By PETER HUSSMANN
From outward appearances, one might think that City of Newton is gaining some traction on efforts to "fix" the Maytag Bowl. I dare say, however, that the possibility exists for the situation to slip back into the chasm that has divided the community for more than a year.
On Monday, the Newton City Council agreed to the Fred Maytag Bowl Project Committee's request to hire an engineering consultant to review the top priorities the committee had identified. City Administrator Tom Wardlow was tasked with soliciting bids for the work and if it came in under $7,500 (his spending authority) directly hire the consultant. If not, the action would have to be brought to the council for approval.
Newton Parks Director Denny Slings and Public Works Director Keith Laube were directed to create a request for proposal document to identify the issues they want the engineering consultant to address. In addition, and here's the rub, project committee chair Eveyln George and committee member Maxine Udelhoven, representing Newton's historic preservation committee, were allowed to provide input on the hiring of the engineering consultant and the details they want the engineer to explore.
Sounds OK on the surface. Have a professional look at the facility, give some ideas on what is possible and the cost of addressing the committee's top priorities, and present the plan to the bowl project committee and eventually the city council for consideration.
Now back to the rub.
Supporters of the Save the Bowl group, local residents adamant in their opposition to the Restore the Pride's previous $2.5 million proposal to renovate the Maytag Bowl facility into a modern entertainment venue, are seething because they were left out of the loop when it comes to providing input on what the consultant might initially consider as a plan is developed.
During the discussion, it was suggested that George - who previously lead the Restore the Pride effort - be allowed to provide input as the project committee chair. That lead council member Jim Plumb, fully aware of the divide between the two camps, to suggest that Joyce Moen also be allowed to provide initial project input as a project committee member part of the Save the Bowl camp.
Sounds fair, the council members appeared to agree (and likely thought they were consenting to). But then, from the back of the council chambers, Udelhoven's name was suggested and it was she, not Moen, who was allowed to help guide the initial discussion.
Save the Bowl supporters say what transpired Monday helps prove their contention that they've been short-shifted in the whole process. And they say that Mayor Allen's decision to cut Moen off ("This conversation is over. This back and forth has got to stop.") at Monday's meeting as she attempted to explain her claim the Restore the Pride group has held a dominant position on the project committee shows that maybe the Mayor should recuse himself from leading discusson on the matter going forward. (He was, they note, involved in a fund-raising effort on behalf of Restore the Pride.)
It's funny what can stir the passions of a community. A school board election provides no contested races and only about 1 percent voter turnout. How best to go about "fixing" the Maytag Bowl pits community member against community member.
I have a suggestion. Maybe the city council could just take it from here. A priority list has been developed, an architectural engineer is going to help put together a proposal and the council is going to have to make the final decision in the end. Sorry guys, but that's why you get paid the big bucks. It's your responsibility to lead.
And though the Mayor may not have handled Monday's meeting as best he could, he's right about one thing. "This back and forth has got to stop."
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