A monument to duplicity, shame and arrogance.
It’s official! Board voted 6-1 at tonight’s Board Meeting!
The Park Ridge Senior Senate, the last vestige of the old guard, who, over 30 years, created and supported the running of the Park Ridge Senior Center, were unceremoniously declared persona non grata, and will be gone soon!
April 19th to be precise.
So it’s hurray for the Park District! Hurray for the Park Ridge children! Hurray for anyone in Park Ridge not a senior!
Its time for Park Ridge Citizens to take out their flags and booze, have a parade, make a party.
And time for current Senior Center Members to rethink their options.
In 18 short months, Park Ridge not only lost its best Park District Executive Director ever, it deliberately destroyed its award-winning Senior Center, along with their award-winning Senior Center Director. And sooner rather than later, it will loose the majority of seniors the center was created to serve. One can see this trend in the Centers diminished participation rates due to members feelings of betrayal.
To be sure, in addition to the betrayal malaise, reduced participation has been exacerbated by Park Board micro-management and arrogance resulting in ineffective Senior Center management. The majority of former Senior Center members have had it and are planning on quitting in disgust!
The last 18 months proved to be an incredulous eye-opener for me. At first I believed the local hype:
“Welcome to the official City of Park Ridge government website.
Park Ridge, Illinois, is a picturesque suburb of 37,480 residents, located 15 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, in a key geographic location close to O'Hare Airport, major expressways and rail transportation. It has a strong small-town, hometown charm, with cupolas, church spires and the 100-foot tower of the historic Art Deco Pickwick Theatre defining its unique skyline. Its slogan, "A Wonderful Place," describes a prime residential community with tree-lined streets, pleasing architecture, and outstanding schools, parks and library. Park Ridge is a welcoming community, open to everyone who wishes to take advantage of all we have to offer…”
What I found was a very different Park Ridge – not a sleepy residential bedroom community but a town asleep. A Butterly on Senior Issues commenter put it this way:
Anonymous April 9, 2012 1:36 PM said:
“…Here is the truth. The vast majority of PR could care less about this issue. It has not occupied a single moment of their time. It does not even make the list of issues of the day - not even close…”.
As to those who were awake, many have displayed a lack of empathy and caring for 800 of their elderly taxpaying neighbors and a lack of shame for supporting a Board that has shamelessly disgraced the entire community by their duplicitous actions.
I would like to say I feel sorry for PRPD’s brightest. But I can’t! Sorry would imply the events were inevitable, unavoidable. Such was not the case here. There were many places along this story’s path where compromise and reconciliation were possible. The seniors offered and patiently waited. The Wynn-Ryan/Biagi lead board chose to ignore them.
Well it’s over – time to change the name on the building!
Time to call the building what it is – what it was meant to become under the Wynn-Ryan/Biagi lead regime; their personal legacy:
The Ryan-Biagi Cultural Center!
May have a ring to it. But for former Senior Center Members, a grating ring of betrayal and abandonment!
Of course as always, it’s just my opinion!
17 comments:
If by "best" and "award-winning" you mean "utterly oblivious to fiscal accountability," I guess you're right. "Entitlements" are not something most Park Ridge seniors demanded when I was young, but perhaps times have changed. Somebody turns 55 every day in Park Ridge, and the Senior Center will go on and thrive again. Meanwhile, Meals on Wheels, Center of Concern and other worthy causes for truly needful seniors await the TLC of the active individuals you now call "elderly."
Are you saying the senior center will cease serving the needs of seniors?
Ken....
You have officially jumped the shark.
6:51, can't you read?
The prior poster to yours repeated what the whole board and staff keep saying, and saying, and writing, and writing: They will NOT, NOT, NOT close the Senior Center but WILL, WILL, WILL keep providing programs for seniors.
Please READ WHAT IS IN FRONT OF YOU
and stop getting yourself upset over a non-problem. Worry about cuts to Social Security and Medicare, worry about the value of your house, but don't worry about senior programming at the Senior Center. It is NOT, NOT, NOT at risk.
Anon April 15, 3:35 PM
Is that you Mary Wynn Ryan???
I couldn't believe Mary Wynn Ryan's performance for the newspapers at the Special Park Board meeting last Wednesday. She stood up and her arms were out stretched and said something to the effect that all the seniors there had come to the meeting, because they had been told that the Senior Center was closing. She then sat down and said that now her blood pressure was up. Great grandstanding for the cameras. That picture was in the Advocate. I wish she would cite her source, because no one knew what the meeting was going to be about and no one was told it was about the Senior Center closing.
This reminds me of when she told the newspapers that, "Everyone knows no one can use the bathrooms at the Senior Center". Then we find out it was an incident that had happened to her 12 years ago.
