PLAY Wants to Hear Your Sense of Community

By Tom Saxen
The Gazette - Guest Column
May 15, 2008

In 2005, our neighbors submitted 3,500 ideas to the Fifteen in 5 Linn County betterment initiatives. Idea 9 is building a state-of-the-art community center.

A top priority in a 2001 community survey was replacing obsolete outdoor pools. Soon, our outdoor pools will open and we will be reminded of the benefits of that successful effort.

The second need identified in the 2001 survey was a community center. In 2008, a public gathering place where people of all generations, cultures, economic levels and physical abilities can meet and engage in life experiences still does not exist in our community.

In today’s world, the definition of community has changed. Borders blur as regional views of economic development, political priorities and vested interests emerge. In today’s world, the definition of family goes beyond relatives, often extending to a circle of friends. In tomorrow’s world, the needs and expectations of both “families and communities” will differ from today with the key to success focused on recognizing new opportunities.

Residents of Linn County are receiving an opinion survey to help establish interests and priorities for the future development of a community life/recreation center, as well as residents’ willingness to pay for this facility through tax investment and user fees. This information, coupled with market analysis, input from current providers of such services and experience gained from other communities with similar facilities, will be used to develop an appropriate recommendation for the Linn County/Cedar Rapids metro area.

Your voice needs to be heard.

Clearly, inadequate and obsolete facilities limit the success of our area’s social and recreational programming, impacting our economic prosperity and quality of life.

Consider:

• Witwer Senior Center lacks facilities to effectively program for the needs of the current (and future) people it serves.
• Bender Indoor Pool was built in 1968 and reaches its life expectancy in 2008.
• Ambroz Recreation Center is housed in a 103-year-old building that fails to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and lacks adequate space to reach the full potential of its mission.

Compelling facts that must be addressed:

•  Business — A key to prosperity is to attract/retain high-quality workers, who often already appreciate quality-of-life amenities for their families. As business expands, school enrollments and our tax base increase.
• Wellness and health — Major concerns exist in overall wellness and spiraling health care costs.
• Population growth — From 2000 to 2040, Linn County’s population is projected to increase from 192,000 to 320,000.
• Lost area income — Sports tournaments do have an economic impact in the host community.

Unfortunately, our area lost several sports tournaments because of inadequate facilities. Those tournament dollars were spent elsewhere.

PLAY in Linn County, or Planning Lifelong Activities for You, is a volunteer group that has met regularly for three years, researching more than 40 successful community-life centers in seven states. We’re sponsoring a feasibility study to determine what residents want in facilities and services, potential sites, costs, funding options and, most importantly, sustainability.

Our Web site (www.playinlinncounty.org) enhances our public communication/ feedback. Our second round (of four) public input sessions is scheduled for June 4 and 5. PLAY members are actively engaged in an informational outreach program.

Recently, our youngest daughter sent me a link to YouTube featuring a Nike commercial titled, “It is not about the shoes.” In the video clip, Michael Jordan says, “It is not about the shoes — it is the hard work before the glory!” In many ways that statement is where PLAY in Linn County is right now. We are encouraging the greatest assets of Cedar Rapids Metro Area and Linn County — its people — to share their needs, their dreams and their solutions as we look to the horizon.

PLAY in Linn County is not just about better facilities where people gather and participate in social events, wellness activities and sports programs. PLAY in Linn County is about our sense of community in today’s world and the hard work necessary as we determine our future.

We invite you to raise your hand and join us in our journey.

Tom Saxen of Cedar Rapids is retired from the financial services industry and co-chair of PLAY in Linn County.