City Looks for Ways to Increase Use of Community Center

Funding For Rehab Dependent on Community Involvement By Gordon HopkinsThe Fairbury Public Works Committee met on Tuesday, April 19, to discuss a possible rehab of the Community Center, located in the Fairbury City Park and how to increase use of the facility.The Committee decided two items required further review: authorizing alcohol on site and authorizing open gym times. On Tuesday, May 17, recommendations were made by the Public Works Committee and presented to the Fairbury City Council.A deciding factor was insurance. The city's insurance company was consulted and they stated that authorizing alcohol and open gym times at the community center are within the scope of that building’s use and would not require additional insurance.City staff also proceeded to review other communities that allow alcohol in their community centers and proposed alcohol be allowed on site at the Fairbury Community Center for events with an additional deposit of $150 to cover any cleaning and or damage that may be caused to the facility. All events with alcohol will be required to follow the Nebraska liquor control regulations and events at which alcohol is sold will be required to obtain a Special Designated License (SDL) permit. Which is a license for a special event whereby alcoholic liquors will be sold.City staff also reviewed open gym policies from other communities and proposed opening gym times be added to the center’s policy from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Open gym users who are 12 years of age or younger should be accompanied by a person 16 years of age or older. All users should be required to sign a one-time release that will be kept at the City Office and complete the sign in sheet every time they use the gym.The City Council voted unanimously to approve the changes.These changes are part of the larger program to increase the use of the Community Center, which in turn is hoped to increase public awareness and improve chances of obtaining funding for the rehab project.The building was built in 1978 and is starting to show its age. Among the various repairs and upgrades the city would like to see done include:• Lighting• Flooring• Windows• Sidewalks• Interior Painting• The Transportation Dropoff site• Gym improvements• Senior Center ProgramingJeffCo on the Move, which Jefferson Community Health & Life (JCH&L) is part of, is supportive of Fairbury's planned Community Center project.Lana Likens, Public Relations Director for JCH&L, told FJN, “The city has applied for grants, and one is a matching grant which requires community support. It will be a tremendous help for the project to have support from many community members, businesses, and organizations.”Likens added, “Some of the scope of the project will depend on grants and donations that come in.”The total cost of the project is estimated at $80,000 to $100,000. The city is applying for grants which require local support and matching funds. Donations are being sought from individuals and businesses to show their support and help fund the upgrades and repairs.At a previous City Council meeting, Planning and Zoning Administrator Laura Bedlan duscissed some of the possible grants being looked into, “So we then took it and applied for an AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) grant to make just the basic improvements, mostly flooring was the biggest issue. We will hear back from that on June 29.”The Community Center building houses the Fairbury Senior Center. Bedlan noted, “AARP is more for the retirement community members specifically.”There is also a possible Peter Kiewit Foundation grant. Bedlan said, “But Kiewit would like to see it as a community building. And they want a lot of community involvement. And they want a lot of community input and backing, specifically financial backing, along with community support. So as part of the AARP grant, we talked to the schools, and some of the local organizations and civic organizations about working with senior diners. They're willing to do that. So, we can show some community involvement. We need more for the Kiewit grant. And we would need to probably have some discussion with some of the local businesses and civic organizations about maybe contributing.”There are multiple donation levels that will receive recognition:• $1-$999—name on website and in the chamber newsletter• $1,000-44,999—name on website, in chamber newsletter and in newspaper• $5,000 and up—name on website, in chamber newsletter, in newspaper and on plaque in the centerDonations of any amount can be made to: Community Center Rehab Project c/o: Fairbury Civic Foundation, PO Box 554, 612 D St., Fairbury, NE 68352.In order to be helpful for grant matching funds, donations are needed by May 27.

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