Does It Make Sense To Turn The Pet Exercise Training Area At Palmer Park Into A Multi-Million Dollar Aquatic Center?

The city of Janesville is planning on building a multi-million dollar aquatic park -- with the Pet Exercise Training Area of Palmer Park designated as one, if not the main option.

   We've built www.savethedogpark.com to help those who oppose this idea speak out.

   In an October 7th article in the Janesville Gazette, City Manager Steve Sheiffer, stated, "It's not about if there will be a water park..."

   In a November 20th article in the Daily Reporter, Wisconsin's Construction, Law & Public Record Newspaper, city leisure services director Mike Williams said, "obviously the impact with the dog park will have to be considered, but Palmer Park looks like the most promising site." ( http://www.dailyreporter.com/item.cfm?recid=20047176&snippet=f )

   In a report on WMTV, Channel 15 in Madison, Steve Sheiffer said, "there is a lot of open space there and it would be easy to move the dog exercise area." (http://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/11035676.html)

   On November 2nd, WCLO talk show host, Stan Milam said, "to get our listeners up to date, there was a proposal advanced by the city manager that perhaps Traxler Park ought to be considered because of its central location. With that the city manager said, 'okay committee go back and take another shot at this.' And there was a clear message there. [the committe] has come back with basically the same report and the same recommendation as the committee put forth the first time around -- dismissing Traxler Park, dismissing the southwest side out by Rockport Pool, and it's back again at Palmer Park as the target site." (listen to the entire interview here.)

   Those statements sure tell me the city is moving ahead with plans to build the aquatic park at the Pet Exercise Training Area of Palmer Park.

   Savethedogpark.com disagrees with that plan in two areas:

• We Use The Dog Park And Want To Keep It
• Fiscally, It Makes No Sense To Build The Park In General
  

We Use The Dog Park & We Want To Keep It

   Take a trip to the Pet Exercise Training Area of Palmer Park. In the morning, afternoon and right up until dark, you'll find Janesville residents (and even some out-of-towners) walking their dogs. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.  

   Yet, the city has decided a seasonal aquatic center at this site better suits its residents (According to a 8/14/07 gazetteextra.com article, City Manager, Steve Sheiffer noted, "the pool would be open for less than 90 days [annually].") http://www.gazetteextra.com/aquaticsite081407.asp

   I wonder if the city has considered the following:  

Highway Noise And The Effectiveness Of A Lifeguard.

• Studies show that noise "significantly factors into the effectiveness of a lifeguard's ability to quickly locate and respond to a potential drowning victim at a pool and generally has an unfavorable effect on lifeguard vigilance. Moreover, noise hinders the ability to share one's attention and tends to focus one's attention on the signals present in the central vision, to the detriment of those signals present in the peripheral vision." (http://www.recmanagement.com/200203gc02.php )
• The study cited above focuses on the noise at a regular public swimming pool and does not consider the additional noise created 24 hours a day by cars and trucks speeding by at 65 mph. Imagine how difficult it will be for a lifeguard to distinguish a cry for help, already made difficult by hundreds of playful screams, above the din of a busy highway.
• According to a United Stated Department Of Transportation (USDOT) study, the level of highway traffic noise depends on three things:
• • volume of traffic
  • speed of the traffic
  • the number of trucks in the flow of traffic
  • Anyone who has traveled on the extremely busy stretch of highway between the north and south end of town realizes this stretch of freeway is busy, fast and loaded with trucks. http://www.nonoise.org/library/highway/traffic/traffic.htm
• The dog exercise park is located right along the freeway -- the easternmost paths are less than 50 feet from I39/90. Check out this link to google maps (on the google map, just east of the arrow is a parking lot. the area north and east to the freeway is the dog exercise area of Palmer Park).
• How noisy? Click here to hear 60 seconds of I39/90 road noise from 4:00pm, the afternoon of October 26th. This was recorded on my digital camera standing on the east path of the dog park. This noise is constant. Think you'll be able to hear a cry for help above that?
• And with plans to widen I39/90, freeway expansion will bring the road even closer to an aquatic center at the dog park (more traffic, greater speeds = MORE ROAD NOISE!)
• A noise barrier is certainly an option -- add about $1,500,000 to the project if a noise barrier is necessary (about $25 per square foot)
• In summer 2004, a Philadelphia jury awarded $6.6 million to the family of an 8-year-old boy who drowned while in a pool with just 14 other kids. http://www.recmanagement.com/features.php?fid=200502fe01&ch=11
• By design alone, an aquatic center presents difficulties for lifeguards -- theme elements create blind spots for lifeguards. Theme elements also cause difficulty in assessing the most desirable lifeguard positions. If a lifeguard can't easily see a potential drowning victim, add the highway noise and...
• Does our city manager really want to sit down with the grieving parents of some poor kid who drowned because the lifeguard could not hear cries for help over highway noise?

