Something has gotten into Amarillo’s leadership.
It’s gotten a bit bolder of late. Timidity no longer seems to be an option.
Consider the Amarillo Recreation Center bond issue on the ballot next month. The city wants to build a massive sports complex in the southeast section of town. It’ll cost $38 million or so to construct. A citizens group is pledging to raise $6 million of it from private donations and say it’s about halfway there.
http://www.connectamarillo.com/news/story.aspx?id=956835#.UldHwkoo6t8
I was a bit slow to catch up to this story, but the plan as I understand it looks sound.
William Ware and Trevor Caviness, two young men whose families have extensive business backgrounds in Amarillo, visited the Rotary Club of Amarillo this past week and made their pitch.
My favorite line came from Caviness, who said the bond issue would tack on 25 cents per $100 valuation to homes in Amarillo, meaning that the owner of a $100,000 home would pay an additional $25 annually in property taxes. “That’s about the cost of two large pizzas,” Caviness said.
I’m always intrigued at the metaphors people come up with to make large expenses seem so affordable.
In reality, though, the ARC seems like a good deal for the city.
Ware said Amarillo is losing a lot of tournament business to other cities with athletic complexes comparable to what’s being pitched for Amarillo. The ARC will contain fast-pitch softball fields, soccer fields, an indoor swimming complex, dressing rooms … all of it.
Plus, it will be next to two municipal golf courses, meaning that if your kids and/or your spouse want to use the ARC, you can take your clubs to the first tee and play a round of golf.
Ware noted that the ARC will be good for business. It will bring people here from elsewhere; they’ll spend money in Amarillo, generating sales tax revenue that helps fuel City Hall’s maintenance and operations budget — and presumably helps keep Amarillo’s municipal property tax among the lowest in the state.
I am persuaded that the ARC is worth building.