or “waterpark lite” - a pool replacement that’s more than a pool but not a waterpark like the big boys have in Des Plaines.
“Mini-Waterpark” Meeting Tonight!
![The-Trial-of-the-Knave-of-Hearts,-illustration-from-Alice-in-Wonderland-by-Lewis-Carroll-1832-9-large[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGuIsCuV1oZJoPPYFkOuZt9DaW8W8O6UEpl5xbmQOEm2UgmRKMtK7eVASqeOSRoI-FsI3ANh4kNDtQyMfmaU-3WiYXdmY_iy5N_1U7lYI_C89axvySMKUrfnOfeI4gx19m4Uh4vIZKuxl4/?imgmax=800 "The-Trial-of-the-Knave-of-Hearts,-illustration-from-Alice-in-Wonderland-by-Lewis-Carroll-1832-9-large[1]")
I recently received a copy of an email sent from Park Ridge Park Board President Rick Biagi to various friends and supporters.
Note: Yes, some of Rick’s friends are also my friends.
Rick, knows how important the next two meetings are for his “mini-waterpark” or “waterpark lite” plan to succeed; and success (public support) is what he and his Board are lacking at this moment.
You see, Rick’s 2012 Presidency has so far been a bust; and he knows it. The senior problem hasn’t been resolved and has cost the Park District thousands of dollars in litigation fees, court costs and lost employee productivity; and the youth campus property bond referendum still has more than a 50% chance of bombing out!
Further, Rick Biagi is running for reelection to the PRPD Board and needs something “positive” to run on; and hopes the creation of the “mini-waterpark” will bring out enough of his supporters for the win.
Here is what Rick wrote:
| | “Subject: Centennial Pools Friends: As you may have heard, the Park District is in the midst of a discussion to replace the 58 year old pools at Centennial Park. It has been my honor to serve the citizens of Park Ridge on the Park District Board of Commissioners since 2009. In my role this year as Board President, I am extremely excited to help direct the future of the Park District with a proposed plan to modernize the aquatics facility at Centennial…but I need your help at this critical juncture. Over the past year, the Park District staff, in conjunction with the Board and independent aquatics engineers, has been developing a plan to replace the two aging pools at Centennial with two new, modern pools that have such common amenities as zero depth entry, slides, modest recreational water features and competitive lap areas. Detailed information on the plan can be found on the Park District’s web site at the following link: http://www.prparks.org/sites/default/files/images/centennial_pool_renovation-12-faq.pdf I want to stress that, while we are planning to modernize the facility at Centennial with amenities that are comparable to many other nearby communities, this project is not on the scale of a “water park” such as the Mystic Waters facility in Des Plaines. The overall cost of the proposed modernization project is $7.1 Million. This includes not only the cost to replace the pools, but also to properly address potential flooding issues in the area and to increase the size of the current parking lot. This project will be funded by the Board’s non-referendum bonding authority. In other words, the Board has the statutory authority to issue bonds for this amount, without increasing the tax burden on the taxpayers of Park Ridge (i.e., no new taxes for this project). Over the past few weeks, a relatively small but vocal group of citizens have voiced their strong objection to this project, on a number of grounds. Some who live in the area don’t want a new facility which, in their opinion, could bring more noise and more people to the park. Others want the Board to simply replace the current pools with exact replicas of the existing pools (at an approximate cost of $4 Million). Still others question whether we should even have outdoor pools in Park Ridge given the limited window of time (typically 90-100 days) to operate them during the summer months and thereby accusing the Board of fiscal mismanagement by ever considering an expenditure on outdoor aquatics. In my mind, the sole question for the taxpayers of Park Ridge is quite simple…do we or don’t we want outdoor pools in our City. If we don’t want them then the Board should be planning for the demolition of the Centennial pools within the next year, given the significant mechanical and physical problems the current 58 year old pools face. However, if the citizens feel that outdoor pools are an important fixture in our City, then we need to move forward on plans to bring a modern aquatics facility to Centennial Park. Simply put, the Board is at a crossroads and I need you to let your voice be heard on this very important issue…one that will impact the citizens of Park Ridge for generations to come. At my direction, the Board will be holding two public hearings on the future of the Centennial Pools...on Thursday December 6th and again on Thursday the 13th at 7:30pm in the Park Ridge Park District Senior Center at 100 S. Western. I cannot stress enough how important it is that we have as many people as possible at these hearings…the future of pools in Park Ridge is in your hands. So, please plan on attending one or both of the public hearings and please, pass this message on to as many people as you can. Sincerely, Rick Biagi” |
Todays post is primarily intended to inform my readers who are not on Mr. Biagi’s email list, of his attempt to stack the meeting audience with his supporters.
