Dear editor,
I think you hit the nail on the head with your editorial about the new Rec Center being proposed by Allen Community College.
After the 2007 flood, a new rec center with an indoor pool was proposed by several people, and I believe if a citywide survey would have been done that year, maybe we would already have one and it would be 11 years old and used by many.
I went back through articles during that period and found one where an engineer from Shafer, Kline & Warren referred to the 30-acre Riverside Park as an inverse island, susceptible to flooding.
The Register article said, You can plan for the worst, but there will always be a rain of 2 inches more, said SKW engineer Michael Duffy, admitting that the parks low-lying location and being bordered by a river and a creek were significant handicaps.
From there, participants discussed building a swimming pool with year-round capabilities. Having it be a joint venture between Allen County Community College, the countys public schools, Allen County Hospital, and all of Allen County residents was brought up. Enabling all students to receive swimming instruction and participate in swim competitions was seen as a plus. Giving county residents year-round access to the physical and therapeutic benefits of water exercise was also mentioned.
Barbara Chalker, Iola Area Chamber of Commerce director, mentioned a physicians advice last year to use swimming to recuperate from double knee replacement surgery. But where could I go? she asked.
Just imagine the construction savings had we built an indoor rec center/pool back then instead of revisiting it 11 years later.
I would like to see more articles on this project and the countywide cooperation that is possible for a project like this. I see no reason that all three school districts in the county, ACC, the city and the county couldnt all share the costs.
Hopefully all the entities that could be involved will have meetings, and get all the public input possible to make this center a reality.
Eric BHymer,
Iola, Kan.
