I dont know Melanie Mills Roark, but she posted an incredible response to why she will be voting Yes for Prop A. Please take a minute to read this. I have a balanced viewpoint. The fact still remains: you get what you pay for. I am also very familiar with being self- employed and how competition affects my well-being. ~I know its not all about our parks. I know an already tax-funded, supposedly self-sustaining facility will be receiving a portion of the new tax increase. ~As for the other business in town, I was a member at two. I left both and moved my membership to the Centre because I was tired of paying so much for so little. My intent was certainly not to single any business out, or run any business down, but if were getting a balanced viewpoint, the truth must be shared. I didnt enjoy paying a higher membership rate for dated, run-down equipment and a dilapidated facility. I didnt like that you could only stand in certain places because the floor wasnt level & sagged. I didnt like trying to work out & the roof leaking. I didnt like the gym hours being cut on weekends. The hours they may or may not provide Childcare was inconsistent at best (and one facility I was a member of didnt provide it at all). And finally I didnt like the lack of amenities in comparison. My viewpoint may not balance to some, but to me, my family and whats important to us, the balance clearly shifts in support of Parks & Rec - ESPECIALLY in comparison to its competitors. As for the Corporate memberships, I work for one of the two largest employers in Rolla. And Im thankful for their corporate memberships. If the other facilities in town would consider that, they might see an increase in membership that would offset their discount. We receive a HUGE discount with AT&T. And it might have hurt Verizon on a local level. So Verizon joined the fun and brought their A game by offering a similar discount. And I know of one girl in my office who stayed with Verizon because they offered her the discount. My family has been self-employed my whole life. Im intimately aquatinted with the pangs that brings at times. Ive also seen it proven time & time again: competition & customer service is the best source of revenue. And finally - as for praying about it.... I have. Along with some of the employees who work at the Centre and attend church with me. Along with MANY of the members. Again, none of us are denying the fact that some of the money will go to the Centre. Nor are we denying the fact that it should be doing better than it is. But still, on cold winter days when Im cooped up with my toddler for days on end, its nice to be able to go swimming, or play soccer with her, or attend one of the classes they offer for her, or put her in the stay & play and attend a class myself. If I remember correctly, none of the other facilities have a pool. They rarely offer classes for children. And for me and my family, THATS whats most important. Finally - the whole point of Prop A is not to feed a sucking-black hole as the nay sayers would like everyone to believe. It IS to better our parks. When my daughter wants to learn to ride her bike, I take her to one of the trails. When my daughter needs to run off some energy, I take her to the trails. When she wants to play, I take her to the parks. When my family gets together, we use a pavilion close to a park. When the kids have sports, Id like to have restrooms to use. Voting YES betters that. If you only want to focus on the fact that yes, the Centre will get some of tax funds, then I hope you dont frequent the trails, ball fields or parks and complain. Voting no robs the City of the ability to improve our ENTIRE parks system. The playgrounds are getting older and run down from so much use. The maintenance on the trails and presence of city workers is getting less and less. Some parks no longer have bathrooms open. THIS is what Prop A will help. THIS is what Prop A is for. But when people take their eye off the prize, everybody loses. THATS why my family and I would like others to vote YES for Prop A.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 13:28:10 +0000
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