Rockwell Park's renovation continues to move ahead

Above, the lagoon and bathhouse as they are today.

Historic view of Rockwell Park.

By the time school ends next June, most of the Rockwell Park renovation will be done, officials said Wednesday.
The city’s Park Board unanimously backed the hiring of the Schulz Corp. for $2.3 million to carry on the second phase of the park’s overhaul. It got $1.6 million for doing the initial part of the massive project.
By next summer, Park Director Ed Swicklas said, the city should be ready to embark on the last part of the $6.5 million reconstruction of the historic West End park, including restoring a section of the long-drained lagoon.
The City Council is likely to give its blessing to the contractor at a special meeting next week, which would allow the company to plow right into the next round of work.
Among the items included in the second phase are a new playground, a volleyball court, lights for one of the existing ball fields, landscaping of the skatepark and a host of other improvements aimed at making the park safer and busier.
Swicklas said the timing is working out perfectly.
Because the new contract will be in place as the contractor is finishing up the first phase, he said, Schulz can continue to work seamlessly, making it possible to get a substantial amount of the project done before winter.
During the cold months, Swicklas said, the contractor can do some work inside, then finish everything up in the spring.
The skatepark’s construction, which is being done by a California company, is expected to begin at month’s end and take less than 90 days.
At the moment, the new parking lots are largely finished, new sidewalks are taking shape and a new entrance to the park is rising to the east of the old Spanish-American War statue on Park Street.
Swicklas said that a substantial amount of topsoil has been made ready for plantings, too.
He said the first phase of the work “should be substantially complete” by the second week of August.
The renovation of Rockwell Park reached the city’s agenda during the brief administration of former Mayor Gerard Couture, who pushed a far-reaching plan to pump life into most of the city’s parks.
Though plans for Page Park fell by the wayside, the commitment of the city to the Rockwell Park project has never faltered, not even when $4 million in anticipated state aid never materialized.
City officials said the park needed the work anyhow and if the state wouldn’t contribute, it would still get done. But officials are also still lobbying for the cash from Hartford.
Rockwell Park, which is on the National Historic Register, was created almost a century ago to provide a place for working people to get out and enjoy nature in a rustic setting. For decades, it was one of the most thriving spots in town.
But during the past twenty years, it has become increasingly forgotten and neglected. Its much-loved lagoon was drained a decade ago after swimmers came down with a mysterious rash and health officials recommended the end to swimming there.

Here's an earlier blog entry with more details about the project.

Here's a brief history of Rockwell Park by Gail Leach.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Security cameras aim to curb park vandalism

By mid-summer, the first park cameras should be snapping pictures at downtown’s Brackett Park.
Its aim is to deter vandals from damaging city property or at least catch them in the act so that police officers have a better shot at tracking down the culprits.
The $26,000 security cameras, which are slated for installation at other city parks later, are one way that officials are trying to stem a growing wave of vandalism that is costing taxpayers thousands of dollars annually.
In recent days alone, vandals have painted on the pump house and broken lights at Rockwell Park and kicked out spokes on the footbridge on Memorial Boulevard, officials said.
“We’re trying to keep up with all that,” said Park Director Ed Swicklas. “It’s an endless battle.”
The cameras are a new high-tech way to boost the odds for officials trying to win the fight.
Swicklas said they’ll be mounted on a tall pole with a direct line of sight back to City Hall so that a web-based system can capture the images regularly.
“This is, I guess, one of the state-of-the-art ones,” Swicklas said.
Officials are planning more cameras to combat vandalism at Rockwell Park and on the boulevard, with other parks likely to follow in years to come if the method proves helpful.
City Councilor Mike Rimcoski said that vandalism is “a growing problem” across town and that steps have to be taken.
He said that he would like to explore ways to make it possible to pay out rewards for tipsters who turn in vandals without exposing the snitches to exposure through Freedom of Information requests.
Rimcoski said that when the new $500,000 skatepark opens this fall, the city might want to consider closing it for “a week or 10 days” every time someone vandalizes it.
That would give the skateboarders a strong incentive to protect the city’s investment, the councilor said.
Swicklas has said he believes that skateboarders will do a good job keeping an eye on the course because they already have more to lose than anyone if something is damaged there.


