Refill Stations for Cedar Park: Revising a Speech

Mateo's Speech (First Draft)

1Good evening, members of the town council. My name is Mateo Reyes, and I am in fifth grade at Hillcrest Elementary. I play soccer at Cedar Park three times a week. Many teams use the fields on weekends, too. The park has only one drinking fountain. It has been broken since last summer. I think the town should put two water bottle refill stations near the soccer fields.

2Players get very thirsty during long games and practices. Last Saturday was one of the hottest days of the summer. There is nowhere to fill a water bottle. Many families buy bottled water at the snack stand. The bottles are not cheap. Some families cannot buy water for every game.

3Refill stations would also cut down on trash. Empty plastic bottles pile up in the trash cans by the fields. On windy days, the bottles blow onto the grass and into Cedar Creek. Litter in the creek can harm the fish and birds that live there. A group of volunteers picks up litter along the creek every Saturday morning. Last month, they filled six bags with bottles alone. The bags were piled by the gate for the town truck to pick up.

4A refill station is easy to use. You hold your bottle under the spout. Cold water fills it in a few seconds. Players would not have to leave the field for long. Many stations also filter the water. Some stations have a small screen that counts how many plastic bottles have been saved. Kids at the park would enjoy watching that number grow. Many schools and parks already have refill stations like these.

5Some people say refill stations cost too much. A broken fountain costs money too. Families spend money on bottled water. The town pays workers to empty overflowing trash cans. A refill station could last for many years. Please vote yes on refill stations for Cedar Park. Thank you for listening.