Enhancement of Our Parks and Recreational Facilities

By Jim Fraser

In meetings that I have had with committee members, the Director of Joint Rec., and current Town Council members, a couple of key issues were identified; the need for permanent space for many of their activities, and the desire for closer ties, i.e., funds and resources, to the town (in other communities, Joint Rec. is a part of local government). Unfortunately, what I believe we have just learned is, that due to increased enrollment at Reed School, spaces that have been provided to Joint Rec. for after school activities will not be available. As such, Joint Rec. is scrambling for space for some of the fall programs. Through my network working connections within the community, I have put some folks in touch with the Director of Joint Rec., to see if some available space, close to Reed School, might be available for use.

The good news is that our town leaders have already initiated a review process via the Recreation Master Plan, a comprehensive study of the community's needs etc. I can remember when this issue was visited a few years back, when I was a member of the Skate Park Task Force, for at that time we did not have a clear assessment of the community's needs within this arena. A thorough review makes good sense, and I support this initiative.

In addition to a thorough review of the community's needs, I am also an advocate for finding a way to build a dedicated Community Center for our town. This is not a new idea, for many of our current council members have advocated this before. Perhaps what this idea needs is some additional energy and support; our community can count on Jim to be a vocal proponent for finding the space and funds to build Tiburon's Community Center.