If they don’t fund it, will it come?, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune).
Mayor Doug England is supporting it, but the New Albany City Council could throw New Albany Township Little League a curveball as it pertains to building a new baseball and softball complex.
New Albany is a state of mind … but whose? Since 2004, we’ve been observing the contemporary scene in this slowly awakening old river town. If it’s true that a pre-digital stopped clock is right twice a day, when will New Albany learn to tell time?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Open thread: Think of it as our local version of the hot stove league.
Where does New Albany Township Little League's hope for a new baseball complex fit, in the sense of many competing funding requests (and fund drives) locally?
Simply put, we need it.
ReplyDeleteWhat we dont need is to tear up more green space when we have empty strip malls that have been that way for a decade that could be transformed.
I think this "need" is much like beauty being in the eye of the beholder. When one looks around this town, there is much in the way of infrastructure improvements that are needed, there is much in the way of public safety that is needed, there is much in the way of more efficient government (like, say, getting tax bills out on time) that is needed and so on. If I'm going to choose between better ambulance service and appropriate levels of police and fire protection versus a bigger baseball complex, it's a no brainer. If I'm going to choose between better health care for the needy and a new little league setup, it's a no brainer. If I have to choose between adequate storm and wastewater management and a field of dreams, again it's an easy decision. And, let it be clear that I have no problem with increased taxes to properly provide for the citizens of New Albany and Floyd County. However, until we can get the basics under control, it's my opinion that this sort of expenditure is a luxury that we cannot afford. Supporting it is one thing. Paying for it is another. We cannot.
ReplyDeleteThe proposed funding mechanism for the baseball/softball complex is EDIT. In general, EDIT should not be used for police and fire protection, ambulance service, health care, stormwater and sewage systems, etc.
ReplyDeleteIt shouldn't be a choice between the ball fields and those things. Those things should be covered by usage and tax rates.
It should be a choice between ball fields and other potential economic development activities.
The longer we continue to artificially and temporarily subsidize everyday services with EDIT sans economic development, the longer we'll not have the requisite tax base to sustainably support them.
"It shouldn't be a choice between the ball fields and "those things". "Those things" should be covered by usage and tax rates." bluegill
ReplyDeleteBut, in reality it is a choice, if you are talking about tax money, wherever it's originates.
$16 million+ for little league. Great, if you pay for it and it's recurring costs to the community are at least not negative. Who would not support that?
But what the little people with their hands on the purse here can't fathom I guess, is that the country is going through a pretty serious "de-leveraging" at the moment and for some years ahead. There will probably be less tax revenue, not more ahead. Are we not currently trying to close a budget overdraft for 2009?
So I'm a resident and tax payer who is chronically annoyed that the people who still have jobs, at good salaries & benefits, people employed by local government, who aren't completely "all-hands-on-deck" looking for ways to cut spending, to create efficiencies in their operations, to reorganize and technologize, and while they're at it - retrain their reduced workforce for the 21st century.
I mean, with our crumbling city and third world labor pool, I think the gov't has way tooo much on it's plate. Government Out of Economic Development!!
It's starting to make me think local gov't is Totally a side-show. Three rings of drunken bar-fighting ghetto resource grabbing BS.
another baseball facility?! i know i'll be flamed for this, but the last thing this town needs is another ball field.
ReplyDeletehow about something original...say a BMX track, or cycling park... Louisville is getting ready to have another huge cycling event dec. 27,28 and 29...we're (NBL.org) is bringing in people from all over the country to stay in hotels, eat out over the span of 3 nights...just saying...new albany could so easily step in and be a host if they wanted to..if they'd actually listen when a professional cyclist tells them they can do it...then again, i'm sure the tattoo's and "outside the box" ideas don't really mesh with status quo...
Tommy, I like the idea of a track. There are about 60 acres that are usable at the location being considered. I am not sure how much space is needed for a track, but according to what I have seen there is plenty of space left to be developed.
ReplyDeleteIf this complex does not happen, then the property will be developed into apartments. We can do better than that.
am i biased to BMX...you bet your buster browns i am. of course we can do better Daniel! the $64,000 question of the day is, "Will we do the right thing?"
ReplyDeletesince living here, i've approached the mayor and others about developing a BMX track, or some sort of cycling park. it's time to stop hiding behind the guise of "liability, blah blah blah..."
here's a little video of BMX for ya..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6JseNu1i7I