04-04-2009, 06:42 PM
On April 7, Waukegan Park District voters will have a chance to decide if they want to continue down the road that has been laid by the current board, or change direction. The boardâs decision in December, 2007, to destroy Orchard Hills Golf Course, and build soccer and softball fields there instead of at the Johns Manville site raised an outcry seldom heard from the Waukegan public, but that didnât deter them. Except for Commissioner Bill Sarocka, the board has marched on with blind arrogance and dismissed opponents as being âa bunch of whining golfers.â Thatâs a mistake. There are a lot of people who arenât golfers who donât like this move, for a lot of reasons. One that seems universal, though, is that this board spends our money like itâs water, on things that many of us wonât use and/or canât afford.
Take the âSports Complex.â The park district plans to spend $22 million to demolish one valuable asset, and build 14 soccer fields and 4 softball fields on hilly land that will have to be terraced (wonder how much more that costs compared to building on flat land, like Johns Manville or Yeoman Creek?). That price does not include construction of the stadium, which is on hold because Robert Morris College backed out.
Then thereâs the Field House, which cost $13.9 million and opened September 2006. Grossly already over budget, the board spent another $100,000 this year to add menâs and womenâs 8-person saunas, despite the fact there are only 1,100 members and 20% of those are out of district. Low membership numbers shouldnât be a surprise, as the Field House offers no family rate, even though 70% of Waukegan lives as a family unit. Membership for a family of five costs a minimum of $157 per month. Thank goodness for the YMCA in Waukegan, where a family membership is $61 per month and includes ALL dependents (and they have a swimming pool!).
Last, but not least, Bonnie Brook Club House is under renovation for the umpteenth time for just under $1.0 million.
This board repeatedly spends our money on over-the-top, high-end projects that drain the park district budget, run up debt (and ultimately, our taxes), and doesnât leave much for anything else. Where is that long-promised aquatic center? Why canât they buy us more land so we donât have to tear one thing down to build another?
Itâs time for a change of direction. Candidates Sue Rose-Sassone and Robert Taylor will be on the ballot on April 7. Both are pushing for more fiscal accountability, giving the public a voice in park district decisions, changing the board meeting time from 3:45 p.m. to evenings when the public can actually attend and provide that voice, improving our existing parks with such things as restrooms, running water, and more playground equipment, building an aquatic center, and providing more affordable programs for all ages.
We have seen what the current board has to offer. Vote for Sue Rose-Sassone and Robert Taylor on April 7. Letâs take a new direction.
Take the âSports Complex.â The park district plans to spend $22 million to demolish one valuable asset, and build 14 soccer fields and 4 softball fields on hilly land that will have to be terraced (wonder how much more that costs compared to building on flat land, like Johns Manville or Yeoman Creek?). That price does not include construction of the stadium, which is on hold because Robert Morris College backed out.
Then thereâs the Field House, which cost $13.9 million and opened September 2006. Grossly already over budget, the board spent another $100,000 this year to add menâs and womenâs 8-person saunas, despite the fact there are only 1,100 members and 20% of those are out of district. Low membership numbers shouldnât be a surprise, as the Field House offers no family rate, even though 70% of Waukegan lives as a family unit. Membership for a family of five costs a minimum of $157 per month. Thank goodness for the YMCA in Waukegan, where a family membership is $61 per month and includes ALL dependents (and they have a swimming pool!).
Last, but not least, Bonnie Brook Club House is under renovation for the umpteenth time for just under $1.0 million.
This board repeatedly spends our money on over-the-top, high-end projects that drain the park district budget, run up debt (and ultimately, our taxes), and doesnât leave much for anything else. Where is that long-promised aquatic center? Why canât they buy us more land so we donât have to tear one thing down to build another?
Itâs time for a change of direction. Candidates Sue Rose-Sassone and Robert Taylor will be on the ballot on April 7. Both are pushing for more fiscal accountability, giving the public a voice in park district decisions, changing the board meeting time from 3:45 p.m. to evenings when the public can actually attend and provide that voice, improving our existing parks with such things as restrooms, running water, and more playground equipment, building an aquatic center, and providing more affordable programs for all ages.
We have seen what the current board has to offer. Vote for Sue Rose-Sassone and Robert Taylor on April 7. Letâs take a new direction.