Submitted by Ken Watts
There is a real need for the Island Park Community Center. There is no place in the Island Park area for larger groups to meet. The center could be used to host conventions that could provide great economic benefit to the area. There is a need for a facility that has excellent WiFi capability so that Zoom meetings could be hosted and the internet could be used during meetings. A fully functional kitchen is also needed to support events in the area and to support catering to events. The Center could host the Chamber of Commerce, the Historical Society, and a tourist information center. These uses would support business in the area and lead to an increase in lodging use. We can all recall the I Love Island Park event that got rained out last summer. If the area would have had a Community Center, the event could have proceeded as scheduled. There was an economic impact that could have been avoided and resulted in benefits to the area. This is just one example of how the area could have benefited. You can probably think of many other benefits. The benefits go far beyond the many obvious uses. The Center will provide a sense of pride in the area and a sense of community. The local control of the Center leads to this sense of pride. It will bring people together. There is evidence of this in other communities. Many of you can probably recall the Grange buildings of the past. These were gathering places for events and the discussion of issues important to the areas. There was music and dancing and so many enjoyable events. Many in the community have a deep sense of pride in the accomplishments of the Island Park Charter School. There could be the same sense of pride in the Community Center and a sense of identity. The Community Center would be controlled by people from the community for the benefit of the community. There are clearly factions that support the Center and factions that oppose the Center. We cannot ignore this fact. But maybe there is room for some sort of collaboration among the factions. Some do not like the proposed funding method (Community Center District) for the Community Center. Maybe it cuts into their bottom line or maybe it could actually bring in more revenue because of the events that would be sponsored. Perhaps a far greater threat to the bottom line of some businesses (including short term rentals) is the commercial development of the Henrys Lake Flats. Hundreds of new hotel rooms and condos would really cut into the bottom line of existing businesses. This development could have a profound negative effect on the current lodging owners. It could drive them out of business. There is the community faction that recognizes the need for the Community Center to support the area’s businesses and events. Could there be some give and take. People supporting the community center could oppose re-zoning the Henrys Lake Flats in exchange for support of the Community Center. Just a thought. Maybe a collaboration could be a win for all factions.
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May 2023
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