Even as the city was shuttering 30 percent of its recreation centers and city pools due to a lack of funds, the mayor's staff got $200,000 from the Recreation Department to repair the pool, exterior walkways and outside lighting at the Manoogian Mansion, his official, city-owned residence.
Construction, which will include replacing long-damaged tiles in the mansion's swimming pool, should start soon, said Matt Allen, a spokesman for Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
Although the nonprofit Manoogian Mansion Restoration Society was formed in 1994 "to restore, repair, furnish and preserve the official residence of the city of Detroit's mayor," according to Internal Revenue Service records, Allen said that group's focus -- it had some $300,000 on hand at the end of 2005 -- is on interior, decorative items and not long-term improvements.
The decision to move ahead with the repairs irks some parents who have struggled to find places for their children to play.
Priorities. Got to Love Them.
¶ 9/19/2006 07:04:00 AM
