Vortex Question and Answer

[docdockery]

One comment Doc in all fairness. The price has been $32.50 for years. I know, I wrote the checks. I - the one caught in the middle - arguing to persuade my boss that we should still go there with our students because the convenience and facility warranted the expense.

Even today the lodging price is inflated far beyond the local area norm but we still encourage folks to stay there because of the convenience.

One concern of mine was the continuation of honoring passes previously issued. They honor mine and all my staff. If local community public service folks are being denied that is wrong.

Tom:, Mike:. I stand corrected. Connie says she shunted an encrease to 37.50. My mistake. Doc.

 

[mike_s]

Tom:, Mike:. I stand corrected. Connie says she shunted an encrease to 37.50. My mistake. Doc.

that makes sense as I heard that it was going up from $32 to close to $40 at one time more recently.

I figured at that price it was a simple decision as whether to go or not.



Doc, since you're here now... You should go take a look at the threads about who created the dive flag

 

[VortexBlue]

Mr. Shane: This is Doc. Ruth and I are temporarily settled into our winter quarters in South Florida. My attempts to contact you by phone have been unsuccessful so I use this least desirable means to communicate with you. I have read the posts from concerned divers and realize that many seem to be choosing sides. This is not by my design. My concern is of course that you may have opened a public forum attracting attention to our petty differences. Initially I had no intention of offering free entrance to the spring using our contractual Life Estate’s “freedom of passage” under which your boss Lowell Kelly placed his signature in agreement.

You told me the reason you are doing this is because your daughter no longer is in charge and, until she gets her job back, you would be " a thorn in Lowel's side". Connie quit on the phone to me on June 21, 2007.

Incidentally before you came onboard it was Mr. Kelly who instructed Connie to raise the price to $32.50 despite her protests, then her negative reactions to Mr. Kelly’s refusal to continue the 4th of July fireworks displays may have cost her job.

She quit before the 4th of July not because of fireworks, because Lowell had asked me to try and find a company to put on a show for the fourth. The others here have proved that we were not the ones who raised the prices. I believe that it was Connie that offered to raise the prices even further to show a better profit for Mr. Kelly.

It was your refusal to honor the 9 passes I issued to our local volunteer fire department members that caused the “free diving” retaliation. I surmise your action was Kelly directed also. Truthfully Connie allowed our fireman and their families free entrance for many years, They are an exceptional group of well trained volunteers who have supported the spring and all our events in every way.

I agree that the fire department is a great bunch of people. That is why the don"t need passes to enter in to the park for free. As for your giving them free passes, you do not own the park anymore, you do not have the right to give any part of it for free. If you would have told me that this was what you wanted to do then I would have come up with something from both of us since we had not begun this horrid dispute.

Also publicly directing attention to Ed’s illegal dredging will cause you and Mr. Kelly untold problems with the environmental agencies of Florida. Again, Kelly directed I’m sure. His dredging is also actionable under the environmental clause in our contract. Ed caused the massive sand slide that clouded the spring dictating you to close for 3 days then reopening with a price reduction to $19.00. I hope this was your decision. Nothing good can come from Ed’s work. It angers and embarrasses me to see the waters muddy and have you imply “as long as the mortgage is paid we should be happy”. We live there and still own 50% of the shoreline. When we are in residence I swim every day and want the water clean and clear. We invested 33 years of our lives into developing that spring and we have had our fill of dealing with State agencies, permits, penalties, increasing property taxes and ridiculous Government Controls.

The only time I closed the park was when the waters turned green as pea soup (that was in July). The water became muddy, as you know, because of a floor slide at the third restriction. This was when the water turned milky because of the clay that was under the sand. Now we have removed that earth that slid down and even opened another 300ft of cave that was priviously unpassible. Land slides, earth quakes, tornados, and hurricanes are not under the control of man so I feel no need to apologize for your inconvienance of having to deal with muddy water for three days that we were not closed. As far as the state agencies, we are working with them to keep the spring beautiful.

We do not want it back! We have grown old and worked far beyond most peoples retirement age. Diving has been the love of our lives and we have few friends outside of the sport. Any success we enjoy is the direct results of dedicated instructors and the divers they inspire. To the benefit of all Divers I again offer to meet with you and Lowell at any time to iron out our differences. Nuf Sed. Doc Dockery

I have met with you many times to no avail. I have made consession after consession to try to "iron out our differences" but you continue to harrass my staff, you still offer the public diving for free and do not check for certifications for safety (this will only serve to hurt someone not involved in our dispute). You continue to try and create problems for me and my business. I started this forum to answer questions about the changes not create a public display between you and me in front of the divers both of us love and respect. I will not be responding to anymore of your threads in here, If you would like to talk you know how to contact me. Please direct any other comments to me privately or call me on the phone. :noThis is not the place to handle our disputes.

 

[The Kraken]

Well, I'm sorry y'all are having this spitting contest on ScubaBoard.

I've met Doc, and shared a few beers with him and Miss Ruth.

Shane, I'll meet you this upcoming Friday.

For what it's worth, from my standpoint, y'all all have done, and will do, a great service to scuba diving.

Doc, sorry you won't be there to have some of my stew.

Shane, I do hope you'll come over and have a bowl or two.

As we say where I come from, "I ain't got no dog in this fight."

I respect Doc for what he has done, and I respect Shane for that which he endeavours to do.

Ein Prosit . . . . Vortoberfest III !!!

Der K-egmeister

 

[Tom Smedley]

Shane and Eddie and the Harmonica Player and all the staff are always invited to all our cookouts.

 

[The Kraken]

I'll bring my recorder.

I play a great "Stairway to Heaven" and "Starry, Starry Night"

der K-eg Meister

 

[Kevin Carlisle]

Looks like a great weekend shaping up. We have a harmonica player, kraken on the recorder and Tommy doing the chicken dance. Just wandering what Uncle Ricky will be up to? ( Maybe the chicken dance )

 

[mike_s]

I'll bring my recorder.

I play a great "Stairway to Heaven"

can you do it to the tune of Gilligan Island? (I've seen that done a few times and funny as crap...

 

[Rick Murchison]

Just wandering what Uncle Ricky will be up to? ( Maybe the chicken dance )

Chicken dance? Not a snowball's chance in Hades!
Rick

 

[Tom Smedley]

Shaun

Make sure that the Harmonica Player knows that he is expected to do a few numbers for his supper.

Tommy