Boston Herald - The beleaguered Rose Kennedy Greenway, already under siege for six-figure salaries and hefty bonuses, plans to ditch a proven moneymaker merry-go-round, asking taxpayers to chip in for a new $2.9 million customized carousel — even as a top state official yesterday demanded the private nonprofit begin weaning itself off public funds. The new carousel would replace a New Hampshire contractor’s revenue-producing operation and would require the Greenway to hire staff or a contractor to run it, according to Jesse Brackenbury, the Greenway’s business operations director. Brackenbury argues the new carousel will eventually turn a profit, but added the Greenway is focused more on “fun” than the bottom line. The current carousel, set up during tourist season near Faneuil Hall, has brought in $187,400 for the Greenway over the past three years without any capital outlay, Executive Director Nancy Brennan acknowledged. New Hampshire-based Fanelli Amusements Inc.’s carousel operation pays the Greenway $1,000 a month plus 25 percent of ticket sales.
Putting aside the ludicrous notion that the Greenway has some how decided that scrapping a FREE carousel that brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars for a brand new multi-million dollar carousel that will undoubtedly never turn a profit, at the expense of the tax payers, is a good idea for a second...Let's just focus on this $2.9 million price tag.
Who sold them on this? Hey guys, you could give me $1 Million and I'll get you a brand new, never used carousel, and I'll have it there in like one week, dead serious, I've got a carousel guy.
Literally 1/3rd the cost of whatever carnie-folk swindler you're working with right now. I don't know where he's getting his carousel, but my carousel guy is the best. Decent price, great customer feedback rating, plus the carousel would come with eBay buyer protection. Yea, I'd be making a hefty profit, 139K Buy It Now Price, probably another $25 grand to get it shipped, but just consider the $800k or so that I pocket a consultants fee...Shit, you're already paying a glorified Gardner upwards of 200k a year, is shelling out 800k to a consultant who saved you an additional $2 Million really that big of a deal? You know what, just to sweeten the deal, I'll do the conservancy job for free for a year, just fire that over paid flower water'er, I'll hire some migrant workers real cheap, get the Greenway spruced up in no time, and under budget.
