Too complex?

We all know that we are going to get a sports complex. I think what most people don't know is how it all came about. It all came about when some foreign students approached Ed Hammond, Fort Hays State University president, about getting a soccer field to play soccer. According to the University Leader, the school paper, Ed Hammond met with the Student Government Association about charging the students $2 more per credit hour to build a soccer field. After the Student Government Association refused to go along with that because it was too much money for the number of students who wanted to play soccer, Ed Hammond told the Student Government Association that "if you don't want to build it, somebody will." Guess who that somebody is. You're right folks, it's us.

This half-cent sales tax for four years is just seed money.

I watched Ed Hammond on Channel 13, and he was saying how we can get this sports complex with this sales tax and it would not hurt anybody. He also kept saying that he did not have anything to do with this program. He said it was all started by grandparents, parents and children. If he did not have anything to do with this sports complex initiative, why did he keep denying it on channel 13? Who came to the city to negotiate so this thing is 3 or 4 miles away from all eating places and motels.

Is this property not in a flood plain? I don't know the answer to that question. Maybe somebody could enlighten us.

"In-kind work." There is absolutely nothing wrong with this procedure when it is done in time of emergencies between our government agencies. Sometimes they might just have to borrow something for a day or two. However, this in-kind work requested by Nick Niernberger on behalf of the complex committee was nothing more than a "snow" job. Belief me, it did not have anything to do with the weather. He had no idea how much dirt there was to be moved. Or so he said. There was a reason he said that. He said all they had to do was move a little dirt from the high places and put it in the low places. When one of the commissioners asked about how long it would take, he said about a week and a half. I know this because I was at the meeting.

Folks, the article I wrote about the $500,000 weight room and the property taxes it will cost us is peanuts compared to this sports complex.

Citizens of Hays, this sales tax is not even coming close to paying for a sports complex.

Citzens of Hays, are you hearing a "rumble" in the background? That's the formation of a sports district that will be forthcoming sooner or later. When I read about this a few months ago, they didn't call it a sports district. If you have never been involved in a sports district like I have, it probably was hard to figure out what they meant. Now the city is debating if they should form a "committee for community development" or something like that. It will not make any difference what they will call it. That empty compartment in our wallets will be the result of all this.

How is the city going to pay for this? Stayed tuned. Forget about the present sales tax. That's just a "come-on."

Vernon S. Befort

1404 W. 44th