This women's credibility is lower than a snakes hips.
Anon: April 14, 2012 12:31 PM,
I would personally like to thank you for making my point! Your cockeyed views of “seniors” and the whole spectrum of senior activities, and needs, are stunning.
It's true, some Park Ridge resident will turn 55 today, and tomorrow and the day after that. That said; as most knowledgeable Senior Center Managers in this region that I’ve talked to, will tell you, the new 55 year-old is not the guy the old 55 year-old was.
Generally, the new 55 is physically and mentally younger and stronger and definitely, not ready to “retire” let alone look for a rest home or Senior Center to wile-away the time, playing cards or shooting pool, any time soon.
A good example if the new 55 (or older) is Park Ridge’s own blogger extraordinaire, Bob Trizna. He, like other “eligible” seniors, will tell you, they may be AARP material but they’re not about commit to the Senior Center lifestyle! As for me (age 66), I’m with Trizna!
Now, you might ask, Butterly, why are you involved?
The reason I’m involved is I don’t like the way you and your friends on the PRPD Board mistreat my neighbors; my fellow taxpaying voters.
The current “senior” problem, is a Wynn-Ryan/Biagi created problem, and came about because two wanna-be politicians wanted the “senior clubhouse” closed by any means, and they were, and are, in my opinion too self-centered, too meanspirited, too politically stupid and incompetent to accomplish the task any other way. Unless, of course, the situation we currently see, is the situation they desired all along.
Those old people you appear to despise, paid and are still paying, their dues! The combined taxes and dues and up to this last year, their “contribution” by those seniors more than offset their use of the building and staff. So spare me your “entitlement” BS!
Anon, those seniors you belittle, helped, and still help, educate your children, long after their kids had kids. They helped develop and continue to support the pools you and you children use, the golf range you practice on, the Community Center you exercise in, the day care your children attend, the safe and secure playgrounds your babies play in; and the parks and athletic fields upon which you and your children play sports!
The big mistake these seniors made was they didn’t do what most of you are going to do; take everything this town has to offer, including the taxpayer subsidized goodies, then leave!
Anon: April 14, 2012 6:51 PM,
How do you define needs?
Evan Lacrosse: April 14, 2012 7:36 PM,
I would venture to say, most of my readers are not TV boobs! And my blog is not a TV show or meant as entertainment for the stupid or brain-dead.
I would also venture to say, the majority of my readers have no idea what your metaphor was meant to convey.
I allowed your comment onto this site, as I do many others, because comments such as yours, on a purely intellectual level, intrigue me, and sometimes even, entertain me!
Anon: April 15, 2012 3:35 PM,
Seems to me, the person upset here and apparently, incapable of reading and understanding the English language, is you.
Anon 6:51 was not asking if the Park Ridge Senior Center was closing. Anon: 6:51 was asking if the Park Ridge Senior Center “will cease serving the needs of seniors”. I would suggest, it already has!
Now, let’s be clear. No one here and no one at the Senior Center, to my knowledge except you and Ms. Wynn-Ryan, are discussing the closure of PR’s Senior Center – period. It is a non-issue!
That said; you didn’t answer 6:51’s question.
But of course, you can’t answer the question because you, and apparently the Board believe senior “programming”; that is, senior entertainment, equals senior need service; which it does not! To date, PRPD management has failed to “connect” with the 800+ members they are paid to serve. The readon, I suggest, is that PRPD's Executive Director and Senior Center management are reflecting the negative attitude displayed by PRPD Board leaders.
And the reason Ms. Wynn-Ryan and Mr. Biagi can’t seem to get beyond the current state of affairs; is their refusal to accept a loss of trust.
Now, Ms. Wynn-Ryan and Mr. Biagi cannot continue to tell seniors one thing while doing another and expect to be believed. Ms. Wynn-Ryan and Mr. Biagi cannot continue to diminish the reputations of these senior-taxpayers and expect credibility. And they cannot continue to publicly bold-face lie about the seniors or to themselves about their self-created mess and expect the seniors to stand with them!
If Ms. Wynn-Ryan and Mr. Biagi are sincere in their call for reconciliation, they need to resign or reconciliation will not happen. Only then, I believe, will Senior’s consider justice served!
Lastly, a few days ago, I am told, the judge hearing PRPD’s request for a failed injunction prohibiting the seniors from using the “trust” monies to pay legal bills, could not understand how a Park District could have this type of problem with their Senior Center members and suggested PRPD work toward a compromise. Last weeks meeting and the meeting to come (Apr. 19, 2012) are not, I suspect, what the judge had in mind!
Ken:
You're "with Trizna"? The mind reels at the prospect of Butterly and Trizna as Park Ridge's very own "Sunshine Boys."
