decorahnews.com series: "You Said It Your Way" - what do residents think about a Community Recreation and Wellness Center?

Decorah residents support the concept of a Community Recreation and Wellness Center—but only if they don't pay higher property taxes to support it.
 
56 percent of the 500 people who responded to the City of Decorah's community survey said the rec center should be a priority for Decorah.  36 percent disagreed, while 8 percent had no opinion.  "This is a must!!" wrote one respondent, while another said, "If smaller communities can make it happen, certainly Decorah can."
 
But when asked if they would support a property tax increase of between $200 to $300 a year to construct a rec center, 58 percent disagreed and only 37 percent agreed.  One person wrote, "I am on a fixed income and $200 to $300 more a year (is money) I do not have!"  Another respondent grumbled, "Stupid idea and taxes are already too high, you greedy idiots."
 
On the other hand, a question about whether the facility "should have user fees sufficient to sustain operations" received 63 percent approval and 27 percent disapproval.  But one person who took the survey noted "The city of Waverly partnered with Wartburg College in building a recreation and wellness center.  In order to afford the operating costs, membership fees reflected the actual cost to sustain the operation of the facility. A hard lesson was learned as many who were in favor of the facility are not willing to pay the membership cost. Thus, use  is down and the budget is strained. We need to do a cost-effectiveness study to see if this is feasible in our small community."
 
And one other survey taker had a creative idea: "How about moving the (Winneshiek County) fairgrounds to the North Winn site and building a school and rec center on the fairgrounds land? At least there would be enough land there for everything, with room to grow."
 
While the Decorah Parks & Recreation Board has hired a consultant to study the issue, it has not yet made any recommendation.