Fortunately, enough people said, "Y" not

When I moved to Delaware in 1995, I queried several community leaders why Delaware didn't have its own community center, and in time, I recognized that in spite of a spirited group supporting such a facility, the critical mass needed to launch such a project hadn't yet been reached.  Fortunately for Delaware, Ohio Wesleyan's symbiotic relationship with the city helped to offset some of the city's needs.  For years, the Hayes swim team made Pfeifer natatorium its home and many residents were members of OWU's athletic club.

Now fast forward to 2008; Delaware had grown, the need for a community center still existed, however, the critical mass to support this project still rested among the city's voters.  The citizens group, CPR (Citizens to Promote Recreation), took this challenge on, and they are to be commended for their insights, as they kept the enthusiasm rolling right on through election day.  Thankfully, the residents came out in support and passed the necessary tax levy to make this dream a reality.

After passage of the levy, CPR continued working cooperatively toward designing a center that embodied the wishes of and promises to the taxpayers.  Following the dedication in December and during a recent return visit to Delaware, I was able to make use of the Y at the Delaware Community Center.  Without hesitation, that experience confirms that you should be proud of your state of the art facility that is the product of perseverance, vision, and more importantly, dovetails beautifully with the common goals set forth by those trusted civic leaders.

Although I no longer live locally, from what I have seen, this project will go a long way to promoting the health and well being of an already vital community;  as an advocate for good health through exercise, I strongly encourage you all to continue "exercising" that wonderful sense of community.  Congratulations!