Councilman Clayton dropped this flyer off at my house while I was on vacation last week. He thought it was important to make sure as many people know about this meeting as possible. The future of the Maplecrest Extension is in jeopardy. With the costs continuing to rise, there has been a lot of arguing against the project. For the future of New Haven's Economic Development, we need to let them know we expect the project to continue and finish.  Please try and attend this meeting. If Fort Wayne / Allen County ends their support for the project, we're done.  Here is the flyer in it's entirety. 

                        URGENT
              PUBLIC HEARING
MAPLECREST ROAD EXTENSION PROJECT

           TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2008
                      9:00 A.M.

 CITY-COUNTY BUILDING - FORT WAYNE
                  ROOM #200

Residents and business owners are strongly encouraged to attend the above mentioned Public Hearing on Tuesday, June 24th at 9:00 a.m. in room #200 of the City-County Building. You are encouraged to speak and express your concerns and support of this project in front of the members of the Allen County Council at this meeting.

The Allen County Commissioners have strongly recommended that supporters of this project "pack the room" and attend this very important meeting.

Many business owners, residents and elected officials (both local and state level) will be in attendance to continue to promote the significance of this project. Please plan on attending.

The Maplecrest Road extension project is important for many reasons:

Public safety access to the Nelson Road industrial corridor and to River Haven

Provides a route over the railroad and river and closes two deadly railroad crossings.

Opens the Nelson Road area for redevelopment and industrial growth, and provides greater potential for positive growth in the area of Adams Center Road and S.R. 930.

Provides better access for the employees of businesses that are often caught between two rails with trains blocking their access.

Provides improvements for storm water damage.

North River Road floods when we experience a significant amount of rain, closing off access down an already dangerous and winding road.

Provides faster travel times to Georgetown, downtown Fort Wayne, New Haven and southern Fort Wayne. This reduces the amount of fuel used and the amount of emissions from vehicles.

   First off, thanks to everyone who has contributed to this blog. I think it's important to hear both sides of an argument. I truly don't think either side has a perfect solution. We'll just have to agree to disagree on some specifics. I also feel that even if a person works for the Park Department, their opinion is just as valid and important as some who doesn't. Saying that someone is "for" an issue because it affects their job is an accusation against their character.  That just isn't right and sounds a little bit desperate.

   The Park Department Survey went out to 4,527 homes. This list was generated by an outside company (InfoUSA) who is one of the largest sales leads / mailing list companies in the world. It would have been great to have a list of every single person who this project touches, but that just wasn't available. The City of New Haven has around 5,500 households. That means that the survey hit close to 80% of our citizens. Perfect?  No.  Scientifically valid?  Absolutely.

   Out of the 4,527 surveys sent out, over 1,400 were returned.  A response rate of over 30% in a survey like this is incredible. My company printed, assembled, and mailed the survey. When Ken brought it to the shop, I spent some time trying to talk him into making it shorter. I honestly didn't think that many people would take the time needed to read and fill it out.  He proved me completely wrong. I think it just showed how passionate the people of New Haven are about Jury Park and the need to keep it a vital part of our community.

   One of the questions was a choice to rank the Most Desired Choice of what to do with Jury Pool. The options were: remove the pool; replace it with a splash pad; replace it with a smaller pool; replace it with the same size pool; and replace it with added features.  There were 1,167 people who answered this question. Out of those 449 picked "Replace it with Same Size Pool" and 434 picked "Replace it with Added Features". That makes 883 people or 76% of the people who answered that question wanting the pool replaced.  There have been comments that at the public meetings, half or more of the people were against the project. I'll go along with that. The reality is that the public has already spoken with the survey. Is it remotely relevant to compare 20 or 30 people that don't want the project against the 883 that said they did? Even if you just pull the 434 who wanted the pool with added features, that's still a huge majority of opinion.

