Playgrounds: Some Truth Exist

I read Clive McFarlane's playground article and truly laughed out loud. 

The Roosevelt School playground, which I know about first-hand because my daughter attended the school when the conversation began about having a playground on school grounds, was built with alot of money from the school's parents and alot of  "sweat equity".

I wish Clive would have done a better job fact checking the figures because he would have learned that it was NOT $30,000 that was kicked in by the City from the City Sewer Fund as a way "to give something back" to the Vernon Hill and Quinsigamond Village residents, the real dollar amount is more like $300,000.

If you'd like the back story, you can read what I've written about the Providence Street Playground here.

Grand Hustle: Providence Street Playground pt. 3

I love how the Telegram and Gazette, with Rondo-sized assists from Paul Clancy, District 3 Councilman, Robert Antonelli, Assistant Commissioner of Parks and Public Works, and Robert Moylan, Commissioner of Public Works and Parks, are reporting that the playground on Providence Street is "only" costing between $200k to $300k.

These are the same men that said that there would have to be improvements made to the surrounding area, sidewalks installed and the cost would be around the $455k mark.  Nice way to coveniently forget about $255k to $155k!

The kicker to the T&G article is, "Mr. Antonelli acknowledged that some neighbors remain opposed to the playground, though Mr. Clancy said he had only received one negative e-mail about the project since construction started last year".

Mr. Antonelli has a better memory than Paul Clancy, because he can remember the push-back from area residents at the meeting that took place at the Vernon Hill School on February 27, 2008, where residents in attendance told them they were full of shit building a playground when there were better ways to spend more than $100k.

Maybe the money didn't come from property taxes, but the playground was proposed as,"gesture to show the city's gratitude" to the residents affected by the expanded Ballard Street compost site. Neighborhoods such as those in the areas of Gibbs Street, Granite Street, Dane Avenue and Svenson Avenue, to name a few, are affected whenever the compost site emits odor.

The then principal of the Vernon Hill School, Ms. Joanna Bowolick, was all for the playground because it would benefit her students directly, but she wouldn't be a the school long enough to see the first backhoe at the site.

 The BIG kicker came in December 2008, when the proposal for the playground was approved by the City Council, after Paul Clancy very slyly had the proposal brought up at a City Council meeting right before Christmas.  Hey, he knows when people are sleeping and he knows when they're awake, and Paul Clancy banks on the fact that most of his constituents are asleep at the wheel.  True Masshole modus operandi.

The playground was approved, Clancy is pleased, Moylan is pleased, Antonelli is pleased and the people that live in the area are pleased, but do they know that they've been Grand Hustled?

Grand Hustle 101: Providence Street Playground (cont.)

Remember when I wrote about the proposed $455k playground that is going to be built on Providence Street to benefit the Vernon Hill School? I wrote about it here, here and here .

Well, the construction has gotten under way and while there are new sidewalks and, generally speaking, there is no way that this playground cost $455,000!

If so, then I know that the playground has been aptly named "Grand Hustle".



I think it's time for Worcester to have it's own version of "The Ultimate Hustler" reality television show and topping the list of participants, in no particular order we would have:

• Paul P. Clancy, Jr., District 3 City Councilor
• Robert L. Moylan, Jr., Commissioner, Department of Public Works & Parks
• Michael V. O'Brien, City Manager
• Konstantina B. Lukes, Councilor-at-Large
• Melinda J. Boone, Superintendent, Worcester Public Schools
• Mauro DePasquale, Executive Director, WCCA TV13
  

I don't watch reality television shows, but rest assured that I'd be sure to tune in or set the DVR to record that bad boy! It would be straight comedy and great entertainment.



Maybe we can convince Andrea Ajemian and Kaz Gamble of "Worcester Love" and "We Got the Beat" to direct and film the show, and have Mike Benedetti of "508" be the host? But only if we can have Brendan Melican be the Trump-like boss that kicks people off the show or has the group complete an task such as carrying two fifty-pound weights, one in each hand, up and down George Street until there's only one person standing.

Hmmmmmmmmm.

Grand Hustle 101: Playground

On Wednesday, February 27th, I attended a meeting at Vernon Hill School to discuss the proposed playground that has been slated to be built at Glodis Field on Providence Street.

What I experienced and witnessed first-hand was the grandest of all "grand hustles" put on by District 3 Councilor, Paul Clancy, Jr., and mouthed by Assistant Commissioner of Parks, Robert Antonelli, Jr.

While this meeting was supposed to be "open to the public" it was very obvious that such was not the case as the meeting was "stacked" with supporters in favor of the playground, particularly by teachers of Vernon Hill School.

The playground was proposed as a, "gesture to show the city's gratitude" to the residents affected by the expanded Ballard Street compost site. Neighborhoods such as those in the areas of Gibbs Street, Granite Street, Dane Avenue and Svenson Avenue, to name a few, are affected whenever the compost site emits odor.

While there was an opportunity to ask questions of both Clancy and Antonelli, it became glaringly obvious that this meeting was only being held for face value and that the playground was going to be built either way.

Knowing the current economic condition of the United States and, more specifically Worcester, it doesn't make a lot of sense to spend $365,000 on a playground for an area that has two other playgrounds in the general vicinity. While budgets continue to be cut and City employees are continually being asked to "do more with less", how can we, with good conscience, spend $365k on a playground?

As if this astonishing figure were not enough, Mr. Antonelli, Jr. reported that, through a grant of $455,000, Vernon Hill playground was going to be renovated beginning in July 2008. So, suffice it to say that not only is the $365k being "borrowed against the sewer account," we were now told that the area is going to receive close to $1 million in playground renovations! Again, does this make sense?

Hearing the principal of Vernon Hill School, Ms. Joanna Bowolick, speak about the playground, one would think that she, too, drank from the same contaminated water cooler as Councilor Clancy and Councilor-at-large Joseph Petty. Ms. Bowolick did her best to explain that she is for the playground by saying that she encourages children to go outside and play and that the current black top area is unsafe due to it being uneven and that the basketball hoops that were installed have been vandalized by local teens. Who's to say that this won't happen with the proposed playground?

We all certainly hope that Worcester Police Department will be able to patrol the area and keep the riff raff out, but there is no way to monitor the area 24-hours a day.

Yes, the PTO from Vernon Hill School deserves a round of applause for applying for and being awarded $5,000 as grant money through the Lowe's Toolbox for Education through the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, but should neighbors and families that don't live near the school have to pay for a playground when there are so many other schools that deserve a playground as well? It's simply all about what Vernon Hill School wants and leave all others to the wayside, right?

It's no longer all about the Benjamins, it's about what is right for our children and Ms. Bowolick and others are quick to play the child-card, because as we know, how can we deny little Timmy or Jane the right to play outside? Well, I know that I have to tell my child "No" often and she's not going to suffer any pain by hearing such a simple and yet powerful word.

So, suffice it to say that the playground received 18 votes in favor and 8 against it and I'm proud to say that I was one of those that voted against it, because I know we have to say "No" more frequently to reckless city spending.