[eric.hanke]

Park Dept. creates list of cost-saving measures

Laurie Wink
The News-Dispatch

MICHIGAN CITY - Jan Orlich, superintendent of the park department, and department directors are creating a list of cost-saving measures that will be presented at the Dec. 3 board meeting, Orlich told the Park Board on Thursday.

One cost-saving measure that has already paid off, Orlich said, was reducing the cost of lighting Lake Shore Drive along Washington Park from $450 per month to about $85 a month by installing new florescent lights.

The park board voted 3-0 to allow board attorney Jeff Katz to proceed with a lawsuit against Stuart Cohen, 1402 Lake Shore Drive, for encroaching on park land. Katz has been unable to reach a resolution with Cohen and will refer the case to attorney Carl Greci, with Baker & Daniels of South Bend, who has handled similar cases for the park board.

The park board voted in favor of a request from Shannon Eason, director of administrative services, to prepare a request for proposals to marketing firms to handle advertising for Patriot Park billboards in 2010.

The board will review the request for proposals at the Dec. 3 meeting

Didn't the Mayor appoint a citizen based committee to do the exact same thing a while back??? Has any of those cost cutting measures been implemented?

Where would Michigan City be without the Jan Orlich. At $4380 annual savings it will only take 200 years to recoup the funds spent on the splash pad that did not see one day of operation even though The City hired a park department director who "championed" opening a splash pad as part of her last job.

Additionally, why would the ND title an article Park Dept. creates list of cost-saving measures and only post one of the measures???

Here are mine:

1. Fire the Park Department director and find one who has a brain.
2. Demolish the splash pad. It's going to cost more money in the long run that it's worth.
3. Demolish the current park department office and purchase the vacant YMCA.
   1. Remodel the facility using the local labor pool.
   2. Open a community center at the YMCA
   3. Offer evening programs such as:
      1. Swimming
      2. Reading
      3. Basketball
      4. Gymnastics
      5. Child Care
      6. Hand ball, volleyball, etc..
      7. Weightlifting
4. Centralize ALL city offices in one location
   1. This would increase efficiency for vehicle maintenance, meetings, etc...

Additions to the list are welcome!!!

[Upper Penn]

buying the Y would be the best thing for this town. they wanted to spend some 3 million to build a new office/beach bath house by the lake. dump 3 mil into the Y and that place could be a palace. I cant even ride a city bus into the park. the library is as close as it gets. the Y is on a major bus route making is available to everyone.

another cost saving measure

stop spending capital improvement money on things that raise operating cost to the city and then cut operating funds to city departments. all the new stuff in town will be cared for first, (splash pad , blvd, that park) the cuts will be seem in the neighborhood parks and local streets. all which are in need of some kind of attention and will just further deteriorate into greater expenses down the road.

[Southsider2k12]

If I am remembering correctly, it was $6 million they wanted to spend on their new lake front palace.

[lovethiscity]

If I am remembering correctly, it was $6 million they wanted to spend on their new lake front palace.

The projected cost from the Park Dept master plan is $5,631,925. We have all seen the wonderful way the Park Dept. stays within their budgets. If they get to go through with the plan it should be completed for about $12,000,000

[Southsider2k12]

The projected cost from the Park Dept master plan is $5,631,925. We have all seen the wonderful way the Park Dept. stays within their budgets. If they get to go through with the plan it should be completed for about $12,000,000

And that won't include staffing or maintenance...

[RedDevilMC]

I agree with most things but let me defend Jan Orlich. She walked into the Splash Pad mess. She has the background to actually handle these types of projects. I believe she would have never developed the Splash Pad this way. If she was on board before the plans were approved and moving forward, she would have went in a different direction.