LETTER: Park and Recreation Board not seeking to create animosity

Talk about it

To the Editor:

I would like to comment on the recent discussion at the City Council Meeting relative to the minutes of the Park Board meeting.

As the Park & Recreation Board, our intentions have not been to create animosity with anybody, nor are our intentions to be involved in health care, or who provides it. The process started out simple. The board was presented with an option for a new program which happened to be through Sanford out of Sioux Falls. After reviewing that proposal, the board requested Avera Queen of Peace be asked to submit on a similar program. Neither entity had any direct meetings with the board; both of them presented written proposals for review.

After receiving a proposal from Avera, the board reviewed and discussed them at length. During our discussions regarding the two written proposals received, one from Sanford and one from Avera Queen of Peace, each had components of health education, but in the interest of not complicating matters, we dismissed that part of the proposal as unnecessary, and evaluated the proposals on what we felt important, the “athletic performance” programming.

It was felt the Power Program component, submitted by Sanford, was more of the direction the Rec Center wanted to proceed with at this time. We also only agreed to a one year “trial basis” in case we found that system did not function as we anticipated. We are not trying to change the health care system in Mitchell, nor do we want to be any part of such decision within the community.

We simply want what is best for patrons, in this case athletics/athletes, that use the Rec Center facility. This program is directed toward athletes, but would not be exclusive to athletes.

The Park Board was not taking the position that Mitchell’s health care was deficient in any way. We are not trying to harm that organization in any way. We agree a great deal of local jobs come from Avera Queen of Peace. We simply want to give the citizens of Mitchell the opportunity to have some choices with respect to athletic training.

Bob Everson is president of the Mitchell Parks & Recreation Board.

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