C ITY OF A LBANY

Council Member 10th Ward

C OMMON C OUNCIL
Leah Golby V I C E C H AI R
550 Myrtle Avenue P U B L I C S A FE T Y
Albany, New York 12208
MEMBER
T E L E P H ON E : 518-438-1244 HOUSING AND
F A X : 518 434-5081 COMMUNITY
LEAH . GOLBY @ GMAIL . COM D E V E L OP M E N T

PARKS, RECREATION
A N D FA M I L Y S E R V I C E S

MEMORANDUM

TO: Mayor Jennings

FROM: Leah Golby, Council Member
CC: Council President Carolyn McLaughlin, Common Council President Pro Tempore, Richard
Conti, Common Council Majority Leader, Dan Herring, Recreation Department Commissioner
John D’Antonio
DATE: December 16, 2010
RE: Budget Amendment D

I'm writing to request that you re-consider and withdraw your veto of Amendment D, which
restored funding to operate Bath 2 in the 2011 budget for the following reasons:

1. Keeping the pool open was the number one issue that citizens spoke about during
Council’s the budget process.
2. As you know, costs to operate the pool are a minuscule portion of the overall budget -
between .13 and .14 percent (notice the decimal point) of the budget.
3. 2011 tax bills will be the same whether or not Bath 2 is funded.

4. Looking through the 2011 Proposed Budget, we see that it is not Bath 2 that is
draining the city's coffers, nor is any Recreation Department facility or program.
Operating costs of the Bath is comparable to some of the other Recreation Department
programs, and if there was programming and an effort to market the Bath House, usage
would increase. The operating costs for Bleecker Stadium is a bit more than Bath 2, while
the popular free boxing program is a bit less. Teen Center costs (which includes the
award-winning karate program) come in at $711,426, and there is no cost for utilities on
the Teen Centers page in the budget, so I assume that part of the $22,000 utility charges
for the Recreation Department (p.97) are attributed to Teen Center utility usage. If the
$711,426 are split evenly between Arbor Hill Community Center, Hoffman Community
Center, and the youth fitness center at Lincoln Park Bathhouse, each teen center would
 average $237,000 -- greater than the cost of operating Bath 2 -- again, that does not
include any utility costs for the Teen Centers.

5. We should continue to offer diverse amenities throughout our city's neighborhoods.

Bath 2 is the last remaining indoor pool that is owned and operated by the city -- and the
only amenity in the immediate neighborhood. We should make every effort to preserve
it. We invite residents and visitors to enjoy our parks, festivals, golf course and skating
rink, and we should do the same with Bath 2.
6. The small size and shallow depth of Bath 2 is a unique asset - it makes swimming laps
achievable for new swimmers. Take me for example: As a kid, I took swimming lessons,
I learned how to swim every stroke, but I could never master breathing correctly. It
wasn't until I started swimming at the Bath House as an adult, that I finally got the
courage and taught myself to breathe correctly, and swim real laps.
7. Historic Albany Foundation did some research and provided a list of some potential
competitive funding sources to you and Council Members. This funding would assist us
greatly in making long-term improvements to the building.
8. If funding were secured to make operation of the bath house more efficient and
sustainable, operating costs would be reduced drastically.
9. Saving jobs should not be pitted against saving the Bath House. They are both
important. I appreciate your efforts to cut as few positions as possible as so many families
are facing tremendous financial difficulties. Examining the proposed budget shows that
the Bath 2 closure eliminates 5 positions: 4 part-time lifeguards at Arbor Hill Community
Center and one custodial position at the Bath; saving the bath house, should also preserve
most of these jobs.
10. During debate on Amendment D on November 29, I offered this sentiment to my
colleagues on the Council: passing this amendment was not the end of discussions on
the Bath, but really the beginning. I stated that if we could pass the amendment, it
would send a message to you that taxpayers want to keep this pool open. I said that
passing the amendment would create an opportunity to sit down with you, Commissioner
D'Antonio and Recreation staff, and concerned community members who pledged to
help, and put a viable plan in place to seek competitive funding to improve the facility,
build programming, and increase usage.
11. When the vote for Amendment D was taken on November 29, support was broad with
Council Members from the following wards voting in favor of giving the Bath House one
last shot: 1,4,6,7,8,9,10,11,12.
12. If Bath 2 is closed at the end of the year, and if a noble non-profit takes the plunge to try
save it, it will be so much harder for the pool to survive because the cost of operating the
pool will be a much greater percentage of any non-profit's budget than it is for the city --
a mere drop in the bucket.

On Wednesday, December 8, I called your office and requested a meeting to discuss the Bath
House. Sadly, I didn't hear back from you, and you issued your first-ever veto on Friday,
December 10 before we had the opportunity to sit down and discuss the above. It is my hope that
you will withdraw your veto of Amendment D so that we can work together to find funding to
transform Bath 2, from an under-used facility in desperate need of improvements, to a
sustainable community center that celebrates its history and supports the health of the
community.