Three of the four entities that will make up the steering committee for a proposed updated or new Emporia recreation center now have their appointees in place.
The Emporia Recreation Commission approved the appointment of ERC Vice Chair Aaron Trelc as the commission’s representative and Deon Morrow as the commission’s at-large appointment to the committee as part of its regular meeting Monday evening. Trelc says he is excited about the appointment and the work that is ahead in the coming weeks.
ERC and Emporia City Commissioner Erren Harter spoke to the appointment of Morrow to the committee saying he brings a great deal of passion and knowledge to the table.
Commissioners also approved the appointment of Sally Sanchez as an ex-officio — non-voting — representative. Trelc and Morrow will be joined by Harter and fellow City Commissioner Susan Brinkman on the committee as well as Scott Briggs who was appointed to represent Lyon County last week. The USD 253 Board of Education will announce its appointments at its next regular meeting on February 28.
Once the committee is in place, they will have a quick turnaround to develop a request for proposal (RFQ) for architects to begin developing plans for an updated or new rec center with commissioners hoping to have that accomplished by mid-March. ERC Chair Jeremy Dorsey says it is a short deadline, but one he is confident they will be able to meet.
The various appointments follow the approval of a memorandum of understanding by all involved parties in recent weeks. Said MOU underwent a slew of changes over the past month and a half including the addition of USD 253 Emporia back in late January.
Prior to the development of the steering committee and MOU, the Future Funding Task Force Committee, which helped to set the path for the steering committee, recommended either a half-cent or one-cent sales tax as the main funding mechanism, regardless of the direction taken on the overall facility. Discussions on that subject have been on hold for the past several months with no word as to when it may see further attention.
The need for an updated or brand new facility comes as adequate space to meet the current and future demand for rec services has been an issue for quite some time according to rec leadership.
In other business Monday, commissioners received updates on tracking out-of-school district program registrations, the recently-held Kansas Recreation and Parks Association state conference and the upcoming Class 5A state basketball tournament.
The ERC will reconvene for its monthly meeting in March.
