June 11,2007
Letter to the Editor:
In reply to the letter of June 4, 2007 from Peter Anastos about the Save the Victoria Pool Society. We have always been "selfish" on behalf of the citizens of Saratoga Springs and the Capital District having a beautiful place to swim financed by our tax-dollars from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Our "selfish" concern is also that future generations will be able to enjoy Saratoga Spa State Park, the Victoria and Peerless Pools, SPAC, the New York City Ballet and all the other buildings and trees and trails as we have our whole lives.
We quietly watched all of Saratoga State Park and its magnificent historic architecture and natural surroundings and springs deteriorate for many years while the state ignored our pleas for help. Save the Victoria Pool Society has never accepted one cent of private or public money but financed everything we have done out of our own very working class pockets. Save the Victoria Pool Society wishes there were more "spoiled" citizens willing to give up thousands of hours of their own time to fight the powers-that-be on behalf of restoring beauty and history to its rightful place.
Louise J. Goldstein and Andrew M. Jennings , Co-Founders
Save the Victoria Pool Society
www.save-the-victoria-pool-society.blogspot.com
vicpool@aol.com
See what's free at AOL.com.
12 comments:
Sorry we can't publish the comment below without a note that Victoria Pool was only heated for 2 yrs. in the 1930's shortly after it opened. Most of the many decades the pool opened Memorial Day it was UNHEATED!! The comment below in quotes is not factual but we are including it in the interest of fair play.
"Aconcernedtaxpayer has left a new comment on your post "Saratogian, June 11,2007, Letter to the Editor":
"Why don't you do some fund raising to pay for the Victoria pool instead of doing nothing but complaining and making rediculous demands? Why would you want the pool to open on Memorial Day anyway? The water would be ice cold! When it opened years and years ago on Memorial Day it was heated. You never mention that though, do you? Or maybe you didn't know that it was a heated pool a long, long time ago. This is the Northeast! There is often snow still in woods in May! Get real!"
Our note: In the early 2000's the pool was FALLING APART! No wonder noone went. Since the renovations attendance has skyrocketed. Once again the comment below is misleading. Whoever writes these comments does not have the guts to use their name and stand behind what they say. Below in quotes is the comment by Anonymous.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Saratogian, June 11,2007, Letter to the Editor":
"There is a very logical reason why the vic pool doesn't open until June. Park official have told us that the pool was opened for 4 years in a row in the early 2000's and attendance was terrible. They are going to do the most economical, sensible thing and that is open the pool when attendance will warrent it. The authorities are responsible people and aren't going to waste the tax payer's money. Regardless of what your society wants, the past attendance figures are what parks people look at."
People not attending the pool because it was "falling apart" is your opinion it is not a fact. For whatever reason, the attendance was low between 2000 and 2003. OPRHP officials can only go by what the paperwork says and not rely on the opinions of patrons. The first comment has a point, the water would be very cold. Since May 26th, there have probably been ten days of suitable swimming weather so it would have been a waste to open early. Your two bonus days are coming up though and I'm sure you'll make the most of them.
My comment was not misleading. I am aware of the figures for past Memorial Weekends as well as early June and the attendance figures were very poor. You just can't deal with the facts. NYS Parks is doing the smart and sensible thing opening later in June. Gracefoster is right.....the administration is basing their actions on actual figures, not opinion. They are being responsible and not acting on the pressure of a few disgruntled individuals. The pool will open one weekend early because the weather cooperated and allowed opening procedures to be completed on a timely basis. So you are lucky there...Enjoy! Oh, and it doesn't matter if I use my name or not, what I state about the attandance figures is true and can be verified with the park administrators.
Attendance figures are affected also by weather , conditions, attitude and many other factors. Those of us who pay every day watch people sneak into that pool left and right so attendance figures do not mean much.
another "anonymous" comment not acknowledging that we have three months of warm weather in this Northern clime. The weather by mid-august can turn dicey---guess they want the pool open for a week in July! The Victoria Pool has the highest admission charge in New York State Park system. Below the latest ANONYMOUS comment. By the way the taxpayers are outraged by the last three weekends of perfect weather with no pool to go to in Saratoga Springs.
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"Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Saratogian, June 11,2007, Letter to the Editor":
OF COURSE attendance figures are affected by weather. Upstate NY weather in May/June is unpredictable, sometimes chilly and rainy- which is why the pool is closed- odds are that the weather from Memorial Day to mid- June will vary, making pool operation difficult. Yes, some days are warm, but many are chilly and/or stormy. Since the pool must be filled for around 2 weeks before opening, the unpredictable weather causes problems for pool planning. Low attendance figures make it hard to justify opening the pool (with all the necessary employees), since paying all the employees would probably cost MORE taxpayer money than the pool actually earned.
Publish this comment. "
As we have said before we will not publish abusive language or inaccurate information.
NOTE to Anonymous: anyone can set up a blog for free and post all the anonymous things you want if you all continue to not have the guts to use your real names. Below is "anonymous" latest comment in quotes:-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"-Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Saratogian, June 11,2007, Letter to the Editor":
People are posting under "anonymous" because they don't have a "blog" with blogger and don't want to create one. You have NO reason to scorn the anonymous postings for not using real names, other than feeling threatened by the very "discussion" you claim to encourage. Not having a blog doesn't make someone's thoughts or information any less valid. "
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We strongly suspect what agenda the writers of these comments have and it is not the best interest of the citizens of Saratoga Springs and the Capital District. It boggles our mind how they are so much against a pool and a park that the public wants so much to enjoy. Why?------------------------------
-------------Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Saratogian, June 11,2007, Letter to the Editor":
People are posting under "anonymous" because they don't have a "blog" with blogger and don't want to create one. You have NO reason to scorn the anonymous postings for not using real names, other than feeling threatened by the very "discussion" you claim to encourage. Not having a blog doesn't make someone's thoughts or information any less valid.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Saratogian, June 11,2007, Letter to the Editor":
My point was that NOT setting up a useless blog doesn't make ANYONE's comments filed under "anonymous" any less valid. I am fully aware of the ease of setting up a blog; I, for one, just do not see the need to do so. Hence, it's not really an issue of "guts" but rather not wanting to set up this blog. I think you should have the "guts" to post ALL comments you receive.
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Saratogian, June 11,2007, Letter to the Editor":
Okay, the blog site is free. Talk is free. No actual "roll up your sleeves work" was done. So, what do you mean when you say "everything we have done out of our own very working class pockets?
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Saratogian, June 11,2007, Letter to the Editor":
I wonder what you have done during your "thousands" of hours working against the "powers that be" OTHER than breaking into the closed pool area to take photographs for this blog and criticizing park employees without offering any real fundraising ideas or alternative means of funding the earlier opening of the pool.
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Sorry, Interesting, but not surprising, that the author of these scurilous comments does not have the courage to leave his name and email address in his comments! ...We can't possible keep up with answering all the comments.
Oh, but you do respond. You just don't repond to the actual question or comment. You dance around the issue.
We don't have a clue what anonymous above is talking about.
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