Voting YES for Recreation Center Bond

This is what I know...




-The current pool is well past life expectancy and one small problem away from meltdown.



-The current pool costs over $300,000 to maintain every year. The new recreation center will be around $350,000 to operate.



-A pool pass now is $368/year/family. It has not been finalized but to use all of the facilities in the new recreation center will be around $400/year/family. Similiarly priced to other city recreation centers.



-Many people will not go to the current pool because it's icky.



-I spend about $75.00 each time I go to Lehi to visit the Legacy Center between gas, non-resident admission, and food.



-85% of the citizens surveyed in 2011 said they would be moderately, highly, or very highly willing to pay $10/month more in taxes to get a new recreation center. The average works out to $9.33 per household. It's been said that “local taxes” will raise by 50%. THAT IS NOT TRUE. CITY taxes will go up 50.63%. This is a very small portion of your total tax bill (Nebo School District is 80% of my tax bill). This number will likely go down as our tax base broadens with new residential and commercial building.



-I do not believe that $9.00 will break the bank for anyone. Even those on fixed incomes.



-I believe Springville City has been fiscally responsible. I don't like the monstrous city building they built a couple of years ago, but the library has come in $3 million under budget and is 10,000 square feet larger than promised. Our roads and other common properties are well maintained and my family enjoys numerous parks and recreational activities provided by the city.



-Interest rates and construction costs are at historic lows.



-Spanish Fork has been stealing our thunder for years. I would hate to go there to use their recreation center and pay non-resident fees when we could have had a local one. ;0)



These are the reasons I am voting FOR the recreation center bond. The major reasons I've heard in opposition are

1. The debt (bond) to the city for building it

2.The enormity of the proposed building/ammenities



The citizens have spoken. I've taken 3 surveys in the last year and a half myself in order to help the city and the committee gather information about what I want. This didn't appear out of nowhere, on the whim of a city councilman or anyone else from the city. An average of every 2 years a survey has been sent to residents beginning in 2003 and the smallest amount in favor of a new recreation center has been 73.7%. I'm cheap. I dislike debt. I have learned over the years that the wisest way to spend money is in a way to bring you a better quality of life. Our city is large enough (and growing) to support this new infrastructure and I believe it will be another good reason to live in WONDERFUL Springville.



As I mentioned above, the committee took the most requested ammenities and put them into a building of reasonable size and space for them. In visiting other facilities the committee has learned from other recreation centers what they would have done differently had they been given the chance. (For example, at the Payson Rec Center they learned not to skimp on storage because they are now storing tables in hallways).



This is what I've gathered in my wanderings and wonderings about which way to vote.



YES!



This is not an open forum for comments. I drew my conclusion through research and soul search and I believe that's the best way for it.