FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 30, 2012
Save Our Pools (SOP) Withholds Petitions,
Demands Answers
Dearborn,
MI – When it comes to
Dearborn’s pools, residents feel there are too many questions and not enough
answers. Save Our Small Pools (SOP) will not turn over a majority of the
petitions needed until Dearborn residents get those answers. The petitions
include signatures from every proposed Special Assessment District (SAD) in
Dearborn and would be the triggering event to a vote by late-June 2012.
The deadline for the submission of petitions is today, April 30, 2012, SOP says
it is too soon.
The biggest
question is the cost. It is generally understood that the passed SAD
would act as a ceiling to both capital improvement and operation costs.
However, the exact number that a company would charge to conduct such
improvements is a virtual guess until a Request For Proposal (RFP) is opened
and bids returned. Despite strong dissent by SOP, the RFP step is one
that would not occur until after the SAD vote, leaving this important question
unanswered even as voters decide how to cast their ballots.
The
pre-requisite for an SAD is based on funding for outdoor pools. In 2010,
the city advised the residents that they could no longer fund the 6 small
pools. With the recent release of the Proposed 2013 Fiscal Budget
documents (available on the city website ) new information provided shows that
money is being planned (4 million
dollars) for construction of a “mega aquatic facility” at Ford Woods
park, leaving residents asking many questions after a voter approved mileage
increase last fall.
The process
of the SAD is relatively unknown as it is a rare occurrence. Through the
Outdoor Pool Sub-Committee, SOP repeatedly requested meetings with the City
Attorney’s office to discuss the intricate details of the petitions and
subsequent vote, such as which homeowner can sign and whether a person with
multiple properties gets multiple signatures. Despite the nature of many
questions directly related to the petition process, the City Attorney’s office
refused to meet with the Outdoor Pool Sub-Committee or SOP until after the petitions were
submitted.
Many other
questions have been raised as it relates to the control a SAD would have over
its own pool operation hours, the fairness of the tag structure, the potential
for a city-wide vote, and whether this vote is even necessary when the money is
being planned in the budget. Throughout this process, SOP has had to
respond to residents’ questions on these issues and others with “we really
aren’t sure.” Residents are asking that their questions be answered before
they sign the required petitions.
SOP is
committed to working with the City of Dearborn to ensure the future of the
small pools. With today’s action, SOP does not turn its back on the
group’s commitment; its members simply ask the City of Dearborn to respond in
kind by providing answers to the residents’ questions, thereby providing a
means for success.
About Save Our Pools (SOP)
Established
in 2010, SOP believes that these 6
small neighborhood pools have been a place for our children to work, swim,
exercise and build life-long relationships. Their voice will not be heard
unless we work at this together. We are one Dearborn, one Team and one Family.
Additional
information is available at: www.saveoursmallpools.blogspot.com
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