Wood River: It's Time To Build New Rec Facility

Mar 29, 2021 10:55 AM Save

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In the past few weeks, Wood River residents learned their city's Parks and Recreation department received a $2.5 million grant from the state toward the construction of a new recreation facility. Unfortunately, the project's future is in the balance as a few city officials debate the benefits of such a project. What should the city do? Simple. Build it.

First, this type of a grant isn't easy to obtain. Countless hours are spent on these proposals to the state and very few get awarded, especially for $2.5 million. The state sees the benefit this project provides the city. No longer will the Wood River Parks and Recreation department be limited to a century-old one room banquet hall for all things recreation. No longer will the department have to suspend recreation plans due to a wedding reception. No longer will the department have to store gymnastics equipment out in the open, subject to the curiosities of young children at a church potluck. No longer will the Parks and Recreation department have to continue to rewire the building or fix the aging pipes under the concrete floor before they can operate their day to day work. These are just a few of the many things the Parks and Recreation department won't be limited by any longer.

But let's consider what this will offer the city, the same benefits the state saw in awarding $2.5 million toward the project. This new facility will increase the amount of recreation activities the department offers and will give them the ability to offer them simultaneously. A gymnastics class will operate at the same time as a basketball league. A birthday party can take place at the same time as a volleyball clinic. After school programs, community outreach, special events, and numerous other programs can be offered. Also planned are new state-of-the-art playgrounds and park amenities surrounding the new facility, something Central Park desperately needs. As a high school teacher, I see the absolute need for our young people to be able to have a place where they can play, study, and connect. This new recreation center checks all the boxes that Wood River families need and will expand on them.

And what happens if the city abandons the project and rejects the $2.5 million from the state? Essentially, it will be a guarantee that the state will never award something like that again to the City of Wood River. Game over. This is an opportunity to do something great for the city, funded specifically by this grant and a portion of the voter-approved 1% sales tax increase, which will also go toward many other capital projects around town.

So, again, if the question is whether or not to build this new recreation center, the answer is simple: BUILD IT!

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