On October 1, the Jackson/Teton County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board wrote the following letter to Town and County elected officials in support of the complete construction of the Rec Center expansion.
Dear County Commission, Town Councilors, and Staff.
We, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, are writing in support of the complete construction of the Recreation Center expansion as voted on and funded via the 2019 SPET, commented on by the public via the August 2021 open house, and presented by Steve Ashworth, Parks and Recreation Director, to us on 9/29/2021.
We do not support reduction in programing that goes against the voters’ wishes and offers minimal potential cost savings.
We urge you to explore all additional funding sources to cover the SPET budget shortfalls and to understand that programming like the climbing gym and splash pad are investments that are revenue generating.
This expansion has been a long time coming and we are poised to have a facility with a 50-year life span to serve our community and visitors. The economic situation following the 2019 SPET process was not anticipated, but we are confident that the budget shortfall can be overcome, and we should not shortchange ourselves now.
Thank you for your consideration, and please contact us with any questions.
Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
Frank Lane, Board Chair