Letter to the Editor:
Wenonah Park Pavilion
November 11, 2016
By: MyBayCity Staff
(MyBayCity File Photo -- Wenonah Park Concert -- Bay City
As I understand it the pavilion project started this whole thing.
We had a plan in place for the park that had been devised by a committee and lots of public input. Then this year an offer of money for a pavilion from a generous couple to be placed in Wenonah Park was offered. When people said why not put it in Vets Park the couple was approached and they said they'd only give the money for a pavilion in Wenonah Park.
Then the city fathers decided to "study" Wenonah and paid a consultant firm from Saginaw (no consultants here in Bay City???) to draw up some plans to renovate the whole park. Did I miss all the input meetings from the public BEFORE the plans were made by this firm?
So we had an outside firm drawing up plans for our park with no input from the public. The plan that was drawn up years ago has been swept aside by the city fathers. I see the powers that be scrambling around to find a way to build the pavilion so that we don't lose that wonderful and generous donation--kind of the tail wagging the dog.
Then the consultant decided that the fountain was in the way (?) and that maybe a water park would be the ticket.
I view Wenonah as a place to go to relax not as a place to do physical activities. In all the controversy no one has presented plans to fix the band shell even tho that's the most used portion of the park.
I suggest that if the city fathers think the prior plan for the park is out of date (Is it out of date because it doesn't have a pavilion?) then let's start with a CITIZEN'S committee and CITIZEN input (discussion not sticky notes) and go from there.
Democracy always takes longer than one or two people making decisions for the many but that's the way it's supposed to work.
----Mary K Freel