Cheney looks at community center options

After coming up just 65 votes short on Cheney’s $5 million park proposal, Cheney Parks and Recreation is regrouping to bring about a community center.

The center would serve as a gathering place for community members of all ages. The old center at the Wren Pierson Building (WPB) hosted services ranging from a senior to teen center and plenty in between. WPB closed last winter after heavy snowfall caused the roof to cave in. Currently, the Parks and Recreation administration is renting an office space next to Taco Bell. Insurance covers rent up until March of this year, after which they must cover it themselves.

The first phase of the proposed park and the new community center would have been built if the bond passed. However, the city is now looking at eight other options for the community center, which include Cedar Street Park, the basement of Gattos pizza joint, former Cheney Building Supply, Fisher building (part of the Cheney school district), Old Odd Fellows building, EWU surplus building, WPB and the proposed community center with the park.

Each lot has its advantages and disadvantages. Rebuilding WPB and continuing plans for the park are ideas that are also being thrown around but on a much smaller scale with only a few of the planned facilities.

“We took a lot of [community] feedback and have now studied these eight different facilities,” Paul Simmons, director of parks and recreation, said.

One of the advantages of rebuilding the WPB is the insurance settlement they will receive. The settlement is worth $550,000 plus another $102,000 for building codes. If they were to move to another site, they would lose all depreciation in the WPB, which is around $162,000, and the money allocated for codes will earn just $286,000 for a new center.

“The [question about WPB] is do we rebuild it the same way it was or do we look to add improvements?” Simmons said.

One of the bigger needs, according to Simmons, is for athletic playing fields. Youth sports have become a large part of the community, but children have nowhere to practice and play. Originally, the park proposal outlined the construction of four fields and a gymnasium, but “if we can’t build all [five areas], we want to know how much two will cost,” Simmons said.

Other needs include a designated area for community activities, administrative offices, a maintenance shop and a new aquatic facility. The local pool received repairs in 2009, but it will only hold up for five to 10 more years.

Until the community center is built, Cheney citizens will continue to be affected in various ways. The Cheney Weight Watchers meeting has been taking place downtown in the second level of Willow Springs. Teenagers have also lost a place to go after school. Once the teen center in the WPB shut down, Cheney attempted to hold something for teens on Eastern’s campus, but people rarely showed up.

Simmons hopes to have a new proposal, or at least a set goal by the end of spring.

“Within a month or two, we will have a couple of other options [for] ideas that we can present to the community,” he said. “[With their feedback] we want to move forward.”