Recreation center public input meeting to be held by the City of Lexington
The final phase of the City of Lexington’s ‘Re-Creation of Recreation’ is underway. Conversations have commenced regarding a community recreation center. Originally slated to be completed between 2017 and 2018, the project has been on the receiving end of numerous delays. On Tuesday, March 29 from 6:00p.m. until 8:00p.m., citizens are invited to attend a public participation meeting at the Edward. C. Smith Civic Center located at S. Main St.
Unveiled as part of the plan at the city council’s retreat in 2014, the ‘Re-Creation of Recreation’ consisted of four major projects: the renovation of the former Hillside Pool, the renovation of Washington Park to include a splash pad, the conversion of Radcliffe Pool into a skate park and the creation the recreation center. In February, the council met with the hired consulting firm, BRS Architecture (based in Colorado), to participate in a visioning workshop.
“As I understand this to be, they will start with a presentation where they’ll show different options,” said Laura Duran, director of the city’s parks and recreation department." “While some folks have been to other rec centers, there’s a lot of people who’ve just been local and don’t know there’s other options besides a fitness center, gym and lap pool. Then they’ll have boards that will have different activities. People will vote on what kind of activities they see taking place.”
If there are activities or things citizens would like to see incorporated into the recreation center but they aren’t listed on the boards, people will have a chance to share their wishes via comment cards. “They’ll be encouraging everyone to fill one out.”
Additionally, in mid-April an online survey will go live where desires for the center can be shared. The recreation department staff will also be conducting outreach sessions with targeted audiences in various locations.
Utilizing feedback from this month’s meeting and the survey, BRS Architecture will return to Lexington on Tuesday, May 3 to share a preliminary proposal and gauge the community’s assessment of it. The meeting will be held at the Civic Center at 6:00pm.
Along with presenting an early idea of what the building could consist of, an assessment of the current proposed location for the center will be discussed. In 2014, the city finalized the purchase of the former Tr-Distributors building at 921 S. Main St. for the purpose of converting it into an indoor recreation center.
“Whatever the community says as far as this is what we want, we’ll then need to see if it’s going to fit. This company has also been hired to determine if this is going to fit or if we can’t make it work. If we can’t, they’ll help us evaluate potentially other locations. I’d love to use something we already have.”
“We want them to come out March 29th and participate. People can participate in as many ways as they want - one time or all of the times.”
