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Ypsidixit - 2007-08-12 01:34:09
Here is the text of the August 2 Ann Arbor News story: Ypsilanti to spend grant on recreation

Federal dollars will pay for repairs to aging facilities

Thursday, August 02, 2007 BY KHALIL E. HACHEM News Staff Reporter

Ypsilanti's recreation facilities have been in need of repairs for several years.

The roof of the Ypsilanti Senior Center leaks. Parkridge Community Center needs new windows. And Rutherford Pool could use a water heater replacement.

But the city's worsening financial situation has left little room in the budget for such repairs.

Instead, the City Council decided this year to tap funds from its Community Development Block Grant allocation to pay for repairs at its recreation facilities and curb ramp replacements. Officials announced this week that the city expects to receive about $349,000 in federal funds.

Mayor Paul Schreiber said the city normally uses its yearly CDBG allocation for housing and projects in low-income neighborhoods, as required by the federal government. But he said the decision was made to funnel that money to upgrades to the recreation facilities, which are used by the city's low-income families as well as the entire city.

"This is going to be a good help to keep our affordable recreation running,'' Schreiber said. "It's a service for the entire community.''

Ypsilanti Planning and Development Director Karen Hart said the money will cover critical repairs at the three facilities, and the reconstruction of 50 street curb ramps to make them accessible for people with disabilities.

Work is expected to begin this month and be completed in late spring, Hart said. The plans include:

At the Senior Center - replacing roofs, insulation, light fixtures and windows, and making renovations to the bathroom so it'll be handicap-accessible.

At Parkridge Community Center - replacing exterior doors, windows, fascia and soffits.

At Rutherford Pool - replacing the heat exchanger, water heater, shower columns and lighting.

The city constructed ramps for people with disabilities when local streets were rebuilt two years ago. But a group of residents sued the city, saying the ramps did not comply with federal standards. The city decided to reconstruct the ramps in phases over several years.

The CDBG funds will allow the city to fix some of them this year, but more will need to be reconstructed in the future, Hart said.

Khalil E. Hachem can be reached at [email protected] or 734-482-3225.
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Murph - 2007-08-12 09:25:46
Ypsilanti is part of the Washtenaw Urban County partnership: http://www.ewashtenaw.org/government/urban_county/urban_county.html Essentially, this means we pool our CDBG and HOME monies with various other communities in the County, and then the County-level body decides how to allocate them. (The City does have a representative on that body, and also submits requests for what we'd like to use money on.) The advantage of this is that we can get a bigger piece of the pie, assuming that the County-level body agrees to Ypsi's proposals. This year was a good example of that - Northfield Twp decided to withdraw one of their projects for consideration, freeing up some cash; as I understand it, Ypsi Twp suggested/assisted our request for some of that extra cash for the pool and senior center. To say that, "Federal Monies Dedicated to Low-Income Housing Diverted to Swimming Pool" is misleading - CDBG is not dedicated to low-income housing, though it is frequently used that way. CDBG can be used for essentially any project that can be shown to benefit low- to moderate-income residents: some communities have even used it as a source for development subsidies, saying, "Well, the development will create jobs for low/mod residents." I mentioned above that the Urban County partnership also allocates HOME funds - these are more specifically targeted at affordable housing, and Ypsi generally comes out ahead from the partnership on this count as well; a large number of the HOME projects are downpayment assistance or home rehab loans/grants in Ypsi, through Habitat for Humanity, the Ypsi Gateway Community & Economic Development Corporation, and other entities. The Housing Commission is far from the only game in town.
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Murph - 2007-08-12 09:27:18
(Um, something funny happened to my paragraph breaks. Sorry 'bout that.)
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Juglans negra - 2007-08-12 10:38:17
I hope you don't take offense. But this sounds like a post for Steve Pierces site. I want to hear about carp. I think Steve borders on hysteria, and doesn't fully examine all sides of public policy issues.
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Spittle - 2007-08-12 10:45:33
A post of mine doesn't seem to have worked. The Housing Commission has, is required to be insured. That should pay for the burned building. That building should actually, probably, not be rebuilt. That site is dangerous in so many ways. Traffic, population for its size, etc. If it is rebuilt, that does take considerable time. New housing is is happening in PH, but not at any great rate. Especially in the current fiscal era we live in. Section 8 is a better program that PH buildings. Was (is) PH built to improve the lives of those that need it, or a ploy to keep the residents in their own place out of sight where they have their own are away from certain class of people?
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Walter - 2007-08-12 11:16:12
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Ypsidixit - 2007-08-12 15:28:41
Murph, thank you for the very helpful clarification:

"To say that, "Federal Monies Dedicated to Low-Income Housing Diverted to Swimming Pool" is misleading - CDBG is not dedicated to low-income housing, though it is frequently used that way. CDBG can be used for essentially any project that can be shown to benefit low- to moderate-income residents: some communities have even used it as a source for development subsidies, saying, "Well, the development will create jobs for low/mod residents." I didn't realize that, since the paper said merely, "CDBG allocation for housing and projects in low-income neighborhoods, as required by the federal government."

The planned repairs to Parkridge COmmunity Center, the Senior Center, and Rutherford Pool don't seem to me to be aimed at low-income Ypsilantians, however. Yes, low-income residents can conceivably take advantage of these community resources--anyone can. You could put a fountain in Depot Town and argue that low-income residents are free to go and admire it.

The improvements to curb cuts have nothing to do with low-income residents and seem to be only a measure taken to avoid a lawsuit.


