A family-friendly vision for the Balloon Track
My Word by Carolyn J. Ward
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine the sounds of children’s laughter as you stroll along a trail on the waterfront. Now open your eyes. Have you seen the Balloon Track in its current state? Would you take your children there to play?
I have read numerous articles and opinion pieces about the site and the potential options for future development. I realize that this issue is not without controversy for many in the community. Opinions are being formed and heels are digging in. Before you become entrenched in a decision about this issue, I would like to offer something else to consider.
As president of the board of directors of CampFire USA and the Discovery Museum, I have met with the developers from Security National regarding their plans for the Balloon Track. They have shared our dream of a new and larger home for the Discovery Museum for many years. They have offered to help us make our dreams come true by building it for us in the Marina Center. The “big box” development is much more than what its opponents would have you believe. To read articles and opinion pieces in the paper, one is left to picture a sterile parking lot and a big square box of a store draining life from the community. A blight, if you will, on the waterfront.
The reality, however, is quite different. The Home Depot is only 25 percent of the planned development. The remaining 75 percent is composed of residential housing, local businesses, offices, walking trails and a permanent home for the Discovery Museum. Imagine a two-story Discovery Museum with an open-air space, classrooms and conference facilities, cutting-edge exhibits and breathtaking views of the marina. Kids and families will discover the world around them through hands-on exhibits and engaging programs.
With the development of the Marina Center, a property that is truly a blight on the community can become a useful beneficial space for our local community — not simply to shop, but to live, to work and to play. It will not drain life from the community and the waterfront as it does now, but contribute life to it. It will not drain tax dollars from our pockets, but add to them. Be open-minded. Go look at the Balloon Track. Listen to all the facts. Would you take your children there to play?
I will leave you with one last thought. Many people believe they have a plan for this site — there are many visions that individuals have for its potential development. However, only one of them has the backing of the financial commitment needed to clean up the site and actually develop it, sensitively and beautifully. In three years, what do you want to see? The Balloon Track as it currently exists or …
I can hear the laughter of children echoing across the water. I can see families walking along the tree-lined trails overlooking the bay. Can you?
Carolyn J. Ward, an associate professor at Humboldt State University, is
president of the CampFire USA/Discovery Museum board of directors. She lives in Loleta.
The opinions expressed in this My Word piece do not necessarily reflect the editorial viewpoint of the Times-Standard.
Comments
Nice blog you Gotcha here
Posted by: Carl | March 27, 2006 07:13 AM