Kaminski Has a Choice to Make

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) the dam at Reservoir Park is a "first class hazard," and poses a risk of "probable loss of human life."

Gee, this seems like a problem. It appears the city only knew about this for the past decade.

"In 2000, repair plans and a hydrologic and hydraulic study was submitted to the ODNR, but it was never resubmitted to the agency after it made comments to the plans and study" (The Independent, October 30, 2010).

According to Park Czar Kenn Kaminski, "the work was put on the back burner by previous department directors" (The Independent, October 30, 2010).

Those damn "previous directors." How neglectful they were. What was Kenn Kaminski to do? It was these "previous directors" who put needed repairs "on the back burner."

The ODNR also made some helpful recommendations to Kenn Kaminski and the Parks Department to help alleviate some of the problems with the dam. These recommendations are so technical, and so complicated, we can clearly see why they were above and beyond what Director Kaminski could be expected to handle;

These complicated and technical recommendations were printed in the Independent, and include;

"Remove brush from the upstream slope shoreline and around the spillway sidewalls. Seed all disturbed areas to provide to proper grass cover."

"Repair erosion gullies on the downstream slope."

"Repair the rodent burrows on the upstream slope."

"Remove or grind down the tree stubs on the embankment."

"Remove planters on the downstream slope."

Wait a minute. We needed the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to tell us to remove brush, plant grass, remove tree stumps, and fill in rodent burrows?

We really couldn't see this for our selves? Really? We had to be told to plant grass to stop erosion?

Listen up. The park employees need to get their collective asses off the golf course and into the parks, and by god, if Kenn Kaminski isn't smart enough to know to clear brush and plant grass without a report from the State of Ohio, he needs to resign immediately.

The parks are a mess, and someone needs to take responsibility. We all know that the someone needing to take responsibility will never be our Mayor for Life. We realize the buck always stops somewhere else in Massillon.

Kenn Kaminski has one of two choices to make.

1.) Come clean, and admit the parks are a mess because park tax money has been hijacked to subsidize the golf course by our mayor and his faithful rubber stamps.

2.) Quit, because if you have to be told by a state agency to plant grass and clear brush, you are in way over your head, and are a clear and present danger to the community.

The choice is yours. Don't EVEN try and pawn this mess off on "park vandals."