Marsh should be allowed to finish

Dear editor:

I have known Molly Marsh almost from the time she and her family came to Mountain Home. At the time, I was a member of the Mountain Home City Council and involved in helping to rezone and inventory park areas, streets, residential and business areas.

Our parks were in sad shape. The playground equipment was out-dated and no longer fell within safety guidelines for our children. Along came Molly!

With the help of Karen Bermensolo, Molly put together a plan to raise funds to replace our fast fading playground equipment with "Slide into the Future."

They told the council the cost and the anticipated time it would take to complete this very costly endeavor for Richard Aguirre Park. Not only did they complete the task ahead of time but were able to replace some of the equipment in other parks as well.

Molly has vision. Now comes the Western Elmore County Recreation District, a huge undertaking by any means but one that when completed will give ALL citizens of the area a much needed recreational facility and swimming pool year round.

Will it cost us? Yes, there is and will be cost. Pushed by citizen input into why the building hasn't been constructed, the WECRD Board made the decision to change the tax structure from a flat fee to a tax levy. The flat fee was based on the number of households at the time with a net assessed value of the entire district, multiplying it by .0006% and then dividing that by the number of households in the district. Everyone then paid the same amount in a once-a-year fee of $34.50. However, when that fee was established, there were fewer households than there are now and the assessed values were lower.

This facility came from the dreams of many citizens of Mountain Home and from the Parks and Recreation Board at the time I was on the city council. The Recreation Board at the time traveled to Nampa to look at, review, and determine if Mountain Home could support a similar facility. Looking to the future, we believed that it could happen. Thus, the Blue Ribbon Committee was born.

Some would say: "Chuck the whole idea." "Use the funds that have been collected elsewhere." "Sell the land that was purchased and presently carries NO DEBT and use that money somewhere else."

Do some have another agenda who do not want the facility?

Let's look at covering the present pool. Someone once told me that it takes a lot more money to tear something down and remodel it than to build new. In looking at the present swimming pool, anyone who goes there in the summer time can tell you that it is not large enough and that tiles are coming off the floor and walls. It would have to undergo a huge remodel and undertaking to again bring it to a satisfactory condition, and then it still would not be large enough.

The WECRD Board has done a wonderful job of keeping ahead of the game. They have purchased the land outright and have environmental reviews along with budget preparations on going.

Will it cost us? Yes! Is it worth it? Yes! Each of us will have the opportunity to use the facility. It is a mammoth undertaking and one that I fully support.

I support Molly Marsh for the Western Elmore County Recreation District. She has integrity, knowledge in what she is doing and the will to get it done.

Grace Townsend