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Highlands Today

Sports Complex

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Richard Duvigneaud

Published: June 2, 2008

I am writing in reference to an article in the Highlands Today, May 30: "The first chop of Highlands County's budget-cutting axe fell Thursday. It fell on the proverbial neck of Highlands County Sports Complex, manger Rocky Ellingsworth."

This is an outrage! The Highlands County Commission all but promised citizens that the sports complex would be proactively managed, and that a manager would be responsible for keeping the operational costs of the sports complex to a minimum. Let me remind you that about 50 percent of all operational costs were to be recovered from user fees and recreational concession stand profits.

While as a taxpayer, I feel that the sports complex was built with little community support, and with little support from taxpayers, the "powers that be" decided that it was a worthy project and spent the money anyway. Yes, a large grant paid for a majority of the construction project.

I urge that the county commission take steps to ensure that the sports complex remains on solid footing by continuing to have a full-time project manager oversee all aspects of its operation. If it costs too much to do the job correctly, than let's shut it down. I oppose taxpayers subsidizing the operational costs of this recreational project unless user fees and other revenue streams pay for at least 50 percent of the total operational costs.

Richard Duvigneaud
Sebring

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