Over the years of playing basketball in Calera,I have always noticed the lack of facilities for the game of basketball. I myself am a alumni of  Calera Schools (I graduated in 2016) and played on the girls basketball team from middle school all the way up to high school. When I was in school, I can remember wanting to go to the gym and work on my game. I could not because although I was a player of the schools team, I was not granted access to the schools gyms when I needed and wanted to practice. After 10 years the problem is still present today. I used to get kicked out the school gym simply because it was school property.  A Basketball Recreation Center is a URGENT NEED in the city of Calera! KIDS/ PLAYERS NEED A FACILITY TO PLAY BALL AND TO WORK ON THEIR GAME WHEN THEY CAN’T GET INTO THIER OWN GYM. PLAYERS ALSO NEED MORE THAN ONE GYM TO PRACTICE IN DURING BASKETBALL SEASON. ALUMNI’S NEED A FACILITY TO PLAY IN WHEN THEY WANT TO SIMPLY PLAY PICKUP GAMES! Some citizen of Calera might suggest that there is a park people can access to play ball. Although that is true, what happens on the days that weather does not permit? What happens on the days after it rains and the courts are still soaked? I have went to the park on a day after it rained with the group of people that I’ve been shooting ball with for years and, we had to leaf blow and sponge the basketball court dry so we could play basketball. What happens on the days when it’s to cold or too windy? Nobody can play basketball because there are no gyms to access. Basketball is an inside sport.  We have a gym at Rolling Hills that the citizens of Calera pay taxes to maintain, but have to go through so much just to HAVE PERMISSION TO PLAY IN! Most of the time permission is denied. We have school gyms that should be available to alumni, but you are not able to play in unless you pay an outrageous amount monthly for insurance. As alumni’s, we have been thrown out of multiple gyms. The middle school has thrown us out because of someone else’s actions. The high school has thrown us out because we’ve been told that the THE PRINCIPAL DOESN’T WANT ANY ALUMNI’S PLAYING IN HIS  FACILITIES. We look to go to other cities recreation centers just to be able to shoot basketball and get denied because we’re not residents of their cities. The city of Calera has grown and has been expanding in every area but basketball. Over the years baseball has gotten an additional 3 fields. Football has gotten an additional field, a new ticket booth, new concession stands, and new bleachers. John Graham, it is time to expand in the basketball department.