I am inclined to support a bond issue proposal heading for the Amarillo municipal ballot on Nov. 5, but a question comes to mind about the proposed Amarillo Recreation Center.

Is the city going to compete head-to-head with a private health club for business?

The Amarillo Town Club at 45th Avenue and Cornell Street has a large swimming pool where swimmers from Amarillo Independent School District’s four public high schools practice. AISD pays the Town Club a fee, which of course creates a nice revenue stream for the business. I asked someone this morning at the Town Club whether the firm would lose business to the city if the ARC is built, given that it, too, will include pools where athletes can train.

The kids have to be members of the Town Club, my friend/Town Club employee told me. They could retain their membership even if the ARC lures the students to the new facility, so the Town Club wouldn’t lose the membership revenue.

But, she said, the Town Club could lose revenue if the school district no longer pays the business the fee for sending the kids there to practice.

The ARC would cost about $36 million. It’s going to include a lot more than just swimming pools. It will have fields where athletes can play softball, baseball, soccer, football … you name it. Private interests are working to raise about $6 million of that total to offset the cost to taxpayers. It could mean the city can attract tournaments that bring visitors to the city, who then will spend money and give the city a boost in sales tax revenue.

I still consider the ARC to be a good investment for the city. This notion of a public entity competing with a private business, though, may be something to ponder.