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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

$500K skatepark to be done by October

Though it’s been seven years in the making, the city’s new skatepark may prove worth the wait.
“By the fall, it should be done,” said Tom Ragaini, a park commissioner.
The $500,000 project slated for completion at Rockwell Park by mid-October will offer skateboarders one of the best municipal projects in New England.
Park Director Ed Swicklas said it will be “top notch” and should prove a hit with skateboarders who have long congregated downtown to practice their moves illegally on the steps of the Barnes Group, City Hall and other buildings.
City officials are prepared next month to hire California Skateparks, an industry leader, to construct the 16,000-square-foot concrete skatepark on the site of the former basketball court at the historic park.
Director Ed Swicklas said the company was the only qualified bidder on the job.
The Park Board approved the deal this week, but the City Council needs to give its blessing before Mayor Art Ward can sign the contract.
The skatepark is part of a $6.5 million renovation of the West End park aimed at pumping life back into the park after years of growing neglect. The first phase of the project, which includes new parking lots, is underway.
Bids for the second phase are due next month, Swicklas said, which will include creating a new playground, fixing walkways and more.
A final phase will be aimed at fixing up the lagoon, which has languished since it was closed for swimming a decade ago.
Plans call for a mostly street level plaza with a single bowl, along with rails, steps, benches, ramps and other features that skateboarders will enjoy, officials said.
Swicklas said the original plan was changed with the help of the company to pare expenses without reducing the park much. Natural berms will be used where retaining walls were once contemplated, he said, and what may have been an excessive number of benches has been cut.
The original bid was almost $800,000 -- a budget buster -- but the revisions pared expense without losing much, Swicklas said.
The biggest dollar change made to lower the tab was shifting from the red concrete initially eyed to a more commonplace color, officials said.
Ragaini said that California Skateparks will do a bang-up job because they want more East Coast business.
“To them, this is a chance to show people what they can do,” Ragaini said.
California Skateparks has more than a decade of experience building more than 130 skateparks across the country, according to its website. The closest parks it has done are in Maine and New Jersey.
Building a skatepark has been on the city’s agenda since 2001 when city leaders promised to put one somewhere after ESPN’s X Trials at Lake Compounce drew attention to the sport.
But the plan ran into a major hurdle when officials could not find a place to build it that didn’t meet with opposition. A plan to put it at Page Park fell through when neighbors rallied to block it. There has been relatively little opposition to putting it at Rockwell Park.

California Skateparks

Skaters for Public Skateparks (discussion about Bristol skatepark)

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

The price of fish makes fishing derby pricey

Fish are getting downright pricey.
As city officials plan for the annual fishing derby at Page Park, they’re trying to figure out how to cope with the soaring cost of stocking the pond.
Park Director Ed Swicklas said the city paid $1,700 for the fish in 2001, but costs have escalated so much that getting the same number of fish today will cost about $2,900.
With labor and other expenses on the rise, he said, holding the derby will cost nearly $4,000.
The Pequabuck River Watershed Association, which stocks the river with brown, rainbow and golden trout every fall, recently complained that fish prices have tripled in the past dozen years.
Swicklas said the city is looking for contributors who might help defray the cost of the event.
He said the Bristol Fish and Game Association has donated $500 toward the event’s tab for many years, but the money doesn’t go as far as it once did.
The 57th Annual Perry J. Spinelli fishing derby for youngsters 13 years of age and under is slated for Saturday, April 26 at the Page Park lagoon, which was recently dredged. It is held from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Prizes are awarded in many different categories, ranging from smallest fish to largest fish.

Here's a notice from the city about the upcoming fishing derby:

57th ANNUAL PERRY J. SPINELLI FISHING DERBY

The 57th Annual Perry J. Spinelli fishing derby for youngsters 13 years of age and under will be held on Saturday, April 26, 2008 at the Page Park Lagoon from 7:00 to 10:00 a.m. This very popular event for youngsters from the Bristol/Forestville area is being co-sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department and the Bristol Fish and Game Association. Many local fishing experts are expected to be on hand to give suggestions and tips on how to catch the big one. Prizes will be awarded in many different categories ranging from smallest fish to largest fish. The rules for the fishing derby are as follows:

