Most voters’ attention has been firmly fixed on special questions 2 and 3 on the general election ballot; however, it is important to remember there is another question on that ballot which will have long-lasting impacts on the community either way.
Question one asks voters to either support or deny a quarter percent sales tax that would, if approved, be used to fund construction of a new Emporia recreation center and updates to the Lee Beran Recreation Center, a need that has been long publicised by members of the Emporia Recreation Commission, including former Rec Director Tom McEvoy over the latter half of his tenure. McEvoy, one of the guests of KVOE’s latest issues forum Tuesday morning, stated this is a project long overdue, noting the current rec center dates back to the early 1970s.
Although the matter is just now coming up for a vote, McEvoy noted the topic dates back over a decade to 2011, when the rec commission first began looking at potential upgrades.
McEvoy noted the issue that led to the matter taking this long to get to this point was funding.
Over the past several months, proponents of the sales tax and rec project have noted the need not only for updated facilities, but also space, with McEvoy noting the project is necessary because in order to serve the community properly, the ERC “needs the square footage.” Some have argued the need may not be as great as the ERC has reported, but Jennifer Kraus of the Vote Yes committee, another guest at Tuesday’s forum, responded that it is often hard to meet the demand that comes through their doors each day.
Emporian Danielle Armitage says this matter is a “quality of life issue” for all residents as the facilities are not used solely by local youth.
The $24 million rec project would include the new facility, located near the Jones Aquatic Center, which would focus largely on athletics and physical activity with two indoor pools, additional gym spaces, walking areas and a community space. The current rec center, meanwhile, would see the current gym space updated, expanded fitness space, more programming areas and the filling in of the current pool, with Kraus saying it is time to stop wasting taxpayer dollars.
Should the sales tax question be approved, the quarter percent tax would be in effect for a period of 20 years and would bring the community’s total sales tax to 8.75, which Kraus says is favorable compared to similar-sized communities. In terms of feedback on the plans thus far, Kraus says community response, from her experience, has been mostly positive.
Armitage says it has been mixed at times; however, she believes that has less to do with the plan itself and more to do with confusion over the sales tax itself.
Again, the sales tax question is the first special question on the ballot, with a yes vote approving the tax and a no vote denying it. You can hear Tuesday’s forum in its entirety on the KVOE.com audio vault.
