Pool Update: I'm so Right it Hurts

I published a post on May 6, 2010, entitled "Pre-emptive Promise Breaking." Take a gander at these paragraphs from a news story published about the budget for the new Souderton Pool. The original budget was $2 million, with a $500K "emergency" loan (story in bold, my comments in italics):

“It’s our responsibility to not tap into that half million,” [Council President Brian] Goshow said.

Councilman Steven Toy echoed Goshow’s statements, and has no plans to use the money for the pool project unless it is absolutely necessary.

“I don’t hear anybody saying they want to use that money,” Toy said. “It’s contingency. That’s all it is.”

Prediction: Souderton will use the extra $500,000. All of it. If not more. They'll blow through it like a hooker through dope.

I wrote that over a year ago. Now check out this story from The Reporter newspaper, by Emily Morris:

The borough has exhausted its $2 million construction loan for the pool, Coll said, and is on track to be right on budget for the $3 million total projected cost.

Uh-oh... but if the original budget was $2 million...

There is currently $308,000 due to the prime contractors on the project, and Coll said he was filing reports with Univest Bank and Trust Co. this week to use the $500,000 contingency fund to pay those bills.

Gee, what a surprise, right? Shocking! So they ran through the $2 million, they're using the "emergency" $500K to pay off contractors, and they racked up ANOTHER $500,000 BEYOND THAT. I mean, I hate to be one of those people who say "I called it!" but... I pretty much called it.

Also note the fact that the professional journalist who wrote this latest story didn't even bother to look back and call out the political hacks in Souderton for breaking their word.