WECRD now putting dogs before children & families

Dear editor,

Now the Western Elmore County Recreation District wants to build a dog park instead of a family recreation center. The WECRD board is back to two members now that Connie Clark has resigned, so Judy Mayne and Art Nelson are once again providing the city with funds, this time for a dog park project.

Geoff Schroeder represents the city council, so he has "great" ideas on how to spend the WECRD taxpayer money for city projects.

When will the WECRD board get around to building the family recreation center? Their answer is always noncommittal with excuses that the property must be reevaluated by FEMA, resurveyed, redesigned, etc.

At the rate they are spending the taxpayers' money for projects such as the rodeo grounds crow's nest for a cost of $70,000, there will not be enough money to build any recreation center.

Since Mayne and Nelson were part of the group that wanted to dissolve the district, it looks as though they are doing just that through erosion of the $4 million taxpayer dollars saved over the 13 years. If the taxpayers of western Elmore County want their tax dollars used for the original purpose of building a family recreation center, speak up and attend the meetings on the third Wednesday of the month at 6 p.m. Otherwise, your tax dollars will continue to be used for city projects and funding limited use projects that have no connection to our long-awaited family recreation center.

-- Betty Ashcraft, Mountain Home