I was stunned at the Wyoming City Council meeting on February 21 when my request for a community forum to review the proposed Aquatic Center was denied. After I made the request, Councilman Tom Kramig made a motion to hold a community forum, but no one would second the motion. Why would the City Council NOT want to have a forum for Wyoming citizens, who will be potential members of the pool as well as footing the bill for the $3.4 million facility?
Perhaps I had waited too long to make my request. But City Council had just approved the plan at their previous meeting, which was held in January. In fact, they approved it within an hour or two after the task force presented their results, in spite of many questions and concerns from residents who were present at the lengthy 3-hour meeting. For months residents have attended City Council meetings and asked for public meetings to be held to review the Aquatic Center. Even at the January meeting, the minutes read: �Mr. Kramig noted that the Taskforce meeting minutes indicate that there will be a community night to discuss this project. He asked if this was still going to be held. Ms. Hedges (Chairperson of the Aquatic Taskforce) noted that the Taskforce feels strongly that informing the community and allowing them to provide input is important. This helps to eliminate rumors from flying around. She noted that she thinks that this would be a great thing to do; however, the Taskforce needs to have direction from the Administration or City Council on this.� Was there a response to this that night? No! So it looks like our 7-member City Council is overriding the requests from the Task Force they commissioned, as well as the citizens of Wyoming.
Interestingly enough, like myself, many people knew for the past six months or so that there was a task force trying to figure out the �best pool solution� for Wyoming. But we figured we�d hear about the options when it was time. Then BINGO! The January meeting took place and I found myself reading the �final results� in an article on the front page of the Tri-County Press newspaper. Not only had City Council ADOPTED the plan immediately; they did not decide to RECEIVE the report from the task force, which would have allowed time for discussion instead of instantly moving ahead and spending more taxpayer dollars without any citizen concurrence with the plan.
Have I missed something? It seems that events went from A to Z and skipped all the letters in between. I heard virtually nothing, and suddenly the Aquatic Center was �a done deal�. What about US??? Aren�t WE the taxpayers? Don�t WE deserve to hear firsthand at a public forum about the �wonderful� plan that was presented to the seven Council members at the January meeting?
So now there are rumors floating around, and questions, and concerns. Currently the new pool is �the talk of the town�. And we are being told to �read the minutes�. Look at the city�s website. That�s all well and good, but wouldn�t it be far more effective to hold a community forum, especially since that�s what the citizens want and the Task Force recommended?
I just can�t understand WHY City Council is against a forum. The Council members say they are very excited about the plan. Then why don�t they want to share it with us, their constituents? It just doesn�t make sense. Have I missed something?
Respectfully submitted by
Debbie Bellman
Resident of Wyoming for 40 years