Mar 30, 2022 2 min read

Is it true that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? Case in point: Peters Township.

The state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has granted the township $631,000 toward its aquatic center, for which it already received $2 million from the state’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. As the Observer-Reporter reported on March 22, the new swimming facility will not just offer recreation but be a boon to nearby residents by enhancing property values in the county’s largest and wealthiest municipality.

Meanwhile, the pool at Washington Park, which has been shut down for two years, is still undergoing repairs. It is hoped the pool will be open this summer, providing nothing else breaks down. You have to wonder about the direction in which our state tax dollars flow.

You can’t blame Peters Township for going after grant money for its project, and maybe you can fault the cash-strapped city of Washington (where half the property is tax exempt) and its state legislators for not doing the same or trying harder. But things are looking better at Washington Park since the city hired a park director recently, and with that direction and a little luck Washington area residents may have a place to swim this summer.

State Sen. Devlin Robinson, who helped Peters get its grants, said of the new aquatic center, “Families will come from all around to enjoy the summer days and start building memories.”

So, if the Washington Park pool can’t open, there’s a new state-funded place in Peters Township to go to make memories, right?

Parker Burroughs

South Franklin Township