Town council member David Jones has made an excellent suggestion to build pickle courts in Hennessey. It needs to be strongly followed up by the Hennessey community.

In addition, issues have arisen with the Hennessey Senior Citizens Center. My father thoroughly enjoyed the center, spending much time there.

That was a couple decades ago when attendance averaged 40 to 50 senior citizens. Now, attendance is down to about 10.

I suspect that senior citizens are enjoying healthier lives and pursuing activities outside the senior center not available a couple decades ago.

I would like to take this opportunity to make some suggestions from the perspective of Preservation and Community Development. My preservation and Community Development perspective is move everything to Main Street or to the old school grounds.

First, selling the Senior Citizens Center should be considered with the funds used to expand the pavilion.

I regard the Senior Citizens Center as an architectural abomination. There are few windows and those few windows overlook an asphalt parking lot.

Use the funds from the sale of the Senior Citizens Center to expand the pavilion with kitchen and bathroom facilities accomodating moving the Senior citizens Center there.

Senior citizen activities and functions could then be held at the expanded pavilion with the additional opportunity to hold non-senior citizen functions.

Why bear the additional cost of maintaining two separate buildings containing the same facilities, the existing Senior Citizens Center and the pavilion?

Regarding pickle ball and tennis facilities, removable net posts could be added to the pavilion’s soon-to-be concrete floor. Play pickle ball there.

Eventually, the pavilion will have side walls and those side walls will break those strong windy days that make playing pickle ball difficult.

As an aside, it has been discussed using the south half of the pavilion grounds for soccer. That is an excellent proposal!

What is a Sokol? It is an effort of both educational, academic and physical pursuits all contained in one organization and one physical location that originated in Czechoslovakia.

The old school grounds, including the high school building, auditorium and old gym, fit perfectly within the description of a Sokol.

The old band building was torn down and now Hennessey has an extensive land area where many pickle ball courts and tennis courts could be built at this location.

The land area of the old Boy Scout Cabin is small and limiting whereas the old school grounds are extensive with plenty of parking.

Keep the old Boy Scout Cabin grounds as they are. Besides, its land area is constricting thus limiting the number of pickle ball courts and probably making tennis courts an impossibility.

Where does Hennessey get the money for all this?

The Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund provides grant funds to facilitate physical activities including walking trails, community gardens, farmer market spaces, playgrounds and more.

Applications close Nov. 21, 2025 at 4 p.m.

Hennessey needs to get an application in for the pickle ball and tennis courts.

Many Hennessey citizens think of the old high school building, old auditorium and old gym as the place for our library and museum.

I also think that too, but more, much more.

I think of the old school grounds as Hennessey Entertainment Center to include the Hennessey Visitor Center, plus a center for physical activities in the old gym, pickle ball courts and tennis courts.

Staffing would not have to be increased. Existing library and museum staff could also monitor the use of all physical facilities as well as the library and museum.

We in Hennessey should not think of the Senior Citizen Center or the expansion of the pavilions as logistical and financial problems.

Rather, the current situation should be considered an opportunity to enhance the quality of life in Hennessey.

Today’s so-called “problems” are tomorrow’s opportunities.

One last thought.

Long range plans need to be established and not done in a hodge podge manner as it has so many times in Hennessey’s past.

At this time, I wish to thank David Jones, Harold Shaw and Jack Quirk for all their community development efforts to move Hennessey into the future for the better enjoyment of the community and to keep and attract new businesses.

Richard Simunek