What an exciting time to live in Clarendon!
Opportunities seem to keep cropping up at a consistent pace, and then last week the announcement came that a benefactor wants our city to have some type of water recreation facility. (See full story here.)
Such an enormously generous thing does not happen every day. One half of a million dollars is the offer to our fair city… if we can match it.
Even successfully matched, the community will still have work to do to make the dream of generations come true. Can we possibly have a swimming pool or, even more fantastic, a water park? The answer is simply “yes” if Clarendon will pull together.
In meetings, visioning workshops, and conversations for the last 20 years at least, people have always listed a pool – and more recently a splash pad – as something that would be an asset to Clarendon, something that would enhance the quality of life for families and visitors here. Of course, money has always been a stumbling block. How would you ever pay for such a facility; and if you got it built, how would you pay to operate it?
But now comes someone who believes in Clarendon… someone who we’re told isn’t from Clarendon and yet has an interest in Clarendon. That’s a pretty big interest at $500,000!
As city leaders have been quick to point out, nothing is finalized at this point. No checks have been written, no contracts have been signed, and nothing is absolute. A soon to be formed steering committee will take charge of many questions that still have to be answered. Where will it be? What will it be? How much will it cost? Will be people support it? And most importantly, will people give to it?
We need contributions of all amounts… from 25 cents to $250,000. There is room for everyone to give something, and every penny will add up.
Consider the benefits of such a facility. Number one, increased quality of life. The age old “there’s nothing for kids to do here” will finally be addressed. Kids not only from Clarendon and Donley County will have something to do, but kids from surrounding towns can also have something to do.
And think of the business that will come with those visitors. Wellington, in less than 60 days this season, drew 14,000 visitors with 70 percent of them from out of town! Just imagine an extra 14,000 people coming down Kearney Street during the summer months to get to a water park of some kind. What a boost that could be for local merchants and restaurants, and in turn a boost for our city’s sales tax revenues!
And better yet, research being done by the city into other communities that have built water parks is showing that such projects can actually be self-sustaining. In other words, done right, a water facility can bring in enough revenue in gate fees, concessions, and rentals to meet its expenses.
Surely, no other project at this time can hold such a broad appeal as a water park or swimming pool. We have the potential to do something special as a town, working arm in arm with each other to make Clarendon a better place to live, work, and play.
Our benefactor has given us a great opportunity… a great challenge… to pull together as friends and neighbors and businesses and organizations for the sake of our community.
As Clarendon’s oldest business, The Enterprise accepts the challenge and offers to do its part to help get the ball rolling. This newspaper will commit $2,000 to this project in the next 12 months and asks our fellow businesses to meet or exceed our contribution.
This is something our families want. It is something our community desires. And it is something our economy needs.
Let us roll up our sleeves, set ourselves to the task at hand, and tell our benefactor, “Challenge accepted.”
Editor’s Note: If you want to make a commitment to this project, contact City Administrator David Dockery at 806-874-3438
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