Recently, Prairie Village residents may have received texts urging them to oppose a new community center.
These texts were sent ahead of the first public input session that the city hosted on Jan. 25 connected to the still-evolving idea to replace the deteriorating Paul Henson YMCA at 79th and Delmar streets with a new, city-owned community center.
Last year, similar texts were sent to residents days before the city opened a public survey that intended to gauge Prairie Village’s interest or disinterest in the community center idea.
Who is behind the texts?
- The texts the Post viewed, which were sent in by readers, say the messages are paid for by Common Sense Prairie Village.
- This is the same website that was linked to in last year’ texts, and the website users are sent to says it is paid for by the Kansas Health and Fitness Association.
- Genesis Health Clubs, which at one point had designs to build a private gym at the old Macy’s at The Shops of Prairie Village just down the street from the site of a prospective city-owned community center, is a KHFA board member.
- “We are one of many fitness organizations who support the KHFA,” a Genesis Health Clubs representative told the Post via email. “We can’t speak for the organization or comment on any specific initiatives, but we agree that public competition with private fitness businesses has harmed the fitness industry and shifted a burden to private taxpayers that was already being filled by the free market. We hope to make announcements on Prairie Village and other KC-area locations in the coming months.”
The texts call on residents to ‘voice opposition’
- The text message noted that there are more than a dozen health and fitness facilities near Prairie Village.
- It called on residents to voice their opposition at the Jan. 25 public input session, the first of at least three feedback meetings related to the project that the city has planned.
- “Public safety and road maintenance take precedence over building a tax-exempt fitness center that harms local businesses,” the text reads.
- City Administrator Wes Jordan told the Post in an interview Thursday that the city appreciates the additional push for the meeting and values all public input.
- “I can assure that the police department and the roads are being funded adequately, to the department heads’ requests as well as to the council’s determination,” Jordan said.
A full version of the text message is below.
300+ people showed up to last week’s meeting
- When attendees arrived at the Meadowbrook Park clubhouse last Thursday, they were first shown a three-minute video explaining the community center, which is being presented along with a new co-located library branch on the same site.
- Attendees were they were able to talk to Johnson County Library, city and YMCA representatives and provide feedback via sticky notes on several boards.
- This included a board that showed two options for the co-located facilities, a north campus site near Shawnee Mission East High School and a south campus site where the Paul Henson YMCA currently sits.
All material boards can be reviewed in the embedded document below.
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Open in new tab I missed the meeting. How can I give my input?
- Those who were unable to attend the Jan. 25 public input session can provide feedback online.
- The city posted the same video, survey and meeting boards to a webpage on its website dedicated to the community center.
- Prairie Village is keeping the survey open until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, and is asking anyone who gave input at the Jan. 25 meeting to not take the online survey.
- The next in-person public input session about the Prairie Village community center idea, related to site options, is planned for April 4.
Go deeper: Prairie Village to design new community center concept. When could it be voted on?
