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Saturday, June 6, 2009

A Perpetually Changing Story










The expiration date on the fantasy floated by both South Euclid officials as well as the Sun Messenger concerning this playground has long since expired.
The idea of a fully accessible playground, financed with 100% donations, without using taxpayer dollars, built exclusively by community volunteers, and maintained through continued fundraising, is indeed a noble concept. Unfortunately that's not how it happened. This isn't an attack on the volunteers who did turn out, nor on the city service workers who were simply doing their jobs. It's about being honest and fair with the taxpayers. And that isn't happening either.

Even after the jig was up and the service department was brought in to finish the job, city officials—both from the Administration and Council indignantly stick to the same storyline, even while being filmed. What is most perplexing is why on earth the Sun Messenger would mollify the truth in order to alleviate the consequences for City Hall? Why after every detail communicated to the public continued to be drastically modified, did the local newspaper not change course and begin to hold City Hall’s feet to the fire?

Considering the dismal performance demonstrated by both the leaders of South Euclid, and those with the "power of the press," one can only hope that this playground debacle doesn’t turn out to be the precursor to the redevelopment of Cedar Center.

SEO has done everything feasible to shed as much light on this issue as possible and would welcome anyone who so chooses, to give us any thoughts they feel are germane.
Which, if any, of the wildly varied numbers reported by City Hall and the Sun Messenger are accurate?

Donations
  • $80,000 : 6-4-09 * document A
  • $59,328.51 : 2-16-09 * document C
  • 250 “pickets” sold : 10-2-08 * document D
  • $60,000 : 8-7-08 * document E
  • $125,000 : 7-14-08 * video 1
  • “close to reaching half our goal” : 9-8-08 * video 2

Cost of Playground
  • $150,000 : 6-4-09 * document A
  • $255,296.34 : 2-16-09 * document C
  • $200,000 : 8-7-08 * document E

Number of Volunteers

  • 1500 : 6-4-09 * document A
  • 1000 : 10-2-08 * document D
  • "over 700" : 10-1-08 * video 3
Please click on each document below to view full size.
Document -A-
Date: June 4, 2009
  • $80,000 in donations received to date
  • Total cost of playground = $150,000
  • 1500 volunteers participated
  • Mayor denies service department involvement during business hours
The entire concept of the playground was presented to the public as a community effort, including all donated funds and volunteers to build it. However, the Mayor is quoted in the Sun Messenger, “We can’t have volunteers working here because of liability.”

Document -B-
Date: March 22, 2009
  • City officials are unwilling to provide full financial disclosure
  • There was never a response to this request for public records

Document -C-
Date: February 16, 2009
  • $59,328.51 in donations received to date
  • City loaned the playground project $175,235.34
  • Total cost to date = $200,296.34 + estimated cost of ground cover at $55,000 for a to date cost of $255,296.34

Ordinance 31-08 sponsored by Mayor Welo in July, 2008, provided for an amount “not to exceed $150,000” to be loaned to the playground project. See additional details previously posted on SEO; Financial Discrepancies - On 2-16-09 the Mayor states that $175,235.34 was loaned to the playground project. Where did the extra $25,235.24 come from? It is currently unknown how and when that authorization took place.



Document -D-
Date: October 2, 2008
  • Donations include the sale of 250 pickets
  • $55,000-$80,000 cost for rubber ground cover
  • 1000 volunteers participated
City officials boast to the Sun Messenger of a record turnout for a single day being “over 100” people. Yet in the very same article, it is reported that 1,000 volunteers assembled over the course of the 8 day build. It appears that someone’s math is incorrect.

Document -E-
Date: August 7, 2008
  • $60,000 in donations pledged to date -including- $50,000 Verizon commitment not yet received
  • Total cost = $200,000
  • $14,000 paid by city to the architectural firm, Leathers and Associates, to coordinate the project

              The videos below are presented in chronological order. In this instance, each video is identified by an assigned number for reference purposes.
              Video -1-
              • time: 2 min. 41 sec.
              Date: July 14, 2008
              • $125,000 in donations pledged to date
              • Mayor Welo presents Ordinance 31-08 with an explanation that the $150,000 about to be loaned to the playground project INCLUDES the cost of the ground cover. It was later reported by city officials that there was no money available to purchase the ground cover: see Video 3.
              Also see previous post: Mixed Messages

              Video -2-
              • time: 1 min. 14 sec.
              Date: September 8, 2008
              • Donations received to date = "close to reaching half our goal" (2 weeks prior to the build date)
              Please see previous post: Trifecta Of Panic

              Video -3-
              • time: 3 min. 03 sec.
              Date: October 1, 2008
              • Cost of ground cover = $70,000; funds not available
              • "Probably over 700" volunteers participated

              Video -4-
              • time: 3 min. 19 sec.
              Date: April 13, 2009
              • It is alleged that although city officials have presented the playground to the public as fully funded and constructed exclusively by donations and volunteered time, tools and supplies- all with no public money- indeed that is NOT the case. City officials steadfastly contend that the playground was built by all volunteers and that NO city workers were there on city time. Council President Moe Romeo specifically states that no city workers were paid to work there. Video 5 clearly shows city workers shoveling gravel at the playground for the base.

