It was just yesterday I noticed the signs that have popped up around the suburbs, pleading passers-by to save Central Park.
Perhaps the signs have been there for some time and I have not spotted them, but I don’t believe that to be the case. They are similar to the ubiquitous campaign signs that show up at prominent points around elections, and frequently linger long after the decisions have been made.
So it is with these signs, which I presume are designed to promote efforts to preserve Central Park downtown as a bucolic escape from the city, albeit a city that is not exactly hustling and bustling.
Saving the park is a ship that, apparently, has sailed.
Having seen the signs, and having business in Johnstown (or so I thought) I made it a point to cruise past Central Park Wednesday.
At first, I thought there had been yet another Johnstown homicide, due to the park being festooned with yellow tape reminiscent of police crime scenes.
In an ironic way, the yellow tape was fitting. It was a crime scene of sorts — one against nature. Without stopping, it was evident the fountain has been removed from its brick circle. Can the bricks of its pool be far behind?
Benches are missing, but fencing is in place to keep people out. No problem there. Taking away seating and the fountain accomplishes that.
How long before the place turns into yet another concrete oasis, which repels humans who might want to get a look at some grass and trees in an urban setting?
This whole Central Park refresh is typical Johnstown. Shake the begging bowl for grant money, spend a lot of it on consultants from other areas to tell us what we want, distribute the contracts to the usual suspects, and provide the citizens with something they neither needed nor wanted.
But the elites got what they wanted and that’s all that matters.
Their cover story is the COVID-19 rescue plan money needed to be spent on the park. If that is so, why even bother to request the funds merely to gild a lily?
Why not pursue grant money that could be used for a better purpose?
Trips to downtown are infrequent for me these days, so I won’t be monitoring closely the ruination of Central Park.
I’m sure they will do a fine (sarcasm) job by Johnstown standards and accomplish what they usually do, which is wasting money that might have been used for something more productive and desired.
Sam Ross Jr's site 