By EDWARD BIRNBAUM

I attended almost all of the public meetings that addressed the projects whose funding is a part of the $20 million bond issue now up for a vote. It was pretty obvious from attending these meetings that each project has a significant cadre of dedicated and passionate supporters. It was also pretty obvious that if funding was restricted only to CIP funds, only one or possibly two major projects could be funded, so much like individuals opting to obtain a mortgage to fund their home purchases, County Council opted to combine CIP dollars with dollars from a bond issue to fund most of the projects proposed.

Trying to fund individual projects via a Russian roulette type approach as has been suggested in other letters is almost certainly doomed to failure as was the case with the earlier attempt to fund a child-oriented rec pool, since unless a particular project appeals to a majority of voters, it is unlikely to pass muster. Presumably, by combining projects, enough voters will opt to support the bond to fund their particular project, even if they aren’t wild about funding one or more of the other projects.

Regardless of your spin on a particular project, I would argue that it is important to vote for the bond issue from a broader perspective. Recreation is a key factor in attracting people to move to and stay in a community, probably right behind ‘safety’ and ‘high quality schools’. When LANL wants to hire a top-tier scientist, salary, benefits, and scientific opportunity are probably top on the prospective candidate’s list of issues, but people do not work 24-7. Oftentimes, the difference between a person opting to accept a position here or decide to go elsewhere comes down to the amenities, of which recreational opportunities are high on the list.

The same issue is often high on the list of reasons for retirees and seniors to choose Los Alamos as their home.

It is certainly true that Los Alamos has an abundance of recreational opportunities, but these are mostly in the form of hiking and winter sports and it should be clear to all that the old golf course and ice rink have serious problems in serving the community. The projects supported by this bond issue address the recreational needs of many individuals, including adults of all ages and children, and I believe will provide benefits to the community for years to come.