As county officials turn their attention from the process that will create a new 87-acre public park on the grounds of Meadowbrook Country Club toward the actual programming of that park, funding uncertainties make the possibility of a fully functional community center on the property murky.
Johnson County Park and Recreation District Executive Director Jill Geller told the Prairie Village City Council earlier this week that a consultants’ report on the feasibility of the existing clubhouse structure suggested it would cost $1.5 million in renovations to get the building ready for public use as a community center, as had been initially planned. The consultants, George Butler and Associates, recommended a total of $4 million in renovations over the first 10 years of the community center’s life.
That high price tag will leave the park board with a difficult decision in the coming years as it faces uncertain funding prospects. Geller said the board could decide to move forward with the George Butler and Associates recommendations for the existing structure; or they may decide to demolish the existing structure and replace it with a new building; or they may decide to demolish the existing clubhouse and simply not replace it at all, forgoing the original community center vision.
“It is very much fund driven to see where we go with that,” Geller said.
As for the improvements to the rest of the parkland, the park district has a tentative timeline and budget in place to get a good deal of the planned improvements built out — but, again, budget issues linger.
The board last week approved a 2016 budget that will provide $4.8 million for a series of Phase I projects that will get the park ready for public use starting sometime in 2017. Those items include $1.3 million worth of work on the central ponds, the construction of 2.5 miles of trails, the construction of three bridges, a restroom building, and various benches and other fixtures.
The board also approved a tentative budget of $4.1 for Phase II improvements to be carried out between 2017 and 2021 — but what specific items will be approved and how much annual funding will be allocated will be subject to board review and approval each year. Tentative Phase II projects include the construction of the Grand Pavilion, a 35′ shelter, a senior exercise area and a destination playground.
The rest of the proposed improvements to the park — including the iconic garden and the spray ground — would be part of Phase III, projects that would be carried out after 2021 and for which the county has not approved any funding.
Parks officials noted that the circle parking lot and drop off area proposed for the northeast corner of the park, which caused some controversy on the Prairie Village City Council, is part of the Phase III programming, meaning it won’t be addressed anytime in the immediate future.
