I know the traditional way has been for schools to have their own sports facilities. However, more communities similar to Enid are re-thinking how they do their public facilities. Building a community center or a sports facility or event a health center costs in the millions of dollars. Many communities have to do bond issues (school or city) to build those things. More communities are thinking outside the box and working together as public-public partnerships or public-private partnerships. For example, Ponca City just built a fabulous new YMCA -- with sales tax money. The city and the YMCA partnered together to do the project. As communities like Enid face problems with aging school or community facilities, it just makes sense to work together to provide new and state-of-the art facilities with one-time sales tax or bond money instead of both entities going to the same community tax well, often for duplicate purposes.

The Ponca City school system just updated their high school gymnasium in the past two years. There are few communities in Oklahoma that utilize facilities other than those that are part of the school system for school activities.

Just curious: how you would have voted if the school bond issue had included a $10-15 million indoor sports facility?

At least we woulda got a chance to vote..... Zing!!!!

Most facilities of this type are built for less than 5 million. McCalester built one in 2008 for less than 2 million. Cherokee has one in the works for less than 1 million. We have one in town already constructed that for less than $500,00 could be a facility except for the fact that the school district said they didn't want it. We did get an unnecessary turf job at the football stadium for nearly 1 million so that those few who pushed the project could keep up with the "Jenks'". That million would have gone a long way toward a basketball facility.

OK, I always estimate high. So, say $5 million had been in the school bond issue for an indoor sports facility. How would you have voted?

quote:

Originally posted by ENE Editor:
OK, I always estimate high. So, say $5 million had been in the school bond issue for an indoor sports facility. How would you have voted?

Yes for the kids.

I personally couldn't care less about EPS getting a new place to play basketball. I was also against the turf. It a waste of educational funds. Think about that for a second. They paid $1 million for fake grass. For gosh darned football field. Meanwhile, a high school teacher friend of mine recently told me that when Usama bin Ladin was killed, he had a couple of kids in class that had no idea who he was. Seriously. Yep. Let's spend that money on fake grass or a stupid field house. Damn the education so long as the kids can play hoops and play on that fancy turf.

The argument about spending money on sports facilities vs. academics is an old one. A lot of people simply refuse to see the benefit of having quality athletic facilities for schools. They don't understand the economic benefit of having quality sports facilities. That is why it is very difficult to get a bond issue passed for sports facilities in towns like Enid. So, Enid has to come up with another way -- another idea.

Would the taxpayers of Enid have stepped up and voted a bond issue for David Allen Memorial Ballpark? We all know the answer to that; however, having that facility in town has brought in a lot of tournaments and has gotten us two consecutive contracts for the NCAA II Junior World College Series? That facility is very much a private-public partnership and is benefiting the community.

I can see why the city wants to try to duplicate that success with an event center. The Enid district has already said it plans to be the primary tenant of that building during basketball season. We don't know what other kinds of benefits will follow; but, we do have a track record with David Allen ballpark.

As a football and track coach of nearly 20 years experience, I have a great respect for athletic facilities for primary through secondary schools and the benefit to the students involved. The city of Enid and the schools here are very fortunate to have the David Allen ball park. But as the ENE editor wrote, it is a private facility and is maintained as such. It is doubtful that the public school system would be able bear the cost of maintaining it if it belonged to them. I do not know the particulars of scheduling games there especially to costs involved. It is already evident that the city owned Convention Hall was to some extent vacated by the school system prior to the ADA injunction because of increased usage fees. There are few public facilities in Oklahoma utilized for athletic events except for those involving state championship tournaments. Taft stadium, in OKC might be city owned. If so then it has been in use longer than Convention Hall since there were high school football games played there before Convention Hall was utilized by EHS. It is still being utilized in that capacity.
Before jumping on this downtown arena as a solution, it would be wise to ascertain in advance the fees necessary to hold athletic events there. It might be more financially circumspect to put such monies into a school owned facility.

The EPS superintendent has been in on the planning and discussions regarding the costs to use the facility. I'm sure he has an idea of what it will cost for EPS to use the facility.

There may be an amount of trade-off as well. As for David Allen, the school does do some maintenance on that facility as part of their agreement for the use of it. Bill Mayberry does a lot of the management of the facility, and even though he is retired as athletic director, he still works for the school district. So, I would imagine there would be a few items worked out -- rent money, maintenance help and possibly even management help? I'm sure those are all things that could be discussed and negotiated between the district and the city.

You speak a lot about the Academics v. Sports issue but riddle me this riddle me that, whose going to be the ones who push America into better situations. Won't be the Foot Ball players. Not that i'm against exercise, to the contrary, but it seems to me this is a pandering for Enid to somehow gain more attention or such by raising someone with a football scholar ship or such going and going pro. Sports pays but really I prefer to know I lived in a town of a famous neuro-physician or even another astronaut than some foot ball player. I guess your priorities are skewed to one side vs another. Know where your loyalties do lie in-case the circumstances come up.

This is of course directed at the ENE editor, though this wont remain on long probably due to a fit of rage of deflation of ego.