A key 2018 Parks & Recreation Comprehensive Plan recommendation is that the City revisit the issue of inadequate indoor community gathering space. As a direct result of survey findings showing strong support for fully investigating the potential for a community center, in July of 2019 City Council established the Community Center Feasibility Task Force (CCFTF)—comprised of 16 resident volunteers—to lead this process. By the close of the year, the CCFTF had selected a consultant team led by Williams Architects, with OHM Advisors and PROS Consulting.

The feasibility study is being conducted in two phases. In phase 1, the CCFTF is seeking answers to three questions: What kind of community center makes sense for UA? Do we want a community center? Do we need a community center? If the answer to the last two questions is “YES,” the study will transition to phase 2, drilling into details, such as what facilities to include, where a community center might be located, and the costs for construction, operations and ongoing maintenance.

Early this year, the CCFTF launched an extensive phase of community engagement activities. To date this has included focus groups interviews and community pop ups. There’s still time to participate in the following ways:

Community Meeting
6-8 pm, Thursday, February 27
UA Senior Center, 1945 Ridgeview Road
A community meeting has been scheduled to provide residents an opportunity to learn more about the feasibility study, and to provide feedback on the primary questions being addressed in this first phase.

Surveys
A statistically valid survey will be fielded from late February through the end of March. This type of survey process is designed to ensure that responses are reflective of the community as a whole. Three thousand randomly selected households will be mailed a survey packet that includes a cover letter, hard copy of the survey with a postage-paid envelope, as well as a link to complete the survey online if preferred. As this survey process nears its end, a second version of the survey will be made available online to all residents who wish to participate. The feedback gathered through this supplemental process will be used as additional, anecdotal data.

Youth Engagement
A series of youth specific surveys will be fielded in March, targeting all grades of students.

Members of the CCFTF strongly encourage residents to be involved in the feasibility study—your feedback is vital to determining how the City should proceed with this important community issue.