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On Broadway
(Lake)
By Pete Wachsberger
 Before
you build it, they will come
Broadway Lake managed to work its way into local
headlines during the last week of May, but not for the reasons that
it normally does. Somehow or other, an item got put into the
Anderson County 2009 budget which became a focal point for
controversy about the distribution of public funds.
Proposed, in slide 44 of the budget presentation, was
a new community center for Broadway Lake. While in principle, a
community center is almost always a good thing, in this case the
$915,000 price tag seems exorbitant to some. Whether that is too
much to spend on such a thing is not an argument that I want to get
into. Isn’t arguing what we elect people to do?
Besides, we don’t want to be distracted from
something bigger and better than a mere construction project:
Broadway Lake Family Day is coming up! In case you missed the
previous column which talked about it, let me fill you in ... .
On June 28 Friends of Broadway Lake is holding its
Fourth Annual Family Day, a community-wide celebration to which all
are invited. FBL is an organization made up of folks who either live
near the lake, or who just find it to be the perfect lake for the
average person who enjoys activities on or near the water, but
prefers to avoid the hordes of people who tend to be drawn to the
larger “name” lakes. Broadway Lake and Family Day are terms which
fit together naturally. So, once a year, the quiet, cozy atmosphere
that prevails On Broadway (Lake) gives way to just a bit of revelry
and spectacle.
Revelry will come from those who attend enjoying the
food and games that will be ongoing. Spectacle will be provided by
the Carolina Show Ski Team, which will be performing during the
event. Best of all, it’s all going to happen outdoors. The new
community center will probably not have even had its ground broken
at that point, and no one will care. June 28 will be a day when
Broadway Lake will be enjoyed as a lake, not as something which
happens to have its name attached to a political argument.
Most who have attended a function at the existing
building will agree that something new is needed. John Steely,
president of Friends of Broadway Lake, welcomes the prospect of a
new facility. His organization meets every other month, and in the
current building, it’s standing room only at every meeting. Mr.
Steely goes on to point out that the building is not just for the
benefit of those who live around the lake; the facility is expected
to be used by any wishing to rent it for functions such as weddings,
reunions, etc. Hopefully, it will thereby generate some revenue
which, while not likely to soon recoup the construction cost, should
offset operating expenses.
At this point, I don’t want to look beyond Family
Day. At no point do I want to get caught up in the argument about
the wisdom of spending $915,000 to produce the Broadway Lake
Community Center. But, just out of curiosity, I did some quick math
and figured out that the house I’m currently living in, when
purchased last year, sold for approximately $84 per square foot.
It’s a pretty nice house. Using the same calculator, I see that the
proposed 2,605 square foot community center will go for $351.24 per
square foot. Apparently it will be spectacular.
As always, I’d love to get your
thoughts on this, and on anything else I might write about. My
e-mail:
pete@bergerkingstudio.com.
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