Can Nassau manage the Aquatic Center?

As a parent of competitive swimmers, I read with interest your two recent articles about the Nassau Aquatic Center ["Public land, private pool," News, May 31; and "Pool is worth the investment," Editorial, May 31]. My children have participated in many, many meets at the center.

While the facility appears to be world class, the truth is far different. For at least seven years, the roof has leaked in many places. When it rains, or the day after, there are dozens of buckets set around the gallery and on the deck. And one of the large windows has been missing a pane for at least three years, with only a poorly secured tarp keeping the elements at bay.

The center may have made a profit in the last two years, but one certainly must discount the profit, since basic habitability maintenance has been woefully absent.

Even using the editorial's best-case math, it is hard to justify the outlay for the center. For the first time ever, the center made a profit in the last two years, including $400,000 last year. Given the county's assumption that it will recoup money in its lawsuits against the state dormitory and other authorities, it will still have to pay about half of the estimated $25-million cost of the center's renovation.

In a county teetering close to bankruptcy, with an independent authority overseeing its finances, this is not a good investment. However, in my view, it is far better than the grant of public parkland to the private operator David Ferris of Long Island Swimming.

Under Ferris' management, the aquatic center, even when new, lost a startling $2 million per year. He resigned, and admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement of the investigation of his tenure. But in no way should his participation in an extraordinarily losing proposition for the county be rewarded. Also, the diagram contained within the article underestimates how much land Long Island Swimming would need to install an Olympic-length pool.

While I applaud Newsday's skepticism about the county's deal with Long Island Swimming, I think the newspaper needs to be more skeptical of the costs and benefits of renovating a facility that the county has already been guilty of woefully mismanaging.

Paul G. Landaw, Floral Park
 

This is the bottom line: Nassau County is giving, yes giving, public land for a private company to build an Olympic-sized pool behind the Aquatic Center in Eisenhower Park. This private pool will be in direct competition with the center. The operator is a former director of the aquatic center who resigned during a county investigation into his financial dealings and possible conflicts of interest.

What is wrong with our county officials? Democrat or Republican, they can't wait to give away our county park system to private interests. They lay off or entice the qualified and knowledgeable park employees to retire, do not hire replacements, the county facilities go to hell, and then the county looks to dispose of our parks and amenities.

Does the aquatic center need to be overhauled? Absolutely. This is largely because the county did not monitor the original construction and a lot of shoddy work was done. The county has not properly maintained the center. If a substitute pool is required during the eight-month renovation, the county should rent an Olympic-sized pool for that time, use existing employees and collect the revenue instead of sharing with a private operator.

Bruce Piel, Wantagh

Editor's note: The writer is the chairman of the Park Advocacy & Recreation Council of Nassau, a coalition of park advocacy and user groups.