Effect Of Highway Emissions On The Kids Who Use The Aquatic Center

• A article in the January 26th edition of the L.A. Times states that tainted air from freeways, "harms children's lungs." The report clearly states that children exposed to "freeway air pollution" face a greater risk of developing smaller lungs and face greater risk to lung disease as they grow older. According to the University of Southern California (USC) study, "someone suffering a pollution-related deficit in lung function as a child will probably have less than healthy lungs all of his or her life." The study advises local governments to take this research into account when planning new schools and new housing developments.
• As I mentioned above, the very busy stretch of I39/I90 will expand to six lanes. (In the October 28th edition of gazetteextra.com,  Janesville's Planning Director, Brad Cantrell addressed the I39/90 widening project -- see the links page for the entire story). Studies prove that increased freeway capacity results in greater usage, resulting in greater air pollution. Pollution is greater nearest the traffic. Do city planners think pollution will magically fall everywhere but the aquatic center? Repeating, The dog exercise park is located right along the freeway -- the easternmost paths are less than 50 feet from I39/90. Check out this link to google maps

Fiscally, It Makes No Sense To Build & Maintain The Park

   Obviously, we cannot tell the future. Some water parks have been very successful. But for every success, there is failure. And failure is expensive. Let's look at the cost of the project, the cost of maintaining a water park, who will use it and for how long, and who will pay. (Check our Links page for more on other communities' attempts at building a water park.)

How Much Will The Park Cost

• According to an August, 12, 2007 story at www.gazetteextra.com, " In February, the committee recommended a 900-swimmer aquatic center at Palmer Park on the city's east side and a smaller 400-swimmer facility at Rockport Park on the west side, costing an estimated $7.5 million.
• In the same story, "City administration hopes the committee will recommend one large site capable of serving 1,600 swimmers, which could cost between $8 million and $9.5 million, according to the latest estimate."
• A March 10, 2007 gazetteextra.com article quoted city manager, Steve Sheiffer as saying he's "set aside $4.75 million for the facility over the next five years, but that possibly will not be enough." What strikes us as odd about this number is a shallow-pool at Palmer Park will apparently cost $2,500,000 (according to the same article). That leaves $2,250,000 to build a full water park with slides and a lazy river.    (http://www.gazetteextra.com/jvlaquatic030107.asp).
• The city of Ames, Iowa is building a new water park. "The facility, which will be located on Iowa State University-owned land on 13th Street near Squaw Creek, is planned to be a 20,000-square-foot facility featuring an eight-lane lap area, a recreational swim area, and a 5,000-square-foot lazy river feature." Estimated cost? $9,500,000. We believe that in order to build a real attraction, the city will need a facility similar to the new park in Ames.
• According to the Gazette, city officials are banking on a water park to be a major regional attraction, that would "readily draw out-of-town visitors, the committee said." Certainly, if city officials are truly planning on keeping costs below $5 million, will the facility attract enough users to pay operating costs?  

Cost Of Maintaining An Aquatic Park

• When considering a water park in Brooklyn Park, MN, Water Park Advisory Commission Director, Linda St. John said, "...it is not just the construction but also rather the day-to-day operating costs and long-term costs in maintaining the facility." (The city of Brooklyn Park DID NOT build a water park. Instead, a private venture took on the project -- The Grand Rios Hotel built it.) 
•   Who will manage the facility and how much will we pay her/him? In an eye-opening article, water park industry analyst, Fred Inter warned, "...seven drownings or near-drownings this summer alone as of press time — may just be a sample of what’s in store in the near future with all the rookie professionals entering the waterpark resort industry." ROOKIE PROFESSIONALS? According to Inter:
• • Management is structured so that one waterpark manager usually is supported by three supervisors.
  • "The Ignorance Tax" The ignorance tax kicks in when a company or organization spends excess money or loses revenue because its personnel do not have enough knowledge, experience or educational background to make appropriate decisions. (How long was the Ice Arena mismanaged?)
  • In the waterpark industry demand for managers has quickly outpaced growth. This gap puts owners in the position of having to hire less-qualified people to run their parks creating a "risk in service and safety that can lead to the kinds of tragedies we’ve seen this summer."
  • Inter further warns, " Insurance companies are already coming to this realization and will soon begin asking questions about who is operating the facilities. They will charge higher insurance premiums for a waterpark until the company’s leadership team has proven itself qualified."
• If City Manager, Steve Sheiffer is planning on having a well-run, state-of-the-art water park that brings in visitors from throughout the area, is he planning on paying a top-of-the-line salary to someone who knows how not only to market the facility, but safely maintain it? Is he willing to pay increased insurance rates if not?
• We have no idea what the long-term maintenance costs will be. The facility needs to be maintained and managed year round despite a very short season - http://www.gazetteextra.com/rockport100707.asp).
• According to Madison.Com, Madison's Goodman Aquatic Center operated at a loss of $140,000 its first year. The cost of keeping the facility open is $300 per hour. Click here for the entire story.
• Madison officials are finding it necessary to subsidize Goodman Aquatic. According to a July 26th, madison.com article, "Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is floating the idea of an annual taxpayer subsidy for the Goodman Pool." Please note this is an annual taxpayer subsidy. When was the last time a tax was ever removed? Goodman Aquatic by the way is a $5,200,000 project (sound familiar?). And with a much larger population, the city of Madison still needs a subsidy. How will Janesville be any different? By the way, Madison city officials now want to build ANOTHER aquatic center (as if one sucking-chest-wound is not enough). Click Here

