The Civic Complex and what it's all about

   When I was interviewed by the Patch's Matt Perkins I mentioned the creation of what I call a Civic Complex. I wanted to share with the readers what the concept is and why I think this can be helpful long term to Dedham residents. 
  Right now 82% of the towns revenue comes from property tax. Only 18% comes from other sources which puts a huge burden on home and property owners. My plan would be to build this complex either by purchase of a building in town or building a new building and by using a portion of the Reyes Fund we would not put a further burden on the tax payers and we can use the money that comes in minus operating cost to generate revenue for the town and create a few more jobs.
   The goal would be to have this building house two basketball hardwood courts, a turf field and an indoor running track. Right now we have 4 basketball programs in Dedham, Pathfinders, Dedham Youth Basketball, St. Mary's CYO and Metro West. There are only so many schools and only so much gym time for all the programs to do practices outside of there scheduled game times. The complex could give us the flexibility to offer practice time for all of these programs and any time purchased just here at the complex would be used as revenue for the town. 
   CYO in particular is always looking for gyms for their playoffs and tournaments. I've discussed this with my friends not only in St. Mary's Dedham but also the Norfolk Vicariate who run the Norfolk division of CYO Basketball. We could bring that outside revenue to Dedham. With a Turf Field we can also run indoor winter Soccer leagues or clinics and could do the same for Lacrosse and even Baseball. We can even do indoor flag football for youths and adults alike. The uses are endless and the amount of revenue we can make could be a tremendous boost to the towns economy and provide relief to the taxpayers.
   The winter track can be used by residents during the winter and inclimate weather, but also could be a chance to gain even more revenue. My plan would be to petition the Bay state League to have the Winter Track meets here in Dedham. Right now those meets are held at the Reggie Lewis Center. A beautiful facility but parking and traffic make it very difficult to get there especially if you're coming from Towns farther away from the city. Having those meets here would also bring more revenue to Dedham and give us yet another use for this complex. 
   We can also host special track events. There is so much we can do. We can even do a drop in night for kids on a Friday night or we can use it for an after school program. We could even do sports parties for children. We can even rent to adult leagues for use.
   I also want to name this building after a veteran. I have one in mind. His name was Willie Guiod. He is no longer with us but left a lasting impression on everyone he met and I miss him. He was a terrific person and I think this would be a terrific memorial to him. The William D. Guiod Civic Complex has a nice ring to it and with his families blessing and with the approval of the town I'd like to make both a reality.
   I'd also like to name one of the sports areas after Shad Araby who was an avid fan of everything Dedham. He was a special man as well and I'd like to honor him too. 
   The other use for the complex is to start a vocational work program for the teenagers being serviced by the Dedham Youth Commission. The teens can check people in at the front desk, they can do cleanup we could even open a snack stand and have them service it. The Commission does great work for the children in town and they constantly scramble to help the kids find jobs. This would be a one stop shop for them to get some work experience.
  So in closing I'm running to help this town be a little more self sufficient and take some of the burden off the tax payers. I hope I can get get elected and can help to make us the best Dedham we can be. Thank you.