At the September 9, 2014 Commission meeting, I asked Manager Steve Feller for a list of the change orders related to the Swim Center Renovation. Steve was kind enough to send them to me yesterday.
Including the pending change orders, the total amount is around $200,000. Originally estimated to
cost $3.3 million, the total cost of the pool upgrade rounded out to be a cool $4.4 million.
Hey, what's a million here or a million, two million, three million, four there (meaning high school) among friends?
ReplyDeleteIt's only money and our leaders know we and Harrisburg have plenty more.
Bet this is information you won't read about in our reputable public information resource— mtl magazine!
ReplyDelete"Budget? We don't need to adhere to no stinkin' budget."
ReplyDeleteThere truly are bandits after treasure here in Sierra Mt. Lebanon.
Don't forget that they are still working their way through the punch list. My guess is that this list of change orders printed on July 21, 2014 is not the final list.
ReplyDeleteElaine
It's kinda funny. I was a huge proponent of the pool upgrade (once I and others got the Rec Dept.away from trying to turn it into Sandcastle...lazy rivers and slide and ZERO lap swimming). I think the work to the pool was good...the work makes it more functional and extends the life. Sort of like all of us taking care of our homes.
ReplyDeleteWhat I totally disagreed with was the spending on the the bathhouse. They could have saved a ton of money if they had only done minimal investment there. Now that was a waste.
3:04 you think the work was good. How so?
ReplyDeleteDo you find a malfunctioning pump, peeling paint, lack of tables, a muddy path - good work?
Of course you'd accept this caliber of work on your home.
A million over budget and we still have to walk through mud to get to the pool.
ReplyDeleteCorrection....not the quality of work...but the work was intended to be done. Sorry 4:31...didn't mean to invoke such an angry reaction.
ReplyDeleteNot angry 4:31, just asking if you thought the items mentioned in my query were good work.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it if someone ask a question it is anger.
You wrote: "I think the work to the pool was good.." and I was curious as to why you thought so.
Correction for comment at 3:18.
ReplyDeleteShould read— Not angry 1:05.
The current municipal staff cannot be trusted with any capital project. The project will go far over budget. It will be delayed...or both. Right?
ReplyDeleteAnd 11:12 it'll need to be fixed very soon after completion. Look at the repairs needed at the municipal building.
ReplyDelete3:03 AM, I believe the Municipal Building was built in 1929. It is located across from Sesame Inn. The Public Safety Building was built in 2003 and is located next to the cemetery. Are you referring to the Public Safety Building?
ReplyDeleteElaine
Aren't both having problems with things like leaky roofs and windows.
ReplyDeleteThen why take the personal dig?:
ReplyDelete"Of course you'd accept this caliber of work on your home."
In my VERY unscientific poll of 10 people here at my start up all 10 read it exactly the way I did.
I love that Elaine does this blog...it's an important voice in this community where the voice of the citizenry has been squelched. What I am saddened by is how often the discussion turns into personal attacks. When people do this, they are just as bad as the people they are attacking. But this seems to be so deeply ingrained in the culture in this town and I'm not really sure why.
So...calling out that you were confused by my writing (which wasn't clear)...totally cool. The personal attack....not so much.
3:48, you said "sort of like all of us taking care of our own homes." it wasn't a dig, I was just asking if you accept a peeling paint job, a malfunctioning pump in your home improvement.
ReplyDeleteYou made the home improvement comparison and all I did was ask if you'd accept or find "good" faulty work.
I didn't call you names, didn't say you were a fool if you accepted good or bad work. I just asked what you considered the parameters of good work.
To go a step further 3:48, my personal opinion and this is mine - it doesn't have to be yours - peeling paint, to few tables, a faulty pump, a muddy path isn't good work on a $4 million pool renovation.
ReplyDeleteGood ahead make personal digs, inneuendo, or start a fight if that's where you want to go.
Oh and by the way, I thought the bath house needed the most work. Haven't been there yet to check it out.
From neighbors critiques it still doesn't sound very inviting.
I think the point that 4:31 is trying to make is this: in the construction industry, as in any other professional job, there are established professional standards for acceptable, quality work. It covers the prime contractor and all subcontractors in the construction job. It doesn't matter whether the project is residential or commercial. Sloppy work is sloppy work. Period!
ReplyDeleteThis is on topic I suppose or maybe it needs to be under the PAYT or elsewhere, but if the municipality is focused on being green and saving the earth, why are the lights on at the swimming pool at night.
ReplyDeleteThere's no one using the pool so isn't this a monumental waste of energy resulting in higher utility bills?
No I think I actually acknowledged that my writing left open the interpretation. And no I never said that shoddy work is acceptable.
ReplyDeleteI would like you all to reread the last line of the 4:31 post:
"Of course you'd accept this caliber of work on your home."
How can that NOT be a dig? You all are so accustomed to the Lebo way that you cannot even see it anymore. I have sent the string to 10 friends outside of Lebo (totally unscientific way of conducting research I know) and all 10 interpreted it the exact same way.
What I tell my kids is a simple lesson: a person's perception is their reality. And when that happens, you own up.
And I stand by my OPINION on the pool bath house having used it for over a decade 4-5 times per week. (I'm a competitive swimmer.) Is it nice? Not at all. Did it need to be gutted at an enormous cost? No. I think the money could have been spent better elsewhere. There were little to no economies of scale gained by gutting it at the same time.
*Going WAY back under the radar*
I also noticed that lights are on at the pool way into the evening. Could this be a symptom of another electrical problem?
ReplyDelete12:06 once again you wrote: "I think the work to the pool was good...the work makes it more functional and extends the life. Sort of like all of us taking care of our homes."
ReplyDelete4:31 asked: "3:04 you think the work was good. How so?
Do you find a malfunctioning pump, peeling paint, lack of tables, a muddy path - good work?"
Then asked: "Of course you'd accept this caliber of work on your home."
You never seem to respond to the questions pertaining to your first post. Does a malfunctioning pump make the pool more functional?
Does peeling paint extend the life of the pool?
If you performed similiar work on your home would you find a muddy path, peeling paint, a malfunctioning pump... good?
It's OK if you do, but the query by 4:31 was an attempt to understandard your definition of "good" work.
You can continue to beat this dead horse from here on out if you wish as it is obvious you won't address what "good" is. I'm done on this exchange.
12:45, my impression is that the lights on is a PR idea, meant to highlight municipal spending. Cutting energy consumption plays secind fiddle, although our little darlings are suppose to come home from school and tells us to replace light bulbs and turn out lights when leaving a room.
12:45 PM No, it is not a symptom of another electrical problem. It is symptomatic of empty headed, undisciplined municipal employees who don't give a damn about operating costs, wasted energy; and, where is the supervision, the oversight in the Rec. Dept. ?
ReplyDeleteI am glad that you are done, 1:02 PM. Please let it go.
ReplyDeleteElaine