Who Will Use The Facility & How Long Is The Season

• Right now, according to gazetteextra.com,  "City figures show attendance [at Rockport Pool] has seesawed over the last 10 years, from a low of 17,500 in 2004 to 32,240 this summer. Many factors influence how many people use the pool, perhaps one of the biggest being the weather."
• According to Sheiffer,  "future attendance must figure into the aquatics discussion. Only about 15 percent of residents are expected to use an aquatics facility," he said, and the "swimming season runs about 78 days." http://www.gazetteextra.com/rockport100707.asp (Considering the population of Janesville to be 63,000, 15% usage comes to only 9,450 people -- far below the number of people currently using Rockport pool. How do city officials expect an aquatic center to be profitable with these numbers? They CANNOT!)
• Typically, other communities (like Ames, IA) set up rates for kids, adults, families and seniors. Check the links page for the full brochure. Daily rates are as low as $3.00 for kids under 18 to $212.00 for a non-resident family pass.
• If an aquatic park is open just 78 days, and assuming it does not rain any of those days, it is the equivalent of a business banking on enough customers while operating just 1.5 days a week (52 X 1.5 = 78). They better sell a lot of passes (which brings us to our next point...)

Who Really Pays?

Let's look at an outdoor facility in Forks, WA (population at 2000 census: 3,120)

•  Their annual costs are projected to be $384.405 -- funding comes from the following four sources:
• • Property Taxes - $215,677
  • Excise Tax - $30,407
  • DNR Timber Tax - $50,661
  • Fees Produced From Pool Operations - $87,660
  • Over 77% of the operating costs come from taxes.
•  The Ames, IA facility will be paid for with increased taxes:
• • The bond issue will raise the property tax of the city's residential property owners by $21.91 per taxable $100,000 of assessed valuation per year for 12 years.
  •  Commercial and industrial property owners will pay more than double that amount, $48.09 per taxable $100,000.
  • According to the August 14, 2007 gazetteextra.com, Sheiffer warned, "While the pool may break even, it more likely will require a city subsidy."
  • According to an October 19th gazetteextra.com article, "The owner of an average Janesville home assessed at $112,700 would pay $17.70 more in city taxes next year under the city's proposed budget," and includes just "$1 million for aquatics facility planning and implementation." (Gov. Doyle loosened his own proposed caps on the tax levy -- with the new cap to be set at 3.86% for 2008.) http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=679225
  • Janesville spends far more to operate Rockport Pool than it receives in revenue. According to the Gazette, "so far this year, the city has spent more than $138,000. Revenue came in at about $24,000. Aquatics facilities in Fort Atkinson and Edgerton also receive city subsidies, but they are smaller than Janesville's." http://www.gazetteextra.com/rockport100707.asp
  • If, as Sheiffer claims, he will not consider a $9,000,000 option, how much bang will he get for his buck? Right now, according to Sheiffer, he is planning on a $4,750,000 cap for pools with $2.5 million earmarked for a wading pool at Palmer Park. What type of facility can he build for $2.25 million? I've looked around. Not much is the answer - especially if he wants the park to draw enough out-of-towners to make it a regional attraction.
  • Additionally, Sheiffer states it'll cost two million just to repair Rockport. Do the math? If it costs 2 million to repair an existing pool, how on God's green earth can we build a top shelf water park for three million?
  • Hold on to your wallets.

Considering Everything We Now Know, The Noise Problems, The Pollution Problems, Realizing The Short Season, And Considering The Park Must Be Affordable For Everyone, Can We Really Count On Our City Officials To Build & Safely MaintainThis Park Within Budget Now, And Keep It Within Budget In The Future Without Increasing Taxes?

  According to the Gazette, City Recreation Director, Bonnie Davis wants to "see a new aquatics facility in Janesville. The city needs more than water, she said. It needs amenities such as slides and a zero-depth entry pool. I want to see an aquatics facility built in town, but I want to see it built in the right place. I want it the right size. I want the right number of amenities, and I want it safe and affordable."

  savethedogpark.com says:

  An aquatic center at the dog park is not safe.

  Highway noise is a huge, unresolved concern.

  Pollution from the I39/90 is not going away.

  An aquatic center built with a fraction of the budget necessary will not be a major attraction.

  Can the city afford a "real" aquatic park manager? Or will this facility be managed by some low to mid-level manager? Water park management consultants warn that mis-management will lead to horrible accidents and higher insurance rates.

  The season is too short for the expenditure.

  Your taxes will pay for this project for years to come.

  Click here to contact your local legislators. Tell them you are opposed to an aquatic center, expecially one built at the Pet Exercise Training Area of Palmer Park

  Click here to sign the petition. (You will directed to our online petition at gopetition.com. Please add your thoughts when you sign the petition.)

  Let Your Voice Be Heard.

Please Take Action Now Before You Forget And Go About Your Business!