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Recreation
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City of Roswell
P.O. Drawer 1838
Roswell, NM 88202-1838
(505) 624-6700
Fax: 624-6889 |
THE LEISURE INCIDENT
"Moving Forward"
October 15, 2025
Kim Elliott, CLP
Recreation Director
City of Roswell
"We cannot afford merely to sit
down and deplore the evils of city life as inevitable, when cities are
constantly growing, both absolutely and relatively. We must set
ourselves vigorously about the task of improving them; and this task is
now well begun."
This quote from "The City in Modern
Life" by Theodore Roosevelt says volumes about the future of growth and
development in a city. Actually, the quote applies to every city, including
Roswell!
There is a new culture in America. To be more
accurate, it is one of the fastest growing cultures in the world. You and I are
affected by it daily. How can it be described?
This culture has tremendous potential!
It is what sells products and keeps people
healthy. It is what builds communities, saves souls and protects the
environment. It provides for healthy interaction between adults, children,
teenagers, young and older adults. It reduces stress, builds self-esteem and
helps to reduce crime.
The economy is strengthened, tourism increased
and revenue generated by this culture. Families can be strengthened, sensitivity
to cultural diversity is promoted and community and neighborhood involvement is
encouraged.
Yes! This culture has tremendous potential!
It is the leisure culture! This is the culture
that is one of the fastest growing in the world.
Yet, with all of its potential, some community
leaders across this nation of ours are afraid of its potential. Why? Because it
has the power to change!
Some community leaders are ignoring the future
because they listen to economists who are stuck in the past, or at the very
least, the status quo. They do not place a high priority on leisure, parks and
recreation. On the surface, it appears to be the safe thing to do. For the
future, it is one of the worst!
The leisure culture has been around for many
years. However, tremendous changes have taken place in the world during the last
twenty years and specifically the last ten! These changes have all contributed
to the further development of the leisure culture which can not be ignored if
positive changes are desired in our communities. Anyone with the ability to see
what is happening should be able to see the truth in what is happening around
and in our communities.
People do not live in communities because of
the work that exists in that community. They are now living and moving to those
communities that have the quality of life that they desire. The work place is
secondary to quality of life! The next ten years will verify and emphasize this
even more!
How can we begin to address this growing need
in our communities? We can begin by looking at some of the general concepts of
growth in those communities that place quality of life issues high on the list
of priorities.
In those positive communities that are moving
forward we find that planning is utmost on their list of priorities. Planning
for land use, planning for future development, planning for future growth,
recreation and leisure planning, planning for open space, planning for future
facilities are all important aspects of positive community growth. Strategic and
master planning are continually being done in those communities that are moving
forward. Especially in the areas of parks, recreation and open space.
Secondly, we find that funds are being made
available so that these plans can come to fruition. In other words, just having
a plan is not enough. Positive communities actively try to accomplish what has
been planned!
Thirdly, in positive, looking forward
communities, we find that the economic growth is increasing because of the
efforts being made to provide for a positive quality of life in a community.
Crime is down, job creation is up and people are just plain happier to live in
their communities! In some positive moving forward communities, more funds are
provided for parks and recreation than the police because they are more
concerned about prevention than incarceration!
What is the legacy that we area leaving our
grandchildren? Are we moving forward to provide for this fast growing leisure
culture, or, are we just going to sit back and let it pass us by? We have a
choice!
Parks and Recreation! The Benefits Are Endless...TM
