For about a year, a group of individuals representing Denison, Crawford County, the Denison Community School District and the county at large has been working toward adding an amenity that can be enjoyed by all area residents – a wellness center.
The Crawford County Recreation & Wellness Committee is now at the point of seeking public input through a survey.
Right now, everything is on the table, said Tim Stuart and Pam Soseman.
They explained that “on the table” means the location of a wellness center and the types of equipment, types of spaces and uses of the center.
Stuart is the chairperson of the committee, which had its initial meeting in December 2020. Soseman is the mayor of Denison. Other members of the committee are Alma Puga, Dr. Steven Brownmiller, Joe Ferguson, Jennifer Zupp-Smith, Mike Pardun, KR Buck, Dr. Derek Lambert, Scott Larson, Jessica Garcia, Yuliana Rivas, Erin Muck, Don Luensmann, Brian Kempfert, Paul Assman, Terry Crawford, Jean Heiden, Rachel Melby, Kyle Schultz, Nate Houston and Lorena Lopez.
The committee has been taking a lot of small steps in the year since the meetings first began.
That’s part of the process, Stuart pointed out.
“You have to be patient and you’ve got to take the necessary steps to make good things happen,” he said. “We are hopeful, at this point, that we will bring something good to the county and community.”
“This committee has adopted a can-do attitude and they are committed to getting this done this time,” added Soseman.
The phrase “this time” points to other times work has been done to plan a recreation or wellness center in the county. In 2008 a committee had a set of plans drafted by Davis Architect for a facility. Those plans were for a location at the aquatic center in Denison.
Stuart talked about the groundwork that the current committee has done, leading up to the survey.
“In essence, we’re at a point right now where we would like to elicit feedback from people within the community and county to give us their level of interest, what they’d like to particularly see with the facility,” he said. “We’re trying to capture some of those things.
“Soon, we hope to be able to sit down with an architect and draw up plans, and have something that people can physically get their hands around,” he added.
Stuart said that the committee is hoping to compile the survey information within the next 30 days.
“We’ve got a survey that’s online but we’re also going to have a paper survey available within various communities in the county. We want to try to capture all that information by the middle of February, and based on the feedback from survey, get a little clearer direction as far as what we’d like to accomplish. And hopefully soon thereafter, maybe late first quarter (January-March), getting an architect involved.”
The online survey can be found on Facebook, including the City of Denison’s Facebook page.
The committee has also been exploring ways in which fundraising can be done to build a wellness center.
Along with that, management of a wellness facility has been continual talking point and something the committee has been researching.
A possibility that will be researched later this month via a Zoom meeting is management by YMCA.
“One of our committee members – Derek Lambert – brought to our attention a facility where his brother lives in Kalona that is set up as a YMCA,” said Stuart. “They’ve spoken highly of the YMCA.
“In our area, a former Denison resident, Mike Kenkel, is involved with a YMCA-managed facility in Glenwood,” he added. “We are going to meet with representatives with YMCA to learn more about what they may have to offer us.”
Committee members have also visited a number of wellness centers in the area to see what those facilities offer and how they are managed. Among the centers visited are the YMCA in Atlantic, The Cruise Center in Woodbine and facilities in Ida Grove, Harlan, Cherokee and Jefferson.
Alongside management is the cost of operation and maintenance.
“One idea that we’ve had and an idea that one of the communities we visited has put in place is an endowment,” said Stuart. “This would be a part of the fundraising campaign, once we get to that point.
“The concept is we can raise significant monies to put into an endowment that could perpetuate the ability to offset operational cost and expenses. That’s one thing we’re planning to put into place as part of the overall campaign to raise funds to get this built,” he explained.
Soseman added that the committee met last year with Chris Whitaker, local assistance director with Region XII Council of Governments. Whitaker provided a list of grants that the committee could apply for. He also helped the committee secure a $10,000 Union Pacific Railroad grant.
Along with fundraising, the use of American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds has been discussed. These funds have been made available to the city and county, and a wellness center is a qualifying use for the funds. Stuart added that the committee hopes to capture some funds at the state level to help pay for the wellness center.
The center will be designed to provide different wellness experiences than those offered by private gyms in the community and the area.
“We’re not looking to replace those gyms because they obviously serve a purpose,” Stuart said, adding that he is a member of one of the local private gyms.
“We’re trying to bring something that does more,” he explained. “The concept here currently, and we’re trying to tweak this, could include fitness, and a room that can be used for group exercise for yoga, Pilates and similar group activities.
“But it would also include a fieldhouse concept where you would have multiple and various athletic activities taking place in the facility – indoor soccer, basketball, pickle ball, which is popular. There are a number interests in indoor activities we’re trying to serve.”
Also being considered is filling a need for additional gym space.
“There are a lot of things we’re hoping to bring and accomplish over and above what the current facilities in Denison and the area can provide,” Stuart said.
Soseman said having a wellness center would be a “cherry on top of a wonderful community to live in.”
Stuart added that years ago, when he worked for the feed division of Continental Grain Company, he had aspirations to move up in the company, which has its headquarters in Chicago.
“I had a marketing guy from the home office come out and ride with me for a couple days. We were coming back into Denison on Donna Reed Road, and you know how beautiful that drive is, and he (the marketing person) said, ‘Why would you ever want to leave here.’ That has really resonated with me, and obviously I never moved.”
The focus of the facility, of course, will be to provide people with the opportunity to maintain or improve their wellness throughout the year.
“With the pandemic there’s been a lot of discussion as far as how that has affected people and their health. We would like to facilitate something to allow people to be able to get out and walk. But everybody understands that in the heart of the winter, it’s sometimes limited as far as what we can do outside,” said Stuart.
“What we’re trying to accomplish with this facility is to try to put together something that will help with people’s personal fitness goals and something that’s all encompassing as far as the youth, adults, retirees and others, who will be able to use the facility to improve their quality of life.”
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