Quality of Life

A few weeks ago, I posted my priorities as I began my campaign for a seat on the Barstow City Council.  These priorities include Quality of Life, Economic Security, Public Safety, and Economic Development.  In this essay, I will touch upon Quality of Life issues. 

Quality of Life has to do with the livability and appearance of our community, how we feel about Barstow, and the amenities that make life enjoyable.  Safety also plays a role in Quality of Life issues, but I will address safety later.  Over the years, we have seen many of our community amenities close and sit idle, buildings and land became vacant.  Paint peeled, weeds grew, and our community spirit declined.

Many will point to the good days.  The days when we had an indoor swim center, a golf course, a bowling alley, and a skating rink.  Some became too costly to maintain, others were privately owned and did not make a profit.  Regardless of the reason, with each loss our community self esteem took a hit.  Over time, the overall appearance of our community has reflected our shared community depression.

Part of the answer to turning this around, to improving the quality of life in Barstow, is in our hands as individuals.  We have to accept responsibility for keeping our property clean and maintained.  We need to support local business and facilities with our dollars and attendance, and we have to put that defeated attitude behind us.  Progress is built on positive action fueled by positive thought.  Success is never the product of a negative outlook.  We must look forward, optimistic that we can change what is or we will continue to be anchored to the past.

There have been discussions at City Hall about seeking grants to turn the swim center building into a useable facility again.  Unfortunately, we have to accept it will never be a swim center again.  An indoor swim center is just too costly to maintain.  This building can instead be turned into a multi-purpose facility, one that can provide a variety of activities for the community and serve as a location for special events.  We will have to focus on finding a funding source so we can bring life to this aging structure and turn it into a place that fills a community need and serves to engage our youth in positive activities.

Is seems the City can always find money for a study or to hire a consultant, but when was the last time City Hall did something to make life better?  I am not talking about roads or sewers, those are the ordinary things that government should do, it is kind of like parents buying food and clothes, it is expected.  I am talking about something over and above, like expanding and enhancing our swimming pool.  I propose we add slides, waterfalls, water cannons, and other similar features to make the pool a more engaging and fun place.

We can build rock-climbing walls, a paintball course, or reopen the BMX track.  All fun features aimed at providing family friendly activities to keep our kids engaged and out of trouble.   If we replace that always torn pavilion cover at the Sportspark with a metal building, it could provide a place for indoor soccer, basketball, or serve as a location for larger community events.  It could even become the new home for the annual rock and gem show so we can protect the gym floor at the community center and keep it open for recreation.  This is not intended as a list of must do items, but rather a suggestion of items we can consider as part of a community discussion.  Funding will be a challenge, but there are options we can consider.

I cannot promise these things in the next one or two years or even the next five.  However, I can promise this, if we do not get started, nothing will change.  We need to pull together as a community, each doing our part-- recognizing we have a long journey ahead.  The sooner we get started, the sooner we can see progress and the sooner we can turn past disappointments into a brighter future.