Petition drive begins to dissolve WECRD

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

The Western Elmore County Recreation District has teamed up with the Treasure Valley YMCA to build a community recreation center on South 18th East Street across from Mountain Home Junior High School.

For the second time in six years, a group of local citizens are heading a petition aimed at dissolving a taxing district that for years has promised to build a community recreation center but after 15 years has yet to break ground on it.

The effort to eliminate the Western Elmore County Recreation District officially began in late May and is gaining traction through social media, according to Wendy Mastroeni, who is backing the petition.

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I implore all taxpayers to do research on their own on this topic and make a fully informed, educated decision. Do not go off something someone said no matter how much you trust them. And remember the center, if built is to be for all ages of citizens not just for the children. Some will try to play on your emotions and say this is needed for the children and while that may be true it is not the whole truth. Make your right to vote a very important thing, because it is.

-- Posted by B Mullen on Wed, Jun 10, 2015, at 7:01 PM
So what happened to the first petition aimed at dissolving the Western Elmore County Recreation District (WECRD)? Why did that petition effort fail?

-- Posted by Pale Ale on Wed, Jun 10, 2015, at 10:41 PM
Old guy,

You're right. Taxpayers should do their own research and be knowledgeable on the issue. Unfortunately, some of the petition drivers are not and are disseminating false information. I'd just like people to know that if you signed the petition, you can go to the court house and have it removed if you were given false information.

-- Posted by yoB on Wed, Jun 10, 2015, at 11:25 PM
YoB,

can you give an example of the false information I may have received? I keep hearing that from the few WECRD I have found but none have ever provided facts or data to back it up. And yes I did my research, both before and after signing the petition.

-- Posted by B Mullen on Thu, Jun 11, 2015, at 5:10 AM
The petition is just to get it on the ballot and have everyone vote to either show support for the way the WERCD has been moving forward or whether the WERCD should be dissolved and turned over to the county commissioners to manage the project or decide what recreation project the money will go to. I would suggest everyone go to the WERCD site and read the FAQS at the bottom and think about what is being written, then look at the minutes of their meetings and other documents on the site. The WECRD is going to also have a town hall meeting that you should attend. From what is written, there is little hope the center will be built this year because they do not have the funds in hand, in order to meet the Sept deadline for using the HUD grant, which will then cause them to raise more money or wait until it is raise in the taxes that we all pay.

-- Posted by MHdog-gone on Thu, Jun 11, 2015, at 12:10 PM
Wait it might not be built this year? I thought they were closer to getting all the funds, least that is what I keep seeing from the WECRD in the news. And not sure if the town can all fit into the offices of the WECRD but then again maybe they are bigger on the inside than it looks from the outside.

-- Posted by B Mullen on Thu, Jun 11, 2015, at 8:29 PM
YoB, What are the petitioners lying about? This is just to get it on the ballot for November, correct? All I keep hearing them say is "get informed" and "do your own research", over and over and over. If there is someone out there lying to get people to sign a petition, then that is low, but you haven't provided any information on what kind of lies we should be looking out for. What I have noticed is the petitioners ask more questions than anything and when there is an accusation towards WECRD, there is usually some sort of way to check that information on their face book page.

-- Posted by Enzo DeBaker on Sun, Jun 28, 2015, at 12:02 AM

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