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Mountain Home News

WECRD funds campaign back on track

Thursday, July 21, 2011
Ultimately, the WECRD wants to build a facility with a pool.

Following a nearly four-month delay, efforts to bring a community recreation center to Mountain Home started to move forward again last week.

Concerns over a planned cost study, originally set to start next month, prompted a committee of local business leaders to temporarily table the recreation center plan to address the issue.

"We've cleared most of the hurdles. Now we need to get this moving forward," said Mark Hiddleston, who chairs the capital campaign feasibility committee.

During a special meeting before the Western Elmore County Recreation District last Thursday, Hiddleston updated the organization on the feasibility study. The report will determine whether to proceed with a capital campaign to raise funds to build the actual recreation facility.

The capital campaign remains a key part of the process so people in Mountain Home and surrounding communities understand what it'll take to not only build this facility but to keep it self-sustaining.

According to initial estimates, the effort needs to raise approximately $900,000. Those funds would then tie into a cash reserve maintained by the Mountain Home-based recreation district to cover the construction costs.

That money "gets us started," Hiddleston said. Anything above that amount will either speed up the construction process or help ease the tax burden on the local community.

"We know what the community wants," Hiddleston added. The goal now is to build it with the funds that will become available.

During last week's meeting, Hiddleston highlighted the commitment of the Treasure Valley YMCA to bring this recreation center to Mountain Home. The organization remains under contract with the Western Elmore County Recreation District to explore the possibility of building a YMCA-run facility here.

"They've said that Mountain Home is an ideal place for a YMCA," adding that they are very eager to get this project rolling, he said.

For more details, see this week's Mountain Home News.

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  • Why wont this just die already??? Mountain Home WANTS a facility?? Huh??? The cost involved is so ridiculous that I dont even know how this is feasable. Oh yeah, tax payers money....DUH!

    -- Posted by bloodyknuckles on Thu, Jul 21, 2011, at 9:09 AM

  • HA HA HA "Following a nearly four-month delay", How about a 10 year delay............

    -- Posted by maybeso on Thu, Jul 21, 2011, at 9:22 AM

  • People at the last meeting who were not WECRD staff or volunteers:

    Two.

    One: Mountain Home News Reporter Brian Orban.

    Two: Mtn Home City Council Liason, yours truly.

    Two. Sometimes, it's just one. Or zero.

    There are roughly 10,000 people in the district. Three are board members. Six or seven are staff or volunteers. Two others have an obligation to go, making twelve total. That leaves 9,988 other people who do not care enough one way or the other about the issues to attend the meetings and voice either their support or concerns.

    If an issue is important to someone, they will act in such a fashion as to insure their voice is heard. Since 9,988 district residents are not acting in such a fashion as to make their voices heard, the logical conclusion is that the issue is not that important to them. This very logical conclusion is inescapable, and anyone tending to get very passionate about the district one way or the other would do well to remember it.

    -- Posted by Councilman Schroeder on Thu, Jul 21, 2011, at 11:11 AM

  • I just dont believe this is going to happen.

    how about returning the tax money to the taxpayers

    somehow. Just please dont waste money on another study!

    -- Posted by IdahoDuck on Thu, Jul 21, 2011, at 8:01 PM
  • *

    Councilman Schroeder maybe those 9,988 are too busy working multiple jobs to make sure their get their bills paid, which includes TAXES. So before you stand on the mountain side preaching down to us poor ignorant slobs who are paying the bills you would do well to remember who hired you and that in fact you are suppose be to there representing the interest of.

    -- Posted by workingbee on Thu, Jul 21, 2011, at 8:36 PM
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    A little research shows the WECRD have their monthly public meeting the 4th Wednesday of each month. The time has been changed to 4:00PM.

    And a little more research shows I can read the meeting minutes from these public meeting but the latest available is January 2011.

