Comments:

Eric - 2004-06-30 11:28:13
The pools are open because of private fundraising. Your bitterness is misguided. This isn't the first year that the rec department didn't have enough money to keep the pool open.
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kj - 2004-06-30 12:13:33
yes, the pool is open. go swim
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Laura - 2004-06-30 12:35:07
good info, thank you. Last time I passed there was one of those fundraising-thermometer signs & not a soul in sight so I wasn't sure.
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Brett - 2004-06-30 13:10:42
Laura, when am I going to get an 'YpsiDixit Press Badge" I can wear in my fedora?
While the pool is open (no thanks to the city govt), there are still a number of other- and I might argue more important- cuts taking effect involving the rec department, farmer's market, police, fire, etcetera.
Even if there weren't any cuts being made, we still have some very dubious gambling taking place that the debts incurred now by the city will actually produce a revenue down the line.
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Laura - 2004-06-30 13:17:04
heh. :) I'll work on that, Brett, I'll work on that. I agree, the gamble seems out of proportion in a city strained to the limit--to layman me, that is.
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Brett - 2004-06-30 13:29:07
Take your time on the badge. I don't actually own a fedora.
As for a layman like you or I speculating about these financial woes, well, the city council and mayor aren't a bunch of accountants, either.

Speaking as one who has incurred personal debt, I'm pretty aware of the fact that a) something called 'interest' makes you owe much more than the original loan, and b) there comes a point when the financial institution tries to collect the debt and c) when that happens you either pay up or go bankrupt (or get your legs broken, it depends on the financial institution).
Not to bash all politicians, but I've noticed that in politics it's a frequent trick to start something in motion that may have 'some' chance of success, and then years later (when you're no longer involved in the matter) the eventual plan's failure can be blamed on those that came after you for not implementing it properly.
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Eric - 2004-06-30 13:33:05
The city is on a state list of communities that are expected to go bankrupt in the next ten years. Something needs to be done. Unfortunately, no matter what action is taken, people are going to complain. The city is in a no-win situation.
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Laura - 2004-06-30 13:51:54
They're not even going to begin building the first 50 (of over 700 units) till next year, when the first loan payment of $225,000 is due (and will be paid for from the land sale). They're not building them all at once because they can't afford to. So presumably once those 50 are done, they'll be noisily constructing the next block, with big earth moving machines and trucks rumbling around and backing up while going BEEP BEEP BEEP and dust and exhaust fumes and what have you--that doesn't make the first block of units attractive to the type of people with the bucks to pay for them, in my view.
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raymond - 2004-06-30 13:53:35
just returned from down there. motor state buildings cleared out. outsourcers were cutting weeds around the hulking empty buildings from the rr spur to the fenced area near the river. some kind of tracked vehicle carrying empty 55 gal drums over that way. remnants of rest(aurant) emerging in building at river and the ave, 'hot coffee, kool cigarettes' by the old beer ta-kout. gee, i used to drive thru the store in a vw bug. some scary signs of oily despoiling on the ground way back. been wanting to look for any remnant of independence island but didn't have a gun so stayed out of the woods.
hot-n-steamy, like panama.
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Laura - 2004-06-30 14:03:39
Great info raymond! thanks! Now I'm completely curious to see it for myself. Wasn't Independence Island absorbed into Waterworks Park? You can see it on old maps, though, pretty cool.
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raymond - 2004-06-30 18:54:32
don't know what happened to the island or when. drowning boys were a frequent diversion in the river in ypsi's early days. maybe the island had to go so they wouldn't splash over there and get nekkid and...???
indy isle could have been dredged or attached to shore. what's left of the race that ran south for power, cutting off the big eastward meander? race street and whatever's under it.
when pulte (i'll hold my tongue) filled the chasm they dug in our front yard for a water line it replaced ancient beach gravel with nasty debris containing asphalt and other foul lumps, all with the blessing of the township regime.
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