Has the Prairie Village YMCA outlived its usefulness? The debate is on for JoCo spot
After shelving the matter during the COVID-19 pandemic, Prairie Village officials are again discussing a new community center.
But the deliberations are wrapped up with other pending decisions about the city’s government/pool complex, as well as troubles facing the nearby Paul Henson YMCA at 79th and Delmar streets.
John Mikos, president and chief executive officer of the YMCA of Greater Kansas City, told the City Council in mid-February that the Paul Henson Y — built more than 55 years ago — “has gone way beyond its useful life,” and is increasingly difficult to maintain. It’s been operating in the red for 18 months.
Without a viable plan to address the situation, Mikos said, the YMCA cannot sustain the Prairie Village location. The organization will conduct forums to find out, as Mikos put it, if the community thinks the YMCA is worth saving.
“Our future remains extremely uncertain as it relates to the Prairie Village and the Paul Henson YMCA,” Mikos said.
Before the pandemic, the city, the YMCA and the Johnson County Library had been exploring the idea of a new community center/library campus on city property north of the YMCA. One scenario had the city building the community center and contracting with the Y to operate it.
Two years later, some of the related issues have become more urgent. Even though the library system won’t immediately replace its Corinth branch in Prairie Village, the library needs to know the city’s direction so it can start planning, Prairie Village City Administrator Wes Jordan said at a council work session on Feb. 12.
“Time is not our friend here,” he said.
Among the questions that city officials are asking:
▪ With the pandemic upending lifestyles and new residents replacing older ones, does support still exist for a community center? Council members generally agreed that public sentiment must be measured again.
▪ What should be done with the aging City Hall and police headquarters in the 7700 block of Mission Road? And to the nearby pool complex? Several council members deemed these the top two priorities.
The city has budgeted $100,000 to study City Hall/police needs, which include safety and privacy issues, the inability to accommodate lines in public spaces and more space for employees. Some workers are housed in former closets, a city memo said.
Deteriorating pipes urgently need to be fixed at the aquatic center, but longer-term questions have arisen about its size and the staffing costs required, as well as the possibility of enclosing some pools for indoor use.
“Let’s face facts,” said Council member Courtney McFadden. “That pool complex is way too big — I’ll just say it — it’s way too big for the people that go through those doors.”
She said it’s OK for the city to subsidize pool operations, “but we do not need a water park in Prairie Village.”
▪ How closely should Prairie Village tie its deliberations to those of the YMCA?
The YMCA might be a valuable partner, Council member Chad Herring said, but that’s not a certainty.
“I do not think about this in terms of saving the Y,” Herring said. “In the end, I don’t think it’s our responsibility…”
Mayor Eric Mikkelson agreed, but said that if the city totally disengages with the Y, it could forgo any chance of using the YMCA’s land next to Harmon Park. “We can’t lose that property that the YMCA’s sitting on,” Council member Dave Robinson said.
With $3.4 million in federal COVID-relief funds and $15 million in older debts being retired, the city has a head start on financing whatever projects are selected.
Mikkelson suggested that city leaders should be mindful of tax dollars but also the example of earlier leaders, who had the courage to build City Hall, Harmon Park and other amenities that citizens enjoy today. More recently, Prairie Village did the same with Meadowbrook Park, which “has transformed our city in a positive way.”
“I really believe we have opportunities and duties to think boldly, to think intelligently, but not to just focus on maintaining the minimum of what we have,” the mayor said. “That’s our job. To do it really well, exceptionally, requires more than that.”
Artwork coming to outdoor stairway
Imagine walking on an outdoor staircase and seeing artwork on every riser. Soon, no imagination will be necessary, because Roeland Park is embarking on just such an art installation.
The staircase — at Roe Lane and Elledge Drive behind a strip of businesses that includes Aldi — is designed to serve pedestrians living east of Roe Lane and to improve east-west connections in the city. Nearly 16 feet high with 31 risers, the staircase will link the commercial parking areas with the neighborhoods below.
The city has set a March 12 deadline for art proposals. The design on each riser is to be part of a single unified artwork when the staircase is viewed as a whole.
The winner is expected to be chosen in March, with the work to begin this spring and completion of the $8,000 art installation by the end of September.
Leader chosen for K-State Olathe campus
Starting June 12, Benjamin Wolfe will be the next CEO and dean of Kansas State University Olathe.
Wolfe is now associate dean of the School of Professional Studies at the University of Kansas and of the KU Edwards Campus in Overland Park. The university announced his appointment on Feb. 18.
“Benjamin Wolfe possesses the knowledge and experience of the academic and workforce development needs of the Kansas City region, which will be key in his new job as CEO and dean of K-State Olathe,” said Charles Taber, the university’s executive vice president and provost, who chose Wolfe for the job.
“He will serve as an adviser to both President (Richard) Linton and myself on establishing both strategic directions and significant initiatives in research and education in the Kansas City region by the university.”
K-State opened its Olathe campus in 2011. Jackie Spears has been interim dean and CEO since mid-2019.
Street lights getting more efficient
In 2020, Overland Park finished converting all residential street lights to more efficient LED bulbs. And now it’s doing the same for most major thoroughfare and collector streets. The LED lights burn less energy and last longer, the city said.
“The conversion to LEDs, also known as light-emitting diodes, is expected to pay for itself in reduced energy costs within nine years,” the city said in a news release. “Previously, these streetlights contained high-pressure sodium bulbs.”
The latest round of conversions, affecting more than 6,000 city-owned street lights, began last year and should be finished this summer.
Central Library reopens
The Central Resource Library on 87th Street has fully reopened, as of Feb. 22, after a year-long renovation.
The branch, at 9875 W. 87th St. in Overland Park, serves the public but also houses departments that support all 14 branches, such as IT support, materials handling, communications and programming.
For the public, there’s a larger Kids Space, a new drive-thru and more study and conference rooms, including enhancements to the Teens Space. Crews also reorganized the materials-handling spaces to streamline behind–the-scenes operations.
Statewide honor for Olathe coach
Kelsey Carbajo, of Olathe West High School, is the 2022 Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year for Kansas, which puts her in the running for the National High School Cross Country Coach of the Year award.
Carbajo is in her fourth year of cross country coaching at Olathe West. Her team recently ended an undefeated season with a class 6A state championship title.
Internet safety class for adults
The Lenexa Police Department will host a free internet safety workshop on March 31, geared for adults and up.
Attendees will learn how to control their digital footprint and secure their data, which has become increasingly important in this era of data breaches and the “doxing” or dissemination of personal information.
The class begins at 6:30 p.m. at Lenexa City Hall, 17101 W. 87th St. Parkway. Register through the event calendar at lenexa.com.
This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Has the Prairie Village YMCA outlived its usefulness? The debate is on for JoCo spot."