The public is invited to attend an open house focused on the potential expansion of the Kalona Community Center. The meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 23rd, at the community center will include tours and presentations, and will be an opportunity for residents to provide input and express interest in being involved with the process.
At Monday’s council meeting, a discussion about a community center planning contract with Martin Gardner Architecture was tabled until the first meeting in July. City Administrator Ryan Schlabaugh says the council chose to wait until after the first open house was held. He explains the contract would cover preliminary design and engineering, public input sessions, 3D rendering, site plan and layout, and a review of the current structure.
Following the announcement that a facility shared by the city and Mid-Prairie School District was not feasible at this time, the council decided to see if the public was interested making improvements to the building that houses city hall, a YMCA of Washington County branch and the Kalona youth organization, Elements. Schlabaugh says based on what the public wanted the shared building to contain, an addition would likely provide more gym and exercise space on the main level.