1. No fishing at Page Park Lagoon until 7:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 26th. All participants must obtain a Fishing Derby Permit on Saturday, the 26th at the control station on the deck of the Page Park Pavilion. Permits will be issued from 6:30 a.m. on.
2. Participants must be residents of Bristol/Forestville 13 years of age
or younger.
3. Each youngster may use only one pole, one hook, one bobber, and
any legal bait. (Live bait may be used.)
4. Artificial Lures are not allowed during the derby.
5. Gang hooks are strictly forbidden.
6. Parents may assist in casting only. Youngsters must land their own fish.
7. Catch limit is 3 during the derby, and daily after that.
8. No pets are allowed near the pond.
9. All fishing must be done from the shore. No one will be allowed to enter the water at any time.
10. Prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of the derby. Winners will be announced at 10:15 a.m.
11. The decision of the Judges will be final.

Each participant must obtain a fishing derby permit. Permits will be issued beginning at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 26th at the control station on the deck of the Page Park Pavilion. Permits must be worn at all times while fishing at Page Park.

After the derby, youngsters aged 15 and under may fish at the Page Park Lagoon daily. For further information please call the Bristol Parks and Recreation Department weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at 584-6160.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Bristol aims for home run in Indianapolis

A delegation of city and American Legion officials are heading to Indianapolis in May to make a pitch for the organization to hold its annual baseball World Series at Muzzy Field.
“Needless to say, it would be great for the community,” said Mayor Art Ward, who’s one of the five people taking the trip.
If the delegation can pull it off, the Legion’s World Series would likely be “the largest sporting event ever to take place in the city,” said Paul LaFleur, general manager the American Legion Post 2 baseball team.
Ward said there are nine municipalities competing for the right to host the 2010 World Series, which might be the last one that Bristol could hope to snag. After that year, he said, the American Legion plans to hold the baseball tournament at the same time – and same city – as its national convention.
“It’s a once in a lifetime thing,” city Park Director Ed Swicklas, who is also heading to Indianapolis.
The American Legion is paying the tab for the five men – Ward, Swicklas, LaFleur and American Legion representatives Fran Mullins and Jay Meisinger – to address the selection committee on May 4.
Ward said that Bristol has several compelling arguments for the panel to agree to have the American Legion World Series at Muzzy Field, including the historical ballpark, the long tradition of American Legion baseball in town and the presence of sports giant ESPN in Bristol.
LaFleur said that Bristol has a proven track record of organizational support, “one of the best ballparks” anywhere and demonstrated community backing. It also has ESPN behind it.
The sports giant has given the effort its solid support, LaFleur said. “It’s not a hope. It’s not a promise. It’s documented.”
Ward, a Vietnam veteran who has long been active in the Legion, said he and Swicklas are going because the local chapter “believes it’s crucial for their presentation for the selection committee to know the city’s commitment.”
Bristol is already slated to hold this year’s five-day Northeast regional tournament for American Legion Baseball beginning August 14.
Organizers estimate that the regional tournament will bring 10,000 fans to Bristol and sink about $250,000 in extra revenue into Bristol’s retail economy.
But LaFleur said the World Series is “tenfold” bigger than the regional tournament.
He said he’s been to 14 of the Legion’s World Series over the years and has seen firsthand how popular and professionally run they are.
“This is the likes of which Bristol has never seen,” LaFleur said.
Ward said that in addition to the extra spending, holding the national World Series would be a phenomenal asset” to the community.
He said it help improve the image of Bristol while showcasing Rockwell Park and Muzzy Field – as well as honoring “the members of the baseball committee throughout the years that made the [Bristol] Legion program such that it would be considered.”
In its document for cities interested in hosting the tournament, the American Legion says it is looking for “experienced tournament committees with strong community support, as well as excellent ballparks.”The American Legion World Series brings eight teams together from around the country to compete for the national title.American Legion Baseball has been around since 1925 and claims that millions of young men , ages 15 to 19, have played on its teams over the years.The last time the tournament was held in New England was in 1999, when Middletown hosted the World Series.According to the American Legion Baseball website, Bristol’s American Legion teams have won two regional championships, in 1984 and 1997, and 13 Connecticut championships, most recently in 2006.
Muzzy Field was built in 1912, making it one of the nation’s oldest ballparks. American Legion teams from Bristol have apparently played there for the past 80 years.
Bristol “is an excellent baseball community,” LaFleur said, and its team and organization are legendary in Connecticut Legion history.
Its proponents, including LaFleur and Mullins, are well-known in Legion baseball circles after decades of activity. If the World Series comes to Bristol in 2010, it would mark a highlight for Mullins, who would be putting in his 60th year with American Legion Baseball.
Those personal ties may help, officials said, and they at least got Bristol an inside tip: try to get ESPN on board. Major corporate backing is helpful, the national director told Bristol leaders during a trip to town this winter.
That done, LaFleur said, “We feel absolutely and totally qualified.”

