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.

**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!

**pkbroch** · July-20-11, 04:38 PM

We in Detroit pay a Wayne County parks millage and get damned little for our money. When was a public swimming pool, water feature or tennis court and baseball field in a public park supposed to make a profit, when did that theory begin.

Since when were public parks supposed to be profit centers, I had always thought they were to give recreation and relaxation to the public.

**Goose** · July-20-11, 04:41 PM

bring back the swim mobile!!!

**Diehard** · July-20-11, 04:52 PM

Here's a list of the parks operated by Wayne County. All of them, except Chandler Park, are outside the city of Detroit, which must be just a coincidence. I assume all of them, except Chandler Park, are huge money-makers and require no tax dollars to maintain. Otherwise Ficano would threaten to shut all of them down too, right? Sheesh.

http://www.waynecounty.com/dps/dps_p..._pickapark.htm

**313WX** · July-20-11, 04:56 PM

So you mean to tell me thousands of Detroiters pay taxes to Wayne County and we can't even get a measely water park out of them?

**casscorridor** · July-20-11, 04:59 PM

Originally Posted by Diehard

Here's a list of the parks operated by Wayne County. All of them, except Chandler Park, are outside the city of Detroit, which must be just a coincidence. I assume all of them, except Chandler Park, are huge money-makers and require no tax dollars to maintain. Otherwise Ficano would threaten to shut all of them down too, right? Sheesh.

http://www.waynecounty.com/dps/dps_p..._pickapark.htm

Are you joking? Because I can't quite tell. The article states that there were LINES to get into the Chandler Park water park!!!!

This is just another symptom of our broken region. We should be investing heavily in urban parks, but instead we rip them out, sending the funds to the outer burbs.

**Diehard** · July-20-11, 05:03 PM

Yes, probably should've added the \sarcasm\ tag...

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?

**rencense** · July-20-11, 09:34 PM

This is outrageous. I have a newspaper clipping from a few months ago about Elizabeth park in trenton getting at least a million this year for improvements and now they want chandler park shut down. Elizabeth park is nice and all but not nearly as important as something that provides recreation for the largely impoverished east side kids. Thinking I'll be writing a letter soon.

**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.