The idea to shut down Cookson Community Center seems rather sudden.


When West Branch city council member Jim Oaks first mentioned the idea at a special meeting to approve the proposed budget, there seemed to be an uncomfortable tension in the room. But the more council members talked about it, the more they shared their own thoughts on why it might be a good idea.

Moneywise, it seemed to make sense.

But our first thought was: After all the years members of this community fought to get a community or recreation center, and to finally get one less than a year and a half ago, it seems too soon to think of letting it go.

The Cookson Memorial Home’s governing body donated (OK, the city paid $1) a large chunk of land plus a well-maintained brick structure not long after a vote failed to raise taxes to build one. (The roof repairs needed on the north section are not a surprise — the city knew about them before accepting the property.)

The impression this newspaper had was that many people who voted no to the referendum felt the joint venture with the school district or the cost were not in the best interest of the residents. But they still wanted city leaders to keep working at a solution. No doubt this was part of the reason the gallery applauded when the city council voted to ratify the deal with Cookson leaders (pending a court approval) in July 2008.

“This is a great marriage of the two,” council member Mark Worrell said at the time. “This is going to make dreams come true.”

The West Branch Food Pantry, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and American Legion use the building the most. While it may not have the gymnasium this town really needs, the meeting space is important, too, including the telecommunications equipment used by Main Street, the Hoover Association and others.

While we were not thrilled that the city council used reserve funds to cover part of next year’s budget, we are less happy with the possibility that the city would give serious consideration to closing Cookson. Thankfully, the council chose not to take any action yet, but rather spent some time on an impromptu brainstorming session.

We would ask the council to carefully investigate all the ways Cookson is utilized — there are numerous activities that take place outside the parks and recreation budget — and the number of people who use it, before making any major decisions.