   Let's consider the two proposals: Option #2 is to replace the pool with some added features. It's the plan described in my earlier post. The cost is estimated at $4.4 million dollars. This would have a tax impact on a $125,000 assessed valuation home of $45.09 per year.  Option #3 is replace the pool (as is), but with the required ADA upgrades and improvements. It would be one combined pool - the same size and configuration as the present one. That plan is estimated at $3.5 million dollars. It would have a tax impact on a $125,000 assessed valuation home of $36.08 per year. If over 75% of our citizens at least want the pool replaced, that would be the minimum hit we're talking about. So basically, we're talking about $9.00 a year difference (per household) for the replacement vs. the improved version. From a business standpoint, I'll go back to the survey. There was a question asking if you'd be willing to pay $2.00 to attend a replacement pool (same size - features). There were 79% of the respondents that answered Yes. When that price was raised to $2.50, 61% said No. Then 75% said No to $3.00. When asked if people would be willing to pay $3.50 to swim at a facility with the added features, 65% said Yes. What the Park Department is trying to do, is to figure out what level of features would bring the most bang for the buck. It seems to me like the added features would easily pay for themselves over the life of the pool. Plus having separate pools for the competition lanes, pleasure pool, and the water slide would allow several different activities to be running at once. Also, more features would keep people interested in the pool longer. That means more concession revenue. The income from concessions hasn't even been discussed.

   Another issue discussed is keeping the admission rates low. Obviously, this is critical. I think the best business plan for this is to offer residents a heavily discounted season pass, and charge a premium to the previously mentioned "outsiders" (by the way - historically, about 50% of Jury Pools swimmers are from outside of New Haven). It's been stated on this blog and enthusiastically presented at the last Council Meeting that the Troy, Ohio aquatic center rate was $7.75 per person. Ron Steinman tried to state that it was more like $4.50 and he was correct. Unfortunately, he was wrongly scolded for not having current information. Turns out somebody else didn't do her research very well.  The pool that costs $7.75 isn't the Troy, Ohio facility that the Park Department has been using as a model. It's a pool in Troy, Michigan - a suburb of Detroit. The link on a previous comment to this blog directs you to that site. So basically, that information has absolutely nothing to do with the discussion at hand. If you want to see the Troy, Ohio rates, they are at http://www.troypool.com They also have season passes and family resident passes to bring the cost down.

  Another idea that's been tossed around is voting on this proposal with a referendum. I have no problem with that other than the fact that it would delay the project even longer. A six month or year additional delay could easily add $100,000 or more to the project because of inflation. Since the survey overwhelmingly showed favor for doing a project, would it make economic sense to hope that prices wouldn't go up even more a year later? That's up to the Council to decide.

  In closing, I've heard the "we can't afford to do this" argument over and over again. I think we can't afford NOT to do it. Both for the economic vitality of our community and the quality of life for our residents. I know it's an additional burden that people on fixed or low income don't need. And I'm truly sorry for that. My mother is 87 years old and lives by herself in New Haven. She's on a fixed income and will never use the pool. Her opinion is that if it's good for the kids in our community, then she'd be glad to help pay for it. I certainly wish more people thought like that. I appreciate the forward thinking of our leaders 40 years ago that took a chance and built Jury Pool. It's one of the features that defines New Haven as a great place to live. I hope it will continue to do that.

Craig Dellinger






 


 

I sometimes feel that telling my side of the story looks a bit strange because, after all, "the pools are my job."  But, because of that, I feel that I have much insight into what the pool means to those in our community.  I was a child who grew up at that pool and still find it to be a great recreational center for our entire community.  I have seen the parents and children "grow" to be avid swimmers and comfortable swimmers by attending our swimming lessons.  We always boast that our programs have "invisible rewards" because we never know how many lives our lessons have saved.

I also would like to address the amount of time and information that I have gained through the numerous meetings with other locations that have been in our same situations with aging structures.  I have personally learned a lot from seeing facilities that were built in areas similar to ours.  I can see that demolition with no pool replacement is not an option and providing a new structure is what the public wants.  The results of the survey speak for itself.  The Park Department was given the task of surveying the public and that is exactly what we did.  And, the numbers speak for themselves.  Over 70% of the persons responding to our scientific survey chose to have Jury Park and Pool redone or upgraded.  After questions regarding the possibilities of "redoing the pool as is" were raised, we have also addressed the situation of having it done exactly as is.  That is not an option because of new guidelines required by the ADA and the need for a new filter room and area for some concessions.

