By Howard Packowitz
BLOOMINGTON – A publicly-run recreation center for Bloomington is nothing more than a pipe dream until the city council decides it’s a priority and there’s money to pay for it.
City leaders are trying to dispel the notion that the council is ready to spend millions of dollars on a rec center or any of the projects recommended in a soon-to-be completed master parks plan.
At a public forum last week, Alderman Jamie Mathy sat with some residents hoping the city would build a second ice rink. At the same meeting, a local man said he was worried big ticket items like a rec center are a done deal.
Mathy said a parks and rec wish list will be balanced against other priorities.
“Ward 2, Ward 1, Ward 6, and Ward 7 have a tone of roads and sewers that need to get fixed,” said Mathy.
“For me, those are pretty high on my priority list is getting the sewers fixed, getting the roads fixed, getting the sidewalks fixed so people can get around,” the alderman also said.
The city is paying parks consultant GreenPlay almost $115,000 to host a now-completed series of public meetings and develop a master plan. GreenPlay is expected to report back to the city council in October.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at [email protected].
