Viewpoints: Letters / Opinions
Our taxes for Health and Fitness
By Joe Ashcraft
May 17, 2016
Tuesday AM
After a really arduous work day, my daughter convinced me to take her to the Fawn Mountain track for a few laps. This has been an almost nightly affair over the past few summers. And as I travel Southeast and the rest of Alaska on business, when asked about Ketchikan my response has included the track, the pool and the rec center as additions that make Ketchikan a really livable town.
So, arriving a little before 8 tonight, I was first shocked, then dismayed, and then disgusted as I found all the gates built up and with heavy locks installed. What I'd like to know is who made the determination, who paid for the work, and what possible reason could there be for preventing the 50 or so people who recreate there almost nightly in the summer from doing so.
Our country has a severe obesity, heart health, and general malaise problem for which such recreation and fitness venues are a taxpayer paid solution for. Why would anyone make a decision precluding a health and fitness venue and activity which entails no out of pocket expense except for paying ones taxes?
I've lived in Australia, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Vancouver, several Montana cities and closer to home - Juneau. Never have I seen a track locked up at 8 at night. A thousand or more people are seen on each track in San Juan every evening. The Juneau track is always open, and usually quite a few people are working out on the field or on the track. And in a side note the basketball courts on that street are well kept and pretty busy as well.
What possible motive could someone have for locking up the Fawn Mountain track? And who made the decision, who made the recommendation? And who is going to fix this problem?
Joe Ashcraft
Ketchikan, Alaska
Received May 11, 2016
- Published May 17, 2016
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