Dear Mr. George Laase,
Robert Zirgulis, Mr. Z, is a pretty bright guy, and he has come up with some good ideas during his many campaigns.
Kathy Paspalis of the School Board is not the only one to claim jump his ideas.
Restoring the Natatorium was my idea. Mr. Z is just keeping hope alive.
Mr. Z just doesn’t know when to give up on the brain dead politicians of Culver City.
It has been a while, but Mr. Alan Elmont should have another conversation with him.
http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/new/articles1-13850/ElmontExplainsWhyHeHasResignedfromCBAC
http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/new/articles1-13862/HowElmontReachedtheEndofExasperatingRoad
Sorry for all of those knockout blows to your articles. A cumulative effect was not known back then.
Mr. Laase says: If there was wide support for the Natatorium, would it not already be back in use by now? Does he think his imagined support by community members had somehow been ignored by their elected officials again and again over the last 20 years? Obviously, he now has a small, hard-core minority who supports his efforts.
The Dem Club overwhelmingly endorsed the petition despite Ms. Paspalis’s strong objection as Board President at the time. The city can participate in joint use agreements with the School Board for use of the pool. The city already is doing this with The Plunge and at other school athletic fields.
http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/new/articles1-13104/DemClubSaysYesalltoZirgulisNatatoriumPetition
1996 Measure T
http://articles.latimes.com/1996-10-31/local/me-59773_1_school-bond-measure
Mr. Jerry Chabola, retired athletic director: Ultimately, there should be a Board decision made to deal with the Natatorium, as a swimming pool. We had that a number of years ago. The thing is they had the Natatorium ready to go… At the time, I thought the city should have cooperated with the District and helped renovated the Natatorium and not The Plunge.
http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/new/articles1-12675/ChabolaTakesaCautiousLookintotheFuture
The most closely watched answer of the night regarded the enigmatic Natatorium, the indoor swimming facility whose clouded future the School District has puzzled over since closing it down 16 years ago.
Mike Eskridge, former School Board member: I ran the first time for the School Board because the Natatorium closed. Now we have the money to open it, but the District keeps sitting on the decision. If it is sold well, the Natatorium could be an asset to the community.
Scott Zeidman, former School Board member: The Natatorium was great. We need to reopen it.
Steve Gourley, former School Board member: We have been through this before. We have described a likely scenario: The School District would approach the city for financial assistance.
Alan Elmont, community activist: Since it takes $275,000 to $350,000 annually to operate the Natatorium, reviving the pool hinges on whether that kind of funding is available.
Alan Corlin, former mayor: I still believe there is a need for an indoor pool in Culver City, that we can get “real” numbers, that our kids should be taught to swim in water, and that this discussion needs to be vetted and acted on in our lifetime.
http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/new/articles1-9306/LetallsRollontheNatatoriuminOurLifetime
Mayor of Culver City Mehaul O'Leary has been on a campaign of his own to get The Nat reopened. Provide the mystery document prohibiting the city from financially assisting the school district. That’s a start.
http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/new/articles1-10254/ThanksMayorOallLeary
Mayor O’Leary had no problem funding Irving Place with $6 million with no real benefit to Culver citizens.
http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/new/articles1-7994/NoNeedtoLookFurtherIWillHelpYouOutofthe4043Mess
The Redevelopment Agency contemplated making an unsecured $5 million loan to the wealthy owners of Brotman Hospital? http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/new/articles1-3551/A5MillionGasp
Mr. Alan Corlin and Mr. Gary Silbiger together halted the Brotman loan.
Coach Nestor: In 1997 the School District got $3 million to fix the pool. I have the paperwork from six years ago that Bill LaPointe, the city’s former Parks and Recreation director, gave me, showing a grant from the state to fix the pool. They had a design to make one single pool tank from the two existing tanks.
The School Board voted to not fix the pool because they didn't have the money for maintenance. Just like everything else in the District.
http://www.thefrontpageonline.com/new/articles1-13139/NatatoriumWhyItClosedWhyItShouldBeReopened
Mr. Abrams may be contacted at gabrams@ca.rr.com