              Video -5-
              • time: 3 min. 10 sec.
              Date: April 23, 2009
              • City workers on the clock shovel gravel for the base of the rubber ground cover which is being poured by a contracted company.
              • A representative from the company contracted to pour the rubber ground cover has an unsolicited conversation with SEO. Workers from his company and city service department workers shoveled gravel for the playground base in preparation for the rubber pour. He can be heard explaining that “this isn’t what we do. This is usually completely done.” His account was that the volunteers needed the previous weekend did not show up. He also states that they required special authorization to utilize city workers to complete the project on April 22nd and 23rd. It is not currently known how many additional days the city service workers were tasked to work at the playground, or, how much additional money was paid to the contractor for “back charges” due to the city’s lack of preparedness.

              Video -6-
              • time: 2 min. 10 sec.
              Date: April 27, 2009
              • Mayor states that the service department worked on playground "one day" doing drainage and flood control
              Please click on the aerial photograph below of Bexley Park and the Playground of Possibilities circled in yellow. Note the area to the east of the playground is the outfield for the ball diamond. There was no drainage work taking place in that area as the Mayor claimed.


              3 comments:

              Anonymous said...

              What's your point?
              Sour grapes????
              So what if it's not paid for yet?
              The "city" got it done.They said it would get done,and by God it's done.And it will get paid for no matter how many years,and how many tax increases.It will be done!
              What haven't we all come to understand about politics,taxes,pork barrel projects,etc.,,,,,that is this fact:as long as there are people
              or business' to tax,there is an endless supply of money to finance
              any project,no matter how ludicrous,special interest,ego inflating,inappropiate it may be.
              C'mon you all!Really.Are you surprised? You let the city commit to this project.You all let the city take over Cedar Center.
              Yes,yes,yes.You,me,us,,,we let the city do whatever they want.Yeah,it's our fault.
              Proof:did we let the point of sale inspection pass?
              Answer:hell no!
              Why:citizen involvement.
              Conclusion:if enough citizens get involved and voice their support,or rejection of the direction,or decisions our city makes,we can control what these
              buffoons are trying to do to us.
              The story is not "perpetually changing",the story is simply not enough public involvement.The story is "apathetic citzens,that don't give a crap anymore".
              And who can blame them?
              I CERTAINLY CAN'T!I AM TRYING TO
              IGNORE,AVOID,AND DENY ANY KNOWLEDGE,INVOLVEMENT,OR CONCERN ABOUT OUR CITY COUNCIL,MAYOR,PLAYGROUNDS,IDLING ENGINES,SWAMP LAND,OUTDATED HOUSING.....ETC....
              AND I'M NOT DOING SO WELL!
              I DO FEEL A LITTLE BETTER AT NIGHT,BLANKETED IN PURPOSEFULL IGNORANCE,DENIAL,OF WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND US.AND ALSO BELIEVING FULLY THAT "THERE IS NO PROBLEM TO BIG TO RUN FROM".I STILL SLEEP RESTLESSLY.FOR IN MY HEART AND MIND
              I KNOW THAT "ALL IT TAKES FOR EVIL TO SUCCEED,IS FOR GOOD MEN TO DO NOTHING".
              PERSONALLY,USING MYSELF AS A GUNIEA PIG,HAVE LEARNED THAT,THERE IS A GREAT EMOTIONAL TOLL INVOLVED
              WITH SPEAKING ABOUT,OR JUST HAVING AN OPINION ON ISSUES.
              PURPOSELY IGNORING ISSUES DOES BRING MUCH RELIEF,ESPECIALLY SINCE THERE IS SO LITTLE SUPPORT FROM FELLOW CITZENS.
              WHEN WE ALL COME TOGETHER AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER,WE CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS.THAT RARELY HAPPENS.
              WHY?
              WHY CARE?
              WHY NOT CRAWL IN A HOLE?
              WHY NOT ACCEPT THAT WE ARE SCREWED?
              WHY ACT OUTRAGED,OR SURPRISED?
              WHY THINK ANYTHING WILL EVER CHANGE?
              I'm going back in my hole.
              Is the whole political thing a scam? Democrat,Republican,Independant,,,,,,,,,divide and conquer,,,,
              think about it......

              Anonymous said...

              Heartless powers try to tell us what to think
              If the spirits sleeping, then the flesh is ink.
              Historys page, it is thusly carved in stone
              The futures here, we are it, we are on our own.
              If the game is lost then were all the same
              No one left to place or take the blame.
              We will leave this place an empty stone
              Or this shinning ball of blue we can call our home
              So the kids they dance, they shake their bones
              While the politicians are throwing stones
              Singing ashes, ashes all fall down.
              (Songwriters: Barlow, John Perry; Weir, Robert Hall)

              Anonymous said...

              THE PLASTIC PLAYGROUND ON RUBBER MULCH SUCKS [IE: TOXIC, HOT & DIRTY]. GIVE ME STEEL, WOOD AND NATURAL PINE BARK MULCH ANYDAY.

              MAYBE THEY COULD STICK IT NEXT TO ONE OF THOSE CLUSTERED DUPONT SPECIAL.

              CALL IT POOP-N-PURD.

              THANKS ALOT YOU HACKS.

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