The Gadfly is a series of letters offering commentary on local issues and published in the Warrensburg Gazette.

Dear Editor

The West Side Community Center had an open house and ribbon cutting last week. As I read the stories, I could not avoid a comparison between this center and the official Warrensburg Community Center, aka the "Taj Mahal" or the "Palace." Let's look:

• The West Side Community Center was built in the early 1970s and renovated recently with extensive use of volunteers and donations; the "Taj Mahal" was built by paid contractors and is maintained by paid Park Department employees.
• The West Side Community Center is a simple & functional building; the "Taj Mahal" is a municipal monument.
• The West Side Community Center has little financial support from official sources; the "Taj Mahal" has thus far proved to be a sinkhole for Park Board tax dollars.
• The West Side Community Center is managed by a community board; the "Taj Mahal" is managed by paid staff.
• The West Side Community Center's physical location is convenient to its specific Warrensburg community, one that has historically been underserved by official recreational activities; the "Taj Mahal" is convenient to the newer and higher income part of town.
• The folks managing the West Side Community Center want community participation; those running the "Taj Mahal" want a subsidy via a tax increase.

Maybe the City could treat us to some other financial comparisons:

• The cost to run the West Side Community Center costs for a year versus the cost for proposed signage for the "Taj Mahal."
• The amount of tax credits granted for donations to the West Side Community Center versus tax credits granted for virtually any other project in town or at CMSU.

I expect that the West Side Community Center will continue to get along, as long as it is independently managed and not placed under the control of a Parks Department that reportedly can't even keep the concession stand open during a youth baseball tournament (I am told they "ran out of change").