3. Youth Facilities                                                      Home Page

     There are a number of organizations and individuals trumpeting the need for RPV open space but few public figures who standup for a much more important resource - our youth. Those who do usually toil in obscurity with little or no support from the city or the above noted groups.

     The "Open Space Planning and Recreation and Parks Task Force" includes an Athletics Subcommittee. They have been assembling data on the facility needs of softball, football, soccer and basketball. There are also baseball and now lacrosse teams/leagues.

     The basic guidelines include the requirement to find funding as well as convince the competing interests and city council that sites such as Lower Vicente should actually be dedicated to sports fields. When and if this is done it then will take several years to implement the plan.

     An additional need is a youth center perhaps on the city hall site in a format that allows different age groups to gather at different times with different recreational/entertainment formats. This has to be done with youth inputs to be successful if we want to encourage them to stay on the Hill instead of finding their "entertainment" in areas that are miles away.

     Our priorities are out of whack. If we can spend thousands of dollars on video conferencing, government overhead such as new Council Chambers and the purchase of land instead of on our youth we are selling out the future.

I will replace the vacuum at city hall with the leadership that makes youth facilities the highest priority after safety and infrastructure.

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