I could personally speak for hours on our findings but feel that this has been very well presented in the other meetings.  I would just like for you to look at the data given to you and make a decision based on the  wants and needs of the community.  Many are fine with the increase in their taxes because they know that the value to the community will come out exponentially.  They cannot put a dollar value on the price of health, fun and companionship within our community.  Please vote to allow the community to grow and move into the next phase of progress!


Kim Yoh
Aquatic Director

Tonight, will be an important night for the city of New Haven. We will be hearing again from the public about the Jury Pool project. I hope the room is again filled to capacity.

One of the persons opposed to the project implied that he is part of the "silent majority" opposed to council's alleged "tax and spend" policies. I believe the silent majority may be those who want to see New Haven move forward with the project.

Over the years, each summer, I have watched numbers of children and young people walking past my home in their bathing suits with a towel over their shoulder. It has been a part of what I believe makes my neighborhood what it is - family friendly and a great place to live.

If the pool is closed, I believe it will have a profound impact not just on the neighborhood but on the entire community. These days, the cost to each taxpayer is less than the price of a tank of gas in most cases. With no end in sight to the gaso line situation, more and more people will be staying close to home and will want to enjoy the parks and recreational facilities New Haven offers.

Without Jury pool, what will these young people do? Sit at home in front of the computer or the TV? Or worse, be out throwing rocks through windows of abandoned stores and homes? Or, getting into other sorts of mischief?

This decision is one that may determine our future direction as a city. Are we to be a city defined by borders, stores, and houses? Or, are we to be a community? A community that works together for the betterment of all.

I am not a pool person. I am however, willing to pay my share of the taxes to give the young people in New Haven as well as my children and grandchildren a safe and convenient place to enjoy their summers.

Some have said that if we close Jury Pool, we will still have two pools in New Haven. Some of these same folks are concerned about increased traffic and parking problems in the area. What will the problems be at the remaining pools when they all go there?

I have heard from a "silent majority" that wants Jury Pool to stay and/or improve. I hope that they are all out in force tonight. I have encouraged them to be there for this meeting and all council meeting to make themselves heard.

If we are not willing to invest in our community to improve the quality of life, how can we ask others to do so? If you are asked to show prospective business owners the highlights of New Haven, what will you show them? Will they be impressed by how much money we saved by closing pools and cutting back on recreational activities at our parks?
Or, would you rather show them our neighborhood pools that are well maintained and full of the noise of happy, playing children?

I hope we hear from you tonight and at all future council meetings where these important issues are on the table.

Harold E. West
New Haven City Council
District 2

I've had several requests to publish the specifics of the project, so I'll post a few slides from
the Park Board's presentation for the renovation. (sorry for the quality).
The renovation committee put together six options ranging from replacing the current pool
with a spash pad to a full blown aquatics park (Troy, Ohio layout). It was decided that
Option #4 gave our community the best bang for the buck.
The pool renovation (option #4) includes a recreational swim area, a separate competition
pool, and one water slide. It would include building new locker rooms and a concession area,
changing the baseball diamond around and dramatically increasing the parking area. The
current playground equipment will be replaced or reconditioned.
There isn't a fully rendered drawing of the project yet, because it's just recently been
decided on the plan. Also, it might still change or be modified before the project is
approved by City Council.

   First and foremost, I would like to publicly thank Council Members Harold West, Mickey Hill and Terry Werling for your steadfast support and understanding the immediate needs of the renovation of Jury Park and Pool for the future growth of this community.
   The life of a public pool is not more than 20 maybe 25 years, the fact that our pool is still open after 40 years is a testament to our amazing staff... but Jury can't be bandaged anymore.
   You all have heard the facts over and over again, the Park department has completed every request that the Council has asked of us, conceivable the most thorough presentation that the Council has witnessed. Clearly the results from the survey show wide community support, and the fact that Vince Buchanan from the Chamber - who
represents business interests, as do you - is in support of the bond is enormous. It is regrettable that the economy is the way it is right now, and that property taxes are still a mystery. Yet, I don't believe that one person from any of your districts will lose their home, or for that matter have a hardship supporting a $3.00 a month tax increase ($35.00 annually divided by 12, amount will change with home value) even over a 20 year period. But I can guarantee you that the economic decline, quality of life and loss of social interaction will be devastating to this community if Jury pool no longer exists, which will last forever. And forever is a really long time...
   This decision that you will make is historic, with your vote you will solidify your place in New Haven history. It will either be the City Council member that saved Jury Park & Pool or the City Council member that destroyed it. No other way to look at it...
   For those of you that are not making your City Council term a political career (and I believe none of you are... ) your time on Council will be over in a few years but please consider that your decision will last a lifetime.
   I implore you to vote yes, the few people that you are hearing from to vote no ... will never equal the historic devastation that this community will be hit with if and when Jury pool is bulldozed. I greatly appreciate the time you have given me.