“It Ain't No Mystery,If It's Politics Or History,The Thing You Gotta Know Is,Everything Is Showbiz!” from: The Producers.
Look friends, we’re dealing with smart people here – not necessarily wise people, however.
I believe these seven Commissioners, this “relatively small but vocal group”, are conspiring to ramrod the issue past an unsuspecting electorate. It is obvious they will do so because they can; and because they think you are too dumb and lazy to launch any effort to stop them!
Board members have told us more than once that they’re elected and represent 37,500+/- residents.
You are one of them!
More importantly, you are taxpayers and voters! Biagi and other Board Members are looking to have their ego’s stroked and are running for the Board again.
If you want to stop this foolishness, you need to stop them!
Run for the Board!
In the mean time, the Biagi/Wynn-Ryan Board purports to represent you; and if you think they need to hear your voice NOW so they can REPRESENT YOU, you’d better make it a priority to attend the next two meetings and tell them what you think!
Background Information
First, read the PRPD Brochure: Centennial Pool Reconstruction 2013-14 which explains their version of the story.
Centennial Park Site – Now 
Picture of proposed “mini-waterpark” facility.
Note: the rendering does not take the viewer to the western edge (bottom) of the park.
Lets take another look!
This time, lets take a look at a site rendition plus the addition of Google earths photo that includes the neighbors.
Look how close their property lines are to the proposed “mini-waterpark”.
Now, look at the rendering one more time.
This time, put yourself in the place of those property owners.
You can see that the bottom of the picture (west side of park) ends at the pathway intersection, just a few feet from the property line.
As you can see, neighbors on Seminary will have a front row seat to the entire waterpark; the overflow parking and noise and their friends to the south (to the right), will also be exposed to the same unwanted disturbances all summer long!
Update: 12/06/2012
Emailed Information from Ms. Mountcastle.
| “I would appreciate, since you are concerned with getting your readers the facts, that you make sure you have them. The Park District property borders Seminary, and the current western most location of the pool fence (wading pool) is 141.5 ft. from the west side of the street and the approx. distance from the proposed slide fence(which will be the furthest western point) to the west side of the street is approx. 100 feet. Which is more than a few feet.” | |
All that entertainment for the initial $7+ million debt. Such a deal! And we haven’t even discussed phase two’s “lazy river” addition. Maybe there’s even a phase three for all we know.
Update: 12/06/2012
Emailed Information from Ms. Mountcastle.
| | The Lazy River is in the Conceptual Plan for Phase 2, there is no timeline or dollars budgeted for this. A timeline has not even been discussed. The bath house renovation would also be in phase 2. The cost for phase 2 is estimated at $ 3,453,300. This includes lazy river, bath house, site work, and support. | |
Only Park District Officials know their hidden agenda and the full financial implication along with increased neighborhood degradation due to usage growth!
This is a stealth enterprise, I believe, and an attempt to circumvent the will of the people as displayed in two prior referendum attempts to install a waterpark one step at a time.
In short, it’s an attempt to put the camels head under the tent flap!
Finally, lets take one last look at the complete Google earth site picture, including the boundaries.
Close you eyes and visualize the possibilities.
Warm weather, screaming children, pina coladas, reggae music and palm trees?
The neighbors are going to love it!
What do you think?
More on this issue next time!
Of course, it’s just my opinion.
![The-Trial-of-the-Knave-of-Hearts,-illustration-from-Alice-in-Wonderland-by-Lewis-Carroll-1832-9-large[1]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxpIZdc6QCN5iD_eRM7DiD1Xxtm1m0p6LSaVEqkwyyzUI5vMewPxYYGSwaRbXJOiWrACVrfQJeDGtjvOo3yha1-XUnqfnbmVtDjKKywREZ2jtsbdGITMUt4cZfNx3u3lu0lQVHIHFQ2Dpa/s1600-h/The-Trial-of-the-Knave-of-Hearts%25252C-illustration-from-Alice-in-Wonderland-by-Lewis-Carroll-1832-9-large%25255B1%25255D%25255B5%25255D.jpg "The-Trial-of-the-Knave-of-Hearts,-illustration-from-Alice-in-Wonderland-by-Lewis-Carroll-1832-9-large[1]")
