Quietly Understanding Mayor Mickey Haddock

From Mayor Mickey Haddock:

Many times you only get ONE CHANCE to get it right. While some have chosen to publicly chastise the timeline, and am sure will continue to do so, many more have quietly understood how critical it was not to rush the process so that we and ultimately the animals would gain the most long-term benefit from our budget. So while this will still have a few design tweaks, here is a draft rendering of our Florence-Lauderdale Animal Shelter.

What some “quietly understand:”

* It’s taken three and one-half years to purchase the land…and construction has not yet begun.

* The first land choice was property owned by a man living in China who had stopped communicating with UNA; why did anyone think he would communicate with the City of Florence?

* The second land choice was opposed by District 1 Councilman Dave Smith—the only stand Smith has taken during his entire term.

* The third land choice, and the one ultimately purchased, was owned by the family of the Florence city attorney. Of course by now the citizens were so weary of it all they would have purchased a converted hotdog stand owned by Dick and Libby Jordan.

* The tweaking of shelter plans should be independent of the land purchase. If the land does demand changes in architectural basics of the shelter, any changes should be minor…at least if the architect was doing his job to start with.

* In the three and one-half years (and it’s actually somewhat longer) of Mayor Haddock’s first term, the city council has met roughly 91 times. 91 times, and we’re no farther along?

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Speaking of architectural plans… Obviously no one who blogs here is an architect, nor do we play one on stage, screen, or television. We do have a question concerning the plans for the new shelter:

It’s been announced that one money-saving change in the plans was to decrease the size of the shelter’s lobby area. Fine; that sounds logical if money is indeed tight. Yet Mayor Haddock has stated he wants to get it right for the long term (this from a man who stated the new hospital should last 30 years).

You’ll notice the shelter is extremely close to the street. That certainly has its pluses, but if one later wanted to enlarge the lobby to its original proportions, there would be no room. Just something to think about, since Mayor Haddock likes those given to a quiet understanding of events.

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Now, Mayor Haddock, any press releases about the promised new senior center?