One of the themes continuously brought up to support the new PLPOA Gymnasium project is the need for more facilities for kids – for all the commonly cited benefits of physical activity, and to have a safe place to go after school.
I don't think anyone disputes that kids are better off when staying active and that they need to be safe. But there is plenty of room for debate over whether the proposed gym is a suitable, much less the best, way to address those concerns.
The PLPOA board uses their unique power to email all members directly and to control comments at public meetings, in order to push the project they want. Those with opposing points of view are mainly left to fume on social media, because they are not given a platform within the PLPOA (other than the suggestion that they speak their mind at monthly general board meetings, where less than a dozen people are ever expected to hear them).
And so I hope to present here some alternative points of view. I set up this forum in part so that it could facilitate open discussions, rather than one-sided presentations. If others want to comment or create their own posts here, I hope they will be civil, but they are welcome to have their say.
Here are a few considerations:
- Do our youth specifically need a gym such as is being proposed?
- Is a private PLPOA Gym the best approach?
- Could the money be better spent on other youth projects?
The Need
I don’t have kids living with me and I’m not finely attuned to what activities our kids have available today. However, my ex-wife had 5 kids in the Pagosa school system. They all participated in sports. I don’t remember ever a time when there was a lack of something to do.
A quick look for youth-oriented projects in Pagosa brings up:
- The current PLOA Rec Center with a pool, gym, classes, racquetball courts and outdoor courts
- The PLPOA has an MOU with the county to develop a multi-purpose youth sports field that “shall be open to the general public for recreational use for a period of not less than thirty (30) years”
- Gyms at the elementary, middle and high schools.
- Playing fields operated by the school district.
- Presumably the schools still run after-school sports and clubs
- The Community Center has a multi-purpose gym and runs various youth sports:
Community Center Calendar,
Parks and Recreation Youth Programs
- The public library hosts programs for kids
- Centerpoint church hosts high school youth on Wednesdays for all the local churches, and Thursday they host middle school kids.
- The Forge offers a range of physical programs for toddlers up to adults
- 4H club
- Let’s not forget the kinds of activities that many have moved here for and are not dependent on special facilities or team organizations: walking, hiking, playing and socializing outdoors with friends, biking, camping, fishing, climbing, star gazing, snow shoeing, skiing downhill, cross country and snowboarding.
The Suitability
- The gym will be part of the PLPOA Rec Center and as such will restrict entry to the majority of Pagosa youth. Offering some rental time slots to outside teams is a pretty limited way to help Pagosa youth
- It has been presented that zero capital funds have been expended in recent years toward kid-specific facilities. But neither will the gym be specifically for kids. As mentioned above, the Rec Center has facilities available to kids now, and it is far from being the only resource in town.
- Only about 25% of PLPOA owners have kids
- The majority of Pagosa youth do not live in the PLPOA
- If the School District, Town and County (and/or the voters) have all rejected undertaking a similar project, why does the PLPOA believe it’s the best use of their funds?
- Spending millions of dollars on a gym, including taking over $800,000 away from capital and general funds, permanently eliminates those funds for use in other important projects.
Other Options
- I think it is misguided to focus on team sports, especially when these are already available in the town at various levels, and when the broader community and government entities have rejected building facilities to expand them.
- Rather than pushing more competitive sports, we could provide supervised activities that connect kids with our beautiful countryside – hiking, fishing, boating, archery, orienteering, survival skills, climbing, biking, snow shoeing, skiing etc.
- And what about programs for those who are not so physically inclined: STEM classes/projects, art, music, languages, etc.?
There are endless activities that could be developed for kids at a fraction of the cost and without waiting for a multi-million dollar project to be completed before they can get started.