Throughout parts of the last six years, Tracy leaders, business people and residents went back and forth as they bounced ideas off each other about a future community center.
At times, it seemed like everyone was proverbially bouncing their head off the walls, too. And if memory serves, there were even instances when a lot of people thought Tracy would never have a community center.
But no one gave up, even after former leadership in Tracy apparently went so far as to tell seniors that there was no way a community center would happen. Funny way to lead, but I guess it happened.
Today, our little community is making that leader eat his words, as the improbable has happened. We really do have a community center.
No longer do we have to covet what other towns around us have — towns that are actually smaller in population than Tracy. And maybe, just maybe, now we can finally put to rest all the acrimony and bad feelings that consumed so many people after the Multi-Purpose Center building was sold.
That was then folks. If you can’t move on now, you never will.
Yes, good things have come to all of us who waited.
The new community center was celebrated last week with an open house and ribbon cutting. I’m especially happy for the seniors in town — those who flat out wondered at community center meetings of the past if they would even be around to enjoy a new center. It’s a pretty morbid thought, but these seniors had a point. For some, their clock is ticking (for all of us, if you think about it), so I don’t blame them for their desire to get something done.
Here’s the irony of that: The driving forces behind the community center discussion — seniors — unknowingly gave a new center a reputation long before it opened. Because this group of people are of a certain age, it was widely — and wrongly — assumed that a new center would be nothing more than a place to play cards. Well, if you think that’s all it is, shame on you. If you think that’s all it is, drive over to South St. and check it out. That’s the nicest card room I’ve ever seen.
This is not a senior center — don’t you just hate that phrase? Senior center. Sounds like a place you want to avoid if possible. This isn’t a home for those with walkers, or who shuffle to and from the bathroom every half hour. This is a place for everyone — young and old. This is a place that everyone can benefit from.
We shouldn’t look at the new center as just another building. It is proof that Tracy can get things done. So is the new playground in Central Park. Maybe calling the new center a “symbol” is grandiose and hyperbolic, but I think we deserve a little exaggeration.
The cynics won’t go away, that’s what makes them cynics. But I care far too much about this town — my hometown — to be negative. The new center should serve a reminder to us all that we can overcome differences and knock down barriers for the betterment of our town.
Is Tracy perfect? Far from it. Our downtown area is shell of its former self, but that is more a product of our society as a whole than it is the fault of our city leaders. So that’s the challenge facing us now. What can we do next to attract people to town? What can we do to get the hotel built, to get a new gas station in town to provide some competition for our current one?
We have so much — a leading hospital, a strong school district, a beautiful aquatic center, a second-tonone parks system … and now, a new community center. But we have to continue to build if we want to grow.
The community center finish line has been crossed, and we can put the first-world problem of not having one in the rearview mirror. But the race continues, and resting on our laurels should not be an option.
Remembering Roger …
I was saddened to learn of the passing of Roger Hamann, who died July 16. Most folks around here remember Roger as the friendly face that greeted his guests at Trails Edge, which he owned with his wife, Deanna, before they sold the business in 2021. Part of my job as a journalist is to find stories about interesting people, and Roger surely was one of them.
Sorry, America …
Before you call me out, I’m aware of the mistake I made on the cover of the most recent Sailor. I typed 1976 instead of 1776. I’m no history expert, but I know our country was founded in 1776. I’m already ticked about it — and quite embarrassed — so please don’t remind me about my latest mistake; this wound doesn’t need any salt! And if you saw the cover and didn’t catch the error, go ahead and ignore this part of my column.
