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Longmont has a long history of investing in community assets that enhance
our quality of life and boost the City’s economic vitality. We have an exemplary parks system; forestry department; long-term water resources, and broadband internet services – just to name a few assets – that are envied along the Front Range.
Investing in the future has been the Longmont way. We are a community that embraces health and wellness – with a big emphasis on exercise.
However, our recreation facilities do not meet Longmont standards. There is profound demand within our community for more robust opportunities for exercise centers, swimming and ice sports. Our current swimming facilities are woefully out of date, inadequate and expensive to keep fixing. Our recreation facilities are overcrowded.
Ballot Measure 3B asks voters to support a recreation center that will include exercise equipment; classrooms for yoga and aerobics; a leisure pool for swimming lessons and recreational swimming – as well as a competition size swimming pool and ice rink.
The short-hand ballot language for Ballot Measure 3B describes the facility as a competitive pool and ice rink, which it is, but it is much more. This facility has the potential to be another community gathering place with most of the amenities of our current rec center – plus the pool and ice.
The competitive pool and ice rinks are badly needed. We need to be leaders in creating recreation opportunities for our citizens and neighbors, not driving them away. Many adult skaters drive to Superior, Loveland and Westminster to play hockey at 11:00 pm at night – that’s the level of demand in our region. Master age swimmers can barely get in a workout because local pools are so crowded. Longmont, Skyline and Silver Creek swimmers get up at 4:00 am on school days to access limited pool time. Swimming lessons, increasingly, are relegated to a few months in the summer.
So why should the City of Longmont be the governing body to take the lead on this project? Because they collect sales taxes which help augment the costs. Sales taxes are spread across community residents AND visitors to pay for this bonus to our community. Visitors will join residents in paying the sales tax to pay for the new recreation center plus they will also pay taxes that add to City funds for fire, police, streets, parks, library, youth programs, and many other city services. That’s a big win for the Longmont community.
Measure 3B creates an opportunity for the St. Vrain School District to participate as a fully committed partner with the city to provide necessary recreation facilities that will not have to be duplicated or eliminated by the School District. The School Board has already approved a letter of intent to rent facilities in excess of $300,000 per year that will substantially offset annual operating costs.
Please join me in voting YES on Measure 3B. I don’t swim, don’t skate, seldom use exercise equipment and haven’t been to a yoga class in years. I am, however, always in favor of attracting healthy, clean and family centered opportunities to enhance our community and support the Longmont Way!
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John Creighton
resident, parent, business owner, former SVVSD Board
President
Longmont, CO 80501
This is an opinion piece that was submitted to the Longmont Observer and does not necessarily represent the opinion of the Longmont Observer. If you have an opinion piece you'd like published, please visit our 'Submit an Opinion' page.
