Here Comes the “Y”: Prairie Village City Council Explores the idea to Update Local YMCA

After a survey was sent out to Prairie Village citizens last year, the city council found that residents wanted a community center, so the Council decided to re-introduce a proposal from six years ago to build a new community center on Feb. 19.

The new center will be built within the next three to nine years and will most likely replace the Paul Henson Family YMCA located at 79th and Delmar. However, the city will partner with the YMCA to reduce the cost for both parties.

According to City Administrator Wes Jordan, Prairie Village will also collaborate with Platte County and Bonner Springs for advice on the new center as those cities partnered with the YMCA to build their community centers. Jordan said the YMCA leaders recognize that partnering with the city to build a new community center would be the most advantageous, considering the need for repairs in the current YMCA.

Since the new community center will be partnered with the YMCA, the approximately 1500 families that belong there will be able to keep their memberships. The new community center will replace the YMCA, but the Associate Vice President of Communications and Public Relations for the YMCA, Paula Oxler, said that there will be a plan in place to help out the   members of the YMCA such as their memberships transfering over to another YMCA or possibly going to another community center.

However, it depends on the community and what each city decides to do, according to Oxler.  In other cities, the community centers built have included all of the same amenities a normal YMCA has including fitness centers, pools, party rooms and a kid zone — the main difference is that you don’t need a membership to go to the community center. According to Oxler, since it would be in partnership with the YMCA, the new center could model the Platte County community center, which is run by the YMCA. The city is also willing to look for a second partner, but timing is important for the project.

“The dialogue needs to begin now, it could certainly happen prior to the timeline if we have a partner and the council agrees,” Jordan said. “This is something that could certainly potentially gain momentum within the next three to five years, but could take as long as nine, it all depends on who steps forward as a partner with the city and if the finance model is approved.”

According to Oxler, the design for the community center is still undecided since the project is in its early stages and every community that has gone through a similar process has had a different timeline and final product. As long as the partnership is financially feasible, Oxler said, the company is open to it considering the project is in its first stages.

The replacement of the YMCA could have its drawbacks, according to Jordan. It provides a sense of community and family in Prairie Village, and the city would not want to ruin that. Another drawback, he said, is analyzing the fiscal impact of the community center even with a formal partnership.

According to Jordan, the two funding options for the city are either a sales tax or assessing each homeowner. The community center will be a significant cost, so a sales tax increase is the more likely option. They know from the other cities who have built community centers that member fees will not cover the costs of construction and the operation.

During the preliminary discussions, the city reached out to SMSD to inquire their interest in a partnership, specifically for the use of the pool facility. The district declined on account of the new aquatic center in Lenexa. Jordan said that although they knew about the new aquatic center, they still wanted to explore having the district as a partner — it would not require a commute for the swimmers, like the other facility would.

“I think in theory it would be a good idea for the district to support a community pool but I think it would be better to put more work into our pool, and make [it] better for the students,” senior swimmer Hazel Eastlack said. “It would be hard to coordinate with them and rent for pool time. It’s easy for us to access our pool and do what we want with it.”

According to Jordan, although the project is in developmental stages, the council wants to move forward with it to provide all of Prairie Village with a renovated multi-purpose community center that would have the “same sense of community” the YMCA currently provides.