Correction: A previous version of this story inaccurately noted the community center ballot measure could appear on the November ballot. This story has been updated to note it may appear on a future ballot.
The concept for a new city-owned community center and relocated library branch in Prairie Village could get more concrete in coming weeks.
In separate votes Monday, the Prairie Village City Council agreed to enter into separate memorandums of understanding with the YMCA and Johnson County Library to explore the idea of hosting a new community center and Corinth Library branch on the same site on the city’s civic campus off Mission Road.
The idea has been discussed in some form for the better part of four years and comes a decade after the city council scuttled a previous bid for a new community center.
This clears the way for design work to start
The MOUs approved Monday call for the city, YMCA and Library to each contribute $50,000 to develop preliminary designs for a prospective co-located community center and new Corinth Library branch ahead of a possible future vote on the proposal.
A new community center owned by the city and operated by the Y would be located on the city’s civic campus, just south of City Hall and Police Headquarters and would replace the aging Paul Henson YMCA at 79th and Delmar streets.
The Corinth Library branch would move from its current spot further south on Mission Road to a place near a new community center but in a separate building.
The work to be done in the coming months as part of the MOUs aims to produce renderings and designs of both buildings, as well as specs for public open spaces, parking and overall cost estimates, something that hasn’t been clear in previous discussions.
Community center could appear on a future ballot
- City staff and councilmembers have mentioned putting the community center idea on a future ballot, but the city council has yet to approve any specific ballot language.
- Earlier this year, a city-commissioned survey found that more than 60% of Prairie Village residents said they would either “definitely” or “probably” use a new community center, though that proportion had decreased from a survey conducted four years ago.
- At the same time, a group linked to the Kansas Health and Fitness Association, which represents private gym owners, have tried to drum up local opposition to the idea of a city-run community center, calling it “unnecessary” and “expensive.”
- Councilmember Dave Robinson characterized Monday’s votes as the next steps toward getting actual design concepts in front of the city council and, ultimately, residents before any public vote takes place.
- “There will be a vote and the citizens will decide whether we have a community center,” Robinson said. “You’ll know what’s being built, where it’s being built, what its anticipated cost is and how it will be paid for. All these are things that we don’t have answers for.”
One councilmember voted against YMCA MOU
- Councilmember Courtney McFadden was the lone dissenting vote on the MOU for the YMCA. (Councilmembers Bonnie Limbird, Piper Reimer and Terrence Gallagher were absent.)
- McFadden alluded to concerns she and others have voiced about the YMCA’s disinvestment in the now-deteriorating Paul Henson YMCA and her wariness at entering a new agreement with the Y.
- McFadden did vote in favor of the separate agreement with Johnson County Library after clarifying with County Librarian Tricia Suellentrop that a relocated Corinth branch would not necessarily have to be combined with a new community center.
A third-party firm will manage the design phase
- The city council on Monday also agreed to allocate $143,000 to hire Overland Park-based design firm Benson Method to be the city’s representative on designing the project.
- Benson Method has also worked on the co-location of the new Antioch Library branch and community center in Merriam.
- Public Works Director Keith Bredehoeft said Benson Method will provide him and city staff with expertise for handling a project of this size.
- The contract the city council unanimously approved on Monday would take the city through the end of the year, Bredehoeft said, and a secondary contract could be considered by the city council should voters approve the idea of a city-run community center in the future.
What’s next:
- Bredehoeft said Benson Method representatives will help the city interview architects to begin the site design process.
- Mark Hulet, the president of YMCA of Greater Kansas City, said the organization will soon begin a feasibility study for fundraising.
- Hubert said this is to see what kind of capital investment the YMCA can bring to the table for a co-located community center project.
Go deeper: Prairie Village residents polled about new community center — Here’s what they said
