It appears likely that a steering committee to oversee a potential new recreation center project in Emporia won’t be formed until sometime next year.
This is due to the Emporia Recreation Commission choosing to table discussions on a memorandum of understanding for the committee’s establishment Monday evening. According to ERC President Jeremy Dorsey, that decision followed lengthy discussions on several topics including the committee’s potential structure.
Dorsey says there were concerns the committee was made up entirely of “financial stakeholders” with virtually no community or patron representation.
Per the MOU in its current format, if the rec center project were to move forward into design and construction, the ERC would be responsible for covering pre-construction costs including architecture and engineering as well as financing a ballot question if the ERC’s proposed half-cent to full-cent sales tax, meant to serve as a potential funding source, were to be placed on a future election ballot. Dorsey says the ERC appeared to have no “reservations” with this saying those costs are “absolutely reasonable.”
That being said, Dorsey tells KVOE News there was a question as to “what things could be included in that that we might not associate with typical construction.”
Plans were for Emporia City Commissioners to review the MOU during its regular meeting Wednesday. There is currently no word as to how the ERC’s action Monday night may affect those plans. With that in mind, Dorsey says he is planning to speak with city leadership ahead of that time to try and schedule a joint meeting between the ERC and city commission to address any concerns or questions either party may have with the MOU before additional action is taken.
In other business Monday, rec commissioners reviewed current ERC fees, the proposed 2024 Jones Aquatic Center Agreement, and employee tax credit income. One executive session for non-elected personnel matters was also held and commissioners chose to move their January board meeting to Monday January 22 in observance of Martin Luther King Day.
