SPRINGVILLE — A few days ago Alan Shurtliff woke up to find that someone had stolen the large sign he had placed in his Springville yard just the day before, voicing his opposition to the proposed recreation center bond. The big red “Vote No!” sign listed his reasons for not supporting the bond, which included too much city spending for facilities in the last six years.

Shurtliff has been joined in his campaign by Bonnie Atkinson, who also feels that the bond for $21 million is too much to ask from citizens who began paying for the library bond just last year. From these two concerned citizens a grassroots coalition formed to convince voters not to vote for the bond in November.

“I am not against having a rec center in Springville. I just don’t think we should pass a bond for $21 million to build it,” Atkinson said.

Joanna Rothe agrees with Shurtliff, and while she supports building a recreation center, she is against wasteful spending. Rothe expressed her concern about the size and expense of the proposed facility, which may include three swimming pools in addition to gymnasiums, offices, an indoor running track, a workout area and a daycare facility.

“As a citizen of Springville city who pays property tax on the home that we own, I am very concerned about the proposed tax for the new recreation center,” Rothe said. “I would absolutely love a recreation center in our community. I think our community would benefit from it, but I think we need to take this back to the drawing board before we pass this bond.”

“And think about this, for Nebo School District to buy a piece of property and build a brand new junior high with 150,000 square feet, it would cost them approximately $18 million. That equals to be around $120 per square foot,” Rothe said. “Then my question is, why are we paying $21 million to build less than half the building of 60,000 square feet, which equals $350 per square foot?”

Her final question for Springville city administrators concerned the large amount of the bond.

“In the past three years, we have built five complete buildings,” Rothe said. “A civic center, two fire stations, a library and an electrical department and have spent just over $28 million. Why is this one building costing almost as much as these five buildings?”

Springville city administrator Troy Fitzgerald said he is confident the city has taken the time to plan and make good financial decisions regarding the building of needed facilities.

“No taxes or fees were raised to pay for the civic center or either fire stations,” Fitzgerald said. “The city did indicate that they would build a 35,000- to 45,000-square-foot library with an estimated cost of $14,074,000. The city has built a 48,000-square-foot library for $11,500,000. Construction, site work and contingency all have come in lower than the estimate. There have been no money problems or overestimated tax revenues on the project. Also, the actual tax amount to the citizens came in below estimates as well. Planning for the new recreation center proposal began in 2005 with the creation of the overall facilities plan. Serious planning began in late 2009 with surveying, then the hiring of an architect and the establishment of a committee to begin looking at options. The city council originally asked for the bond election to be held in June 2011, but delayed this in order to have more discussion and planning surrounding the proposal. The city is in good financial shape with significant reserves. The decision to place the proposals before the voters was carefully made. A recreation center is expensive to build and operate. Voters should carefully consider the proposals and vote as they see fit.”

Councilman Neil Strong expressed his feelings after hearing that Shurtliff’s sign had been stolen.

“Regardless of how you feel about this issue, it is unfortunate that anyone in the community would cut down and steal a ‘Vote No!’ sign,” Strong said. “Voting yes or no is a personal issue that every voter needs to determine after they weigh the pros and the cons. Yes, our city has experienced significant improvements and beautification during the last few years. While being progressive, the city council and mayor have invited citizen input using several types of forums, from town hall meetings to citizen surveys. As a mayor and council, we represent all of the citizens of Springville and welcome your input. Vote yes or no but be sure to vote.”

People driving by Shurtliff’s home and seeing the new sign are stopping to offer their support for the “Vote No!” campaign. Springville police have promised to patrol his area until the election to ensure the new sign he paid for stays put. The coalition plans to hang a banner over Main Street, distribute fliers and post 100 yard signs this week.

For more information, visit springvilletownmeeting.wordpress.com for data, position statements and other information. To contact Shurtliff or Atkinson with questions or to post a yard sign, email savespringville@gmail.com and include a phone number. For information from the city, go to the election information link on the city’s home page, www.springville.org.