Local entrepreneur Christian Mills is my new favorite person. Why you may ask?
Because he is proving you don’t need government or taxes to build a community center.
Mills is the brains and the bucks behind the ‘Legacy Center: A Community in Motion,? currently under development in the old Sea Ray plant located at 925 N. Lapeer Rd. in Oxford Township.
When completed, the Legacy Center is going to be a multi-faceted, multi-generational facility filled with a mixture of businesses geared toward fitness, family entertainment, team/individual sports, music, art, life skills and healthy dining.
It’s basically going to be a 208,000-square-foot community center sitting on a 19-acre site, except it’s going to be privately-owned, privately-operated and privately-financed.
I like that word a lot ? private.
Where is it written that only government can build community centers? Where is it written the only way to get a community center is to tax people for it?
The Legacy Center is the perfect win-win for people who want a facility like this in Oxford and folks like me who don’t want to be forced to pay for it.
The pro-community center crowd is going to get its heated swimming pools, indoor athletic fields, fitness equipment, community gathering spaces and boundless opportunities for education and self-improvement.
However, the frugal, overburdened taxpayers are not going to be saddled with a massive $20 million debt that will require the picking of their pockets for the next 25 years to build, furnish and equip such a place.
Of course, I’m referring to last year’s failed attempt by the Oxford Township Parks and Recreation Department to convince voters to finance the construction of a 60,000-square-foot community center in Stony Lake Park. Voters wisely rejected that ill-conceived proposal 2,432 to 1,544.
Mills, not the taxpayers, is assuming all the risk in this venture and if it succeeds, we’ll all reap the rewards.
If the Legacy Center is a hit, the community as a whole will benefit.
The folks who want this sort of thing will get to use and enjoy all the amenities to their heart’s content.
The local economy will benefit from the 15,000 to 20,000 families Mills expects to visit the center each month and the estimated 300 to 400 new jobs it’s expected to create.
And because it’s a privately-owned facility, don’t forget all the additional property tax revenue the Legacy Center is going to generate for the township, school district, fire and police services, public library and of course, the parks and recreation department.
Oh yes, and Mills will earn a profit, which, contrary to what some people believe, is not a dirty word. Profits are what help keep people employed, families fed, communities viable, taxes paid and charitable coffers filled.
Mills is doing this because he sees a good business opportunity and he wants to give back and help others. Believe it or not, being community-minded and making money are not mutually exclusive.
On the other hand, if the Legacy Center is a flop, then it will close, Mills will lose a significant chunk of money ? a chance every entrepreneur takes ? and eventually, the building will be used for something else.
But the good news is if the Legacy Center fails, the taxpayers won’t be on the hook for a $20 million debt nor will they be begged to pass another millage to help keep it afloat as they undoubtedly would be if this were a government-run facility.
When something fails in the private sector, the doors close. When something fails in the public sector, government just keeps throwing our money at it.
To me, the Legacy Center represents a true convergence of entrepreneurial spirit and community spirit ? two things that built this country.
A gutsy entrepreneur has identified a potential demand in the community and is going to use the power of the free market and private resources to meet it and make life better.
In my mind, that’s infinitely superior to government expanding public debt and using the coercive power of taxation to accomplish the same goal.
The Legacy Center also offers the unique opportunity for some public-private partnerships. Mills wants to work with the Oxford Township Parks and Recreation Department and Director Ron Davis. He wants them to be part of the Legacy Center.
‘I know they have other plans for their sports and activities, but I think there’s probably an opportunity to work together in some capacity,? Mills said. ‘We would hope that they would come join our team.?
Me, too.
I can think of no rational or justifiable reason why these two shouldn’t join forces for the good of Oxford.
Both seem to be staunchly committed to recreation, fitness, health, strengthening community and families, and improving people’s lives.
Mills and Davis are clearly men of vision and passion. Oxford could only benefit from their collaboration.
Remember, there is no ‘ego? in community ? or at least there shouldn’t be.