Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for, because you might get it.
For years, Lehi residents have clamored for a recreation center. Some current members of the City Council were elected on platforms of making the center a reality.However, now that there's a proposal before voters to build the center, the loudest voices are coming from those who oppose it. Actually, most residents still want the recreation center but aren't sure they're willing to plunk down the money necessary to build it and the new senior citizen center slated to go up with it.
"I'm for a recreation center . . . but I'm not for a $17 million bond that lasts 25 years," said City Councilman Reed Sunderland at Tuesday's council meeting.
"That's like buying Christmas on your credit card and then waiting for your kids to get old enough to pay off your credit cards. That's not a good way to operate."
Lehi voters will decide Tuesday if they authorize the city to issue bonds for as much as $17 million to build the center. The bonds would be repaid over 25 years. If the bond question passes, the owner of a $140,000 home would pay an additional $144 in property taxes annually.
Plans for the community center are still preliminary, but it could include three gymnasiums, a 1,000-seat auditorium, a jogging and walking track, a rock-climbing wall, a leisure swimming pool, workout areas and a senior citizen center. It would be located on property the city owns just west of the current city complex.
A five-member committee spent the past several months designing the proposal. Johnny Barnes, who is seeking one of two open seats on the City Council Tuesday, served as chairman of the committee. He believes residents now have a chance to show whether their calls for the center over the years were sincere.
"Maybe it is about the almighty dollar, then again it may just be about the life of a kid," Barnes wrote in a recent published statement arguing for the center. "There have been pioneers in the past. I feel we can now be pioneers for our children's future."
Barnes argues that the center could actually be built for less than $17 million, especially if the city can secure donations, grants, sponsors or volunteer labor. He doesn't think the argument that the city should wait until it can save enough money to pay for the center with cash is valid, because labor and materials will only get more expensive.
Meanwhile, Councilman Dee Ray Russon authored an argument countering Barnes' claims. He believes the center's cost will actually be much higher than figures provided by proponents of the question. The resulting tax obligation will be overwhelming to Lehi residents, Russon said.
"We all like nice things in our community but should be cautious in determining wants versus needs," he wrote. "Please carefully examine this long-term, heavy tax burden before committing to a tax-and-spend philosophy."
Russon said interest and costs of not only building but also operating the facility will make the taxpayers' responsibility much greater than just $144 per year on a $140,000 home. In fact, he said, those who use the center will actually pay $832 per year, once the cost of annual passes are figured in.
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Additional Information
Pros, cons of community center plan
A proposal for Lehi to issue $17 million in bonds to build a community center that would include a senior-citizen center, three gymnasiums, leisure swimming pool, jogging track, rock climbing wall and 1,000-seat auditorium.
Pro: Lehi's current senior-citizen center could move into the new building, allowing the library to expand into the area currently reserved for seniors. The city already owns the property on which to build the center. Residents have wanted it for years, and it won't get any cheaper to build.
Con: The proposal is ambitious for a city of less than 15,000 residents. Some favor a stripped-down version, which could be built for about half the cost. The proposal would raise property taxes $144 per year on a $140,000 home.