Westchester readers contacted us about last week’s story regarding Sprain Ridge Pool, which will be closed for the season again, due to incompetence, mismanagement and political decisions made by County government.
One reader sent the following email. “My question for you, Mr. Murphy, which you have written before about Sprain Ridge in the past, is if it was located in Mt. Pleasant, near Mr. Astorino, would it have been closed for so many years? As a Westchester homeowner and taxpayer, where is the accountability for my tax dollars? Furthermore, I do not think that this decision was an anti-Yonkers sentiment. I used Sprain Ridge pool for many years before the troubles began in 2011, and I live in Greenburgh.”
Another reader disagreed with our assessment that laid the blame for the pool being closed 7 out of the last 8 years between County Executive Rob Astorino and the County Board of Legislators. “For 8 years. Astorino was the CEO of Westchester County. He gets the credit when our county taxes came in year after year at a 0% tax increase. But when a massive failure like what happened at Sprain Ridge Pool occurs, he must also take the blame. Don’t sugarcoat it for him.”
A deep dive into Sprain Ridge Pool must also include the plan for Aquatic parks for 5 county pools back in 2006 before Astorino was elected County Executive. The aquatic plan, which can be found at a public Board of Legislators website, http://westchestercountyny.iqm2.com/Citizens/Search.aspx#SearchText=sprain%20ridge%20pool&Type=All&MediaOnly=False&SortBy=Relevance,
Shows improvements, renovations and capital projects at Saxon Woods, Wilsons Woods, TIbbets Brook, Sprain Ridge and Playland pools.
The plan for Sprain Ridge had it building a competition pool and taking it away from Playland, with the theory being that there was more room for additional attendance for swim meets at Sprain Ridge. But the completed Aquatic pool plan for Sprain Ridge would never come to reality.
Revenues at County pools that have made improvements have had increased attendance and revenues, enough so to pay for the bonding and building costs. Both the Wilson Woods wave pool and the Tibbets Book lazy river pool projects have been “wildly successful,” according to one county source. The County Board of Legislators analyzed both projects before approving the bonding under former County Executive Andy Spano.
The renovation plan called for the Tibbets pool to be closed for one season, in 2009, and then re-open in 2010, providing a 22-month construction period. Professional construction vendors advised a 12-15-month construction period with no work happening during the winter months.
The Bond Act for Sprain Ridge passed unanimously in 2009. Astorino takes office as County Executive in January 2010, while Ken Jenkins becomes Chairman of the BOL.
Shortly after taking office, Astorino claims that the County has a $166 Million deficit and that he has decided not to move forward with the Sprain Ridge Pool renovations, due to the expensive cost. At that time, the county legislators that were affected by this decision were Tom Abinanti (Greenburgh), Gordon Burrows (Yonkers and Bronxville), and Jenkins, whose district did not include Sprain Ridge Pool but sits right next to it and whose constituents used the pool.
Tibbets Pool opens in 2010, but before it did, an additional $950,000 for one of the larger water slides had to be purchased and bonded for. Astorino approves the Bonding for $950K and the BOL unanimously passes it. Initial estimated at Tibbets Pool had 50,000 visitors per year. Actual visitors came in at 75,000 per year.
After that, Astorino proposes closing Sprain Ridge pool and the battle with the BOL over spending continues for the next six years. Budget items are vetoed by Astorino, and the BOL overrides most of his vetoes. Lawsuits begin to be filed against the Astorino administration by the BOL due to Astorino no honoring the overrides.
In 2014 a bi-partisan BOL takes control and Michael Kaplowitz becomes Chair of the BOL. But the pool remains closed. Astorino offers to sell the pool to the City of Yonkers for $1, but the repairs are too expensive for the City of Yonkers to purchase this crumbling asset.
Legislator Burrows continues to remind Astorino the pool is in his district and his constituents are angry that it is closed. In 2015, Burrows finally convinces Astorino to release the Sprain Ridge pool, which is unanimously approved by the BOL for $8.8 Million.
Despite being approved in August of 2015, the county is slow to move on its reconstruction. In the summer of 2016, no work is being done, and Legislator MaryJane Shimsky, who replaced Abinanti representing Greenburgh in the xxth district where the pool is located, monitors the project and the lack of progress and asks why?
While $8.8 Million was bonded for Sprain Ridge Pool, the new administration of County Executive George Latimer has learned that the bids for the pool came in at $14.5 Million, and the work on the pool was re-bid in pieces to keep the total cost under $10 Million. One contract for the recreation pool was signed in December 2016, 16 months after it was approved by the BOL.
The recreation pool and another pool open at Sprain Ridge in the summer of 2017, in the middle of Astorino’s re-election. A new, large pool was said to be opened in the summer of 2018, but again that project lagged as the BOL adopted a $9.8 Million bond for the last Sprain Ridge Pool, but no action was taken by the Astorino administration. That job could have been sent out for bid in July of 2017.
All these reasons above are the cause of the pools closure this summer, according to sources in County government. “This work should have taken 12-15 months but was jammed through in the summer of 2017. While it spices up the story to suggest anyone else, but members of the Astorino Administration were at fault, it just is not true. No legislator controls the actual construction process. It is up to the Department to advance the Bond Acts. No Legislator controls A&C. The Administration creates the A&C agenda.
“The pool contractor said it could not be done by July 4th. Since the Administration pushed the contractor to hit the 2017 date, in 2018, we found significant visible cracks in the decking that were repaired in time for the planned June 22 opening, and when the pool was being filled for this year, there were significant leaks.
“If Astorino simply followed the Aquatic plan, Sprain Ridge would have been open for the 2012 season. There is single NO Legislator that could do anything to change this trajectory. Astorino had his mind made up that he did not want to spend money on this County asset,” said source in County government.
Another County insider said that members of the BOL could have been stronger in their budget negotiations with Astorino in 2015 and 16. “The coalition BOL could have traded for Sprain Ridge Pool when Astorino wanted to build the Ice Rink at Kensico Dam. The cost of the Ice Rink was $24 Million, and the financial analysis said it would never break even. “
“What could the BOL have done? Fight Astorino, which is what Jenkins did when he was Chair of the Board. That’s what the legislative branch of government is supposed to do, be the check and balance to the Executive. Maybe Ken Jenkins had it right,” said xx.
