“Future of fun: How are we planning for recreation?” will be the next forum presented by Tulare County voices at 2:10. The forum is at 7 p.m. on Tuesday April 14 at 210 W. Center Ave.
Tulare County Voices @210 is a monthly public forum in Visalia, an evening panel format that has been a space for community discussion for more than 15 years. It is co-sponsored by the Visalia Times-Delta, the Valley Voice and First Presbyterian Church (which provides the venue and live stream).
This month’s form will be more of a listening session. In fact, everyone who attends will be asked to share at least one thing about what they would like to see for recreation in Visalia.
Normally there would be a panel of experts or people with vested interests to present information to the audience. For this forum, we’re flipping the script. We want the audience to share their ideas, including representatives of the city and school district, as well as people representing various sports, exercises and recreation interests.
The germ of the idea for this forum came from the fact that the city of Visalia is beginning to develop its master plan for recreation. That plan would guide the development of parks, fields, courts, greens and other venues for fun and games.
Here’s where the audience comes in. This is their chance to express their preferences for their favorite leisure pursuits:
Do you like to play tennis? Bowl? Golf? Swim? Play bocce, cornhole or pickleball?
Do you think our community needs more tennis courts, bike lanes, softball fields, polo grounds, pools, dog parks, disc golf courses, walking trails, basketball courts, BMX tracks, skating rinks …?
And why isn’t there a nice park for tai chi?
Or maybe you think our community spends too much money on creating and maintaining its recreation resources.
Where ever you are on the recreation spectrum – this is the forum for you.
Think about it: How often will the city of Visalia embark on a master plan to determine how it will develop its Recreation and Park facilities over the next four or five decades? This is probably it for your lifetime.
Make the most of it. Let your community and leaders know what you are interested in. Because how would anyone know to build a bocce court in Visalia If no one knew that there were people interested in playing bocce? For that matter, how would it have been known that there was interest in pickleball, BMX racing, skating, or disc golf, if no one had ever spoken up about their interest in those sports?
It was only a couple of decades ago that there weren’t any places for those sports in Visalia. Those sports are available now because people expressed their interest.
The future of fun is now. This is your chance to let your leaders and your fellow community members know what you would like to see in a playground.
You better show up because it might be another 25 years before anybody asks you again!
Be there Tuesday April 14, 7 p.m. at 210. And join the community conversation.