To the editor:

Until I read Chris Taber’s letter to the editor July 3, I was starting to wonder if I was the only one who thinks the proposed recreation center is just plain nuts. Yes, some important people in town want it, but we don’t always get what we want, nor should we. However, we really need some very important things that are going to raise taxes a lot, like a $54 million sewage treatment plant and $30-$40 million for upgraded police facilities and additional manpower. These are not glamorous, but we won’t be able to get by without them. We’re already obligated to pay for the big, new library and Xanadu Stadium at Lawrence High, plus other ongoing obligations that make taxes high enough as it is. 

What if, sometime soon, Lawrence is hit by a big tornado or is in the path of a huge Colorado-type wildfire? Would there be enough money in city coffers to deal with such an emergency and help residents and the town rebuild? This stuff happens all around us.

I ask my fellow citizens and my city commissioners for wisdom and restraint when it comes to obligating all of us to pay for fancy buildings that somebody thinks would be a neat thing for Lawrence to have. I understand the city is already working with developers and has annexed the land for the rec center. I ask, PLEASE slow down and think.