by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
Bare-boned plans for how a Sartell Community Center will work were explored by the Sartell City Council at its Nov. 23 meeting, with Lyle Mathiasen informing the council about tentative possibilities.
Mathiasen was hired by Sartell many months ago as a consultant to deal with the projected operating costs and other aspects of a community center, which is planned for construction in South Sartell as early as next summer, with an opening date sometime in 2018.
So far, plans for the community center call for three gyms, a walking track above them, a senior-citizen center, a learning innovation area and kids’ play areas, as well as a kitchen, bathrooms and locker rooms.
Revenue will come to the center via rental fees, Mathiasen noted, adding there will certainly be rentals of the three gyms and the walking track. A person who uses the walking track will likely be asked to pay a fee of $50 per year. Rental prices for everything, before they are set, will be compared to other community centers, it was noted.
The senior members of the Sartell Senior Connection will be given a key to use their portion of the center any time they like, seven days a week.
Mathiasen said the center would be open at 7 a.m., but council member David Peterson said many workers might want to use the walking track before that time, say 6 a.m., before they go to their jobs. Mathiasen said if people want it open earlier, it will be open earlier. It’s important, he added, to find out what Sartell residents want before setting anything in stone.
The number of staff will also have to be determined based on what people want in the way of hours and services, Mathiasen said.
What about cost of operations?
It costs $450,000 a year to operate the Whitney Senior Center. However, Mathiasen said that facility is a much more full-service center with a large, always-active kitchen, a working shop, a number of full-time staff and much more expansive programs. It would cost an estimated $296,700 to operate the center per year, Mathiasen said. Revenue to the center, he added, might “surprise” some people as it will likely be more than anticipated at this time whereas expenses will likely remain level.
Outdoor maintenance work would be done by the city’s Public Works Department, said Sartell City Administrator Mary Degiovanni.
Mathiasen said he has talked with all the youth sports groups who would use the gyms to get their input, including fans of pickle ball.
Council member Peterson said he would strongly recommend hiring a community-center manager long before the center opens so he or she could get bearings and become familiar with the center. Six to eight months lead time for a manager would be fine, Mathiasen said in response, with hiring of one probably in mid-2017.