I think a civic center in Lampasas would be a very good thing, a building that we could be proud of, that we could offer for concerts, large meetings, school functions and other community developments. But is this what our community needs the most?

I have lived in Lampasas for the past 15 years, and what I see is that we need more things for the children and youth of our county. But I also see from the article in the paper that the hotel/motel tax revenue has been earmarked for the civic center for the past 32 years. Maybe this really is a priority with our community.

To build something only halfway is not a good thing, and it especially is not a model for our citizens. To do something halfway, what kind of message is that?

I would like to propose that if we are going to spend this money on the civic center, we look at ways we can come together as a town and raise the money to build it completely and to the highest quality. I want to be proud of what we do in Lampasas, and I want our citizens to feel that way, too. When we work collaboratively to build something, it usually will mean more to all of us.

I also would like to propose that we come together to think of ways we can use this civic center to enhance the lives of our children and youth. They are our future, and what we build today needs to reflect that.

I also would like to respond to Mayor Hetherly's statement that she feels the smell of sulphur "is part of our heritage." While that may be so, I would like to say that I took my grandson to the Hanna Springs pool last week, and all he could talk about was how bad it smelled. I don't think that would be an area where we would want to build a civic center.

Anytime we build something to bring people into Lampasas that will enrich the lives of our citizens and will be something we can be proud of, we should look at doing it in the best possible way. Let us find ways to work together to raise the money or decide if this is the priority of our citizens.

What do other people think?

Judy Tyson