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Zoppo accused of "made up" stories by 'Fab 5' in 2005 letter

Click here for earlier blog post, with more detail, a copy of the letter and many comments

Here's the version that appeared in today's paper:
Just before the polls closed on Election Day two years ago, five city department heads wrote a scathing letter to the city’s personnel director claiming that city Councilor Ellen Zoppo had subjected them “to lies, misinformation, innuendos and made-up stories.”
“We believe that this has contributed to a very hostile work environment that should not have been tolerated by any city employee,” said the letter signed by Fire Chief Jon Pose, Comptroller Glenn Klocko, Park Director Ed Swicklas, Police Chief John DiVenere and Jonathan Rosenthal, the city’s economic development director.
Four of the five signers said Tuesday they have not had problems with Zoppo since 2005. The other, Pose, was the driving force behind the letter, said both Zoppo and Tom Bentivengo, the fire union president.
Bentivengo said there was “no substance behind the letter” and that Pose took a dislike to Zoppo because in her role as liaison to the Fire Board she insisted he follow proper procedures.
Zoppo, who is locked in a close mayoral primary with fellow Democratic city Councilor Art Ward, dismissed the letter as “a blatant attempt” by Ward’s backers to discredit her. Pose is one of Ward’s biggest backers, said Bentivengo, who supports Zoppo.
Both Zoppo and Ward, who said he had nothing to do with release of the letter, are vying for the support of the party’s rank and file in the Sept. 11 electoral showdown for the right to take on Republican Ken Johnson in the Nov. 6 general election.
The signers said in their letter that Zoppo, the Democratic Party’s mayoral nominee, had referred to them as the “Fab 5” or the “Fat 5” and “publicly stated that she is going to get us fired for various unwarranted reasons.”
“In addition, she has spread lies and misinformation to the employees who work for and with us,” the letter said.
Calling the situation “intolerable,” the five supervisors asked Personnel Director Diane Ferguson to do something to help.
It is unclear what, if anything, Ferguson did in response. She could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Rosenthal said the letter was “was not meant to be a political issue then or now” which is why it was sent after the 2005 campaign was over.
Klocko said Tuesday he signed the letter “slightly kicking and dragging” because he’d heard secondhand “from several different sources the same exact thing” about what Zoppo had been telling people.
“That had to cease,” Klocko said, so he agreed to take what he considered a serious step.
“It was a big misunderstanding at the time,” DiVenere said.
“Whatever issues there may have been have been resolved,” he said.
“I think there were some miscommunications and they’ve been resolved,” Rosenthal said. “I think it resulted in clarifications that were important and positive.”
Since the letter, Klocko said he has had “no issues with Councilwoman Zoppo” at all.
“She’s been cordial to me,” he said, and supported his reappointment.
DiVenere said that he has confidence in Zoppo now and that he has had no issues with her since the letter was sent in 2005. Rosenthal, too, said he’s had no problems with her.
Swicklas said, “I can tell you that our relationship now is very good.”
“The parks are moving along and we have established a good dialogue, working relationship and mutual respect. I have no concerns with Councilwoman Zoppo," Swicklas said.
Klocko said that when the five signed the letter, they were worried about retribution against them. That never happened, he said.
“There was no backlash to us,” Klocko said.
He said he suspects the letter “focused her attention” on the problem of talking harshly about city workers and probably helped resolve the situation.
Klocko said he feels “positive” about his relationship with Zoppo these days.
Klocko also said he doesn’t see the letter as meaning too much any longer.
“I dismiss it at this time because it’s the silly season,” Klocko said.
He said that from his point of view, he will work with “whoever the citizens to tell me to” when they vote in November.
Klocko said that he hopes that a decade from now “the Fab 5” can get together and chuckle over the letter they felt they had to write.
In their letter to Ferguson, the department heads said they expected that Zoppo, who won her third term as a councilor the same day they wrote their concerns, would not be assigned as the liaison to any of the boards or commissions overseeing them “because of her obvious hostility.”
They said in the letter that they wrote it “to follow up on numerous conversations and complaints that we have lodged with your office and with the mayor’s office over the past several months.”
“We thoroughly enjoy the work that we do for this city and try to conduct ourselves in a professional manner,” the five wrote. “We try to do our jobs to the best of our ability, but find the present situation unacceptable.”
A signed copy of the letter from the five department heads to Ferguson, and other related material, is available online at reporter Steve Collins’ Bristol Blog at http://bristolnews.blogspot.com.

