If 10-year-olds could vote we'd be pouring concrete for pool
To the Editor:
It's been about eight months since the ballot was held to see if Libby wanted to support a pool.
For those of you who don't remember, it lost by a wide margin, 1,746 to 1,271. I was the president of the Libby pool committee, formally known as the Libby Aquatic Center Inc., at that time and guess I still am, though we haven't done much since that disappointing setback.
On a bright note, I'm glad we had such a high voter turnout (65 percent) and to me the message was clear; a lot of people weighed higher taxes against the pool while 1,271 people were willing to step up to the plate to try and make Libby a better place. It's too bad that 10-year-olds can't vote. With the recent 105-degree temperatures, I think we'd be pouring concrete tomorrow!
I think it's nothing short of ridiculous that Libby hasn't had a decent local public swimming place for so many years, especially for the kids. It's an embarrassment that Libby Creek and the Fifth Street bridge are about as good as it gets for a town our size.
After hearing lots of comments and getting plenty of earfuls both ways about a pool and the pool vote, it left me scratching my head about what to do next, and I've decided we need to give it another shot. If we can learn from our mistakes, if you want to call it that, people obviously didn't want to pay for the project we proposed. In our defense we tried to make it a true community pool for kids, toddlers, seniors and everyone in between.
That couldn't be done cheaply and still have what I would consider a first-class facility. Personally, I don't worry too much whether Libby is a "blue collar vs. yuppie town," or pushing tourism, "economic development," etc. as much as I do about just simply keeping Libby a great place to live.
An example fresh in my mind is that while being a Legion baseball spectator this year, I thought often about how wonderful it is having such a top-notch park in our town, and what it was worth for me and my family to enjoy. It made me proud that the ball field was the envy of dozens of visitors who I spoke to throughout the season. Quality recreational amenities pay valuable dividends, often way beyond anything easily measured in dollars and cents.
I'd like to propose we scale back, head back to the drawing board with something more affordable to the taxpayer, and for now focus on a fun and safe place for kids to swim in a park-type atmosphere. It certainly would be nice to get something done before another 25 years of a swimless generation slips by.
Our group is starting to meet again and any ideas, input, board members, or someone else willing to be president would be more than welcome. Watch for announcements later this summer or call me at 293-7205.
On a closing note from me and the Libby Aquatic Center Inc., I'd like to thank all the people who supported our efforts last November. To those of you who didn't, I only hope our next proposal is more palatable.
To me it's an absolute no-brainer. Libby needs and wants a pool, as survey after survey has shown. The question is who's going to pay for it and how much?
Nobody likes paying taxes, myself included, but at the recent opening of the Missoula multi-million dollar water park, the mayor commented that the project was really an investment by the community in their kids. I couldn't agree more.
Tom Horelick