It's a fitness center; it's not a kids center
Sandusky's new building not being designed for youth programming
SANDUSKY — City finance director Colleen Gilson gave city commissioners a construction update on the new recreation center, but there’s no word about the kids programming or how staff will be transitioned when the center is completed next year.
Chris Mehling, city staff coordinator for the new center, is not involved with the kids programming. About 70 families with 137 children registered this summer during summer break camp, eight weeks through July 31 at the former Mills Elementary School. The city does not charge residents for the out-of-school programming.
The city recreation department has provided summer camp and year round out-of-school programming at Mills since the recreation department was relocated there in April 2022. It’s unknown to what extent the recreation department staff has been involved in the process of developing services at the new rec center. Unlike at Mills, kids at the center will have limited access inside the facilities.
Planning for the center was stalled immediately after city voters approved an operating levy in November 2023 for a rec center when some city leaders sought to limit services for children. A committee appointed by city commission struggled for weeks with whether the kids programming could be included in the new center’s programming, and some argued that establishing membership fees for families was a top priority. Others argued against prioritizing fees since the center is already publicly funded.
The committee met more than a half-dozen times, and there was some concession afterward on city commission that the current kids programming would be wholly incorporated at the new center, but there’s no followup to suggest that’s what’s occurring.
The city has not announced any programming changes from current offerings, nor have there been any announcements about future employment opportunities at the center, or equipment purchases. Gilson’s focus during the city commission meeting was a construction update for the city’s fitness center.
“The kids got that levy approved,” said Patrica “Granny Pat” Marshall, a city resident and retired rec department employee. “Kids don’t need a fitness center.”
The families and kids enrolled in the current programming were part of the successful campaign to convince voters to support the operating levy, which has been the subject of a community conversation for decades always centered on providing kids programming. The kids were featured in campaign ads for the levy, which was approved by a 52-vote margin.
The operating levy generates $672,000 annually and by year’s end it will already have collected more than $2 million to pay future operating expenses. The estimated $12 million in construction cost for the new center is funded from visitor tax money.
City staff, when approached with questions, made it clear they were not comfortable talking about the new center and declined to say whether they were excited about the progress that’s been made.
City manager John Orzech referred a reporter to Gilson’s report to city commission (go to minutes) and updates at the city’s website for more information.
