines has always been fiscally responsible when it comes to taxpayer dollars. They make the hard decisions when needed. Pools are very expensive & unless they are maintained annually they will come to the end of their usefulness sooner. Fort Erie for some reason does not take care of business when it comes to annual maintenance on certain things, the kinsmen pool is one. But now the pool is well beyond basic maintenance & the hard decision to demolish it needs to be done. The costs are high & maybe it would be best & possibly cheaper to build a new pool. Fundraising for a new pool might be a lot easier & it would certainly provide long term benefits as long as it is looked after.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, it is hard for Fort Erie, since nepotism has been the rule and it has caused a great deal of waste and incompetence. Hiring incompetent "buddies"does not make for effective use of the taxpayers' money. It's probably too late to save the Kinsmen Pool. What happened to the fund-raising efforts started a few years ago?

      In the picture accompanying the article, the Burgoyne Woods Pool looked well kept, clean and safe. Contrast that with the Kinsmen Pool. Sad really.

      Delete
  2. Sharon , Your comments are absolutely right on target, that young lady from Stevensville is now nearing her late twenties, and she had collected over 1500 signatures , and was able to convince the then council that there was some merit in trying to save that pool. Martha Lockwood Crystal Beach Councillor, sponsored a buget amendment to operate the pool one more year., the vote according to the Fort Erie Times, received lengthy applause from a standing room only crowd in the council chambers, That year alone the expected costs would be $110,000 . Jessica K a student at Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High planned to stay an extra year at her school, before going on to college the next year. Every election Stephen Passero has milked the Municipal pool, for every newspaper headline and vote that he could get so he would be on council, the three Amigos are James Thibert, Douglas Martin and Stephen Passero . the real problem in our town .the residents here, have the retention of a goldfish, which was a point made on the news this week .average Canadians, have serious memory defects.

    ReplyDelete
  3. The pool at Burgoyne Woods has been kept up all along. In fact they have lifeguards all summer for the kids safety. They have swim programs & hire students for the summer. The residents were very upset that it was on the close list & thankfully Jan Cook took it upon himself to raise the money to keep it open.
    Gee the Miller family have lots of friends with money why don't they step up to the plate & be heroes & build a new pool for the kids in East Fort Erie?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Miller brothers don't use their money for good, they use it to help fund the conflict of interest case against 4 councillors.
      I wonder if they will come to Tim Whitfields rescue when he is ordered to pay the legal costs of the 4 councillors or will the Millers sit back and watch poor Tim lose his new house and declare bankruptcy?

      Delete
    2. The Millers have worked hard and took advantage of the largess bestowed on them by their many friends at town hall. They have also shared their good fortune with those who helped them over the years. A bunch of kids needing an outdoor pool where they can learn to swim is not going to bother the Millers. Now, someone with a grudge against four councillors is the kind of person they can get behind.

      Delete
  4. I would like to think that the Miler family are great boosters of the Town of Fort Erie. They have no problem funding stupid lawsuits so there must be some spare change to help fund a pool!! Maybe they aren't the upstanding, involved, & Town supporters every one thinks they are, unless of course you are a member of the old boys club?

    ReplyDelete
  5. $228,000 for St. C to run 5 pools doesent seem like all that much money considering the budget of that city. It especially doesent seem like all that much money when in comparison here in FE a half million has been given away for what seems to be hidden costs or some other strange idea, (read: horsetrack or highschool theatre ) and the town in its wisdom couldnt even keep one (and only) pool open here, or at least funded for standard upkeep. Cant even seem to clean up that mess in the park at the K pool, no matter what small cost that would involve. Lets hope someone has got something going we just havent heard about yet. Asking the Millers to help pay is OK, but theres a lot of other well funded companys here that could help in that regard. Dont ask a group like Walmart though, theyve got the dough, but like a lot of others who could help, they would rather that you be shopping, than be outside enjoying the real world.

    ReplyDelete

This blog no longer publishes Anonymous comments. Just use a nickname and comments will be considered.To use a nickname, please fill in the area of "Name/URL" with your nickname, It is not necessary to fill in the URL portion.

PAST ISSUES