Chandler Water Park on the chopping block.

**brizee** · July-20-11, 10:20 AM

http://http://www.detnews.com/articl...RO01/107200360

I'll stop short of second guessing motives, but the article paints a pretty ugly picture.

**Bham1982** · July-20-11, 10:21 AM

This needs to be funded. Children need these types of activities, especially now that parents are working and/or unavailable.

**401don** · July-20-11, 10:24 AM

120 workers for a water park? How big is this place?

bartock · July-20-11, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by 401don

120 workers for a water park? How big is this place?

Think Palmer Park East, but with a big waterpark. My guess is that the 120 workers is seasonal. The golf course, like I believe Palmer Parks is, is run privately.

**brizee** · July-20-11, 10:31 AM

Not gigantic but it's pretty sizable.

Locker rooms, wave pool, kiddy area, double water slides.

Not quite sure how 120 workers comes in, but with lifeguards and ticketmen being mostly part time teenagers I see how it could start racking up.

**R8RBOB** · July-20-11, 12:48 PM

I read this this morning and I have to ask: If you close up the community centers and parks like this water park, what do you expect the children to do with no where to go?

muskie1 · July-20-11, 01:19 PM

I thought the comment they made about it being closed because it wasn't making a profit was absurd. I guess taxpayers should not expect any services if they are not profiable.

Why don't we get rid of all the cronies the county exec has, or at least put them to work at the water park.

**Detroitej72** · July-20-11, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

I read this this morning and I have to ask: If you close up the community centers and parks like this water park, what do you expect the children to do with no where to go?

No kidding. When i was young, we spent many summers swimming at Heilmann Rec Center and playing baseball for the Weisheagan/ Heilmann Athletic Club. Now, all are sadly just memories of Detroit's past.

DetroitPole · July-20-11, 05:34 PM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

I read this this morning and I have to ask: If you close up the community centers and parks like this water park, what do you expect the children to do with no where to go?

The answer to that is a message to the detnews posters and conservatives on this board who don't think the government should be in the business of running parks:
They are going to go to your homes and rob your families. Don't be surprised when they do.
A bunch of poor children with broken homes, broken schools, and fewer places to go. Now, literally the only place they can go is the streets. Where they learn all sorts of ways to kill and be killed.
As for the 120 jobs, it sounds excessive, and I'm sure they could make due with a leaner workforce, but I'm guessing many of those 120 jobs are, again, going to young people who can then save for things like a car and college instead of slinging dope.
Why don't we just eliminate taxes all-together and use the money we save to build ourselves pillboxes and concrete bunkers from which to defend ourselves from our neighbors?

**BagAJellyDonuts** · July-20-11, 08:06 PM

Why not assign all revenue from Kwame's book to this park?

**Zacha341** · July-20-11, 08:12 PM

Yeah, then he'll insist on an addendum or reprint of the book proclaiming that he 'saved' the park! Joy!

Originally Posted by BagAJellyDonuts

Why not assign all revenue from Kwame's book to this park?

**JBMcB** · July-20-11, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by DetroitPole

The answer to that is a message to the detnews posters and conservatives on this board who don't think the government should be in the business of running parks:
They are going to go to your homes and rob your families. Don't be surprised when they do.

Wow, a water park is the only thing standing between society and total chaos? Holy cow we need a water park on every street corner! Seriously, you think kids wake up in the morning and say to themselves "Gee, I could go out and knock over a liquor store... nah I'll just go to the water park instead." Kids who are going to start trouble are going to start trouble. A water park isn't going to change how they are raised, or who they hang out with.

**rencense** · July-20-11, 11:14 PM

I'd hate to see this turn into a huge debate [[think food trucks) but just my opinion

" A water park isn't going to change how they are raised, or who they hang out with."

Now I don't think anyone is seriously suggesting that chandler park is the sole entity keeping society from completely imploding but I do think these things are cumulative. I mean really the same argument can be made for schools and to a lesser extent libraries etc. Good parenting is the million dollar variable.

