How far should a municipal government go to save a private nonprofit enterprise?  That will be the question ultimately confronting Mayor Domenic Sarno and the City Council on the question of the Dunbar Community Center.

Sarno and City Solicitor Edward Pikula could, at the time of last week’s press conference, offered few details on the city could move forward with its plans to thwart the foreclosure of the legendary community center. There are details that must be worked out and Pikula and Sarno were cautious in what they said because of that.

It was clear though that Sarno was 100 percent committed to the concept of preventing the Dunbar from becoming simply part of the city’s history.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to see the programs offers at the Dunbar eliminated. The center plays a vital role in the city’s urban core. I just have questions.

Does this set a precedent, though, and an expensive one at that? I wondered what kind of arrangement could be made while sitting at the press conference. Would the city own the building and lease it to the community center for its operations? Would the building become part of the Parks Department or School Department with the community center simply supplying programming?

Or would the city’s takeover of the property be temporary with the Dunbar’s leadership and alumni staging a campaign to buy the building back from the city?

It’s all speculation and we won’t have the actual proposal for a while. There was one sort of precedent mentioned in the form of the city buying a closed daycare center next to the Rebecca Johnson School and then working with several private entities to offer additional daycare slots for city children.

I thought that comparison was a little weak as the city is already in the school business. It’s not in the community center business – as yet.

I know the city is in decent financial shape, but can it afford such a move? If other organizations that offer programming for more youth and adults were in a similar situation would they look to the city for help?

I’ll be curious to see how Springfield residents come down on this issue, especially when the plan of action is announced.

Simple pleasures

Ah, spring! When my thoughts turns to how loud my neighbors will pay their music and my hillbilly neighbor starts walking around without his shirt!

I try to block those inevitabilities and concentrate on the warming temperatures as a coming attraction to summer. I’ve already started thinking about a vegetable garden and an activity that is largely foreign to me: mowing the lawn.

Our backyard before the tornado was largely shaded and what lawn I had could be easily kept under control with a push mower inherited from the previous owners of our house. A string trimmer was also enlisted.

The tornado killed all of our old growth trees and now nearly five years later we have an essentially blank canvas – no trees or bushes, just grass. For the first time since we moved into our home in 1990 I’ve actually had grass to tend.

So I recently stood in an aisle of a store walking up and down trying to decide what kind of lawnmower to buy. Should I get gasoline or electric? I wasn’t about to buy any sort of riding mower that was for sure.

Ultimately, though, I went with what I knew and purchased an old-fashioned push lawn mower, similar to what I had inherited.

It works fine and offers me three simple pleasures. I love the smell of the cut grass and enjoy the sound of the whirling blades. I also tell myself it’s a chance for a little exercise as I push the mower up and down the yard.

It almost makes up for the idiots playing their music for the whole neighborhood to hear – almost.

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