$100,000 for Water Tower court renovation questioned

Posted 7/13/16

by Sue Ann Rybak

Chestnut Hill resident Barbara Diaz, who has been a member of the Water Tower Advisory Board for more than 15 years, was surprised to learn that Councilwoman Cindy Bass has …

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$100,000 for Water Tower court renovation questioned

Posted

by Sue Ann Rybak

Chestnut Hill resident Barbara Diaz, who has been a member of the Water Tower Advisory Board for more than 15 years, was surprised to learn that Councilwoman Cindy Bass has earmarked $100,000 to be used to repair, renovate and resurface tennis courts at the Water Tower Recreation Center in Chestnut Hill.

According to an email from Leslie Winder, a spokesperson for Bass, work on the tennis courts is scheduled to begin in the next two weeks.

While Diaz, a mother of three sons, was happy that improvements were going to be made to the tennis courts, she was surprised that funds were not designated to fix the blacktop behind the recreation center, which she said is a huge safety issue.

“I am not trying to undervalue the use of the tennis courts,” she said. “The Department of Recreation and City Council need to prioritize. It's just common sense. I personally delivered a letter to Cindy Bass's office, informing her of the safety hazard.”

“The state of the blacktop is more than deplorable, it's dangerous,” she wrote in a letter dated Feb. 24, 2015 to Bass and Susan Slawson, deputy recreation commissioner. “Running is very dangerous because of the uneven sections of what is left of the original blacktop.”

“The blacktop in the back is something we really need,” said Diaz, 51. “It's more than just beautifying the back of the recreation center. It's just common sense that we want to keep our kids safe.”

She added that approximately 10 years ago, the Water Tower Advisory Council looked into getting the blacktop resurfaced.

“At the time, it would have cost about $35,000,” she said. “The Advisory Council did not have funds to pay for the new blacktop.”

She said the council approached the city about repairing the blacktop, but at the time there were other recreation centers that were in dire need of repairs.

Bass told the Local in a telephone interview on Monday afternoon that she never received Diaz's letter.

She explained that the funds were earmarked for the tennis courts after her office received a request from Herb Powers to address the tennis/Pickleball courts because they were “fading, chipped and falling apart.” She said it was the first request that her office received “for any extensive work at the playground.”

She added that the courts were dangerous because people were still actively using them.

“The recreation center leader gave me a brief tour and showed me how Pickleball is played because I never heard of it before,” Bass said. “I was happy to oblige and provide the services they requested.

“I don't recall receiving a letter about the blacktop issue, but it's not a problem. If it's something that is a safety hazard and children are playing in the area, then we do want to address it. We would be happy to have Parks and Recreation go out and take a look at it and see what can be done about the area.”

Bass added that she would arrange for Parks and Recreation to do a tour, and, if her schedule allows, she would join them.

“Obviously, if children are playing there, we want it to be safe,” she said. “But one thing has nothing to do with the other. It doesn't have to be the tennis courts versus the playground area versus the back of the recreation center. When we get a request, we try and follow up and just get it done.”

Diaz said while the Water Tower Recreation Center does need repairs, residents shouldn't forget all the good things that are going on there.

“The fact that a family donated that building to our community in honor of their son who died in the war – as a mom, I think we should honor that legacy,” she said. “We need to move past blaming people. Let's not get caught up in 'it's your job.' If we are going to move forward, we have to let go of the past and the blaming. It's not an ‘I or you’ thing, it's a ‘we’ thing. We are part of the community, and we need to work together to solve the problems in our community.”

She said people need to be aware of the problems and acknowledge them before the community can come together to solve them.

“Don't stand on the sidelines and say, 'Oh, that needs to be changed,'” Diaz said. “Come help me find a solution. Let's not forget that the center is here for the kids. The community benefits from so many programs at the Water Tower such as the Chestnut Hill Youth Sports Club, the gymnastics program, karate program, the tot program, the after-school program, the summer camp, and let's not forget about the Fourth of July Bocce Club Celebration.

“As the 100th anniversary of the Water Tower approaches, let's remember that the Woodwards gave the Water Tower Recreation Center to the community as a gift in memory of their son Houston Woodward who died in World War I.”

She said the recreation center is “not just the responsibility of the recreation department.”

“It's our responsibility,” she said.

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