Walk through any of the civic recreation centers that have been built in the region in recent years, and you’ll see dozens of people having fun. Kids romp in the pool, and older folks swim laps. There is basketball in the gym, and there are runners on the track. The community rooms host birthday parties, political meetings, quilting sessions and dances.
In some ways, recreation centers have become the suburban equivalent of old-fashioned town commons: places for people to meet and play.
Now the city of St. Charles is considering building its own. A $30 million bond issue will be on the Aug. 5 ballot. If it passes, taxpayers would get a big helping hand from a non-profit charity, ShowMe Aquatics & Fitness. The group is dedicated to providing water recreation, especially for the injured and handicapped.
The ShowMe group has said it has $6 million on hand for the project and promises it would raise another $4 million. It also has said it plans to raise $10 million for an endowment to support programs and free passes for those who can’t afford memberships. Show-Me also would maintain and operate the center, which would consist of an indoor water park, an indoor track, four pools, three gyms, a 16,000-square foot fitness center, water exercise areas, activity centers for older people and teens, meeting rooms and outdoor playgrounds — all designed with the handicapped in mind.

What’s not to like? Post-Dispatch columnist Susan Weich notes that only a small percentage of residents buy memberships in such centers, but everyone in St. Charles would be on the hook for the bonds that are used to build the center. That argument could be used to oppose creating a city park, building a library or sponsoring sports leagues and summer festivals. Each serves only a slice of the population, but a town without them would be a dreary place.
And usage of the rec center could be measured in different ways. Some residents would buy memberships and become regular users. Many more could choose, instead, to buy a ticket for a day at the pool or the fitness center or join a group that uses the center for meetings.
City officials say the center can be built without a tax increase. But money spent on a rec center wouldn’t be available for fixing potholes or policing the streets. Such decisions are always a balancing act.

Meanwhile, Councilman Dave Beckering fears that taxpayers eventually would be left holding the bag. ShowMe is a “wonderful organization,” he says, but its business plan is “deeply flawed.”
The St. Charles center would charge $828 for a yearly family membership. That’s much more than the $450 to $550 charged in nearby towns, although the St. Charles memberships wouldn’t set a limit on the number of eligible family members and would include free day care.
At those prices, however, Mr. Beckering thinks the center would not attract enough customers to pay its bills. He also worries that ShowMe wouldn’t be able to raise the endowment money. The city then would be stuck with a bigger bill for operating the center.
Patrick Banger, ShowMe’s chairman, says the membership prices are preliminary estimates; they might come down substantially. There also would be cheaper rates for seniors and youth, he notes.
In any case, many cities subsidize their rec centers as amenities that help make their communities better places to live. The bottom line is that St. Charles would get a wonderful facility, paid for in part by a private charity. Everyone in the pool.