BOE member unhappy with rec plan talks
By Jeff Gallatin
North Olmsted
Published May 14, 2008

John Lasko

School board member and Chairman of the North Olmsted Planning and Design Commission John Lasko said he’s “disappointed” the city administration didn’t communicate more with the district before revealing its proposed recreation master plan — a charge that Mayor Thomas O’Grady has labeled “ridiculous.”

Lasko, who also serves as the school board’s representative to the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, said the two major governmental bodies in the city need to be working together on the plan, particularly on how the proposed new $18 million recreation center will be handled.

“Both before and since being elected as a member of the North Olmsted Board of Education, including while now serving as the board’s representative to the city’s Parks and Recreation Commission, I have strongly advocated for greater co-ordination and cooperation between the city and school district,” Lasko said last Friday. “A prime example of the synergy that type of joint effort creates can be found right next door in Fairview Park with its Gemini Project. The first partnership that should have been discussed and explored could have been between the city and school district. I am genuinely disappointed that didn’t happen.”

O’Grady said Lasko was one of many school officials who have been included in the process.

“It’s ridiculous for Mr. Lasko to say that we didn’t include them in the process,” said O’Grady. “We held a meeting with Superintendent Cheryl Dubsky and other school officials, including Mr. Lasko, and went over the proposal with them well before he made his statements. While we were at the meeting, Mr. Lasko sat there and didn’t say a word about it.

We have tried to include them in the process throughout and he certainly could have said something throughout the work done on this prior to the formal presentation or even at the public meetings on the issue,” O’Grady said. “Mr. Lasko is very inaccurate in his portrayal of this.”

This isn’t the first time Lasko has questioned an administration proposal. He also questioned allowing alcohol to be served at the Labor Day parade last year. No problems were reported at that event from the serving of alcohol.

Referring to the recreation plan, Lasko said he didn’t think speaking while listening to the administration’s proposal would have been productive.

“As far as I’m concerned, the die had already been cast on this proposal,” Lasko said. “The administration had made up its mind for what was going into this. It wants the YMCA to run the facility as the primary partner, along with the (Cleveland) Clinic and Fairview Hospital. I think the administration wants it to go that way.”

O’Grady reiterated that no final deal has been set by the city.

“We are still in negotiations with the YMCA and Clinic,” O’Grady said. “This has not been set in stone. We are still talking and working with a lot of people. And ultimately, this will be decided by residents of the city when we put the issue on the ballot.”

Lasko said the school district and the students and families it serves along with the rest of the city, have a huge stake in what is done.

“The school disrict potentially could lose both the swimming and diving program and the ice hockey program — two of the largest winter sports programs that are currently available to our children and their families,” he said.

“Because the school district is not involved in or privy to the city’s discussions with the YMCA, there is the potential that the YMCA will not accommodate the district’s swimming and diving program because it may conflict with the YMCA’s own programs. Clearly the YMCA does not manage ice rinks and the proposed recreation center. Whether or not those programs could be retained and relocated to other facilities in the area is unknown.”

Lasko said there are other questions still unresolved such as before a tax increase is requested, have all other potential avenues of funding been fully investigated and explored? He cited as one example Cuyahoga Falls using a revenue bond repaid with user fees to open its $26.7 million community recreation and wellness center.

“Those user fees appear to be compatible and competitive with those charged by other private and public facilities,” he said.

Lasko said perhaps such a funding mechanism would work in North Olmsted, while adding that there is concern in the community about using public money to build a private facility, since the YMCA would run it under the current proposal.

“Will the folks who live in and/or work in North Olmsted, and therefore will be paying the proposed income tax increase get what they are paying for,” he said.

Lasko also expressed concerns about city residents, including those who don’t join the YMCA, subsidizing use of the new facility by non-residents, such as YMCA workers.

O’Grady said the YMCA and city’s negotiations certainly take into account city residents and their role in putting up the proposed new facility. He and other administration officials have said there will be some kind of municipal discount for city residents.

“We are aware of the concerns, and we are having this put together with city residents in mind, both in programming for the facility and the actual costs,” he said.