By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
VICTORIA — With an eye to the future, the Victoria Recreation Commission recently began a process organizers hope will lead to the opening of a recreation center for the community, creating a stronger city both socially and economically.
While the commission hopes to see something come to fruition, the first step in what is likely a long process was gathering input from the community.
The commission hosted a community meeting last month to discuss what plans for a Victoria recreation center may look like and what the community, in general, would support.
"The benefits of having a community center are to help build a strong, safe and inclusive community, said Sean Rodger, Victoria Recreation Commission board member, who led the meeting. "It's a place where social interaction volunteerism, civic pride and aesthetics are available within the community. It's a building where practices for schools recreation teams can be held safely and comfortably.
"It's a place where we can offer our children, young adults and our elderly community members a place to meet for social interaction, leisure and other activities. It will create a positive impact on our youth as well as a stabilizing effect within the community. It'll provide a central component to enact change at the community level. It'll be a popular destination for social interaction, recreation and fitness, as well as the ability to cater to the different needs of our community."
And while he said a new center would be a social asset to the community, he said there is also a tangible economic benefit.
“Right now, as far as fitness center goes, I don't know how many people go to Hays," Rodger said. "I do. I work out there. But that's going to Hays, all that money's going to Hays. If we can bring it in and keep it here, it'll benefit us as we will have the ability to grow and thrive instead of just maintaining the status quo."
He noted other communities that have taken steps to build recreation centers had seen those benefits.
"I was just talking the other day with … our elementary school principal, and she was saying how I believe it was Clay Center," Rodger said. "People were going out of town all the time to work out, have social activities, whatever and they decided to build a community center. And after they did, people started coming and staying there to do the events and activities."
And as they did, he said people decided to visit, build and live in their city.
For Victoria, he said the proposed center would also benefit various community organizations and strengthen their programming.
"The vision is to be able to work in conjunction with the three entities that we have in town," Rodger said. "USD 432, the City of Victoria and the Basilica, St. Fidelis, as well as you the community."
It will offer our community members a safe, family-oriented atmosphere where many activities can take place, he said.
"The proposed development of the future community building encompasses a vast age range of residents within the community," Rodger said. "It's going to be a place where school and recreation can be held. Community members can meet for social interaction through exercise, games, meals, meal preparation, as well as having the ability to hold events such as birthday parties, private baby and bridal showers, as well as a host of other activities and programs."
While the first step is gauging community interest, securing a location remains a significant unknown for the proposed center.
Rodger presented some potential locations, but most notably, as conversations about the former Victoria Rest Home continue, the idea of being located in or around that facility remains high, but other spots also might be suitable.
If the project continues to move forward, he said a variety of skills would be needed to make the center a reality.
"It will definitely be a unique opportunity to put the talents and skills of our community members to use," Rodger said. "As a community, we can come together to bring an idea that started out as a seed into a building that we can all use."