Yes, anonymous me must comment. If you have a problem with my commentary, now would be a good time to stop reading.
"Anyone who has visited Pinegrove knows that this facility is inadequate. It smells, it is small, poorly configured and has been poorly maintained for over 20 years. In my opinion, it is wrong to continue to allow our seniors to have this building as their place to congregate, eat, socialize, exercise and get the help they sometimes need."
Huh? It's been good enough for the Parks Dept. offices until they moved in the middle of January '09, WISD uses 2 classrooms as part of the deal and they even rent another classroom from the Town, Helmer Nature Center uses it, a craft sale was there in Nov. '08, ya got kids going on acorn adventures at the Nature Center, Red Cross babysitting classes are given there, the Macular Degeneration and Low Vision Support Group meets twice a month on Thursdays at the Pinegrove Senior Center, the Irondequoit Art Club meets there, and MPNnow (Irondequoit Post) has listed on the Irondequoit Bulletin Board that in February 2009 you can:
Upcoming
• Irondequoit Parks & Recreation has several openings in the following Winter Programs: Babysitter Training (ages 11-15) 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, at the Irondequoit Community Center, 154 Pinegrove Ave; Safe On Your Own (ages 8-12) 10 a.m. to noon Fri., Feb. 20, at the Irondequoit Community Center, 154 Pinegrove Ave.;Learn At Your Own Pace Computer Classes (adults) 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, March 3-19, at the Irondequoit Community Center, 154 Pinegrove Ave......
I mean, c'mon! If this place is SO dilapidated, then why are all these events taking place there?
If it's THAT bad, why are all these things still going on there?
Supposedly, it's been poorly maintained for 20 years....but it's ok for everyone to use it but seniors and the parks department?
If it's been in such a state of disrepair, why didn't they apply for CDBG funds years ago to rebuild the Senior Center at Pinegrove, and use the money from the Housing/Rehabilitation to move them temporarily while a new facility was built? The Town OWNS this property.....why lease? Rebuild!!! 2 floors, elevator, work out a deal with the school district to acquire more land or use more land for parking. I'm sure they'd be willing to work something out.
The "excuse" that Pinegrove is difficult to drive to is ludicrous!!! The seniors have no problems driving on busy E. Ridge Rd. to get to the Medley Centre for snacky time and walky time, right? Why is a residential street so hard to navigate? Less traffic. Better/safer neighborhood. Visually stimulating. Pleasant atmosphere.
King's Park? Asphalt Park maybe.....but it's certainly not a park, nor is it fit for a king let alone my senior relatives.
Let's say there are a few seniors who don't like to drive, who may want to get to someplace.......guess what? The Town has a helpful page on their website to assist you in getting to your destinations:
Medical Motors can get you to Pinegrove if you don't drive.
"We are using Community Development Block Grant funds to pay for this and it is not taking away from necessary programs that I have been so proud to support."
Um......you are "re-allocating" CDBG money ($331,508.15) from the Cooper/Titus Improvement Grant, the Home Improvement Grant, and the Commercial Facade Grants to the
Mortgage Relief Grants ($33,429.15) and the Lease/fixing up of King's Park ($298,079 - this year). You are taking away from necessary programs (not the Commercial Facade grants-but the Cooper Titus Improvement, and Home Improvement Grants).
"Another issue is that we will be using “town taxes” to pay for this lease . This is absolutely incorrect! As I said above we will be using CDBG dollars which are federally funded and we receive them every year."
Well, that money for those Federal Grants must come from the Grant Fairy, or fall off the Grant Tree, right?
Noooooooooooooo.......they come from TAXES!!!!! More grants used, means more taxes wasted or taxpayers pay more.
"Rumors say it can only be for things we own; again not true. We give money to Faithlink, the Housing Council, grants to help low income Irondequoit residents to fix up their homes, and yes the Irondequoit Community Cupboard has even received funds from this source; none of which the town owns. In the past , CDBG funding has also been used for studies, slope failures, St Salomes housing project, etc. Projects the town does not own."
Again....all of these things are not "free"....it is Federal money that comes from taxpayers.
"We can rebuild it but we cannot enlarge the footprint of the building because we do not own the land that surrounds it. We cannot expand the parking and we cannot make it more centrally located where it sits. Currently in our town, on the east side, we have Cranberry Landing, Providence Housing, Hobey Creek and now St Salomes; all senior housing and 3 of the 4 are for low income seniors. Kings Park is much easier for these residents to access."
"You can't enlarge the footprint?" RU SERIOUS? Look, I know this is difficult to comprehend, but this thing called an ELEVATOR can get you a 2nd floor, enlarging your footprint! Greece has a 2 story Senior Center on it's Town Campus, and they use that new fangled gizmo called an elevator for their seniors.
You can work out a deal with the school district for more land, temporarily relocate everything while it is being built, and CDBG will cover most if not all of it.
The seniors that have difficulty accessing Pinegrove can have Medical Motor transport them, according to the Town Website. Most of them can drive to the mall to walk, so, I don't see it as being difficult to drive on a pleasant residential street to get to Pinegrove.
Maybe, if there's a concern for parking, you could work out a deal with Congel to provide a shuttle from the mall to Pinegrove......he could use some of the gajillions he has, or maybe some of the thousands and thousands he's going to save on property taxes from COMIDA and PILOT tax breaks. Right? That's the least he can do since his breaks will eventually raise the property/county/school taxes of the residents (a majority of whom are seniors) with these corporate goody-bag giveaways.
"Pinegrove will NOT be sold during this evaluation time."
"Spang said the West Irondequoit Central School District, which used to own the Pinegrove building when it was a school, has expressed interest in the site. The district owns land on the site, including the Helmer Nature Center, which Spang said should remain there no matter what happens to the Pinegrove building"
So, when Mike Spang said that the WISD has "expressed interest in this site", that means you aren't in discussions about selling it? Also, even though the building is disgusting, and falling apart, and not good enough for the seniors, it IS good enough for WISD and the Helmer Nature Center and all the other programs that go on there? Really?
Seriously?
