I’d like to weigh in from the “other side” on this Rec Bond topic.

To say the Rec Bond was “defeated” last year is a bit of a stretch. It was nearly a tie, 47 percent of those who voted were in favor of proceeding with all Rec Bond projects and the associated costs, and 53 percent of those who voted were opposed, for a variety of reasons. Many of those who opposed were in favor of improving or building some of the proposed Rec Bond projects, but were opposed to the huge bundle of all the projects together.

Some voters who voted against the Rec Bond were in favor of all the projects, but didn’t want to implement a bond to pay for them, and wanted alternative funding to be considered. A smaller number of voters were completely against the Rec Bond in its entirety, maybe because they don’t have a need for these facilities.

So, the County Council (from my perspective) has gone back to the drawing board, and has come up with a compromise – which is a responsible step when a majority of voters were in favor of at least some of the Rec Bond projects. The proposed plan is to move forward with a few projects with money already set aside for improvements. This is not spending money just to spend it- or as some say, “splash cash”. This is what taxes are for – to fund and maintain projects that people want. Our County Counselors are listening to us and responding to our feedback.

So, which projects get priority? Well, as a mother of a young child, who plans on having another child – if I had to choose only two projects, I would support the splash pad and the multigenerational pool. Both of these projects serve a unique need in our community. Consider the splash pad, families with young children need a safe place for their children to experience water. Even taking my toddler to a private pool with a baby pool is not safe; she can easily fall over in water that she is not used to walking in. She is not free to experience water on her own terms, as she is still a little body being pushed around by a large body of water.

I believe that children should be allowed to discover their worlds at their own pace, and given this freedom and the opportunity for independent play nurtures confidence as they master new skills. I cannot allow her this opportunity at any of the pools in town, as the risk of injury is too great. The existing baby pools in town are all located at private pools. It’s not financially sensible for us to purchase our own pass yet as my daughter is not yet comfortable in the pool and has often had enough after 20 minutes. We’ve been fortunate enough to be a guest at many of the pools in town this summer but please remember that for many families in town, a private membership is cost prohibitive. A private membership should not be the only option available to allow our children access to an age appropriate pool.

A splash pad would not only serve residents of Los Alamos and White Rock. At the proposed location in White Rock, the splash pad is positioned perfectly to also be a tourist attraction to people who visit Bandelier or stay at the RV park near the Visitor’s Center. Imagine a full day in Los Alamos, meeting an entire family’s needs- breakfast in White Rock, Bandelier in the morning and splash pad in the afternoon. Or, families who are camping in the area could come cool off when they make a grocery run in White Rock. I can see this as a huge value add to family centered tourism.

I’ve tried to make the best of what we have available and use the Aquatic Center as much as possible. We enrolled in swimming lessons this spring, which are held in the therapy pool. There was another class in the therapy pool at the same time, with older children. Due to the acoustics in that room – it was extremely loud and over stimulating for a young child. Other patrons were also in the therapy pool during our lessons who appeared to be disturbed by our presence. The therapy pool is about 3 or 4 feet deep I believe, which is much too deep for young children to play safely. There is a platform built for children, but it was also too deep for my 18-month-old daughter to enjoy.

Since we completed our swim lessons, I have tried to return to the Aquatic Center with little luck. On some days the only open swim time is from noon to 2 p.m., which is when all babies nap. Anyone who has ever known a toddler knows that you do not mess with naptime. I believe 3-4 p.m. is usually free play, but it’s hard to regularly get there when the hours are so limited.

Specifically in response to Mr. Pelak’s letter: I love Santa Fe and long to spend more time there as our family grows, but you can’t beat Los Alamos for raising kids. My husband and I graduated from LAHS and after 15+ years away, living around the world, we’ve returned to raise our family in Los Alamos. We miss the amenities of the large city we came from, but the compromise is worth it for a better quality of life. While I would never say a splash pad would be a silver bullet in recruitment, amenities in town do play into the equation.

Yes, we live in a small town. No, we don’t expect all the amenities of a large metropolitan area. All I’m asking for is a couple sensible investments in our community and our children.