The Emporia Recreation Commission has several noteworthy items up for discussion with its monthly board meeting Monday.
Board members will discuss the Rec Commission’s path forward after the Kansas Department of Commerce granted $750,000 to planned upgrades for the DeBauge Family Sports Complex instead of the requested $1.5 million. The Rec Commission has tentatively set aside $1.5 million for the work, while Stormont-Vail has told KVOE News it is committed to its $1.5 million donation, regardless of the project scope.
Separately, the board will discuss the Kansas State High School Activities Association volleyball tournament and will field Leadership Team updates.
Also on the agenda: an update on the ongoing work to get the Lee Beran Recreation Center’s indoor pool opened back up to the public. On KVOE’s Morning Show recently, Rec Commission Director Amanda Gutierrez said the project involves an over-40-year-old, 90-foot cast iron pipe that runs about four feet under the pool deck.
Chlorine has helped with the corrosion, and Gutierrez says a longstanding battle in temperatures — based on the pool’s uses — is also a problem. Gutierrez also says the pool loses water, often depending on how many people use it on a given day.
The indoor pool has been closed since Nov. 12. Gutierrez says the goal was to reopen by this upcoming Wednesday, but that was based on a 4-inch-diameter pipe. The affected portion of pipe is 6 inches, so additional parts were needed and it now appears the pool may reopen by just before Thanksgiving.
Rec Commission board members will also discuss the latest operations agreement for the Jones Aquatic Center.
The meeting is at 5:30 pm at the Rec Center.
