To the editor:
There are two local issues that have been running around in my head lately. The first is the proposed Career Technical Education (CTE) Center. The Nov. 21 Community News Brief article described the current state of the project, along with what has been agreed upon, and what sticking points remain.
It is great that the Macomb School District and Spoon River College have been working closely to coordinate efforts to bring this worthwhile project to fruition. While I understand Dr. Twomey’s concerns about transportation, I believe the better location would be the SRC campus on East Jackson Street. This site has greater visibility for anyone passing through town. Parking and traffic flow would also be much safer at this location. The high school traffic at certain times each day is already backed up at Grant Street.
More importantly, the CTE Center will feel more like a regional adult education and skills enhancement center at the college. It would be hard to shake the feeling that the center is mostly geared toward local high school students on the MHS campus.
The second topic I fret about is the huge sports facility being proposed. The cost is staggering, and it will only benefit a small percent of our population. The financial return to the community will be slow as we spent decades trying to pay off this 60-million-dollar debt.
Before we contemplate spending such an exorbitant sum, we should ask ourselves what else we could do with a large investment that would bring visitors to town. One project is a public indoor, yearround swimming pool with water slides, etc. built primarily for recreation, but could host swim meets alone, or in conjunction with the YMCA or high school.
Secondly, I would love to see the city or park district restore the roller rink on the west end of town. There isn’t another rink within 50 miles of Macomb, and we have a dearth of recreational facilities for youth (of all ages) in our town. I spent every Friday night at a roller rink in my youth and took my sons frequently when the rink was open.
Climbing walls and trampoline parks are also popular. The closest ones I know of are in Peoria and Quincy, respectively.
Another suggestion is to prioritize building a few miles of bicycle trails, which draw families from miles around who are searching for a safe place to ride with their kids off of the roads. They have become a tremendous tourism draw in many communities.
After hosting my 9- and 11-year-old grandsons for the holidays, the acute need for recreation facilities has become even more obvious to me.
I would love to hear suggestions from others. The city council is preparing to vote on the sports complex in January. Please contact council members to let them know how you feel about taking on 60 million in debt. Once this path is chosen, we won’t have much money for other projects for many years.
Jamie Lane Macomb
