There may yet be a glimmer of hope for those Prairie Village residents disappointed to have seen the city halt movement on development of a major community center/natatorium last month after the city council deemed it financially unfeasible.
The city’s administration and its Community Center Committee chair confirmed Monday that in the wake of the council’s vote against the extensive $45 million proposal, a number of parties had approached the city to see if there might be an appetite for a scaled-down project that would include some kind of public-private partnership.
Prairie Village City Administrator Quinn Bennion said he could confirm that the YMCA was among the parties that had approached the city, but said he was not at liberty to disclose the others. He did say the number of groups to approach the city was “more than two.”
Word of the inquiries came as Community Center Committee Chair David Belz sought direction from his council peers about their willingness to have city staff spend time vetting such proposals.
“In my opinion, unless they are providing significant funding, it would be a moot point,” said Councilor Laura Wassmer, who heads the city’s Parks and Recreation Committee. “We have made it very clear that the city doesn’t have the money to fund a community center.”
Moreover, said Councilor Charles Clark, the idea of scaling back from the large project identified as the best fit for the city by a consulting firm would fly in the face of the recommendations of the market study.
“The market study shows there are many alternatives in this community,” he said. “So if you’re going to do anything at all, it’s got to be big or you won’t draw anybody. It’s got to be pretty super-duper for it to be interesting at all.
Bennion couldn’t reveal any specifics about what the groups that had approached the city were offering, but did say that “some of these may not be things that would even meet city code. They could be kind of out there.” He suggested that one of the groups may be interested in using public land.
Still, the council directed staff to at least hear the organizations out and screen their proposals before allowing them to come before the council as a whole.
