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11/17 8:11pm
TN: I suppose that throwing out groundless accusations like nasty,
condescending, and negative are as good a defense as any. If you had
read NT's posts for the past week or so, you would have noticed that
they made various authoritative statements supporting the construction
of a town pool. It seemed clear from NT's messages that a public
swimming pool is considered a very high priority. Don't you believe
that everyone should be able to supply proof of any information that is
stated as fact? Isn't it of even greater importance when that person
is a government official? Isn't it, or shouldn't it be, the
accountability and responsibility for one's actions that are the measure
of one's veracity? Since statements made by public officials quite
often have a great deal of influence on the general citizenry, I merely
asked NT to justify certain public statements that were made while
promoting the concept of a town-owned and operated swimming pool here in
Norfolk. Wouldn't you like a clearer explanation of the following
statements before the town would become financially involved?
"But the fees start in the $1000 range just to join. For those that just
want a place to cool off in the summer, wouldn't it just be nice to pay
a small fee ($50 a year per family)"
"The rec director in one town south of here told me their pool is their
biggest money-maker in town. They hold swim meets and classes regularly,
and the fees alone bring in tens of thousands of dollars per year. It
paid for itself in a year".
Here are my comments to the two excerpts above: There are already no
less than nine public swimming pools or beaches in the towns surrounding
Norfolk. They offer seasonal memberships ranging from $100 - $150 to as
low as $30 for a year round membership at indoor pools. Norfolk
residents are welcomed as members, at all of them. For those who wish
to enjoy exclusivity, there are privately owned clubs nearby.
I didn't see why we had to play guessing games about the "mystery town"
that NT told us about (see excerpt, above). However, NT is using that
town as the model for a similar pool project in Norfolk, and contrary to
NT's allegations, I did make the effort and did some research to try to
find it. I came to the same conclusion that AB did on 11/6; the Town of
Duxbury seems to be as good a guess as any. An annual membership at
Duxbury's town pool is $320 plus. In addition, various gatherings,
classes and other functions are extras and priced out at about $50 per
person, per half hour (or $80/hour). Is that what NT envisions for
Norfolk? We don't know, because NT won't tell us. By the way, the
Town of Duxbury, like Norfolk, isn't wealthy, per se, but it's situation
is similar to Norfolk's, insomuch as the extraordinary number of high
income earners raises the average income statistic to an unrealistic
level. As in Norfolk, the multitude of taxpayers earning an average or
lower income are often forced to suffer paying a disproportionate
amount of their earnings to support the incredible avarice of others,
who are often in a much higher income bracket.
I'm puzzled at your use of the word negative directed at me. My
observations and responses to NT's assortment of topics (which, at all
times, NT entered into the discussion) were sincere, truthful and
certainly accurate. If you consider my persistence in asking a
question, which isn't being answered (and my not being distracted by
other topics), to be disagreeable or negative, please keep in mind that
your act of disagreeing with me also makes you just as negative, as you
claim me to be.
As to the word nasty, if stating an honest and truthful observation of
a situation should be perceived as being cutting or nasty, does the
fault lie with the observer, or is the fault rather with the situation
that was created and is then being observed?
I know that you probably mean well, TN, but where on earth did you see
any condescension in my notes to NT? My responses to NT's comments
were a point on point match, using the same level of language, and in
fact, at times, for accuracy, responding by pulling out excerpts of
NT's own statements.
In closing and for the record, I'm giving you this summary: My
correspondence with NT (and now others) began with a very simple and
direct question about NT's reference to a very wealthy South Shore town
that built a town-sized swimming pool. All the costs of establishing
and constructing the pool were paid for, in a year, solely from the user
fees that were collected. NT went on to report that the same pool now
generates tens of thousands of dollars per year and is the biggest
money-maker in town. In good faith, I asked a very elementary seven
word question, "What is the name of that town?" -- nothing more! I
also stated my earnest intentions to look into such good news, with the
thoughts of bringing a similar enterprise to Norfolk. If it were
determined that the operation of the pool actually generated the tens
thousands of dollars in annual profits (income revenue for the town) , I
was prepared to offer NT my full support. Instead of cooperation, NT's
reply was to tell me to go find the name of the town myself, because
the confidentiality of that town's identity had to be protected. NT
then went completely off on a tangent by providing a lot of information
and creating discussion that was not at all germane to the only question
that I had asked.
I trust that this will be the end of this discussion, for all concerned,
but if anyone else wants to continue this matter, bring it on; I await
your pleasure.
- MT
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