Zoppo’s response
Why am I not surprised that this letter has surfaced three weeks before a primary?
This is a blatant attempt by supporters of Art Ward to discredit me before the primary. There would never be a letter from department heads complaining about Art Ward because he is not capable of holding them accountable, because he does not have a grasp of the issues to know how to hold them accountable. He is more concerned about being their buddy.
This is the same man who is afraid to debate me in public on the issues, but his supporters will dust off a complaint that was found to be without merit two years ago. This is clearly a desperate move by the Ward campaign to keep the focus off the issues and make it personal instead. If Art had the nerve to meet me face-to-face in a debate, we would not have to air these issues via the newspaper.
The city has a talented set of department heads with whom I have good working relationships, and who care about Bristol and do their jobs well. My concern for the taxpayer, and the safety of the line firefighters, as it related to Chief Pose's disregard for policy and procedures set us on a path to confrontation when I was on the Fire Board.
I expect that department heads adhere to a high standard because that is what leadership is all about. It is unfortunate that in Chief Pose's need to go after me, he involved other department heads. Chief Pose's complaint had no merit then, and still doesn't today.




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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Zoppo blasted for "lies" and more by 5 department heads

** BRISTOL PRESS EXCLUSIVE **
-- Story is still developing so check back later --
** Check Wednesday's paper for the final version of this story. But go ahead and read this entry, too, because there's more here than could ever fit in a newspaper story! **

Just before the polls closed on Election Day two years ago, five city department heads wrote a scathing letter to the city’s personnel director claiming that city Councilor Ellen Zoppo had subjected them “to lies, misinformation, innuendos and made-up stories.”
“We believe that this has contributed to a very hostile work environment that should not have been tolerated by any city employee,” said the letter signed by Fire Chief Jon Pose, Comptroller Glenn Klocko, Park Director Ed Swicklas, Police Chief John DiVenere and Jonathan Rosenthal, the city’s economic development director.
They said in the letter that Zoppo, the Democratic Party’s mayoral nominee, had referred to them as the “Fab 5” or the “Fat 5” and “publicly stated that she is going to get us fired for various unwarranted reasons.”
“In addition, she has spread lies and misinformation to the employees who work for and with us,” the letter said.
Calling the situation “intolerable,” the five supervisors asked Personnel Director Diane Ferguson to do something to help.
Here's the letter:

To see the letter much more clearly, go here: Flickr link

10:20 Update:
City Comptroller Glenn Klocko said Tuesday he signed the letter “slightly kicking and dragging” because he’d heard secondhand “from several different sources the same exact thing” about what Zoppo had been telling people.
“That had to cease,” Klocko said, so he agreed to take what he considered a serious step.
Since the letter, Klocko said he has had “no issues with Councilwoman Zoppo” at all.
“She’s been cordial to me,” he said, and supported his reappointment.
Klocko said that when the five signed the letter, they were worried about retribution against them. That never happened, he said.
“There was no backlash to us,” Klocko said.
He said he suspects the letter “focused her attention” on the problem of talking harshly about city workers and probably helped resolve the situation.
Klocko said he feels “positive” about his relationship with Zoppo these days.
Klocko also said he doesn’t see the letter as meaning too much any longer.
“I dismiss it at this time because it’s the silly season,” Klocko said.
He said that from his point of view, he will work with “whoever the citizens to tell me to” when they vote in November.
Klocko said that he hopes that a decade from now “the Fab 5” can get together and chuckle over the letter they felt they had to write.

