To the Editor:

I was a volunteer at Valley View manor for more than 10 years. I ran a weekly craft program and instituted the first visiting pet program there.

I got to know many of the residents quite well in my time. Almost to a person when asked how they felt about life, they told me that had they known they’d live to be this age or in the state of health they were in they would have definitely lived a healthier life.

This election to fund a new family recreation center for our community is a vote for a healthier life for residents young and old. It’s also a vote for a healthier community.

It will require a sacrifice from each family living and working, shopping and buying vehicles in Craig. It is a sacrifice to improve our health and the vitality of our community.

I also agree that we need to find a way to keep our older family members here to finish out their lives close to family and in familiar surroundings. These two issues are connected but they’re not.

Good health will keep us living independently for a longer time in our lives. The family recreation center will provide a place to gather, keep fit, socialize, and grow old in a healthy way. I call this preventative medicine and a smart choice.

Yes, we need a new assisted living center in Craig. That is a separate issue. The recreation center has been in the making for several years, long before Valley View was closed. Most of the funding for the Recreation center cannot cross over to the Nursing home because different grants and funding resources are involved. We need to take advantage of interest rates and funding sources right now.

The recreation center can and should be run by our local government. A private company without government involvement can better manage an assisted living center.

We all need to educate ourselves’ and make healthy choices.

This election outcome might come down to a single vote. Exercise your right and make a healthy choice for our community.

Laura Tyler,

Craig