But seriously, Ken, Senior Center members represent about 800 of approx. 7,000 Park Ridge "seniors" - which means that around 6,200 non-member seniors are paying the same basic taxes as those Senior Center members while not even receiving Senior Center membership benefits, albeit by choice.
That also means those non-member seniors are paying approx. 88.5% of the overall "senior" share of the taxes that go to the education and recreation of the community's children, even though most of those non-members’ kids - like those of the member seniors - also have grown out of the system; and they are paying approx. 88.5% of the "seniors" share of that $1 million in subsidies that have gone to the Senior Center since 2005.
During the 8 years I served on the Park Board (1997-2005), I learned firsthand that the Park District’s contribution to the character of our community is by amenities, not necessities. And that’s why I believe that Senior Center members - as well as Community Center members, sports affiliate participants, and all other "extra-ordinary" users of the Park District’s amenities - should pay the full costs reasonably quantifiable and allocable to their "extra-ordinary" uses of those amenities.
What's so unfair about that?
So when is the canonization of Teresa? Maybe the Kemnitz estate can pay for the party..
The canonization occurred months ago and, obviously, you were not present or invited.
You are also unaware that legitimate organizations that are gifted with bequests do not allocate those dollars for operating expenses unless otherwise directed by the donor. More frequently and appropriately, such funds are allocated for capital equipment or capital projects as has been the practice of Park Ridge Senior Services for years. The "amenities" at the Park Ridge Senior Center as described by the District in its literature, are such purchases.as well as the capital remodeling presented earlier on Butterly's Senior Issues blog.
Excuse me....question for the panel!! This is mainly aimed at the PRPD board but anyone can feel free to answer!!
As I recall, one of the main issues related to the senir center was the use of the bathroom. I actually fount it rather facinating. I have never seen such focus on this issue!!
Of course "everyone" in PR knows that the seniors would not let people use the bathrooms. Even little children were denied.
The PR taxpayers even had to foot the bill for a port-a-potty by the Washington School parking lot so ball players and spectators would have a place to go.....the horror!!!
So here is my question. With all of the changes over the last few months at the Senior Center it would seem this issue is resolved.
So why is the port-a-potty still there??? In fact, unless I am mistaken, the john was not there over the winter so, in fact, it was put back there recently. Why???
Robert J. Trizna: April 17, 2012 8:34 AM,
Bob, it would be interesting, maybe even fun to work with you. And I'm so glad you described the team as the "Sunshine Boys" and not the "Odd Couple".
That said; we differ in our view on this subject in a fundamental way. You see this problem in terms of numbers. I, on the other hand, am a people person.
The Senior Center issue morphed from a numbers problem to a people problem in January, 2011.
Unfortunately, you've continued to focus on a problem that no longer exists, while minimizing the one that does.
That said; I still believe the seniors deserved their day in court, and I appreciate, as I'm sure they do; your principled stand last year for an UP or DOWN Board vote for the proposed taxpayer-funded Senior Center contract renewal. If the Park Board had just sensible followed your advice, none of this last year’s nonsense would have happened!
Ken:
One of the biggest problems with government today, in my opinion, is our public officials' seeming fear of UP or DOWN votes - and the clarity they tend to provide.
But as for this problem morphing from numbers to people, I have to disagree. In reading your blog and the newspaper accounts of this situation, it's clear that it was certain seniors - including yourself - who consciously turned the discussion from numbers/money into a people issue by effectively demonizing Ms. Wynn-Ryan and Mr. Biagi by name.
Had the Senior Center members offered a substantial increase in membership dues/fees so as to signficantly decrease the Center's annual operating deficit, I am confident the Park District would have accommodated them. By totally ignoring the numbers/money and focusing on the persons, however, the seniors changed the dynamic in a way that seems to have ended up biting them in the behind.
But Helen Roppel’s threat to take the $200K in SSI's treasury (and, presumably, the $300K of Kemnitz cash) and open up a senior center elsewhere is the best evidence that, at least for folks like her, this is STILL a numbers/money issue.
Are you seriously expecting anyone, even your fans, to believe that if the Board had voted DOWN on the Senior Services, Inc. contract renewal that this firestorm of name-calling you encouraged would not have happened? C'mon, Ken. I won't say get real, but at least get plausible.
Anon April 19, 7:2a.m.::
Great observation regarding the Port-a-Potty near the field adjacent to the Park Ridge Senior Center.
In all fairness, I do recall scanning the long range plans of the Park Board several years ago, which projected plans to provide restroom facilities at most parks and fields about town. Perhaps they are just accomplishing their goals. I had envisioned something more decorative. Perhaps they could have dipped into the $5.2 million Recreation Funds invested to provide more attractive items on our open space sites.
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