A decision that will determine your legacy,

Lynne Isenbarger

   The New Haven Park & Recreation Department has presented a modified proposal for the Jury Park and Pool Renovation Project. They trimmed about $500,000 from last Fall's original proposal and feel this is the best compromise available. At the City Council meeting on May 13th, The proposed ordinance was voted on with a 4-3 result in favor of continuing the discussion. To approve an ordinance such as this, the Council has to vote three times and have a Public Hearing. The next vote will occur on Tuesday, June 10th.
   Prior to the Council voting again, the public has two opportunities to express their feelings. On Tuesday, May 27th at 7:00, there will be a City Council Meeting with Public Input on the Jury Park & Pool Renovation. It will be held in the City Council Chambers at 815 Lincoln Highway East in New Haven. Then on Tuesday, June 10th, there will be a Public Hearing along with the 2nd reading and voting of the Ordinance. Ken from the Park Board will present the results for the Public Survey along with other information concerning the project. The Park Board sent out over 4,500 survey packages a couple months ago to gather information on what our citizens are looking for from their park department. They received over 1,300 surveys back. This number alone shows that the citizens of New Haven ARE concerned about having their voice heard. Normally, marketers are lucky to get 1 or 2% return on a survey like this. The Park Department received close to 30% back. That's just incredible. Of the 1,300 surveys returned, there was an overwhelming majority of people that stated they wanted the pool replaced and/or expanded.
   Normally, with enthusiasm and support like this, you'd consider it a done deal. That's not the case. It will take the support and input from our community at these meetings to convince our City Council members that we do think this project is a good idea.  Typically, these meetings bring out the Chicken Little's of our community. No matter what anybody says, the sky is falling, the economy is terrible, this is a stupid idea, how dare you propose this?  We need to bring out overwhelming support for the project if we want to overshadow the naysayers. This will also help convince the Council members that are on the fence or currently against the project. I won't go as far as saying they're wrong in their opinions. They're only doing what they think is best for their constituents. Being financially conservative isn't a bad thing, but in this case, I think the research and support for the Jury Park project is indisputable. Sure, it would be great to build this without a bonding issue or spending anything on it. In reality, that just doesn't happen. We have the opportunity to keep building our community. New Haven is a great place to live, raise a family, and run a business. Let's keep it going in the right direction.

City Council Meeting with Public Input on Jury Park & Pool Renovation
Tuesday, May 27th at 7:00

Jury Park & Pool Proposal Public Hearing and City Council 2nd Reading of Proposal
Tuesday, June 10th at 7:00

All meetings will be held in the New Haven City Council Chambers - 815 Lincoln Hwy. East - New Haven

   I'm planning on pushing this blog to get community input on both the Jury Park project and the future Community Center planning.  Please feel free to comment and bring up issues. I'd like to stay focused on these projects. Opposing views are both welcomed and encouraged. In order to make informed decisions, we need to discuss all sides of the issues. It would be great to get an active, respectful, and productive conversation going. Any comments that aren't respectful and constructive will be deleted. Differing opinions are fine. Being rude won't be tolerated.

Craig

Recently the superintendent of the New Haven-Adams Township Parks Department presented a second proposal for a Jury Park and Pool renovation to the city council.  Last November the first proposal was voted down as the council chose to ignore recommendations by the park board and a community aquatics advisory committee that researched what citizens wanted in a new pool and what was working in similar cities.  In addition, the majority of people that spoke at the public hearing were in favor of the new aquatics center.  Unfortunately, all of this was not enough to break the unfounded biases of some council members. They seemed to only listen to those who complained the loudest that they didn't’t want a tax increase, even though it would only be about a dollar a week for the average household.

