You and I have enough decisions to make in the polling booth today. Still, I really wish the ballot contained one more question.

“Should Lawrence add another half-cent to its sales tax to fund a youth sports complex?” That’s hypothetical. Maybe a quarter of a cent would be enough, or perhaps a full cent would be necessary.

Not that all the money would have to come from city taxes. Corporate help would be mandatory, and the school district would have to become involved, too.

As far as I’m concerned, Lawrence’s luster is diminished by its lack of a showcase youth sports complex.

Olathe’s two sports facilities are Taj Mahals. So are the two Shawnee Mission football stadiums. And the Blue Valley complex is a jaw-dropper. Even Topeka, that bastion of bad public high school football, now has Hummer Sports Complex.

Where do the Lawrence High and Free State High football teams play? At the 23rd Street Goat Ranch, aka Haskell Stadium. The grass field at HINU is so badly chewed up and so hard that no self-respecting buffalo would roam there.

You won’t hear school district officials complain about Haskell’s field, however, because they don’t want to offend HINU officials and perhaps have the welcome mat withdrawn. Then again, that’s probably not likely with the school district paying $3,000 every time the Lions or Firebirds play there and Haskell usually strapped for funds.

Not that the entire Haskell Stadium experience is enthralling, not with the absence of rest rooms or concessions on the south side, most of the parking on grass and an overall feeling of gradual decay.

A new artificial surface would do wonders for aging Haskell Stadium. Reportedly, a soft-drink company is ready to foot much of the cost, with the rest coming from a handful of tribal-based casinos. But even if Haskell Stadium does eventually have artificial turf, Lawrence needs more than just a football field. The city needs soccer and softball fields, too.

A group that bills itself as PLAY (Partners for Lawrence Athletics and Youth) started the ball rolling about a year ago. PLAY has the attention of the city, county and school district. All three entities have agreed to help fund a study to examine the needs and options for a multi-use sports complex.

“It’s going very well,” said Bonnie Lowe, one of the PLAY organizers and a former Lawrence mayor. “We’re having a coaches’ meeting this week, and we plan to have an open public meeting in a couple of months.”

Where the complex would be built, assuming enough money is raised, hasn’t been determined. I don’t have to tell you Lawrence land is pricey. I’d love to see the complex on the northwest corner of Sixth and Wakarusa, but I also realize the city needs the property taxes that will be generated by Wal-Mart or whatever winds up there.

An ideal location would be the old Farmland Industries Inc. fertilizer plant out east on K-10. Questions about ground toxicity, however, may keep that land dormant for a long time.

Maybe someday – Lowe says she hopes within three years – we’ll see a youth multi-use sports complex in Lawrence. I sure hope it’s that soon.