LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
On 9/8 Wood River passed a resolution “not” to demolish the Roundhouse “as long as said building is structurally sound and provides a vital use to the overall community.”
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On 9/9 a local publication reported this as “a guarantee” which was necessary due to a nearly year-long rumor that it would be demolished. Does this look like “a guarantee” to anyone? Mayor Maguire didn’t correct this report. This resolution reminds me of her statements in 2017 when running for office. She wanted to keep the Aquatic Center, then voted to demolish it a year later. She’s running for re-election in 2021. On 9/11 multiple publications ran her correction of a 9/10 report about a grant application to convert the Roundhouse into a pavilion. In it she claimed the resolution “was necessary due to misinformation and confusion created by a grassroots effort to ‘save the Roundhouse’.” This statement is 100% false!
No one from the “Stop ‘Rec”less Spending/Save the Roundhouse” campaign spread any misinformation. On 12/10/19 the city held a “Work Session” with the mayor, the four councilmembers, the city manager and clerk, all department heads and the architect who prepared plans for the proposed rec center. No member of the general public attended this meeting. These plans, a grant application and use of the 1% Sales Tax were discussed. Plans to demolish the Roundhouse were presented by the architect.
The parks and rec director stated this was the only plan to build the proposed rec center. Following this meeting city officials and city employees started rumors about the demolition of the Roundhouse to build the rec center, not us! At the 12/16/19 City Council meeting I asked Mayor Maguire if rumors were true about the Roundhouse demolition. Three times she refused to give a direct answer and was evasive of my question.
Immediately following my questioning, with the mayor voting “yes” in a 3-1 vote, the city council approved the plans presented on 12/10/19 and authorized a $2,500,000 grant application for the proposed rec center. On 1/21/20 the $2,500,000 grant application was submitted. The mayor certified under civil and criminal penalty all statements were true and correct to the best of her knowledge. The application contained the minutes and plans from the 12/10/19 meeting to replace the Roundhouse with a splashpad, pictures with notations of Roundhouse removal, and a narrative regarding the Roundhouse demolition with additional grant/donation funds and that all work would be completed simultaneously with construction of the proposed rec center. During the 9/8 council meeting vote on the resolution, Councilman Stalcup asked to table the resolution noting the referendum vote on 11/3 and numerous statements to demolish the Roundhouse in the grant application.
The mayor replied information about the Roundhouse was added to the grant application because the State encouraged that the application be “enhanced”. Mayor Maguire wants everyone to believe the grant application statements, which she certified, weren’t true and blames us for exposing her patently false and misleading public statements. This behavior is totally unacceptable!
Bill Dettmers Wood River “Stop ‘Rec”less Spending/Save the Roundhouse” Campaign
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