So why a new proposal already, and why still consider a costly project despite a downturn in the economy?  The current Jury Pool is in disrepair and may not even last through this season.  This is not because it wasn’t maintained well, but because the pool is over forty years old, has an outdated filtration system, and has already been in operation many more years than expected.  It is also not accessible to people with physical disabilities.  An update cannot wait unless we don’t want there to be any pool at all.  While some think this is a fine idea and a cheap solution, what then do we have to offer for the people that can’t afford to go on vacations due to the high cost of fuel and travel?  More and more people than ever before will likely stay closer to home making a day at the pool a relatively low-cost getaway.  And if we choose not to add innovative new things to our city, what will be the incentive for new families and businesses to move to New Haven or even stay there?

Left without much direction from the council, and a pool and bathhouse literally falling apart, the park board turned to an outside company to help conduct a scientific survey of the community this spring.  The independent firm chose random recipients and of the surveys sent out, 1322 were returned. This was three times as many needed to make the survey statistically valid.  From respondents that had an opinion on what to do with Jury Pool, 80% (940 of 1166 who answered the question) wanted it replaced with a similar pool or a larger pool with added features, versus removing the pool altogether or having something smaller in its place.  This was even with a preface to the question explicitly making people aware of the tax burden.  The majority also wanted a new pool in the same location and would be willing to pay more for admission to a pool with added features.  Even then, some people still want to complain that this scientific survey was unfair and inaccurate.

Yes, the newest proposal for a Jury Park and Pool renovation is only slightly scaled back from the initial recommendations, but only because that is what citizens said they wanted.  The new proposal also still includes renovations to the bathhouse to meet requirements for handicapped accessibility, increasing the number of parking spaces that are already lacking, making a large baseball diamond easier to get to, and adding a tennis court to have the five required for competition.  This would allow the New Haven High School tennis teams to actually have practice and matches in its own city instead of at Kreager Park in Fort Wayne.  The entire cost of the project is not only for a pool.

The people of New Haven deserve to know that unless you’re outwardly vocal and negative, some of the city council members will not value your opinion.  What kind of a city are we living in if its elected leaders will not listen to professional advice, research of an experienced park board and advisory committee, or even a scientific survey done with the help of an independent firm?  This ultimately means the council is ignoring the facts and most of the constituents they vowed to serve.  Instead they are being influenced only by a loud minority that wants to live in a city and have city amenities but without paying for them.

Kara Heine Laughlin, O.D.

Last night the New Haven Council voted down the financing for the Aquatic Center 5-2. It wasn't a surprise, unfortunately we've known for weeks how the vote would turn out. Mayor McDonald did a good job keeping things under control considering the extreme differing opinions in the room. It seemed like the opinions were fairly balanced in the room between "do it" and "don't do it", with a slight margin in favor of the project. There were heartfelt and intelligent comments both ways. The majority of people who don't want the Aquatic Center are still in favor of replacing the pool. But there's where the issue lies. This entire project has been a balancing act between spending more up front to make it an attraction - or spending less and possibly having to subsidize it more because of lack of interest. I think the Park Board came up with a very good business plan and compromise - obviously five of the Council members didn't.

So where do we go now?  That could be a problem.  There are a lot of issues that will affect this issue.
Losing Jury Pool would be a very sad thing for New Haven. It's been a part of why New Haven is a great place to raise a family for a long time. I know my wife and I really appreciated the pool and craft programs when our son was growing up. I'd really like to see that still available for new families in our community.

There were so many people last night saying that we shouldn't spend so much money for a facility that's only open 3 months a year. But that's the idea. That's when our kids have little else to do. That's when we need to find ways to keep them entertained in a wholesome, healthy environment.

I don't blame the council members who voted against the project. I'm sure they felt they were doing what they felt was correct. This project wasn't perfect. There were a lot of things that still needed work. But that's how projects are. I was willing to believe in the Park Board's capacity to figure out solutions to the issues that still needed addressing. Hopefully, they'll rebound and come up with an alternative that will make more people happy. Let's keep up the discussion. Maybe someone will come up with the "perfect" plan. 

I received this well thought out letter in the mail concerning the Aquatics Center and I asked Kara to add it to the blog for everyone to read. She has a lot of very good points.

