We’ve reiterated over the years that NIMBYs provide a valuable service because they often point out problems that non-NIMBYs overlook.  Unfortunately, they also tend to be so focused on their own back yards that they fail to see the forest for the trees – and in so doing, invite their own marginalization. 

That appears to be what happened last Thursday night when the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District convened to once again sing the praises of its new Centennial Pools project, the one costing $7.1 million just for Phase I, of which $6.3 million will be financed with 15-year bonds – the non-referendum kind, because this Park Board doesn’t want to ask the taxpaying voters what they think of the idea by means of a binding referendum…or even a simple advisory one, which the Board would be free to disregard if it truly had the courage of its convictions.

About 25 NIMBYs sat together in solidarity during that meeting.  When they had their chance to speak, they talked about looking out their windows at tall water slides, or worrying about water run-off into their yards, or warning of more severe parking problems.  They sounded and acted as if they believed the Park Board and Staff really cared about their concerns.

But most of the Board members and Staff were just humoring the NIMBYs, because the decision to go ahead with the Centennial Pools project has already been made in their minds, if not officially for the record.  And a few handfuls of NIMBYs aren’t going to matter when those tightly-closed Park District minds don’t care what even a majority of all the taxpayers in the community think about this latest boondoggle.

That’s because the current executive director and the current superintendent of recreation want something to brag about when they network (and look for their next jobs?) at those parks and recreation conferences and conventions.  A big new multi-million dollar facility fits that bill to a “T.”  Many of our Park Board members, on the other hand, just want to be liked (and/or re-elected) by the people who want a new pool complex but don’t care what it costs.

The Staff and most Board members are very mindful of the fact that the last four times the District went to referendum on multi-million dollar outdoor aquatic facilities it claimed were “needed” – in November 1995, April 2005, March 2006 and November 2006 – it was told “no” by the voting taxpayers in no uncertain terms.  So this time the District is turning the tables and telling those voting taxpayers “no,” as in: “No, we’re not going to let you vote on this new Centennial pool project, because we know what you want better than you know what you want.”  So why bother wasting the time to ask us, via a referendum in April?

That sounds like the kind of arrogance you find in Chicago’s City Hall from little men with giant egos, like Richie Daley and Rahm Emanuel; and from other little men with giant egos by the name of Madigan and Cullerton down in Springfield.  That kind of arrogance from public officials is a dis-service to every Park Ridge resident.  

At last Thursday night’s meeting you could hear that arrogance in the voices of these District officials who spoke of the “power” they had to do this kind of project without putting it to referendum, and the ones who unblinkingly proclaimed how “the residents of this town have asked for this” –apparently based on how a mere 682 of them answered 31 warm-and-fuzzy questions in a “Community-Wide Survey” sent to 3,500 residents.

Not surprisingly, that survey didn’t mention the cost of any of the things about which it inquired.  That’s because the Park District honchos know that nothing’s more of a buzz-kill than mentioning the cost of all the things they’re trying to sell to a skeptical and already well-taxed public.  That’s also why the Park District prefers 682 responses to 31 questions rather than several thousand votes cast on a single referendum question like: “Should the Park Ridge Recreation and Park District issue $6.3 million of bonds to build a new $7.1 million outdoor aquatic facility at Centennial Park?”

And oh, by the way – did we mention that the survey was prepared by…wait for it…the same company that is designing the new Centennial pool facility: Stantec Consulting of Minneapolis, MN?  If you don’t believe us, check out the very first name under “Prepared by” on the survey report’s cover page.  

How convenient!

The irony of this whole rigged kabuki, however, is that even the District’s cooked survey results don’t actually support the Park District’s Centennial plan.  Both page 24 and page 32 of the report show that of those 682 survey respondents, a full 9% prefer restrooms in the parks instead of a new aquatic center (34% to 24.9%).  And only a meager 0.6% prefer a new outdoor aquatic center to expanding the Community Center fitness area (24.9% to 24.3%).  When you add in the 17.2% who want the Community Center’s indoor pool expanded, that’s a 41.5% to 24.9% margin for expanding/improving the Community Center over rebuilding Centennial Pool. 

And the Community Center provides year-round usage, not the meager 3 month season that the new Centennial aquatic facility would provide.

But as we all know, to a hammer everything looks like a nail.  And to an arrogant – or is it actually a cowardly – Park Board and Staff that claims it already knows what the rest of us want for our community, everything looks like their new $7.1 million Centennial outdoor aquatic project.

So who needs even an advisory referendum?

UPDATE (11.23.12):   One of the things that the Park District Staff and Board stressed last Thursday night (11.15.12) was that the $6.3 million of non-referendum bonds for the proposed Centennial Pools wouldn’t cause an increase in the District’s share of our property taxes.  Could that be because the Park District is already trying to jack up its taxes so as to build in a sufficient cushion?

After most of the NIMBYs and other persons interested in Centennial Pool left the meeting, the District approved a 5.97% increase in its property tax levy for 2012 – which increase amounts to approximately $350,000.  Board president Rick Biagi, who seems to be the only fiscally responsible Park Board member, provided the only “no” vote against the levy increase, arguing that Staff had not provided adequate justification for the increase.

C’mon, Rick…you weren’t really expecting Staff to admit to padding the levy in anticipation of the Centennial Pool bonded debt increase, were you?

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