To the editor:
It irritated me and continues to irritate me to no end that the P.I. City Council chose to close the outdoor swimming pool. It certainly appears to me and many, many others that the closing had been the result of less than heroic measures to save it.
The council should have gone all out to find monies to fix whatever needed fixing. I understand that a few hundred thousand dollars were enough to purchase a water filter and new asphalt to put the pool back into good community service. I have heard that, if the new community center (earlier, a new rec. center) becomes a reality, it’ll cost over a million bucks to construct a new outdoor pool. There’s no doubt in my mind that the citizens of this community would overwhelmingly vote to re-establish the old outdoor pool. Lots of dollars would be saved, too. Other surrounding towns have outdoor pools.
And just where does the city get off having two city managers? Don’t believe there’s another Aroostook town with two managers and collateral help. Allowing one manager to depart would save P.I. taxpayers around $90,000 a year, saving enough dollars in three years to easily re-establish our old and venerated pool on Main St.
Another thing: To think that the City Council can allay the pain of kids and parents by closing the outdoor pool and sending them along their merry way to UMPI’s indoor pool is simply naïve and deceiving. Don’t think for a moment that we feel that you’re taking care of the local kids. You’re not. Using UMPI’s indoor pool as a substitute is a very lousy idea. Few will use the facility in the summer.
Oh, I haven’t mentioned closing the basketball court down by the pool. Whose dumb idea was that?
These things need to be aired and the locals should be far more vocal. Seems that our city government has taken its cue from the federal government and simply do whatever they (Council members) want to do and do it without vote or advice of or from the citizens.
In closing let me say that I’m absolutely in favor of a new recreation facility; it would serve our community well. But do the right thing and re-establish the outdoor swimming pool where it is now and dismiss one city manager. Methinks that would make about 9,000 local people very happy.
If you believe I’m thoroughly disgusted with recent decisions the City Council has made, you’re absolutely right! Do what the vast majority of local taxpayers would have you do: save oodles of dollars by fixing up the old outdoor pool and at the same time scale down to only one city manager.
Dick Graves
Presque Isle
