You know what would have completed the sports complex? A track

When the sports complex project, whose cost including additions is probably now closer to $50 million than $45 million, was being constructed many Midlanders always wondered why didn't they put a track there? A good question. I always thought if you were going to be building out there why not put in a track/soccer facility like you see at Midland Memorial right now. Could the cost have been that much more? Could we have scaled back another facility to make the numbers work?

I just appreciate the hard work of Tevis Herd and Van Pearcy who stepped up when we as a community dropped the ball on making the sports complex more complete. They made the Hightower track complex at Memorial Stadium happen.

We mention the "complete complex" comment in Monday's story about another of the Vision 2020 goals - a community center. Ken Marks, a fine community man, made his case for a facility, which would include "a walking track, batting cages, a climbing wall, a sports rehabilitation center, including a water area," and a room that could hold up to 500 for area banquets.

Quite frankly we don't see the need and question the location, especially when it means continuing a quarter-cent sales tax to help pay for it. The tax is due to come to an end in 2016, and my guess is Midlanders will want to put it in their rear view mirror. Marks believes community leaders can put together a campaign which will provide a different result. Scott Dufford has also talked about what he would do with the quarter-cent (1/8 for complex costs and 1/8 for property tax relief). We expect his voice to be heard, especially if we are calling him Mayor Dufford at that point. There will others in the quarter-cent tax horse race. There's around $5 million a year at stake.

We do believe Robert Rendall's facilties committee is on to something with the expansion of the city's senior center at Kingsway Mall. We see advantages in the location and the idea of taking advantage of facilities already in place.

Monday's report featured other ideas (youth center and wellness center) which are intriguing but ultimately ask two questions. How do we pay for the initial costs and what will those expanded facilities mean for local government already having to make sacrifices when it comes to the bottom line.