One could look on the Provo or Orem November ballot and assume that this year’s election theme is bonds, with Orem proposing a $24.5 million general obligation bond to its residents to improve the city’s fitness center and add a meeting hall to its library.

The Daily Herald editorial board endorses Orem’s general obligation bond as the enhancements to the fitness center and the library are sure to be a boon to Orem’s future.

Just more than a month ago, the City Council voted to put a bond on the Orem ballot for $24.5 million to rebuild the Orem Fitness Center and construct an add-on Library Hall to the current city library.

The actual cost of the total project is really in the ballpark of $32.5 million, but according to Jamie Davidson, Orem city manager, the city set aside $8 million, already saved, to offset the cost of the bond to $24.5 million, as he told the Daily Herald editorial board in a recent meeting.

According to information provided by the city, there are two road bonds that are set to retire within the next several years. Overall, city residents paid an average of $41.65 a year in taxes for those bonds. Because of the $8 million already saved, when the two bonds are retired, the cost of the new general obligation bond for the fitness center and library add-on will cost the exact same as the two road bonds, adding no increase in taxes to the average Orem resident.

The fitness center was built in 1979, nearly 40 years ago, and for those who have never been to the center, it’s starting to show its age. It’s a very clearly dated facility, and a major renovation on the center hasn’t been conducted since it opened. Many of the amenities just don’t comply with the norms of today’s fitness centers. There aren’t family changing areas, the track is isolated in the basement and structurally, much of the design just isn’t welcoming, not to mention the aging infrastructure and ventilation.

Granted, there are numerous fitness centers in the surrounding area and even in Orem, with two Vasa Fitness locations and a Planet Fitness as well. This is not intended to be a dig at Vasa Fitness or Planet Fitness, but neither are very conducive of family environments. They don’t provide the comfort, security and assuring atmosphere that is more commonly associated with community and recreation centers.

Despite the blatant wear and tear on the facility, more than 350,000 visits are logged at the fitness center annually.

Combine that with the more than 400,000 annual visitors at the Orem library, and that means about 90 percent of Orem residents have used one of the two facilities in the last year, according to data from the city.

That’s a large reason the two projects are clumped together, Davidson said. Almost everybody uses these facilities, so it makes sense in the city’s eyes for all residents to contribute to the two projects.

The library project will use a much smaller chunk of the bond, only about 10 percent, as most of the cost will be covered by CARE tax revenue and private donations.

The Library Hall project has been in the books for years, and may finally come to fruition. The Orem library hosts special events constantly throughout the year. But the only real available space for the Utah Valley Earth Forum to hold a public meeting or for a Pulitzer Prize-winning author to read in is the children’s library section. Bookshelves are moved back and folding tables and chairs are cramped into what used to be aisles for children to roam up and down and find the latest Peppa Pig or Curious George book.

But because it’s still a functioning library during those hours, if children want to check out those books, their access is severely limited or likely cut off altogether.

The Library Hall project provides for a multiuse meeting area that will hold up to 500 people at one time. It’s pretty improbable the children’s wing of the library can sustain that kind of crowds.

Both of these projects were top priorities in the eyes of the Orem residents, according to surveys conducted by the city. When speaking with residents, Orem city officials said they have found little to no resistance to the bond. It is truly what the residents want. After all, who wouldn’t want a brand-new fitness center for a fraction of the price of what it cost other cities?

With Provo residents voting on a bond to overhaul the city center, it was raised in the editorial board’s meeting with Orem officials why its city center wasn’t a priority now. Mayor Richard Brunst said that was an option examined, but it wasn’t what residents wanted right now. They didn’t want renovations to be conducted on where they pay their utility bills; they wanted renovations on where they swim, where they recreate and where they bond as a family.

Should Orem residents approve the bond, groundbreaking on both projects will commence next summer. The Library Hall will be completed in summer 2020 and the fitness center in winter 2021.

There would be complications with access to the fitness center during that construction time, though Orem city officials assured that they are examining potential alternatives. The library will remain open during the Library Hall construction.

We agree with Orem city officials and the city’s residents; the general obligation bond, which won’t increase a dime of taxpayer money, should be approved to offer better physical and mental wellness opportunities to the city’s residents.