Caleb Warnock - DAILY HERALD | Posted: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 11:00 pm
A year later, a proposal to build a tri-city recreation center is still struggling for traction in Alpine.
For more than a year, Cedar Hills, Highland and Alpine have been tossing the proposal like a hot potato.
On Tuesday, Alpine City Council members said during their regular meeting that the concerns they had a year ago have not changed.
"They are asking us to spend money without knowing how much it is going to cost," said Alpine Councilman Thomas Whitchurch about Cedar Hills, which is spear-heading the proposal. "There are projects we didn't do this year because we didn't have the money. We are not like Cedar Hills, that has been saving for this for years. It would be left to us to fund this."
"Cedar Hills and Highland have all the tax revenue, and we don't have it," said Councilwoman Kimberly Bryant.
Councilman Kent Hastings said the venture interferes with private enterprise, and noted a new fitness center is being built in Highland.
"I still feel we should not force the entire community to raise funds for this," Hastings said of a tri-city rec center.
Councilman Tracy Wallace said he doesn't think the city should move forward with the proposal now, and added that his opposition was based on "our current financial situation."
Bryant said that when she tells residents how much it might cost, "they say, 'Never mind, I can't pay that in taxes.' "
"I think I can distill that down to a response to Cedar Hills," said Mayor Hunt Willoughby.
A year ago, Cedar Hills sponsored a feasibility survey and study on developing a joint recreation center, requesting that the ballot measure be placed on the November 2007 ballot to create a recreation district. It also was suggested that a bond issue be on the June 2008 ballot to construct the recreation center. Neither happened.
The $15-$30 million project has been estimated to raise taxes up to $300 per year per household.