>From City Council President Kathy Lantry regarding the Conway Meeting:
I have been watching the conversations surrounding the re-purposing of the
Conway Recreation Center and have spoken with a few neighbors about this
change. I want to share some information with the District 1 list serve in the
hope that we can have a broader conversation about the future of the rec.
center and the services that will be provided there at the November 26th
meeting.
First of all, I want to be clear that the recreation center and surrounding
park will remain in the ownership of the city. The city is not “selling” the
building or surrounding property to a private party and the city will remain in
control of any partnership agreement that is developed.
Secondly, the re-purposing of the recreation center does not mean that all
recreation programming for the neighborhood will disappear. In fact, it is the
City’s goal to partner with a strong organization or organizations which can
complement the activities that are offered at the center. Currently, the
recreation center is only open to the public approximately 23 hours a week.
With a partner organization, it would be our goal to maintain, or possibly
increase, the number of hours that the facility would be open for neighborhood
use. We are also anticipating that many of the groups that currently use the
facility, such as our seniors group, local basketball teams, and community
education programs would still continue to use the recreation center. The
community garden would be allowed to continue. Sports teams may still be
programmed for the surrounding fields. Partnership organizations may also
provide other opportunities for activities that are not currently offered.
Our Parks and Recreation Department has been working for some time to develop a
plan to move our current recreation system, which is heavily focused on
facilities, into one that focuses on activities and capitalizes on partnerships
with other organizations. In part, this is a response to increasingly limited
resources, but it is also a recognition of how people participate in recreation
activities today.
The Parks and Recreation Department has requested time with the District 1
Community Council and the surrounding community to discuss which services and
activities are most important to the neighborhood and that should be maintained
under any partnership agreement. Until now, the district council has not been
willing to engage in that conversation.
I am hopeful that the meeting scheduled for November 26 will afford an
opportunity to begin a discussion about what values and activities are
important in any partnership agreement. Some of these criteria may include:
•How many hours should the rec. center be open to the public?
•What are the best times for the center to be available for use?
•What activities that are currently offered will continue to need space at the
center (i.e. seniors, programs, local basketball leagues, tax assistance
programs, etc.)?
•What kinds of additional programming might be valuable (i.e. after school
programs, youth groups, etc.)?
•What uses take place in the park surrounding the rec. center that may need
support (i.e. community garden, new play area, basketball court)?
I look forward to meeting with neighbors and beginning the conversation about
how we can find a way forward that will best serve all of our District 1
community.
Kathy Lantry