10:45 Update:

“It was a big misunderstanding at the time,” Police Chief John DiVenere said Tuesday.
“Whatever issues there may have been have been resolved,” he said.
DiVenere said that he has confidence in Zoppo now and that he has had no issues with her since the letter was sent in 2005.

11:10 a.m. Update:

Both Park Director Ed Swicklas and Jonathan Rosenthal, the city's economic development director, said they haven't had any problems with Zoppo since writing the letter in 2005.

Pose said the letter speaks for itself.

I haven't heard back from Zoppo or Ferguson.

11:15 a.m.

From Ellen Zoppo, minutes ago:

Why am I not surprised that this letter has surfaced 3 weeks before a primary?
This is a blatant attempt by supporters of Art Ward to discredit me before the primary. There would never be a letter from department heads complaining about Art Ward because he is not capable of holding them accountable, because he does not have a grasp of the issues to know how to hold them accountable. He is more concerned about being their buddy.
This is the same man who is afraid to debate me in public on the issues, but his supporters will dust off a complaint that was found to be without merit two years ago. This is clearly a desperate move by the Ward campaign to keep the focus off the issues and make it personal instead. If Art had the nerve to meet me face-to-face in a debate, we would not have to air these issues via the newspaper.
The city has a talented set of department heads with whom I have good working relationships, and who care about Bristol and do their jobs well. My concern for the taxpayer, and the safety of the line firefighters, as it related to Chief Pose's disregard for policy and procedures set us on a path to confrontation when I was on the Fire Board.
I expect that department heads adhere to a high standard because that is what leadership is all about. It is unfortunate that in Chief Pose's need to go after me, he involved other department heads. Chief Pose's complaint had no merit then, and still doesn't today.

12:30 p.m.
Tom Bentivengo, president of the firefighters union, said that Pose wrote the letter and convinced the other four department heads to sign it.
“He’s behind the whole thing,” Bentivengo said.
He said that “there’s no substance to that letter” and that Pose didn’t like Zoppo because she insisted he follow the correct procedures and policies within city government.
Moreoever, Bentivengo said, Pose is a big supporter for Ward.
“He is his number one backer,” Bentivengo said. “He is his number one advisor.”
In his off-hours, Pose even helped get signatures for Ward, the fire union president said.
He said the problem between Zoppo and Pose began because Pose “has no patience” and did not want to follow the sometimes cumbersome procedures to get new equipment for a fire department that needed updating.
Zoppo “was like guiding him through the process and procedure” of how to get what the department needed, Bentivengo said.
But Pose didn’t listen to her and wound up delaying things by mishandling them in his rush to try to get what the department needed, Bentivengo said.
Pose “started to say Ellen was interfering with him. He wanted to do it his way” and not wait for the proper approvals, Bentivengo said. “He wanted it done today.”
“Everything fell apart” between Pose and Zoppo, he said, because of the chief’s impatience. “He thought it was all her and, of course, it was not.”
About the time of the letter, Zoppo was also holding other department heads to account, Bentivengo said, because they were acting too much like a city manager and not necessarily following procedures. Some were overstepping their roles, he said.
“At that particular time, things got a little shrill,” Bentivengo said. The department heads “were in a panic mind.”

1:50 p.m.

From Art Ward: "I would appreciate it if you were to inform Ms. Zoppo-Sassu and anyone else of the same mindset, that I was not the person to provide you with the letter in question and that I will state, unequivocally, that I did not have any knowledge of it being presented to you.These preconceived rants and rages of Ms. Zoppo-Sassu are completely in concert with the reasons that I don't believe that a debate would provide any positive assurances of respect or decency that the voters might utilize to arrive at their ultimate decision on Primary Day, Tuesday, September, 11."

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Poor Ed Swicklas

City Park Director Ed Swicklas said that when he started working in the parks he had a full head of dark hair and a skip in his step.
But they're long gone. His hair's turning gray and he's dragging.
"I'm 52 and I feel like I'm 100," he said recently. "I live at this place."
Swicklas said the whole department has "just out there going crazy" trying to deal with all seasonal needs while understaffed.
Perhaps it'll ease up on him soon.
After getting by without an assistant director for a few months, Swicklas recently promoted Jason Krueger, who was in charge of the Malone Aquatic Center, to fill the job.
Krueger's balding a bit so Swicklas said he'll have no excuse later in life for whatever happens to his hair.

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Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com