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Reality_Check (Anonymous) says…

How does this help the vast majority of citizens who don't participate in organized sports? Do we really have the money to do such a large project?

DonQuipunch (Anonymous) says…

That's okay, Reality. I'm sure we'll recoup the costs with another tax so we can pay our teachers or fix our streets.

merrill (Anonymous) says…

“However, most, if not all, of that cost can be financed using money the district will save on watering, mowing and fertilizing the existing natural turf.” That is not being realistic.
Where is the money to build the facility is the first place?

What about the mercury health risks associated with bogus turf?

Then again what about the carcinogenic risks from fertilizers and herbicides?

Then again what about the risks to young peoples knees and joints from high impact sports? Shouldn't some discussion be devoted to this serious matter? Basketball,football and track are hard on the body. Look at the surgeries that take place.

It is rather surprising that low impact sports such as swimming is not highlighted way more. Can't swimmers be heroes too?

What about cycling competition in the high schools? Can't cyclists be heroes too? Is Lawrence not declared a bicycle city?

The money left over from a 2005 bond issue for capital improvements should never have been considered for athletics. This concern was voiced before the bond issue was approved.

Yep one version of PLAY after another.
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A new USD 497 wellnss director has been hired. So why not develop wellness/fitness centers in each school complete with ellipitical cross trainers? This could be done for less money and less driving around. Also would be in existing neighborhoods. This type of plan would require millions upon millions fewer dollars.

Have unisex wellness/fitness classes or separate classes which ever. Much of this could begin at home which I know some are doing.

merrill (Anonymous) says…

I'm all for expanding tourism through existing resources not with new multi million dollar structures and certainly not attached to the USD 497 budget.

FrankDrebin (Anonymous) says…

Merrill, why don't we all just lock ourselves in a plastic bubble? That would be the answer to all your concerns about people's health.

jrlii (Anonymous) says…

I don't mind if the sports loons build a new stadium, just don't ask me to pay for it!

If they can raise the $20,000,000 or thereabouts in private money to build their dream facility, more power to 'em, but you won't find me on their list of donors.

I figure that when the schools are having a budget crunch, the best place to cut is in football and basketball, 'cause voluntary donations are more apt to cover the cuts than anywhere else.

Why is it that the band and orchestra programs need to have regular fundraising drives, but I've never heard of a bake sale for football? I figure that means that either football is getting too much of a tax subsidy, or music isn't getting enough!

flyin_squirrel (Anonymous) says…

Merrill,
Ever hear the saying “It is better to be quiet and let people assume you are stupid than open your mouth and remove all doubt”…

Take_a_letter_Maria (Anonymous) says…

jrlii (Anonymous) says…
Why is it that the band and orchestra programs need to have regular fundraising drives, but I've never heard of a bake sale for football? I figure that means that either football is getting too much of a tax subsidy, or music isn't getting enough!
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When was the last time you paid to see a band or orchestra program at the school?

I'm not saying admission is covering the cost for fb and bb, but that gate fee is roughly the equivalent of the fine arts fundraisers.

For the record, one of my kids plays in band and sings in chorale the other plays in orchestra and sings in the men's choir.

jumpin_catfish (Anonymous) says…

This will end up costing the tax payers it always does. Their hand is reaching toward your wallet and there is little we can do about it. Wait see!

stuckinthemiddle (Anonymous) says…

Cool
Exactly…

the lack of considerations for civil engineering and other concerns in effected areas are typical for big projects here in Lawrence…

the go-getters in this town are notorious for putting the cart before the horse…
and in the end… the rest of us end up paying for it…

JackRipper (Anonymous) says…

Well actually, Take_a_letter_Maria, just last weekend. $6 a ticket for a Junior High chorale performance.

JackRipper (Anonymous) says…

Couldn't child wellness be accomplished on a daily bases by making the street safe enough for them to walk or ride their bikes to school and elsewhere? The experts say just walking is all the real exercise a person needs. This just smells a lot like repackaged PLAY and has nothing to do with the majority of kids and their health but only about the elite sports of the chosen few. I don't believe the answer has to be organized sports if the end result is getting the majority of kids to move.

