Urbans personal agenda at Smalley's Lake

[Wheeler]

I read with total discust the comments our Mayor made in the paper today about the improvements made at Smalley's Lake. It saddens me that HE decided to make the trails out of mulch because HE likes to WALK on it better than asfault. I am confined to a wheelchair. There is no way I can use those trails. The origional concept, created by a previous administration, called for the trails to be accessable by anybody. Even people in wheelchairs. And by the way, I am not Kenny Burgess blowing more crap. I use to live in Connersville and still visit there regularly. It seems to me there is only one small area that I can get out of my van and enjoy the lake. I was so hoping for the trails when I heard about them a few years ago. But once again Mr. Urban only thinks of himself, NOT the rest of the world. Do yourself a favor Connersville, vote this guy out of office. He definately has HIS own agenda...

[Flat tire]

yea ok whatever Kenny.... Here's an Idea why dont you just go ahead and sue the City again ? You can claim some kind of ADA violation. Or do you already have that in the works ? Im already about broke so go ahead and take some more of the taxpayer money.

[what the ell]

this is no laughing matter, he has is own agenda and it will cost us at some point
vote this man out please

[Connersvillian]

Now this is some sad shit! Havin' took a couple strolls around this 'nature walk', I found it a reasonable effort to add a lil' bit to the lake. It's a short, pleasant stroll with a nice view of the river. There are picnic tables located along the walk an' for a nice warm day/evening it's really not that bad. As far as the Mayor wantin' mulch instead of asphalt, anyone with a lil' common sense would know that Urban ain't about to go to the southend to stroll through the woods! As far as being 'handicapped accessible', I say BULLSHIT! If we can't get our streets paved, how the hell ya expect 'em to pave a path around an old garbage dump??

[4 year vetaran]

im in favor of making it handicap accessible ive walked it i see the need for paved trails couldnt cost that much

[cheesy]

ya all want some cheese with that whine?

[4 year vetaran]

at least i could see where the money is goin that way and benefit people less fortunate than us

[4 year vetaran]

hey why not create an indoor park at the carbon motors factory shouldnt be too hard to buy it from city put the train museum in there and move the county museum in there before it floats down the river

[Nah]

I guarantee you that, if it had been paved, someone would be on here whining and complaining about how they spent "all that money on the asphalt when they needed to spend it on _______."
I, for one, support the cheaper mulch option for now. Maybe when the area isn't so economically depressed they can upgrade it. Otherwise, maybe you should look into the pricing of asphalt and donate to your cause.
Either way, it doesn't matter. There's no winning in this town: Spend money? Everyone bitches. Don't spend it? Everyone bitches. Thanks to Topix, I now envision this town as a collection of eternally-angry, drug-addled, feet-stamping children demanding candy and then throwing a fit because it wasn't the candy they wanted.

[Friday Fokker]

I enjoyed stopping at Wendy's, getting a couple burgers and a Frostee, then going down to the nature walk. I sat in the shade at a picnic table overlooking the river, ate, and enjoyed the hell out of it. I don't understand the bitchin'?

[Mr Eastside]

The Bitch'in comes from THE FACT that $822,657 dollars was earmarked for the restoration,and betterment of the Smalleys lake area,well our Wonderfull Mayor took that money and transfered it to the General fund and it was used for other things than The John conner nature Presurve.The mulch that was used is the same mulch Councilman Creech told everyone one tv3 that it was infested with termites.wow how long before the trees are all eaten away at smalleys.smart move guys.Besides,according to His dis-honor all our local city workers are now Experts at paving,just look at all the park's work that was done.by powells paving that the mayor lied about.

[reviver]

while there has been improvement, there is still much to be completed. Paths are filled with broken glass and a great deal of trash. Beaches are littered with excessive trash as well. Perhaps it will improve.

[Randy Johnson]

Mr Eastside wrote:

.The mulch that was used is the same mulch Councilman Creech told everyone one tv3 that it was infested with termites.wow how long before the trees are all eaten away at smalleys.smart move guys.

Looks like it’s time for a little lesson in natural history.

A termite colony, like an ant colony, requires two things to survive.
1. A queen
2. An established system of tunnels. These are built over a period of time as the colony grows. A new colony is started ONLY when the insects swarm and new queens to be leave the colony of their origin.

The odds are pretty good that even if termite infested mulch was used, the area around Smalley’s Lake already had/has hundreds of active termite colonies. Any that were brought in in mulch were probably dead in a week or two. The LIVING trees would not be in any danger if the termite population was expanded a thousand fold because termites, at least the species native to this area, eat only dead wood. The niche termites fill in the natural world is to help speed the process of decay. They cause problems only when they think your house is a fallen tree.

[Harold]

Very informative Randy, I didnt even know termites ate wood.

[pathfinder]

No matter, someone needs to find out why the money wasn't spent the way it was intended. I know several people in wheel chairs who would like to go somewhere like that, but can't. The money went back to the general fund instead of for its intended use. It's another example of how Urban uses manipulation and lies as SOP.

[Mr Eastside]

Thanks for the anthropology lesson Randy,but the fact remains that alot of Money that was put aside for the Smalleys project was and will continue to be used for other reasons.My mother was in a wheelchair the last 5 years of her life and my view on people's rights with handicapp's changed from that day forward,don't you think a shut in deserves a chance to get out and see nature?,I agree we have much larger problems to deal with than trails,but it's the root problem with Urbans system that is at question here,just doing whatever he wants to with other people's money,that has got to change.

[Connersvillian]

I get a little sick an' tired of you azzholes using the ADA to keep a bytch goin'! Maybe ya'll can get Weber to start up a four-wheel drive wheelchair ordinance or sumpthin'! Any "shut-in" with enough drive, will get out whether it's 'handicapped accessible' or not.

Next, ya'll want all the lower tree limbs cut off for the tall people.

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeesh!!!!!!!!11

[pathfinder]

oh, crap! You are as mean spirited as anyone could be. I hope you never have to be in a position to stay in a wheel chair, but you should rent one and try it for a day.

Do it with Leonard on your lap. Sounds like he may have been there before.

[Connersvillian]

I'm not "mean spirited", pathfinder. I'm jez sayin' there are too many people 'using' the ADA law to pester people over nothing. This is jez another example of jerks tryin' to blame Urban for anything and everything. If I was in a wheelchair an' I wanted to go out into the woods, I'd find a way.

An' jez how 'mean spirited' can ya get as to accuse someone of lettin' Urban sit on your lap?

Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh!!!!

[Randy Johnson]

Mr Eastside wrote:

Thanks for the anthropology lesson Randy,but the fact remains that alot of Money that was put aside for the Smalleys project was and will continue to be used for other reasons.My mother was in a wheelchair the last 5 years of her life and my view on people's rights with handicapp's changed from that day forward,don't you think a shut in deserves a chance to get out and see nature?,I agree we have much larger problems to deal with than trails,but it's the root problem with Urbans system that is at question here,just doing whatever he wants to with other people's money,that has got to change.

If I had written something about the social structure of native Americans or some African tribe instead of termites, it would have been anthropology. Since it WAS about termites, the subject was entomology.

As someone else has already pointed out, if the paths under discussion had been paved there would be people on here bitching about all the money being spent for doing so.

My personal feeling is that a nature trail should be kept natural. I would not have even put down any mulch.

I’m sorry if your mother was in a wheelchair. I may be in one myself someday. If or when that day happens, my days of throwing a pack on and going for a walk will be over. I’ll miss it just like the irreplaceable things that were stolen from me. I will not believe that the rights of other nature lovers who are able bodied should be compromised so I may attempt to ignore the ravages of the passing of time.