The Sports Advisory Board, a.k.a. Turf Board is giving a report on Monday during the Commission Discussion Session in Conference Room C, at the Municipal Building. They are listed as number 4 on the agenda.
The audio from the June 6, 2013 meeting is available here and here. Since the video portion of the meeting was corrupted, I found out that Tim White and David Donnellan ran the meeting. The initial list of members can be found from my February 14, 2013 post Introducing Dave's New Sports Advisory Board UPDATED 4x followed by my February 23, 2013 post Sports Advisory Board Redux.
On Monday, the Turf Board will be making a presentation on, you guessed it - artificial turf. They will try to tell you that a vote was taken, but there wasn't a vote taken. There was a push for turf. When Joy Pajak, representing Women's Golf asked for some upgrades to the golf course, she was shot down by Guess Who because holes 4 and 5 were upgraded. Remember, the golf course brings in revenue. Also, keep in mind that Brafferton Field was changed into a multi use field including lacrosse. The YSA presentation concluded that there were no slots available for lacrosse and so the push for lights and artificial turf on Wildcat and Middle Fields. Listen to the SAB meeting where it was suggested that the municipality GIVE money to the school district for lighting and turfing Mellon Field.
Well, I just gave the whole presentation. That should shave off ten minutes from the Discussion Session, President Kluck.
15 comments:
Wow, we're now back to Mellon again. Thought that one had died a deserved death. The YSA cabal is still with us and just cannot accept reality. The lure of restaurant treats nearby for our kiddies pre & post games is just too much for them to resist and totally blocks any lingering common sense.
Can't wait to hear what the capital contribution pledge and usage fees from the field sports groups will be.
What scares the hell out of of me is what these self-aggrandizing sports proponents will want next once they get their artificial turf and lighting.
They drove the ludicrously expensive, wholly unnecessary and preposterously ugly Taj Mahal athletic wing at the high school. Now they to heap even more debt and expensive debt on sleeping taxpayers.
They'll roll in showing how their proposal will save money, but make sure someone aak about the long-term, over 15 or 20 years, cost of turfing/lighting.
You can bet our - and oh so laughable - Environmental Sustainability Board will raise not a peep about the impact of new light pollution and the CO2 created from power generation for those lights.
Elaine: It should be brought to your Readers' attention that "nonrepresented associations" are non-artificial turf users. It is fascinating that wrestling, swimming, platform tennis, High School Hockey, Mens Sr Golf were highlighted on your recording as "nonrepresented associations". The Sports Board is stacked in favor of artificial turf.
The Mount Lebanon Womens Golf Association made a plea for the Golf Course, a historic landmark.
The Parks Advisory Board representative brought it the Sports Board's attention that $500,000 or $600,000 was advocated for the golf course allready.
27,000 rounds of golf were played last year.
Show me the money and we can talk. And keep your greedy little fingers off any township surpluses. We just had a 5% tax increase, we are not paying more so you can ride a gravy train.
1:35 PM, the Parks Advisory Board representative is Dave Franklin, a nonvoting member of the Turf Board. Of course he will say something about why the golf course shouldn't get any more money.
Elaine
Dave Franklin is only looking out for his own interests and so is his wife Stacy.
If there is "surplus" money that is not needed for normal expenses, can the town pay off mcneilly and other debt. When mr franklin comes up with his cash, it will be ready for him to turf until the cows come home.
Some commissioners can't consider the needs of the community until they get past turf and fields. Meanwhile our streets are beginning to look like Dormont with asphalt patches replacing street reconstruction. Thanks DAVE.
With all the legal experts involved we can be sure that all contracts and agreements between the sports groups, school district and municipality and spell out the exact terms, due dates and penalties for reneging on any part of those contracts... HA!
My suggestion-- the Sports Advisory Board and the for lack of a better descriptor, brain-dead commissioners should be required to alternate any discussion meetings on turf and lighting between the proposed Scott park doggie walk and the McNeilly woods. These meetings should be held in all weather conditions... rain, snow and dead of night, because this is the only way these numbskulls are going to see how wasteful their votes can be.
The best way to educated a politician is to force them to live with the stuff they create!
The municipality wastefully bought $2 million worth of useless land. That makes it a perfect venue for all meeting on field spending.
I would push to make turf a ballot initiative. If our commissioners don't have the guts to take a stand on irresponsible spending, then take that power away form them. Let the community decide.
...to continue 10:48 comment, if the minu. wan't saddled with debt for these two plots of land their would be more than $2 million available for turfing a field or pool improvements, road paving or whatever people wanted.
Unfortunately the sports cabal is like taken a child to the toy store.
They run from one shelf to another throwing tantrums and screaming... "I want, I want, buy it for me, buy it for me!" they have no idea of the cost, no idea how they'll play with it, but it caught their eye and they want it now.
My suggestions, grab them by the hand, walk 'em out of the store, take 'em home and put them to bed.
Here is another little tidbit from the commission side of our govt. Public comments carry a lot of weight when they make their decisions. So when the sports groups come in force to the meetings, i don't carry much weight being one person who speaks against artificial turf. So until more people step up, it is a done deal. The sports people are bullies. They always get their way, whether it is Twin Hills, McNeilly, new high school turf, the multimillion dollar sports complex, eight lanes for the HS pool, and now artificial turf. We don't have ballot initiatives around here.
I better get ready for the muni budget retreat that starts soon.
Elaine
Oh jeeze, how did I forget the new rec bond?
Elaine
Yeah, that ones going to drive you right up the wall (climbing).
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