City Council Members,
I write in response to the recent Almanac article regarding the reopening of city services, and to urge you to consider a path forward which makes children and community services a priority, including the gymnastics offering ("not currently funded"). These community and family services are an essential part of what makes our city a community. They serve hundreds (thousands?) of families, and they are more essential than ever as we see the devastating toll of COVID on social and emotional well-being all around us.
Our family is most familiar with the city's gymnastics program at Burgess, where our daughters have participated for many years. The program is the envy of many cities all around us. It is able to serve all types of gymnasts and families, including mostly non-competitive recreational programs, and it is a valuable social hub. Gymnastics itself is a formative sport for many kids, starting from the youngest of ages, and a stepping stone towards many other sports. We've also been extremely grateful for the dedication of the gymnastics staff over the years.
We know that we are just starting to glimpse at the long-term impacts of COVID on our societies, and I do not know all the pressures and challenges you are facing. I am simply asking you to consider that:
* We know from years of research that children who are not stimulated socially develop smaller, more fragile brains. Our city's community services have been a part of the children's well-being and social development for many years. Let's continue that tradition.
* We also know that children have been stuck in front of screens and that they need more physical movement back in their lives.
* We know that outsourcing city services is often the result of sharp short-term financial pressures, which come with mixed results at best over the long run.
* Finally we know that more than ever the social infrastructure which binds us into a community is what is going to keep us strong.
I ask once again for you to please look creatively for a solution which does not close our gymnastics program as we know it, and makes our community programs a continued funding priority. Those could include new payment structures, streamlined online sign-ups to reduce administrative overhead, a renewed focus on parties as a revenue source, and sharing the space with other city offerings. I would be glad to be a part of the brainstorming and to bring others in.
What would it take to change the status of the gymnastics program: is it a certain number of participants, a certain dollar amount to be reached, or something else?
When is the gymnastics program next on the city council agenda so that I can make sure to be present?
Thank you for your attention,
Sincerely,
Marion Marquardt
