Ames residents are headed to the polls again today, but the referendum that could fund a new pool and state-of-the-art recreation facility shouldn’t be weighing as heavily on voters’ minds as the recent city council runoff election did.

The answer to the rec plex question is really quite simple.

One doesn’t have to look far beyond the droves of Ames children, parents and community members who flock to Nevada, Boone and Des Moines each summer to use other waterparks because our own Carr Pool and Municipal Pool don’t measure up to the water slides and play areas offered by the neighboring communities.

It’s also not easy to look past the endless stream of Ames parents who are chauffeuring their young athletes to other communities for sports practice, sometimes as late as 9 p.m., because there is not enough gym space available locally.

Just ask any tyke who has been turned away from basketball and volleyball programs because there is not enough gym space — Ames is in desperate need of a new recreation center, and with interest rates at an all-time low, the time is now.

Ames is lagging behind other comparable Iowa communities when it comes to space available for athletics and recreation.

A comparable university community, Cedar Falls with its University of Northern Iowa, boasts 12 public gymnasiums.

Although Ames has a population of about 50,000, we only have four public gymnasiums.

What does this say about our quality of life? What does this say about our commitment to the physical fitness of ourselves and our children?

Among other amenities, the proposed rec plex boasts six regulation-sized courts, a jogging track, climbing wall, weight and cardiovascular room, an indoor leisure pool with zero-depth entry, water slide, water swirl, play areas for children and additional lap lanes, as well as an outdoor aquatics facility that features a leisure pool with zero-depth entry, two water slides, two diving boards, laps lanes and more play areas for children.

The proposed rec plex would alleviate pressure on Iowa State’s Lied Recreation Center and open up more machines and facilities for ISU students to use.

Obviously, facilities such as the rec plex don’t come cheap. The price tag is set at $23.6 million. If the bond issue is passed, fees and property tax increases would foot the bill. The annual property tax hike would be $76.91 per $100,000 value for residential property and $149.67 per $100,000 value for commercial and industrial property.

True, the rec plex won’t come cheap. But neither will the long-term health and economic costs the next generation will endure if the City of Ames continues to deprive it of adequate recreation facilities.