3.3.3.6.1. Community Center Within the community center there should be a continued focus on fitness and providing fitness opportunities. JCPRD will benefit from looking at the weight/cardio equipment in the community center and Mill Creek Activity Center, as well as the possible community center at Meadowbrook, and replacing all of this equipment with one purchase for cost savings opportunities. Leasing options and maintenance contracts should be explored. The emphasis on fitness and wellness will continue to grow in Johnson County, and there is enough market share for JCPRD to be committed to offering these quality programs and services throughout the county. Also within the community center, there is a significant amount of 50+ programming and a location for children’s services. These program offerings should be continued and enhanced when possible to serve these growing demographics within Johnson County. Community center programs could be impacted by the addition of Meadowbrook to the JCPRD inventory. JCPRD should offer programming at Meadowbrook to complement the offerings at Roeland Park to encourage use of both facilities. 3.3.3.6.2. Aquatic Center Swimming as a pursuit is an activity that individuals can participate in from birth to grave and, as such, has a wide appeal. The Roeland Park Aquatic Center as a facility has shallow water for youth and those interested in the social aspect, along with deep water, lap lanes, and in particular 50-meter lap lanes for recreation and competitive swimming. As long as JCPRD is going to continue to support and administer the Blazers Swim Team, they will need a facility comparable to this body of water. JCPRD will need to continue to monitor developments within the county as it relates to competitive water and seek out potential partnerships when appropriate. A best case scenario for JCPRD is another entity developing an aquatic center with 50-meter lanes, of which JCPRD, i.e. the Blazers, become a primary renter of space. If that reality were to come to fruition, it will give JCPRD the option of getting out of the year-round aquatic operation business and provide summer operations only. Because the Recreation Division is an enterprise operation, JCPRD should strongly evaluate any other year-round aquatic operations opportunities and the financial impact it will have on the division. Typically, competitively geared indoor aquatic facilities do not fully cover the expenses associated with operations. Those facilities do generate a significant positive economic impact, but need significant indoor, dry-side components to begin to close the operational deficit gap. The aquatic center will require a significant investment in the dome itself and the infrastructure of the pool operation. 3.3.3.6.3. Sports Dome The air-supported structure of this facility, like the dome for the aquatic center, needs to fit into the capital improvement plan of JCPRD. The facility plays an integral role in sport court activities offered by JCPRD. As the facility ages and trends shift, JCPRD will need to evaluate whether this facility remains focused towards sport court activities or moves towards synthetic turf activities. An additional challenge of the sports dome is the location and the lack of visibility. Due to this location, increased marketing to benefit the sports dome should be considered. 3.3.3.7. New Century Fieldhouse New Century Fieldhouse is the newest indoor facility within the JCPRD inventory and combines court space and indoor turf space. While it is the newest facility, JCPRD will need to plan for improvements to the subfloor and the playing surface. Currently the court surface is a synthetic surface, and while acceptable, the more competitive athletes/tournaments may look for a hardwood surface for basketball. In addition to planning for the flooring and court space, JCPRD will need to plan for the replacement of the synthetic turf as well.
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