Sounds like at least we are starting to find an Alfred Bromelsick in Bill Self. Let's see if more of the movers and shakers in this town are willing to step up to Alfred's example.

stuckinthemiddle (Anonymous) says…

cool
I understand what you're talking about… I don't live far from this area…
people are going to get the chance to speak up about these things… but still… these people with the big ideas ignore this kind of stuff because they don't believe it is their problem…

and… when folks do bring up these concerns they will be labeled killjoys… or whacky-anti-progress-leftists…
when all they want is to keep their homes from flooding…

moderationman (Anonymous) says…

First lets address some of Merrill's irational concerns:

Sports are much harder on females, soccer, basketball, gymnastics, track and field, etc than they are on males. It's a physiological thing. Impact has little to do with it. As currently used, it is likely more dangerous to continue to use second rate facilitites than to build new ones. The issue is why wasn't it done long ago when it would have cost substantially less?

Fine arts, and wellness, ie athletics are always the first on the chopping block even though study after study shows that students who participate do better academically as well. So in reality, this is an investment in our youth. An investment that should have been made years ago. Even Manhattan has better facilities. It's called CICO Park. CICO is an acronym for CIty - COunty, ie, paid for by all taxpayeer not just the school district. What a concept, but apparently not here in Lawrence and Douglas County.

my2girls (Anonymous) says…

JackRipper says
Well actually, Take_a_letter_Maria, just last weekend. $6 a ticket for a Junior High chorale performance
________________________________
Those performances are all fundraisers for the choral departments for each school. The Jr. Highs have their Variety shows and LHS has Showtime and LFSH has Encore. I believe LFSH still sells fruit but LHS has a Gala for their music department fundraiser. These fundraisers are all very important to these departments. Band instruments are very expensive as are orchestra instruments and choir music. I have gladly paid this fee to see these outstanding kids perform and will continue to support them long after my child is out of high school.
And for the record my child is also in Chorale and in Band.

Now about the new projected athletic facilities, they are long over due. Haskell is the PITS!

Take_a_letter_Maria (Anonymous) says…

Jack when was the last time you paid to see a band or orchestra performance was the question.

I too attended West's Spring Show as well as Encore at FSHS and Showtime at LHS. I was glad to pay for each one of these performances.

In addition to these, I have been to Free State's year-end vocal music and orchestra programs within the last two weeks. I didn't pay any admission for those performances. I also didn't pay to go to the combined band performance at West the week before their Spring show.

I will answer the question of when I last paid to see the band perform, I attended a marching competition last fall that I paid admission to, but that didn't benefit either LHS or FSHS. In fact the schools had to pay in order to participate.

Yes, all of these activities could use some additional funding, but that doesn't mean the district shouldn't take advantage of some outside help with a sports project when it presents itself. PLAY is not going backdoor on anyone. They went straight to the city commission and the school board when they were first formed. It took about a year, some major embarrassment this past fall playing in a mud pit at Haskell, and a raise in the per use rate for the district to realize that there could be a better solution out there. Haskell Stadium, Ice Field, YSI and the soccer and baseball fields at FSHS are all substandard. It's something that, like it or not, is inevitable so why not take whatever help you can get?

JackRipper (Anonymous) says…

I'd rather see the extra bond money used for the elementary schools which will be next. I'd rather see all our kids active by just by making it safer for them to walk or ride their bikes. Organized sports are fine but seems it isn't good enough to just play sports now we can't get muddy playing football.

I think it is interesting how the guys playing cricket use to play where the student rec center is now and then moved to where the new practice fields are now. It is nice to see people play a sport because they love it and can make do with what they have. Seems to be more about money now. Guys played even though they didn't have state of the art facilities.

It's too bad that in a town with two stadiums which are hardly used (and now two practice fields) that we can't share.

stuckinthemiddle (Anonymous) says…

cool
understood…