Plans to formally present a sales tax question for funding a new public recreation facility and renovation plan for Lee Beran Rec Center are officially going forward.
The Emporia Recreation Commission’s Rec Center Steering Committee unanimously approved a just under $24 million plan for a potential new facility just west of the Jones Aquatic Center as well as upgrades to Lee Beran at a meeting Tuesday. Committee Chair Deon Morrow is relieved to be at this point after the first round of discussions was halted right before the voting process was finalized after Tyson Foods announced its departure from Emporia in December 2024.
The total cost is above a $22 million estimate presented at the board’s April meeting. City Manager Trey Cocking tells KVOE News the April figure represented “back-of-the-envelope” math on potential costs and how much money a 0.25-percent sales tax could generate for the project.
Morrow says the adjusted dollar amount lets the process move forward in one wave rather than piecemeal.
The plan will lead to major amenities at the JAC site, specifically two gymnasiums and two pools, as well as restrooms, locker rooms, a commons area and a slide as part of a $16 million facility. Cocking says the dollar amount is important, given the potential amenities — especially when pool facilities are concerned.
Morrow agrees a second pool is easier to install with initial construction as opposed to later.
Plans for renovations at Lee Beran no longer include indoor turf, but it converts the existing natatorium into a fitness area while creating a new lobby and remodeling the interior with components like plumbing repairs, replacing the roof, improving the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, repairs and painting for the building exterior and repairing the parking lot.
Another option had the JAC site having two gyms and one pool, leading to a projected cost total at $22 million. An all-amenity option at both locations is now expected to cost $27 million.
There is a chance the project could receive a grant from the Jones Trust, but the application is due in three weeks. A decision could be made on a grant application next month.
Speaking of funding, the Steering Committee decided to keep its original plan of requesting a 0.25-percent sales tax that would need a City Commission vote to sunset, or end, the tax. Cocking mentioned a potential 0.5-percent sales tax option that would have to sunset within 10 years of approval.
The board decided against that option as a way to provide flexibility for the City Commission to move those funds to other quality-of-life projects.
Steering Committee members now have to meet with the City Commission and USD 253 Board of Education over the next several weeks. They are also resetting the potential schedule and locations for community engagement sessions with a goal of having the tax question on Emporia’s Nov. 3 ballot. The updated schedule will be announced at a later date.