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Ingrid - 2007-08-12 16:06:02
I think that Rutherford pool enjoys the patronage of low income kids. I'm there almost every day, and it is my observation that the pool is one of the most egalitarian of Ypsi's institutions. There's almost nothing else for poor kids to do in the summer in Ypsi. All kids come in droves.
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Brian F. - 2007-08-12 21:06:04
YD

The *majority* of users of Parkridge, the pool, and the Senior Center are low to moderate income. This has been true for years - at least it was true when I was on the Recreation Commission.
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Spittle - 2007-08-12 22:20:17
And who finds the sidewalks hardest to traverse? Elderly and handicapped. Not the upper crust of Ypsi society.
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Ypsidixit - 2007-08-12 23:53:51
Mr. Black Walnut, thank you for flattering me by comparing me to Mr. Pierce's excellent site. :)

The only reason I posted is because I pass by Paradise Manor, see the still-horribly-charred building, and imagine how demoralizing it would be for me to live there. It's ugly. Not so much as a tarp thrown over the place. I hate to think of the additional damage done by the elements--damage that could have been avoided had the building been repaired.

I just wonder what message that building's desuetude sends to the remainder of P.M.'s residents. Not a good one.
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Ypsidixit - 2007-08-12 23:55:32
Ingrid: I will take your word on, and I stand corrected on, the Rutherford Pool being something good for low-income kids. If so, then the money went to something useful for them. I don't mind being wrong. I just want to know what's really going on.
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Ypsidixit - 2007-08-12 23:58:09
Was (is) PH built to improve the lives of those that need it, or a ploy to keep the residents in their own place out of sight where they have their own are away from certain class of people?

Probably some of both. I recently finished the book "There Are No Children Here," about two kids growing up in the Chicago projects. Eye-opening.
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Ypsidixit - 2007-08-13 00:00:24
Brian F.: as with Ingrid, I'll take your word for it, and I stand corrected.

Not to be obnoxious, but I still think that it would be preferable to give someone a safe place to live than to offer a pool. I don't know how many families were ousted by the fire or where they are now. It looks, to a passerby, as if the entire top floor of the north building is gone.
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Ypsidixit - 2007-08-13 00:03:30
"And who finds the sidewalks hardest to traverse? Elderly and handicapped. Not the upper crust of Ypsi society."

It would be meritorious for the city to be so concerned about its frailer citizens, except for the fact that for years they weren't, and it took a threat of lawsuit to change things. Have to disagree with you respectuflly on this point, Spittle: it's strictly a CYA by the city. This portion of the monies is most in question, to me.
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Steve Pierce - 2007-08-13 00:39:03
I think YD has made a very good suggestion. Why is the city spending tax payer dollars on the stalled elevator at Riverside Arts Center when that money could go to help pay for major repairs at the pool? The elevator project isn't going any where because the costs have doubled and nearly tripled since it was first planned. So lets use the state grant on the pool, which would benefit a much greater number of people in the community and have an immediate payback in our quality of life. When I said that the City was going to spend $10 million on land acquisition for Water Street, the former mayor said I didn't know what I was talking about. Five years later the city admits to spending over $13 million just to buy the land, that doesn't include the nearly $5 million to rebuild the rail spur if requested by Visteon, and the total cost is now over $30 million and still growing. This for a project that the mayor and council promised the citizens would not exceed $3 to 5 million when they started buying the land back in 2000. Regarding CDBG funds to fix curb cits. How come no one pointed this out: the reason the city is fixing curb cuts is because the City spent our tax dollars and did them wrong and now are having to go back and fix them again. How come the contractors and engineers and city officials that approved and installed the first curb cuts aren't being held responsible for screwing it up the first time? Why are taxpayers double paying for their screw-ups? Cheers! Steve Pierce www.YpsiNews.com
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rodneyn - 2007-08-13 13:22:42
The pool is a huge asset to the community, and is used by many low to moderate income families each summer. I know, because our house is on one of the most popular paths for families and kids on their way to the pool. Unfortunately, past decisions to delay needed upgrades and defer basic maintenance has left the pool with patched together mechanical equipment. Two years running, it has opened late due to major breakdowns, and the manager has indicated that it may not open at all next year without the long deferred upgrades. I applaud the City for recognizing the pool's value and targeting this funding to (hopefully) improve the situation. I cannot think of a more appropriate use for these grant funds.
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Kate - 2007-08-20 16:36:18
The pool also needs a new liner. It's leaking like a sieve right now -- another major reason why it may not reopen next year. But I don't see that on the list of fixes. Fixing up the pool house will not get the pool open. As for Paradise Manor, that building is beyond repair, Ypsidixit. It needs to be torn down. My worry is that kids get in there and "explore." The Housing Commission is, indeed, negligent in not getting rid of it as an eyesore, a dangerous trap for those "explorers" and as a place for vermin to hide and breed.
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Ypsidixit - 2007-08-20 20:21:24
Kate: Good point about the allure of ruins. Not a place for kids. I hadn't thought about vermin, either, but that's another concern. Plus I just think it's demoralizing to live next to it day after day.
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Ypsiville - 2007-08-21 15:45:39
It is borderline criminal that nothing has been done with the burned building. It is sickening that people that live in Paradise Valley have to be reminded of the horrible tragedy. Who is responsible for the property?
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Ypsidixit - 2007-08-21 15:48:54
I wish I knew, Ypsiville. It's been months and months now.
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