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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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There was a Eastside Business Association Meeting on March 22, 2006 and the topic was the Whaley Pool connected to Williams School.
At one time Flint council members were allowed to use their discretionary funds and bank them over years for projects. 4th Ward Councilwoman Peggy Cook did that so the City could reopen the Whaley Pool. She was upset when the City never promoted the opening of the pool and poor attendance got it closed again. In 2006 Flint was only recently without an Emergency manager.
I wasat the meeting and I was shocked to see a Powerpoint presentation of the Whaley Park Pool building , owned by the City of Flint, being presented by the former principal of Cook School, David Caswell and assisted by Dale Scanlon. Cops officer Wooster was called out of the meeting very early into the meeting.
Last edited by untanglingwebs on Fri Jan 25, 2019 3:26 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:37 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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The Citizens Nuisance Task Force had gained entry into the building and had gained access to the key that was in supposed to be in the possession of security guard in the school. The City of Flint had not granted access to them. Members of the Task Force admitted that they and Williams School Teachers were entering the pool building and were giving tours to parents.
Caswell stated the group had made their issues known to the School Superintendent and were planing to make a presentation to the school board. The reason for this was because the group wanted to have the school system take over the building and it was their intention to exert pressure to ensure that it happened.
The only mention of any notification was a reference of a problem the previous fall and the acknowledgement that the City took care of the issue. |
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Fri Jan 25, 2019 2:50 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Scanlon advised the EBA that their group had inspected the plumbing, bathroom fixtures, heating components and other aspects of the building and stated they were in good repair. He also stated they had turned the lights on to see if there was electricity in the building. A teacher indicated she had taken students into the building recently.
(If I remember correctly there was a community room attached that the school was allowed to use.)
One of the teachers stated she was not able to get inside the building in January, but when she was in the building in February there was six inches of water in the basement, Scanlon and others said there was now four feet of water in the basement. There was speculation the water might be raw sewage. Tina Fielder-Gibson of the Sheriffs Department wanted a complaint made to the health Department and she wanted air quality tests. (thee is an EPA air testing station behind the school that has been there for years.) |
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Fri Jan 25, 2019 3:10 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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A request was made by Gene, an associate pastor for Church on the Roc., for volunteers. There was no reference made to notifying the Mayor or his administration about the problem. Erica, possible an officer of the Arlington Heights Block Club, eas pictured holding up a broken Sonitrol alarm unit.
E-mails were sent to City Council members for a "tour" of the building to survey the damage down by vandals. Access was made by climbing over a fence, kicking out the aluminum awnings (a Gambrel type facade) and crossing over a section of roof to kick their way into the building. This required a drop of about ten feet to the floor. At least four fires had been set in the building and Cobra graffiti was inside and outside of the building. |
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Fri Jan 25, 2019 3:24 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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This group did not have permission to be in the building owned by the City of Flint. Parents and students were allowed in the building. Fox 66 had been invited,but the station declined to come. One comment was made how residents were being cited for code violations and here the City had this building with all of these violations. There was anger that the Kearsley park pool had been demolished.
The group was very vocal about wanting the pool reopened. When i mentioned the high cost of liability insurance as being a strong deterrent to opening the pool, Caswell got loud and in my face about how the City had better find a way to pay the liability insurance. |
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Fri Jan 25, 2019 3:38 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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After notifying Bob Cook about the issue, I was instructed to notify Bob Erlenbeck of risk management and Bob Rosenberger of maintenance. Rosenberger and his employee Rodney inspected the building and came up with a plan for repairs Mayor Williamson ordered the locks changed and he wanted those ho entered the building illegally to be investigated for possible charges of trespassing.
Council members Sandy Hill (4th ward) and kerry Nelson(3rd ward) indicated they had been invited to a "walk through" and then had been told it was cancelled.Some, but not all of the Council were invited, but not all. Hill was present at the meeting as this was her ward. After the council meeting Scanlon offered to take both Hill and nelson through the building. I informed him that he did not have permission to enter the building and in my opinion he was trespassing. Scanlon became angry and said bob Cook was invited to go through the walk through. Cook denies receiving notification and his computer showed no e-mails. |
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Fri Jan 25, 2019 3:56 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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Rosenberger was never notified of any problems. There is no signage about no trespassing on the building. Rosenberger indicated The guard would only use the key he had made a verbal agreement with a school security guard about the key. The guard would only use the key. The guard was to only use the key to inspect the facility and he was to inform Rosenberger about any problems. City Attorney Trachelle Young asked Rosenberger if the agreement was in writing. This was a definite clue for future agreements to be in writing.
But the saga was hardly over. The City tested the water and it was fresh water from a broken water turn off. But when the City began draining the pool into the park the activists called the health Department and the tv stations to report the city was pumping sewer water. The Health Department confirmed the water was not from the sewer and the City pumped the water into the storm drain. |
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Fri Jan 25, 2019 4:09 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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| I spoke with the Flint School Safety Director when he came to speak to the Mayor He kept apologizing and indicated the Principal was being transferred. The School officials were very embarrassed and all the activists accomplished was getting individuals reprimanded for not following sound safety rules. If this was an effort to embarrass the Mayor, it succeeded in embarrassing the school administration. |
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Fri Jan 25, 2019 4:22 pm |
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo
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This pool building was demolished because of repeated vandalism.
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I asked to go to the Kennedy pool and it was a disaster. The retractible roof was open in areas and the pool had stagnant water. Vanalsm was evident everywhere and walking was difficult in places because of the debris. A heavy wooden crate that had containedd parts to fiv the pool had been opened and cannabalied for the metals. It had to be demolished.
The Kennedy Center had been rented out by the school system It was to be redeveloped as part of Smith Village. I went to check it out and even from the outside the building was horribly vandalized There was no way I was going to enter it. |
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Sat Jan 26, 2019 7:02 am |
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