Another Pool for Town of North Hempstead?

Sparks flew in the Town of North Hempstead board room this past Tuesday night where Supervisor Jon Kaiman and the other council members held a special hearing regarding the confiscation of the 10 acres of land from its current legal owner to build a Town-funded pool and country club.  Tensions were high as both sides of the argument presented reasons why or why not to go forward with this project. Kaiman said that this state-of-the-art pool and country club would command higher than normal membership fees to the tune of $1000-$2000 a season.  He claims this would help cover the costs of the facility. 

Kaiman said that this facility would be revenue neutral as the costs would be incurred by the end users.   The problem is the Town is borrowing the money via bond to build this facility.  Being there are no hard facts yet; Councilman Thomas Dwyer and the Supervisor both admitted that there could be times when the facility DOES NOT generate the proper amount of revenue. To sustain itself, the TONH taxpayer would have to shoulder the burden. 

How are our residents supposed to make a proper decision?  The room was divided by those that opposed the plan and those that were for it.  Those that supported the idea of a Town-run pool facility were at times loud and somewhat rude to those that opposed the plan.  I was surprised to witness this as both sides had valid points. In the end it is simply a difference of opinion with large sums of money associated with it.

The issue is that many of the residents of the Roslyn Country Club want the Town to take the property over and give it a makeover, while opponents fear without solid numbers and costs associated with this project, the TONH taxpayers will be left holding the bag at the end of every year to cover costs.  The Nassau County pool was used as an example of the tax payer repaying big bucks for mistakes. 

The debate is not over, it is actually just beginning.   There is a hearing on June 12 on this matter and all residents of the Town of North Hempstead need to ask the following simple questions and have honest answers returned by their elected leaders:

1. What is the overall cost of this project; including purchase of land, court fees, consultant fees, construction costs and yearly maintenance costs once the facility is operational?
2. Can the taxpayers of the TONH be guaranteed that we will NOT pay higher taxes for this pool?
3. If we must pay higher taxes, it is the responsibility of the Town government to give us a firm number, no guessing.  What is the number (tax amount)?

We cannot properly debate this issue without a full cost attached to this project.   I know the residents of the Roslyn Country Club want a new pool facility to be able to enjoy their summers, BUT it is irresponsible to pass the costs to the rest of the residents of TONH without FULL disclosure of the fact and figures.  I want a new Porsche too, but before I go and buy it, I need to make sure my ducks are all in a row before making a purchase of that that caliber.  Can I afford it?  Can I afford the insurance?  Can I afford the maintenance on such a car?  Government is no different.  They MUST present a full and honest break down of the plan and see if it is possible. Furthermore, if the Town has to pay for it, how many of us can afford the $1000 to $2000 annual membership fee?  I fear the facility will be joined by very few and the residents have to bail it out year after year. 

Let’s explore a private resolution to this issue so both sides will be happy.  The taxpayer because they will not be burdened, the end users who will get their pool and the Town because it will collect taxes off the property instead of costing us money!  After the problems and fiascos of the Michael J. Tully Aquatic Center, where it was proven the Town could not build a pool on time, on budget and mechanically safe, we need to seriously decide if we want to spend OUR tax dollars on another costly Town project.