I have finally managed to laugh my way out of Writer's Block!
First, the Town proudly announced that they had cut 9% of the $30 Million cost of the proposed Public Safety Building -- by eliminating 45% of the building space!
If they cut 90% of the space would we save 18% of the cost?
Now I understand why we need the building -- but by eliminating 100% of the space would we only save 20% of the cost!! Would we be paying somebody $24 Million to NOT build us a building.
You have to love consultants!
Unfortunately, local government has become such a flea circus that nobody is paying attention anyway --this deal would have a better chance if they would stop "educating the public" !!
(I do think we need a better Police/Fire station -- but I still question the cost. I'm even more suspicious now that they have managed to reduce 45% from what they originally claimed was a "no-frills" proposal.)
The Sandwich Pool ... the gift that keeps on giving!
So, we just spent $980,000 to fix the leaks in the pool .. and it looks great! Except for one minor issue ... IT'S STILL LEAKING!!
It gets better. Apparently the pool has never met the State Building Code because it was never properly grounded. And, apparently nobody noticed that until the renovation was completed. No word on the cost of that repair yet.
Just to recap the Pool saga -- a few years back some School Committee folks were practically tarred and feathered by an angry crowd wielding swim goggles and pitchforks for pointing out:
- The Community School Accounting Reports were bogus, misleading, and useless
- The Pool was being subsidized by the School System
- There should be a reserve for Pool maintenance
- Unknown people were allowed to wander in and get naked with high school kids
Guess what?
- The School budget funded "Lifeguard Love Shacks" to provide public changing areas,
- The Community School closed because it couldn't support the pool or its own expenses
- The Public was eventually banned during school hours for obvious security reasons
- The Pool was closed due to a lack of maintenance
- Almost $1 million was spent to fix the pool -- but it still can't open because it leaks
- Even if it didn't leak, it doesn't meet code because users could be electrocuted
The more things change, the more they remain the same!
14 comments:
Bob once again we see the diverse application of spinning the word that we can fix the pool , give us the money and we will do it. Well after making contractual deals to repair this ever bearing money pit, we now find out that it never was properly grounded. Can some one please tell me where in Sam hill how was this not picked up and revealed during all of the reconstruction work? Once again another oversight , by whom ever in this whole process. This is not a simple screw up, but a major problem where some could have been killed. Giving out the standard excuse that it has always been like this does not wash in todays world, but a good try to divert the added cost of making this pool safe back onto the taxpayers to fix it.
Now as to the grout problem where water is still leaking and the answer that it was never done before this last repair is the same answer that was given in order to get funding to fix this money pit in the first place, along with the Air condition. So are we now telling every one that this whole time that every one has been waiting for this pool to reopen that the contract did not specifically state that the WHOLE pool was to be regrouted? Just do not tell me now that you plan to use the same reason we gave you the money in the first place for the pool is still the reason why water is once again going out of this pool.
Some one screwed up big time and that for me is a simple fact that needs to be openly addressed by the School committee and Superintendent. How in good conscious can you use the same excuse after we just gave you close to one million dollars to fix this pool and make it a workable viable part of the Sandwich School system.
It will very interesting to see how they repair the leaks they found, with underwater divers and how many more they will find after they fix those areas.
Its amazing how quickly Crossman is to fire off the questions when it comes to HER pool. She must be getting a kickback from all her dogpaddle friends in Barnstable...Marstons Mills...centerville...everywhere but Sandwich.
And only in Sandwich do we consider it a victory when a non-profit who offered to spend 1 million dollars to fix the roads withdraws their offer!
But let's be clear ....the "non-profit" was given OUR tax money to improve OUR roads -- for
their own benefit.
Non-profit does not mean NOT profitable -- it just means the money is getting paid out to officers, employees, consultants, etc....
And what about the state grant given to fund the preschool @ Heritage...helloooo.... what about the Sandwich public schools? Guess we don't need help, we have a pool!
But at least that non-profit (that brings people and money into this town) wanted to try and fix the roads that a piece of crap. Yes - they are the roads that lead to their institution but now, the roads remain crappy and will eventually need to be fixed with more tax money.
The tax money never should have been given to Heritage. If the Town roads needed improvement, the money should have gone to the Town. Heritage doesn't pay property taxes it shouldn't be getting State subsidies -- whether to open their own school, or to build the infrastructure required to support their new Amusement Park.
The Town should have made their permits contingent on the State tax funds being applied to a public roads project -- not lining somebody's pockets at a "non-profit".
If any homeowner's paperwork had defective notice errors the application would have been thrown out. This was a deceptive bag job from the start!!
One million tax payer dollars later and its still broken. Anybody responsible?
Absolutely! In the words of our elected School Committee members... it must be "the children"? Ooops I forgot the "For" but I think you get my drift...
Cannot wait to hear your thoughts on the half a million dollar turf that has been installed before the check arrived and now has been cut from the budget!
Ditto on the turf. Sad, sad, sad commentary about those "in charge" of this town. If according to the article the funds get put back into the budget later how does it get paid for now? I'm sure the contractor would like to be paid now not months from now. Plus Mr. DeConto knew a week ago about the funding issues, which would lead me to believe that our "leaders" knew then as well. Do you think they've been working deligently on getting the funding back for the past week?
I can't understand what type of contractor would install a half million dollar turf on the "promise" that we have some state funding coming. Not to mention, how irresponsible to spend the money before we had it! Maybe I don't know all of the facts, please enlighten me!
Under the present situation where a Multi Million dollar Non profit can obtain tax payer money from the state and then not spend it where they claim they wanted to use it , make you wonder how come that money was not removed? Must be a higher political power involved or simply a matter of no one is watching the store and really cares how they use it.
In this day and age any one who relies upon State or federal dollars to do any project, before the actually get the money in hand to pay for the project is without question operating an irresponsible process of failure and mismanagement of what ever they are doing.
Just my thoughts for the day on this complete oversight of tax payers dollars.
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