The Emporia Recreation Commission will be presenting its plans for new and updated rec facilities to the Emporia City Commission next week in hopes of getting the matter on the November election ballot. But before that time, the ERC is welcoming local residents to a pair of community open houses this week.
The ERC will hold the events Wednesday at the Emporia Senior Center and Thursday at the Flint Hills Technical College main campus, both from 4 pm to 6 pm. ERC Director Amanda Gutierrez recently joined KVOE’s Morning Show to preview the sessions, saying both evenings will include a “Big overview of the project” starting all the way back at the beginning two years ago.
At this time, the project, which includes the construction of a brand new facility in west Emporia and significant upgrades to the current Lee Beran Recreation Center, brings a price tag of just over $23.9 million, with current plans being to utilize a quarter-cent sales tax to fund the work. That funding plan is what the ERC hopes to put to a public vote during the general election on November 3rd.
Emporia City Commissioners will decide that matter when the ERC presents the project to them during their August 19th meeting.
As the ERC prepares for the August 19th meeting, there have been some who have vocally stated they are a “Hard no” against the project, with many saying simply, “We don’t need this.” When asked her thoughts, Gutierrez stated she does not “Expect everyone to jump up and down and say, ‘ Yes, we need this.”
But, in Gutierrez’s opinion, that’s the whole point of putting it to a public vote.
For more information on the proposed rec upgrades or the upcoming community open houses, visit Emporiarec.org or find the Emporia Recreation Center on Facebook.
