In the July 30, 2009 Springville Herald there were two opinion pieces about the new rec center. I wanted to add my thoughts to the debate.

A July 28, 2009 Wall Street Journal article by Betsy McKay was titled, “Cost of Treating Obesity Soars.” The article opens, “The medical costs of treating obesity-related diseases may have soared as high as $147 billion in 2008….” The article goes on to state, “The cost of treating obesity doubled over a decade, signaling the rising prevalence of excess weight and the toll it is taking on the health-care system.” A rec center will help Springville citizens combat the epidemic of obesity by offering community services, facilities and classes the private sector does not offer through local private gyms.

In the July 30th Springville Herald, in an op-ed by Drew Benson, a 16-year-old from Mapleton titled “How Do We Get a Rec Center?” he states, “I feel that more youth today would stay away from the deadly effects of drugs and alcohol if there were more things to do in the community. Many families and youth enjoy sports and recreation, so why don’t we have a rec center?”

The youth of Springville and Mapleton need a recreation center to help with their after-school and summer activities. I have several colleagues at work who have considered buying or building nice houses in Springville. One opted to build in Lehi instead because of their rec center. Another said he did not buy a house he really liked in Springville because he heard that Springville Jr. High was the “drug capital of Utah County.” Whether the drug rumor is true or not, a rec center will help combat the drug-capital rumors.

Instead of saying, “There’s nothing for kids to do in Springville other than drugs,” potential building/buying families will say, “Wow, Springville has a great rec center and programs for our kids”.

Our Springville High School Boy’s Swim Team has won State for the past two consecutive years. Last week I was in the high school and looked at the trophy case and could not see any other team in any sport at SHS that has ever accomplished this feat. A new rec center will offer our high school swimmers the facilities in the future to remain a top-notch team. Also, the new Maple Mountain High School, as well as Spanish Fork, and most likely Salem Hills will all need a place to train for swimming when outdoor pools are closed – a source of income for the rec center.

This past year as the city league basketball teams tried to find spaces to practice, they were constantly kicked out of the high school gyms and practices were limited due to lack of indoor courts. A rec center could help ameliorate this problem as well.

How much money leaves Springville and goes to the Spanish Fork outdoor pool and Seven Peaks during the summer months? A lot I’m sure. I personally know over a dozen families who buy season passes or punch cards and take their money out of our town. The Provo, Lehi, Spanish Fork and other outdoor pools stay packed all summer long. I’m sure a Springville outdoor pool would as well.

Last city council election, all of the members who won election used a new rec center as part of their platform. I remember because I (and others I know) only voted for candidates who promoted a new rec center. These council members should keep their campaign promises. I am glad to see that the mayor and city council are soliciting citizens for input pertaining to the new rec center and moving forward.

Last year, the city Recreation Center Committee put in many hours analyzing a plan to efficiently build a rec center for Springville. In the July 30th Springville Herald, in an article titled, “Size Matters in a New Recreation Center,” Ray Crane reprinted an article from the July 23, 2009 Daily Herald that reported Eagle Mountain would run an annual $800K deficit in operating a proposed rec center. He points out that as Springville considers a new rec center, we should very carefully examine all options so we will not be wasteful, as many government projects traditionally are.

This is exactly what the Rec Center Committee has done. They have visited most of the surrounding municipal rec centers and at the Springville City Council meeting I attended last year in which they presented their plan – had a very cost-efficient and excellent rec center plan. If the center is run properly by an experienced manager, large deficits are not necessary.

According to the Springville City Fiscal 2007-2008 Approved Budget, in the 2007-2008 fiscal year, the library cost Springville Citizens $794,591 to operate. In contrast to a library, a rec center can actually make money for a community if it is constructed and operated efficiently. The same budget shows our existing swimming pool costing $243,973 over the same fiscal year. This money we spend each year could be applied towards the rec center, so if done properly, a new rec center could actually save Springville citizens money.

In conclusion, a recent article in the Daily Herald reporting the results of a BYU survey of how citizens in Utah County like and use their city rec centers found overwhelming satisfaction from the community – even beyond what they expected.

Jimmy Brau

Springville