Money may not buy
happiness, but when the time comes to get an aquatic center or
multi-purpose public recreation facility out of the dream world and
into reality, itês going to take money to make those dreams come true.
That money can come from
many different sources. Direct funding can be obtained from
appropriations of public funds and from private contributions buy
interested parties. But, chances are, if the proposed facility is of
any substantial size and scope, it is going to require capital markets
financing. In most cases, that means approval of indebtedness is going
to have to be put before the communityês voters.
The future of your
proposed facility depends upon the decisions of those voters. But you
donêt have to - indeed, for success, you had better not À simply lay
your proposal out on the table and hope its obvious merits will carry
it through election day. You can give the bond issue a boost toward
passage by preparing a solid base of information, and by organizing a
well-developed plan for presenting that information to the key leaders
in the community and to the voters at large.
First Establish a Team
No man is an island. And
certainly no one in public service will advance a proposal À no matter
how valid À without developing a group of influential supporters with
whom to climb the mountain of public opinion. So before you take step
one, assemble representatives from a cross-section of constituents to
review the proposal participate in decision-making and sign off on the
plan to be place before the public. You might include representatives
from the parks and recreation board, senior groups, school districts,
private business representatives, sports teams, construction
professionals À any special interest group or professional group that
might have valuable opinions and insights to help shape and support the
development of the project.
Get the Facts
After you have your
planning committee in place, you need a plan. When any business person
goes to the bank for a loan, the first thing the officer wants to look
at is a business plan. How well do you know your market, how completely
have you researched your business? Well, the city council and the
voting public who will be deciding the fate of your bond issue will
demand precisely the same attention to detail.
To make sure the plan is
complete, accurate and appropriate, do the homework necessary to
develop a complete plan for the project, and present it to your
committee. This plan will begin with a rough project design of the
envisioned facility, including detailed estimates for construction
costs, total project costs, ongoing maintenance and operational
expenses, and personnel requirements.
But this is just the
beginning. A complete plan will also research the market area. Look at:
competing facilities and their impact on the proposal; economic and
demographic issues to determine the populationês expected interest in,
and financial ability to, participate in planned programs; what kinds
of programming will be desired; and how much revenue can be expected
from the facility. Not only will this complete study give you the
information needed to gain support and answer critics, it may also
uncover potential flaws in the original concept, allowing you to
rethink and redesign the proposal before opponents get the chance.
Create a Campaign
Once you have a winning
plan, itês time to develop a plan to win. First, try to get your bond
issue placed on a ballot when it will have the greatest chance for
success. Assess the mood of the general population. If a taxpayersê
revolt is in the air and your proposal is slated to appear alongside a
dozen other sales tax and bond issue requests, you might want to
reconsider your timing.
Second, develop a public
relations strategy. Beginning as early as six months prior to the
election, develop a campaign slogan that identifies your proposal as a
positive, desirable benefit to the community at large. Then, create
specific public relations materials that focus on the benefits the new
facility will create for various user groups in the voting area.
Most of the information
you need for these materials will already be available to you or your
public relations professional in your facility plan. Does your proposed
facility fill a gap in community recreation needs? Does it provide a
much-needed center for seniors to receive therapeutic services? Does it
create a revenue-producing competitive/recreation venue for the
community? The research contained in a detailed plan will help you
identify those gaps, needs and capabilities and make it easier to
communicate them through public relations efforts.
With positive literature
in hand, the next step is to get it read. Once again, strength is in
numbers. Identify the likely user groups in your service area. Enlist
respected, influential spokespeople from those groups to met with
members, disseminate the information and discuss the many benefits the
new facility will bring them specifically. Meet with school groups,
athletic organizations, medical, health and fitness organizations,
senior clubs, potential corporate users, and civic groups À any group
of potential users who would benefit from the development and operation
of this project.
Donêt be afraid to be a
namedropper. Obtain support from influential groups in the community,
including the chamber of commerce, school districts and parent/teacher
organizations, police groups, and corporations. Then use that support
through written endorsements in brochures, fact sheets and press
releases.
Be sure to enlist the
local media in your efforts. Newspapers, television and radio reporters
are always looking for a good story, and the sooner you get your
information to them, the more likely they will be able to present it in
a positive manner. Should criticism develop, you and all your
spokespeople will have all information needed to counter it immediately
and effectively in the carefully researched and documented plan.
Accent the Positive
You canêt eliminate all
opposition to your proposal, no matter how obvious its benefits are to
the community. There will always be disgruntled landowners, concerned
competetive interests and disinterested parties unwilling to support
another public project. You shouldnêt ignore these positions, but, you
also shouldnêt focus all your efforts on trying to turn their opinions
around.
Concentrate the majority
of your time, finances and energies on those groups who are already in
your corner, and focus your efforts on ensuring and increasing their
numbers. Emphasize the importance of every vote, and establish voter
registration drives within support groups. As Election Day approaches,
enlist volunteers to participate in telephone surveys and neighborhood
canvassing. Volunteers are most effective at urging supporters to get
to the polls and answering unresolved issues for any fence sitters.
Finally, remember it ainêt
over till itês over! Assume neither victory nor defeat until the polls
close. Have volunteers pass out literature and answer questions at
supermarkets, mall and polling places until the last ballot has been
cast.
As the song suggests,
"money makes the world go •round." With the right plan À both for the
proposed facility and for the campaign for community financial support
À your dream for a new aquatic/recreational facility will result in an
exceptional and sufficiently funded community asset that you and your
supporters will be proud of for many years.