Letters to the Editor - Funding for Webber Park - Funding for Webber Park

A letter to the editor in the last Camden News criticized spending government money for reconstructing the swimming pool in Webber Park. The pool and library have been important to the Camden Community since federal money built them during the New Deal. I used the original pool and library growing up, despite the fact we often were bleeding from the rough cement in the pool. Later, they were replaced; but the pool was severely damaged a couple years ago. The Minneapolis Park and Rec Board (MPRB) held many meetings and it was clear that the community wanted the pool replaced with the natural filtration type pool. 

Unfortunately, the cost was more than the MPRB expected. On Good Friday, the MPRB Superintendent and President told me they just discovered the night before that they wouldn’t have enough money to construct the pool and building. They asked if I could get money to complete it from the capital investment committees at the legislature or some other state source. I told them it would be very hard to get money so late in session for a project that hadn’t been previously requested, and that the House was only including projects that had been requested a year ago. Years ago, I suggested to the MPRB that they include Webber Park with North Mississippi Regional Park (NMRP). I told the superintendent and president they should consider doing that, because we had money for NMRP that could be used for the pool and building if they were included in NMRP. They seemed unsure whether we could or should do that. I said yes to both questions. 

Eventually, they told me they wanted to do it. I talked to a few key legislators on the House Environment Committee and got language in their bill which included that part of Webber Park in the NMRP. After that Senator Champion did the same thing in the senate. The language passed without controversy. I am very glad we were able to get the needed funds. I believe the County may also contribute some of the funds they get from the stadium tax. Think about all of the state and city money that has gone into recreational areas in the parts of the metro where wealthy people reside. We also deserve some amenities in our community. And we should never forget the great effort of our former Senator, Carl Kroening, for establishing the NMRP and providing a source of permanent funding for it from Metropolitan Council funds.

Joe Mullery,

State House Representative