    Guess the public has 4 options:

    1. Go to the meetings

    2. Read the Mountain Home News and comments on the WECRD.

    3. Ignore what the WECRD is and has been doing for the last 10 years.

    4. Head on down to that state of the art recreation center and dive into that cool and refreshing pool....oh wait a second :-)

    And from the article, it sounds like we get to wait to see if the WECRD is going to wait to see if the rec center will be built. I guess 100% of the 10,000 people in "the district" absolutely and positively want to wait to see what will happen.

    See the all of you at the meeting at 4PM on July 27th, 2011. I certain cannot wait.

    -- Posted by bondyweb on Thu, Jul 21, 2011, at 8:39 PM

  • Or, since it is in the middle of the work day for those of us in the working class---PERHAPS WE ARE WORKING!?!?!?!

    Concilman, your comment was off base. You were their "liason" and did not attend meetings. It would seem the meetings you recently attended were in support of the other council member who asked for money to repair the track---oh yes, and to announce that you and the city support this project and are ready to see that it gets done.

    Puke, vomit, vomit. At least be honest about your political motivation in all of this. What a bunch of garbage and bull.

    -- Posted by OpinionMissy on Thu, Jul 21, 2011, at 9:54 PM

  • There was an election last fall, in which two very capable and commendable candidates sought change in the board. They garnered about half the votes, but the stark reality is there were simply not enough disaffected voters who cared enough to influence the outcome in that direction. The time to be impassioned, involved and influential, when it would have made a real difference, was last fall, before the election. That election is over, and the outcome isn't going to change. Voters, either for or against the current board, can still have a voice, but they need to make it heard by contacting those board members, or me, or attending the meetings to stay informed and speak their minds. There will be another election in a couple of years, and again an opportunity for change on the board.

    In the meantime, here's an interesting article, with a number of ideas applicable to a number of local issues:

    http://www.ridenbaugh.com/index.php/2011/07/20/carlson-2/

    And I'm off to the mountains for a while.

    -- Posted by Councilman Schroeder on Fri, Jul 22, 2011, at 7:51 AM

  • Maybe this information is in the actual paper article but how does the roughly 2 million that the rec has saved plus 900k equal the 6 million to build the building without a pool? I hope to high heaven that they aren't going to build the building in phases too. Wouldn't it be grand to have some have some half started ran out of funds shell of a building gracing 18th?

    The councilman's point was not that each of YOU didn't go to the meeting it was that out of 10k people there were 2 there. both of which were obligated to be there. If time off of work is better spent on vacations for 10k out of 10k people then its probably not real high on anyone's priority list. Coming on a blog and whining doesn't fulfill our civic duty. Writing on here will never change a thing.

    -- Posted by CountryDweller on Fri, Jul 22, 2011, at 8:42 AM
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    You know what Junkyard Dog, I was just pointing out that there are reasons some don't go and yes I am working at the time of the meetings, in BOISE...and I have never complained about a single volunteer. I do complain when taxpayer money is taken and promises are not full filled.

    Councilman go to your mountain.... whatever

    -- Posted by workingbee on Fri, Jul 22, 2011, at 10:09 PM
  • *

    I say we all get our pitch forks out and head on down to city hall on Monday July 25, 2011 at 6:00pm. I heard a rumor all them rich city council folks will be gathered in one place. Heck, I bet that ultra-rich Mayor of ours will be down there too. Who's with me on this!

    -- Posted by bondyweb on Sat, Jul 23, 2011, at 4:50 PM
  • *

    bondyweb, according to the agenda on line if you go at 6pm your going to be late the agenda says 5:30 PM.

    -- Posted by Eagle_eye on Sat, Jul 23, 2011, at 5:07 PM
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    Thanks Eagle_eye. And yes, I would have been late again.

    -- Posted by bondyweb on Sat, Jul 23, 2011, at 7:35 PM
  • *

    I'd go to ths hills if I could. This would have been a great weekend to be up there.

    -- Posted by VicVega on Mon, Jul 25, 2011, at 7:18 AM
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