In less than a week, the Emporia City Commission will consider placing a quarter-cent sales tax question on the November general election ballot.
The reason for that question, new and updated recreation facilities, was the focus of a pair of community open houses held in Emporia Wednesday and Thursday. During the events held at the Emporia Senior Center and Flint Hills Technical College main campus, residents were able to view renderings of the new facility and planned upgrades to the Lee Beran Recreation Center as well as speak to members of the Emporia Recreation Commission and Rec Center steering committee who helped to develop the plans.
The open houses were very similar to sessions held two years ago when the ERC was originally proposing a better-than-$40 million facility at Champions Landing. As you may well know, those plans were eventually paused in December of 2024 due to the closure of Tyson Foods.
While the plans were on hold, development continued, as did input from the local community, which developers and steering committee members both say played a significant role in the current nearly $24 million plan. During an interview with KVOE News Thursday, Bruce Boettcher of BG Consultants explained the layout of both facilities, saying the new rec center, which will be located near the Jones Aquatic Center, will be more focused on athletics and physical activity.
Lee Beran, meanwhile, will become more of a community center of sorts.
Clint Hibbs of BG Consultants later explained that the layouts of both facilities are essentially the original plan for the Champions Landing project from two years ago, split between two locations with a much smaller price tag.
There have been some who have stated their opposition to the plan, saying it does not provide enough access to rec activities for the entire community, with some also asking why the facility cannot be located in areas such as the eastern portion of Emporia. Lucas Moody, a non-voting member of the rec center steering committee, says those concerns are completely valid and not without historical evidence behind them.
That said, Moody feels the split of the project as it is currently presented is meeting the need of creating more access to rec activities than what is currently available.
If the quarter-cent sales tax is approved for the November ballot next week and ultimately approved by voters, it would be in effect for a period of 20 years. For questions or more information, visit Emporiarec.org or find the Emporia Recreation Center on Facebook.
