New Britain herald., 1922-05-13
THE OBSER YER
Makes Random Observations
 On the City and It's People


 Owners of property in the vicinity
 of Rhodes pond are not pleased al
 the proposed establishment of a swim
 ming pool at the pond which is fore
 cast in statement issued this week
 by Mayor Paonessa. They are Of the opinion that swimming pool in such
 close proximity to so many homes
 would have a tendency to depreciate
 the value Of their properties,
 The site of the proposed pool is In
 the heart of residential district embracing parts of Shuttle Meadow avenue. Arch street, Wallace street,
 Madison street, Monroe street, Lyons street and Linwood street. This has always been a residential section, the
 majority of houses having been erect ed by workingmen who have saved and sacrificed to build homes for themselves and their families and to enjoy the increment derived from the ownership of dwelling houses. Most of them have been paid for and the owners can now sit back and enjoy the fruits of their early planting.
 Throughout the entire section there are not half a dozen stores or other commercial enterprises. It is com munity of homes. Consequently, residents recommend that the estab- lishment of a swimming pool at Rhodes pond be permanently aban- doned. They fear that a horde of youngsters in the neighborhood every afternoon during the summer months would prove an annoyance to house. wives and menace to gardens and fruit trees. Even the presence of a police officer would not be sufficient to check the wild spirits of youth, they say, hecause the officer would find 1t necessary to remain at the pond while predatory and mischievous boys roamed through the neighbor- hood, which has no police protection during the daytime except for the oc- casional visit of a motorcycle police man.
 Furthermore, there is sentiment in that district of having the old Rhodes ice house on the shore Of the pond demolished and removed from sight If this were done, the next logical step would be to destroy the dam which forms the pond and allow the water to run off through a culvert similar to that which car ries it away on the south side of Arch street
 Eventually Rhodes pond will be In the summer time when water is low it is almost choked with vegetation which grows just be- meath the surface. | does not add to the valuation of property by any means and the day is coming when it will be done away with.
 In the meantime, residents of the strongly object to Mayor Paonessa's plans to establish a swimming pool there. The alder man and councilmen from the first ward can secure ample corroboration of this statement by inquiring among property owners in the vicinity.
 Members of the police commission are to be commended for their stand in favor of having representatives ot the press present at their meetings, ''ranr Mayor Joseph M. Halloran 1t was the practice to hold open ,l,ev,1ngs, but during later admins trations the door was shut and re- mained shut while police, commls- sions conducted their business. This led to many misunderstanding the of rumors which were later found to be made out of whole cloth and to an unsatisfactory sltua- lion for all concerned, with the pos- ,ible exception of the ruling mayor.
 Although newspapermen have no official standing, they form the link between those who govern and those who are governed Under our pres mt arrangement of conducting pubic affairs, reporters are almost the only point of contact between the elected and the electors. Therefore, while they have no standing in the eyes ot the law, a stronger law founded on morals backs them in their hunt for which newspaper read .rs expect to find in print.
 In small cities and towns, where everyone knows everyone else, news of public business becomes common property almost as soon as 1t IS trans acted. In communities where the has it's mind occupied in various pursuits for earning its daily bread, there is need of an alert press which can report what transplres Tn official circles. Unfortunately, there are always public officials who be- ieve that what they do is their own business in which the public has no interest They withhold news which