HomeMy WebLinkAbout120525 email - Rec CenterALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
Dear Jefferson County Commissioners,
I am writing to strongly urge you not to move forward with the closure of our local recreation center. This decision would have an immediate and deeply damaging impact on the families
and youth of Port Townsend and the greater county.
The rec center is far more than a building—it is one of the last remaining pillars of youth support and family stability in our community. Its programs provide critical positive outlets
for our kids: youth sports, after-school activities, open gyms, birthday gatherings, structured play, and simply a safe place to belong. In a county where healthy, affordable youth
options are already limited, removing this resource would leave a void that cannot be easily filled.
Families rely on the rec center every single day. It allows parents to work, keeps kids active and connected, and provides a safe, supervised environment that strengthens their physical,
mental, and social well-being. Closing this center would place additional strain on working parents, reduce accessible recreational opportunities, and ultimately push more kids toward
isolation, inactivity, and preventable negative behaviors.
Adding to the concern, it is difficult to understand why, in a financially fragile time, proposals are being made within the county to allocate $40,000 from the discretionary fund for
an employee engagement survey and another $50,000 for an exempt salary survey—a combined $90,000—while the rec center, a resource that directly benefits hundreds of families, faces
closure. Prioritizing internal surveys over essential community infrastructure sends a troubling message about where our values lie.
With Port Townsend’s already delicate demographics—shrinking numbers of young families, rising housing costs, and a rapidly aging population—our community cannot afford to lose one of
its few remaining supports for the next generation. If we continue eliminating family-focused infrastructure, we are signaling that young people and working families are no longer a
priority. Without that support, our community structure will weaken, and eventually crumble.
Please reconsider this decision. Keeping the rec center open is not just about preserving a building—it is about preserving the future and vitality of Jefferson County. I respectfully
ask that you protect this essential resource and the families who depend on it.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
Stacey White
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