Flying By The Seat of Their Lack of Plans

If you read The Times Herald for the recent work session, I'm assuming you would have the same impression that I did on the turf project: it's in motion and currently in the works. Which would be fine, if that were true.

When the turf project came in on the agenda, it was as if you stuck a bunch of Eagles fans in a room and had them argue about Donovan McNabb. Nobody, and I mean nobody, sitting at that table, that night, knew anything that was going on with the supposed turf project. Was it being lumped in with the lights? What is the estimated cost? What's the next step moving forward? What the hell are we doing?

That says one thing--well, two. One, the board was promoting, working, and talking about a project that they had no freakin' clue about. Which ties into point two: this was The Mighty Quinn's brainchild.

It was a couple of years ago, if I recall, when Quinn mentioned at a board meeting that he had a friend in architecture who could hook our district up with a shiny turf field. Then, there was that meeting where the "majority of the public" was there to rally about having a turf field put in. That was almost two years ago.

And since then, the project was mentioned, talked about at length in the politics of the district, I did a post, everyone has had an opinion on it, and when Quinn outed himself as the districts' President/CEO/District Renovator after getting caught doing something he wasn't supposed to, it seems that the project has been dying.

(I smiled as I typed that line.)

Now we have a Superintendent who is doing a re-up after "retiring" and has no intention of forcing a turf field down everyone's throat, and even Dr. Miller sat there Tuesday saying that the board has "gaping holes" in their turf plans. Considering Joyce dropped the line "the Board is on Plan B or C, and the project is on Plan K".

And if the current heavyweight match against Worcester is showing me another thing, it's that we're gonna have a match for years before lights are even able to be installed over the football field. Lights! If we have to stop short of unleashing the ten plagues on Worcester just to be able to have a Friday Night game, you think we can convince Worcester to let MSD put in fake grass?

Now is a good time to start anew: the company brought in to do the turf field allegedly had connections to Quinn, somehow. I don't know about you, but if Jesus Christ had connections to Quinn, I would think twice before following his directive. If the whole Quinn/Barrie situation showed one thing, it's that Quinn either doesn't plan, or just outright sucks at it.

(Which is great, because if you don't recall, Quinn had the district spray herbicide on the field, which is supposed to kill weeds, and there was a 4 foot hole dug over by the goalpost closest to the road. It seems to me that Quinn, in his infinite wisdom, started the wheels in motion on the project, which was to prep the field for, what I presume, is the stormwater management system put in place for the turf field. So he bought new rims for a car he doesn't even have yet, hm?)

At this stage of the planning process, there should be permits on what MSD wants to do, and maybe a bulldozer and a photo op on the district website about the field project, but right now we have confusion, arguing, and absolutely no clear path forward or backward out of this project.

Coming up on the July meeting, the board is slated to do a presentation on the turf project, on where we actually are and where we might be going. The Board combines Work Sessions and Regular meetings in July and August, because not having a Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, Director of Curriculum, or a teachers' contract allows you to take meetings off. So, if you are curious on the turf project, check here for the updated meeting time and place, or visit Methacton's website, where the date should be posted.

On another note: It was mentioned by Dr. Miller that Mr. Mascaro, who owns J.P. Mascaro trash company, wants to spend $100,000 on improving the baseball field for Methacton High School. The only stipulation is (well, besides the district acquiring the permits for the project, which should be no big deal) that the field will be named after a Methacton Graduate (and baseball player) who fought in Vietnam and was killed. If I was sitting on that board, I would have gotten the permits Mr. Mascaro needed the next day, and let him have at it. This is a grand gesture from Mr. Mascaro, and I hope to see the field put in soon, not held back by some cantankerous governmental body.