Emporia Recreation Commissioners approved their third version of a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of a new recreation center steering committee during a special meeting Monday evening.
The latest version of the document had a few notable changes, namely the inclusion of of USD 253 Emporia Public Schools which will now have a representative and at large appointment on the committee. The addition of the district followed a series of discussions about why the district was not a part of the original mou or committee discussions during the ERC’s January meeting.
Ultimately, ERC Chair Jeremy Dorsey explained the absence of the district was due to a miscommunication for which he took responsibility and offered an apology for Monday night.
Dorsey stated that while it has taken several revisions and drafts, he is very pleased with the document in its current standing.
The updated MOU also altered the number of representatives for all entities involved in the committee — the ERC, City of Emporia, now USD 253 and Lyon County Commission. Previously, the city and ERC were to have two representatives and a single at-large appointment each with a single representative from the Lyon County Commission bringing the total members on the committee to seven.
Dorsey says the overall number will remain the same, however, the number of representatives for each entity, aside from the county commission, will be slightly reduced.
The ERC’s representative will be appointed at the board’s next regular meeting on February 19. The Emporia City Commission and USD 253 Board of Education are both set to review and possibly approve the document during their next regular meetings on Wednesday.
If either entity requests any changes, the document will have to go through another round of revisions and approval by each board.