So many kids on the east side [[well much of detroit) have to deal with a lot more bs than I did growing up in the burbs. Between schools closing and all those other detroit issues it just seems unspeakable to me that out of all the parks to trim money from in wayne county is has to be one of the few recreation venues these kids have.

Just a matter of priorities.... 1.4 million is being spent on improvements alone at elizabeth park this year. Now i grew up going there but would much rather see that kind of money to keep chandler open.

**rjk** · July-21-11, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by JBMcB

Wow, a water park is the only thing standing between society and total chaos? Holy cow we need a water park on every street corner! Seriously, you think kids wake up in the morning and say to themselves "Gee, I could go out and knock over a liquor store... nah I'll just go to the water park instead." Kids who are going to start trouble are going to start trouble. A water park isn't going to change how they are raised, or who they hang out with.

I think we do. Isn't it called a fire hydrant with a tire slung around it?

I don't know how much fun they have at this water park, but kids seem to have an absolute blast with the hydrant and tire set up.

DetroitPole · July-21-11, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by JBMcB

Wow, a water park is the only thing standing between society and total chaos? Holy cow we need a water park on every street corner! Seriously, you think kids wake up in the morning and say to themselves "Gee, I could go out and knock over a liquor store... nah I'll just go to the water park instead." Kids who are going to start trouble are going to start trouble. A water park isn't going to change how they are raised, or who they hang out with.

Boy, things are that black and white for you? I don't think most people would literally construe that a water park is going to save at risk children. As another poster brought up, there are infinite variables. However if you make things as difficult and unbearable as possible for children and leave them with no place to go, they almost certainly will cause trouble. Not to mention this park provides some opportunity for physical activity in an obese and unhealthy city - and healthy bodies make for healthy minds. If you're talking about who they hang out with, they're likely to make nicer friends at the water park than in alleys and outside liquor stores.
Maybe you don't see this kind of stuff everyday but I do. Pretty nice kids but bored stupid. They become destructive.
I'm saying at least give these kids a fighting chance. Not that a bloody water park is the magic bullet. Good Lord.

**Bill07073** · July-23-11, 06:54 AM

Here is a short article from Crain's on this topic:
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...will-be-closed

**HistoryNotHisStory** · July-22-11, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by R8RBOB

I read this this morning and I have to ask: If you close up the community centers and parks like this water park, what do you expect the children to do with no where to go?

Walks the streets...looking for trouble.

**Scottathew** · July-20-11, 02:23 PM

Sell it to a private entity and let them run it.

Should government be in the water park business?

**Gambling Man** · July-20-11, 02:35 PM

Amen 48091, Amen. Why do liberal minded goverments like Detroit's constantly compete with private, taxpaying businesses? Just feeding their self-fulfilling machine....

**Bham1982** · July-20-11, 02:35 PM

Originally Posted by 48091

Sell it to a private entity and let them run it.

Should government be in the water park business?

I would argue that, in places where you have tons of potentially wayward youth, govt. should be in the youth recreational business.

Seems like a good investment. I'd rather pay for parks and rec than prisons and reform schools.

Now obviously they should be well-run and modestly staffed, but I don't think it's an outrageous expense.

**313rd** · July-20-11, 02:38 PM

Would this have made the news this week if it wasn't 95 degrees? The water park is probably only open for what 4 months out of the year?

**brizee** · July-20-11, 02:46 PM

And those 4 months of the year happened to be filled with at or near 95 degree days.

So what?

**Diehard** · July-20-11, 04:22 PM

SMH at some of the comments on that story from the detnews.com forum curmudgeons... "THOSE children from THAT CITY don't deserve to have any recreation opportunities if there's any of MY tax money involved!!!" growl growl growl... Gee, I wonder if they'd mind letting them go swim in the "properly" taxpayer-funded residents-only parks in the Pointes?
Nah, let's just set the kids loose on the streets. We're talking about MY tax money here!