I wrote a note to Chico Area Rec District Director Ann Willmann complaining she doesn’t notice the “public” meetings far enough ahead – wow, lookee see – here’s the notice for a December 16 public meeting:
Second comment meeting over proposed aquatic center planned
Enterprise Record, Staff Reports
CHICO >> A second public meeting about a proposed aquatic center will be hosted by the Chico Area Recreation and Park District.
The meeting will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Chico Community Center, 545 Vallombrosa Ave.
Members of the public who would like to speak about an aquatic center in Chico are invited.
The first meeting was conducted in October by the consultants hired by CARD. Comments were made about the physical layout, possible programs and uses, as well as other CARD programs.
T he t wo me e t i n g s are part of the feasibility study process for the proposed aquatic center. CARD has hired Aquatics Design Group of Carlsbad to perform the feasibility study for about $50,000.
After this second meeting, the consultant will make a presentation to the CARD board about the feasibility of the project, although the issues of cost or how the district will pay for the facility have not been broached.
CARD’s master plan has included the suggestion of an aquatic center for years. Last year, the recreation district determined it would close its swim program at Shapiro Pool, next to Chico Junior High School, because of the poor shape of the pool, which is owned by Chico Unified School District but operated by CARD. CARD owns the other public pool, Pleasant Valley by Bidwell Junior High.
In September, CARD decided to explore how much it would cost to continue operating Shapiro, and hired a pool expert to examine the property. Basically the expert told CARD that the way the facility stands now, it would be a very expensive repair or remodeling project.
Comments regarding the aquatic idea can also be made to CARD General Manager Ann Willmann at annw@chicorec. com or dropped off at the CARD office, 545 Vallombrosa Ave. in Chico
Here’s the problem:
- the issue of cost and the issue of how the district will pay for the facility have so been broached. Tom Lando has come right out and mentioned a sales tax increase, and a past consultant raised the issue of placing a bond on district homeowners. Lando ran a survey regarding the sales tax increase and claims people support it, but the survey CARD ran regarding an aquatic center tax came back negative.
- the reporter opines that “ that the way the facility stands now, it would be a very expensive repair or remodeling project.” That’s not journalism, and that’s not what the consultant said – he put a price tag of less than $600,000 on the Shapiro remodel. How would you compare that to $10 – 28 million for an aquatic center?
Who wrote this crap story? I think Laura Urseny wrote it, I’ve been in the ladies room after her, and I know what her crap smells like. Urseny can’t take criticism, cause she knows it’s true. I’ve criticized her efforts at foisting this pool on the taxpayers, and she can’t take it, so she won’t sign her name to another crap story. As far as I’m concerned, Urseny has become entirely too friendly with agencies like CARD, city of Chico, Chico Chamber – she is so bedded down with these people, she has no objectivity anymore, and has no business calling herself a news reporter.
This is the kind of “campaign” CARD puts up for their aquatic center – nobody really wants to get behind this puppy, cause they know it’s all a bunch of lies. They don’t really intend to build anything folks – they can’t even afford to do the rot work on the Cal Park Pavilion. They need this money to pay the CalPERS deficit, and they need it now. Jerry Hughes isn’t going anywhere, and he still gets a check. Ann Willmann will need a big check to cover her bottom line – $120,000/year in salary, her package costs about $25,000/year, toward which she pays nothing. None of these people have paid anything toward their own pensions, but expect to collect 70 percent of their highest year’s salary, regardless of the shape the economy is in.
I hope you will send your comments to Willmann, and furthermore – ask her how you can view comments made by other members of the public – this is public information and she is supposed to show it to anybody who asks.
Please write letters to the papers as well. This conversation has been held from the public too long, we need to get it out into the light so people can see what a booger CARD is trying to smear us with.
Willmann has still not got back to me with the notes from the last public meeting. That is also public information, but see how she drags her feet like a 10 year old when she doesn’t want to do something.
Chico Taxpayers Association 
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