Message to the senior center proponents (all five of you): Hold off on the confetti and balloons!
‘This just in— ‘With zero percent of the vote in and no precincts reporting, ABC News, CNN and Fox News have reported that the senior center proposal in Orion, Oxford and Addison townships has gone down to a resounding defeat.
Voters were adamant in their belief that sufficient facilities already exist, and the prospect of additional taxes meant this proposal was dead on arrival long before the ballots were printed.
The various media outlets indicated that predicting the outcome was a no-brainer, since the proposal made as much sense as Gilligan’s Island.?
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This sounds like an episode from the TV program Early Edition, where the hero gets news of events in a special newspaper, days before it occurs. I just received my own special edition, with news of the future! If you accept my reasoning, there’s no need to peruse a newspaper in Nov. to see the election results–you will already know them!
By now you’ve received a mailing from Communities Together for a Senior Center Committee, outlining their weak arguments for passing a bond issue to first finance and build a center, and then another to operate and maintain it.
After much secrecy, we just learned the location–a ten acre parcel of land north of Drahner Road, east of M-24 in Oxford, on a site also occupied by Crossroads for Youth.
A recent article in the newspaper disclosed that in 2005, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department logged 189 calls regarding Crossroads, and 51 calls so far this year.
When the various local boards approved placing this on the ballot, I wonder if their vote would have been different had they known the proposed location? I would hope so! On the other hand, does one approve a project of this dimension without all the details?
Now that the location has been revealed, do any of the board members feel betrayed and embarrassed that a senior center would be located in an area visited so often by the OCSD?
Certainly the argument could be made that seniors would have little or no contact with the Crossroads students, but more needs to be disclosed regarding the arrangement, and any interaction that may take place, in order to dispel any concerns.
As I reviewed the site, I noted it’s eight and half miles from my home in Lake Orion, and eight and a half miles from the senior center in Addison. I’m sure Oxford residents would be delighted with the selection, but what’s troubling is that Orion residents will bear the lion’s share of the financing!
To assist voters, here’s a primer on your voting options. As you know, most proposals contain verbiage suitable only for people who carry a dictionary in their pocket.
*Should the communities of Oxford, Orion and Addison construct a facility to benefit only a select group of people in the community? (NO)
*Should the residents of Orion be compelled to be taxed for a center in Oxford, when the bulk of financing will come from them? (NO)
*Should a center be constructed only for seniors, when similar services already exist at libraries, hospitals, existing senior centers, churches and fitness centers? (NO)
*Should Addison residents support a facility eight and a half miles from their own center, when funding for critical services such as police is already at risk? (NO)
*Do we need a facility with a gym, locker rooms, kitchen/dining area, adult daycare program for residents with Alzheimer’s, offices for NOTA, center administrative office and a series of multi-purpose rooms, along with a library and storage–when all these elements are already in place in the community? (NO)
*If donated financing doesn’t surface for Phase II, including a pool, exercise room and garage space for NOTA, should the communities be compelled to finance a second bond issue? (NO)
*Should the bond issues in any of the communities pass? (NO)
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So now that you know all the issues and the answers, you can spend the remainder of the time before the Nov. election enjoying the autumn weather, knowing that when you VOTE NO, your taxes won’t be increased to finance a facility earmarked for seniors.
I’m a senior myself, and yet I don’t expect anyone to be responsible for, nor finance, my recreation, meals, entertainment and socialization.
It’s been said that nothing is technically over until ‘the fat lady sings.? Well, not only is she singing, she’s actually dancing, knowing that this ill-timed, ill-conceived proposal, when subjected to the light of day, can’t be justified.
Now I’m off to my local fitness center for some exercise, which by the way, is only one and a half miles from my home!
Have to keep my body in shape so I can outrun my detractors! Us seniors are a wily bunch.