District needed new vision

Dear editor,

The community of Mountain Home and the residents of Western Elmore County have made a clear statement. With an overwhelming majority electing Judy Mayne and Art Nelson for the WECRD Board, the people are saying they do not want the proposed Rec Center to proceed according to current plans. That is pretty obvious.

What is not so obvious is what the retiring board members will do now to demonstrate they really do care about what the voters had to say. They have already shown a degree of disregard for the voting process by pushing ahead with the project so near to the election.

Surely they were not thinking they would get some irreversible business done before the people had a chance to voice a dissenting opinion. Or were they?

It is time to halt this business in its tracks and take the time to consider all options.

What do the people of Mountain Home and the county want in a recreational facility? Who do they want running it? How can it be set up so it is really meets the needs of the community -- all ages and income levels. Do we want a taxing district as the entity in charge?

It's time to back up and revisit these and other questions. I'm going to leave it up to the citizens to draw their own conclusions if the current lame duck board members force this unwanted project ahead in the next few weeks while they still have the power to do so.

Let's not forget we have an excellent Parks and Recreation Department in Mountain Home. Why would we create competition for them, when their mission is to provide affordable recreational opportunities for us all. Let's include them in new deliberations.

I hope the retiring board members will do themselves proud by responding to the clear message from the voters by doing what is necessary to halt this project and allow our new board members to decide how best to reshape this endeavor into something that will reflect the will of the people.

-- Ruth Ascuena,

Mountain Home