I am writing you as a former lifeguard, current health professional, and concerned New Haven property owner regarding the proposed new Aquatic Center.  As recently as this past August I witnessed the dilapidated state of the current Jury Pool and was somewhat embarrassed for our park board and community.  I was embarrassed that only three out of six toilets worked in the girls’ bathroom, embarrassed at how cloudy the water looked due to a filtration system that is in disrepair, embarrassed that there are huge irreparable chunks of concrete missing out of the sides of the pool, embarrassed that the public address system inexplicably buzzes uncontrollably and is difficult to understand, and embarrassed at how few of the overhead lights worked during the night rental.  It is somewhat obvious that action needs taken soon, and minor repairs are an impossible solution.

Not too many years ago, as the Head Lifeguard,  I remember getting compliments all the time about how clean and nice Jury pool was, how great it was that we had a high dive and large water slide, amenities that other pools in the area did not have.  These were comments coming from people sometimes driving an hour each way to visit our pool. I can assure you, Jury has not been a “community pool” for a long time.  In my more than ten summers working there, I have already seen it as a “destination” facility.  Unfortunately, now the main thing bringing patrons to this destination is the fact that it is ridiculously cheap.  However, wouldn’t it be nice if outsiders were coming to Jury again because we have the best pool around with more amenities than can be found anywhere else?   For example, the proposed splash pad, lazy river, slides, and play structures, and still the best swimming lessons in the area.  And what if these people were coming here paying a competitive price, spending their money not only at the pool, but other New Haven businesses?

I also had the opportunity to serve on the Community Aquatic Advisory Committee (CAAC) that for over a year researched possibilities for the replacement of Jury Pool.  This involved extensively asking the public what they wanted.  Contrary to what some citizens say at public hearings, the results of our surveys and questioning found the community is overwhelmingly in support of a facility of this nature with the amenities previously mentioned, and having NO pool in the current location was strongly discouraged.  In addition, the committee found that a community of our size, in the seasonal Midwest, can support an aquatic facility like the one being presented, and have it be financially self-sufficient, if not a money maker.  Unfortunately, the most outspoken opponents to this project complain they do not want to spend this much money on an outdoor pool.  However, they fail to realize that research by the CAAC finds that both smaller pools, even the size of the current pool, and indoor pools do NOT turn a profit, and indoor pools are much more expensive to build.  Building a “scaled-down” version of the proposed project will actually cost MORE money in the long-run as operating costs outweigh revenue every year.  In addition, cities in warmer climates still have only three month seasons for their pools due to the fact they just do not get used during the busy school year, regardless of the weather.

I know the issue has also been raised about the possibility of a community center in New Haven, and unfortunately some people want to pit these projects against each other.  In recent years we have seen a lot of money in our city go towards projects like a new downtown, a new football stadium, new city hall and police station, new roads, a new city maintenance facility, a new library, and new fire station.  All of these are great projects that make our town physically look good and function efficiently.   However, as an optometrist working in the health care industry, this disappoints me, because at the same time there are people that do not want to put forth the money or the effort to improve ourselves physically.  I see patients almost every day with eye damage from type II diabetes; it is the number one cause of blindness in our country, and almost totally preventable with diet and exercise.  This is true for a multitude of other common health problems and top killers in the United States: heart disease, strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure and cholesterol, not to mention all the problems caused by obesity.  All of these conditions are on the rise, and alarmingly in children as well.  The fact of the matter is if we are not proactive now in using our tax money to create more enjoyable and convenient recreation and workout facilities, both indoors and outdoors, it only ends up costing us later.  When people have not developed good health habits and are not taking care of themselves physically, the health aliments mentioned earlier result in everyone forking out tax dollars to support Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security Disability.

I believe our questions here should not revolve around whether or not to do these projects at all, or which one, but rather, how can we make both a reality keeping in mind that the current Jury Pool may not last another season.  The estimated tax rate impact is relatively low, just a little over a dollar a week for the average New Haven home.  This is little to ask considering the fact that we deserve a community that is a healthier, more fun, unique, and overall desirable place to live and raise our families.  Please support the new Jury Aquatic Center and what makes good business sense for New Haven by speaking out at the public hearing before the City Council on November 13^th at 7:00 pm

Best regards,
Kara Heine Laughlin, O.D.