Dearborn Council to Discuss City Pools April 12
Mark you calendar for 5:30 p.m. April 12. That is when the Dearborn City Council will host an informational meeting for the public on a proposal to close six city public pools.
From the 'Save Dearborn's Small Pools' Facebook page, this is a photo of Ten Eyck Pool's grand opening day in 1954. City officials look on as the first swimmers dive into the new pool.
The April 12 date was going to be a study session on the city’s budget with a host of different topics but with the amount of outcry from residents about the proposed pool closings, the meeting will now serve this purpose.
The meeting will be held in the council chambers and judging from the amount of comments here and a new Facebook page dedicated to saving these pools with 2,047 fans at the time of this posting (click HERE for that link), it will be a spirited meeting for sure.
April 2nd, 2010 at 10:58 am
At least they are paying attention. I just hope people will keep ‘their cool’ and discuss this in a civil manner. Wonder if this will be on CDTV – should be.
April 2nd, 2010 at 11:44 am
The gutless followers, namely the Council, will get their instructions from the big boy before that time, so they can try and stroke the people present, but believe me we will be loud enough to let you know we aren’t aware of your little political games. Be ready Big Jack, and your peanut gallery should be too (the council).
April 2nd, 2010 at 5:26 pm
Based upon what I read, the city has told us that it would cost $3.8 million to upgrade 7 of 8 outdoor pools, which the city believes we cannot afford or the city is not willing to pay. The city prefers instead to tear down 6 of 8 pools, upgrade Levagood and tear down and completely rebuild a more modern pool at Ford Woods.
To make an informed decision, the questions we should have answered are:
1) What is the total expense to tear out 6 of 8 pools?
2) What is the total expense to tear out Ford Woods and build a modern
pool there?
3) What is the total expense to modernize Levagood?
If the expense of numbers 1-3 above meets or exceeds the cost to modernize 7 of 8 existing older pools, then saving the pools would be the wiser option. I would also bet that the cost of numbers 1-3 above far exceeds the cost to modernize 7 of 8 outdoor pools.
April 3rd, 2010 at 7:56 am
Michael, good points, but you are also forgetting the upkeep costs. More pools = more staff and maintenance required = more $$$. The writing was on the wall when they built that monstrosity with 2 pools on Michigan Avenue. Everyone had to have this huge edifice and now we don’t have any money to pay for the other things that people think are important.
Curious that no one seems to remember this stuff when voting time comes around, though. Absent a recall, I guess you will have to wait a few more years to correct it; but, oh wait, that will never happen. Elections have consequences.
April 3rd, 2010 at 10:09 am
$132,000 per year in maintenance costs is a small expense compared to the costs of #’s 1-3 above, which I am estimating will run much higher than the cost to remove 6 aging pools, the cost to upgrade Levagood and the cost to tear out and build a totally new updated pool at Ford Woods. If the city cannot afford to maintain the $132,000 per year maintenance costs of all 8 pools and it cannot afford the $3.8 million it will cost to upgrade 7 of 8 existing pools, how it is going to afford #1-3 above? In my opinion, that is a question worth having answered.
Another point: There are other options. There are approximately 40,000 residences in Dearborn, and at $100 per residence, this would cover the cost of upgrading 7 of 8 outdoor pools and the yearly maintenance. Since our property taxes have decreased significantly the past few years, with ours dropping $422.00 for 2010, I think a $100 per residence special assessment tax and then the following years having a special tax to maintain the pools might be feasible. This assessment or expense would be lower if businesses were required to pay it as well. Or they can float a bond to upgrade and maintain the pools as the schools did to upgrade their 3 high school athletic fields.
Hopefully most voters will agree. But most importantly, despite our passion and emotion on this issue, if we are not willing to fund these upgrades and maintenance of the pools, then we will lose them and that will be a sad day in Dearborn, in my opinion.
April 3rd, 2010 at 4:57 pm
If times are this tough we need to start focusing on the City. We need to sell Camp Dearborn, Dearborn Hills Golf Course, sell and Privatize Dearborn housing. Then Layoffs and a pay-cut for all employees, 10% for administration and 5% for all other employees. We have to trim down and keep what we can here and the tiny bit of money that is needed to run our recreation department.
The City collects enough money in taxes to fund many projects and not be acting like it has no money, I already pay my fair share, I need someone to spend it appropriately.
April 4th, 2010 at 11:37 am
We also need to know if the $132,000 in yearly pool operating expenses is only the gross expense to operate the pools, or if this is the operating expense LOSS after revenues and other expenses are included. This has not been clarified by the city at this point.
April 5th, 2010 at 1:07 am
Mr. Albano,
Your comments here are a good analysis of the situation. If the city’s figures are accurate, the $3.8 M repair bill is a one-time charge. The operating number, plus a small extra to be accrued for future repairs, would be less than ten dollars per household, per year.
I have a positive attitude toward recreation spending. Money is tight in my house, too, but I realize that my tax bill has gone DOWN this year. In my case about 10%. Only a part of that reduction would need to be restored by a special ‘pool tax’ to handle the job. It seems an obvious choice to me.
April 5th, 2010 at 9:53 am
It’s a michigan issue now!
http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/index.ssf/2010/04/dearborn_residents_rally_via_f.html
April 6th, 2010 at 10:25 am
I attended the Summer Stephen’s “Save Our Pools” meeting last night and it appeared approximately 200 people attended. The organizers of this group have their act together and are exploring all avenues to save these wonderful outdoor pools. It appears by a new article here that we may be able to enlist the support of Councilman Abraham as well.
The special council meeting is this coming Monday at 5:30pm in the City Council Chambers in City Hall and I encourage everyone to attend, as the group leaders will be speaking and asking a lot of questions, many of them that need to be asked.
April 7th, 2010 at 1:49 pm
Camp Dearborn is turning a profit! Why? Because it is finally being marketed by a life long Dearborn resident who loves Camp Dearborn. And who suggest closing it? People who have not been there or do not go there. Wrong, Camp Dearborn needs to continue to flourish. With obstacles removed, imagine the potential!! Did you see anything in the Welcome Home Dearborn ads about Camp Dearborn? That is just stupid, no other way to put it.
April 8th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
And the city spent $50,000 on the Welcome Home Dearborn website, which also lacks any pictures of the city’s 43 parks.