Alternatives: Proposals For Local Governments Struggling With Limited Resources
Alternatives: Proposals For Local Governments Struggling With Limited Resources
In the fall of 1994, the Harry Singer Foundation invited a limited number, of mostly small-town schools, to take part in a pilot program. Students were required to find ways to stretch the resources of local government and make services more responsive to the desires of citizens. The Foundation hopes to gradually add larger communities, and offer categories for innovative state and national projects.
Volunteers at the Foundation narrowed the entries to 22. They were then edited and sent to the National Center for Financial Education in San Francisco, California, where they were reduced to five. These five were then forwarded to a consultant and former-public official in Minnesota who has been in the forefront of the reinventing government movement; the innovative mayors of Indianapolis and Houston, 12 governors, two former-governors and two members of the United States Congress. Many had the help of staff, but all read the proposals and expressed an interest in what these young people had to say.
The final entries are reproduced on the following pages, just as they were seen by the reviewers at the National Center for Financial Education in San Francisco. Across from each paper we reveal the school and participants, information that was kept from judges.
This project was a logical extension of our continuing Responsibility and White Hat programs. Over the years, through student submissions and other sources, we have collected stories of good-things going on around the country, in both the public and private sectors. These inspirational examples have been accessible to anyone with a computer and a modem since the fall of 1993.
Fourth PlaceTeacher
Students
Reed Langdon
Doug Heckart
Deanne Heckart
Nicole Hughes
Kimberly Blinn
Jennifer Lynch
Cary Richardson
Katie Seifert
Michelle Knutson
Angel Lundeen
Justin Thomas
Jeremy Riley
Jamee Nerdin
Michael Lane
Tom Sheffield
Angela Whitledge
Mary Giles
Benjamin Tilley
Recreation Center
Driving through Harrisburg you might not notice much of a town. A few small stores line its main street with kids walking here and there.Harrisburg is like any other small town with budget problems and people always complaining about too much or not enough growth. The fact of the matter is Harrisburg is one of those growing communities and with growth comes the need for recreation for its people.
The Activity
[This class sent details concerning their polling and decision process separately, so it is not included in their essay.]
The Project
Our senior class proposes a new recreation center in Harrisburg catering to every age. It would give teenagers something to do which in turn might reduce crime and create a real sense of community for the large population of senior citizens. It would bring pride to our small town and help with growth and the economy. The recreation center would have a supervised play area for younger children, video games, dunk hoops and batting cages for teens, racquetball and pool tables for the middle aged and bingo nights for senior citizens.
The recreation center would take up approximately 20,000 square feet and cost an estimated $2,150,000 to build, with two stories providing handicap accessibility, something required by law. The batting cages, racquetball court, dunk courts and the supervised play area for younger children will be located on the first floor. The racquetball court will take up the second floor area as well. Also on the first floor will be a large snack bar and eating room which will also be used for senior bingo and can be reserved for birthday parties or other special events. Restrooms will be located on both the first and second floors. The elevator (required for handicap accessibility) and stairs (for fire safety) will take you to the second floor. The second floor is where all of the arcade games, pool tables, and air hockey tables will be located. There will also be a smaller snack bar here. The land where the center is located will also include a paved parking lot.
Incentives and Disincentives
We have come encountered some problems concerning permits and inspectors. The governmental process of creating and building a new business is long and may create a lot of resistance to the recreation center. Purchasing the needed land for the recreation center might also be a problem. The spot chosen for the center is located on farmland near the town center but not directly downtown.
Now the inevitable and important question: where do we find the money to fund this project? . There are of course the regular routes taken by a town when they need funding such as applying for grants and starting a donation program. Corporations and private citizens could take a tax deduction for their donations to our project. As a further incentive, a plaque might be hung in a designated area commemorating the generosity of all donors. However, there are more creative paths. If the town owns the center, taxes would be saved. For instance, declaring the lot where the center is located a recreation district would change the tax base and decrease any taxes the center would have to pay. Likewise the cost of the land may be reduced if the land owner can be persuaded to sell at a discount because of the great benefit to the community. The difference of his original price versus what he sold it to us for may be a tax write-off as a donation.
After the recreation center is built, the revenue received from the admission fees rental fees and games will help pay for some of the initial costs and maintenance. There will also be merchandise store and snack bar: hopefully profitable. Fees could be charged for advertisements of other businesses, such as fast food restaurants and sporting goods that would adorn the walls throughout the center. The recreation center will be a non-profit organization and as soon as the costs of construction, equipment and maintenance are paid for, any revenue left will be returned to the community for other projects to better our town.
We also anticipate revenue coming in from bordering communities because our center will be the only one located within 20 miles or more. That is why we also propose surveying the people using the recreation center to see where they live and ask for money from the towns where the majority of the people are coming from to help pay for the service our town is providing for the members of their town.
After the recreation center is up and running there will be a need for employees to run the admission counter, snack bar, to apportion time and charge for the rental of the different courts, to supervise the young children's play area and to clean and maintain the center. We could cut a lot of costs by using volunteers. Recruiting volunteers among the large senior population would not only save money but also give the seniors a sense of worth in the community. You could also seek volunteers among people of other age groups and offer discounts or free admissions for so many hours volunteered.
Conclusion
In the surveys that our class conducted around town, the majority of the people requested new business and/or some sort of recreation center. "Our town is dead!" commented one female senior citizen. Our proposed recreation center would give our community just what it needsÑsome new incentive for growth and a much needed facility for long-time residents. Back