In recent weeks, the opinion page of the Morgan Hill Times has
carried a wide range of opinions on the subject of the various new
facilities planned for Morgan Hill: the multi-generational indoor
sports center including facilities for seniors, a new outdoor
sports complex and especially the aquatics center.
In recent weeks, the opinion page of the Morgan Hill Times has carried a wide range of opinions on the subject of the various new facilities planned for Morgan Hill: the multi-generational indoor sports center including facilities for seniors, a new outdoor sports complex and especially the aquatics center. These opinions range from “Times are bad and we should not spend the money” to very pointed appeals for the aquatics center.
I would like to weigh in with an opinion that I have not yet heard expressed. While there are some risks involved in building these facilities now, the certain costs from delaying these projects are greater.
There are some other certainties that must be considered in our planning. The City of Morgan Hill will continue to grow. We are not sure what the revision of the Measure “P” provisions will provide, but the city will continue to get bigger. If the committee that is working on this plan comes to a sensible conclusion, there will be more multi-family housing units built in the areas close to downtown and to public transportation.
The percentage of our population living in large-lot, single-family housing will fall. These certainties will increase the need for public recreational facilities.
As a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission, I have supported not only the aquatics project, but would like to ensure that the other projects maintain their schedule.
Why should press forward now? As Cindy Acevedo mentioned in her letter to the editor, we know that delay will add to the cost of the project.
One example of this effect could be seen in the Newark, N.J., airport. When that project was first proposed, there was a need for two terminal buildings, but they built a third based on a projected future need. That building was unoccupied for nearly 10 years during which the Port Authority took a lot of criticism. When the building was finally opened, the cost to furnish the building exceeded the original cost to build it and the same Port Authority suddenly looked wise. I am suggesting that the same affect will be seen here.
Interest rates are historically low right now. Construction for business expansion is lagging, in part due to a general economic downturn and in part due to the war in Iraq. If the construction funds are available now, there is no better time to begin.
There is a major concern over the operational expense of the new facilities. This concern is real, but the problems are not insurmountable. I would like to make some suggestions.
An important percentage (33 percent) of city revenue comes from sales taxes. How often do we make a decision to buy something elsewhere that could be just as easily purchased in Morgan Hill.
Pat Leary, lobbyist for the California State Association of Counties, was quoted in the Contra Costa Times: “We can no longer ignore an entire segment of the retail marketplace. This is no longer a fad. This is a genuine legitimate part of peoples’ retail behavior now.”
According to research provided by Jupiter Networks, Internet retail sales grew by 19 percent last year.
Supporting our local business is also supporting the growth of our city and the development of those facilities and programs that we say we need. When I purchase books, it is most often from the Book Smart rather than Amazon. I pay a little more, but not that much more when I include shipping. In return I buy my art supplies in San Jose, but only because there is no local outlet that carries clay by the ton.
Who said that you are a “dork” if you buy from your local merchants. Maybe you are just a good citizen.
“I find I have a great lot to learn – or unlearn. I seem to know far too much and this knowledge obscures the really significant facts, but I am getting on.” – Charles Rennie Mackintosh
