Allen Community College will sponsor a community meeting next month to gather input as to what area residents would like in a new activity center.
ACC president John Masterson said everyone in the county is invited to the meeting, which will have representatives from the Iola city council, as well as Allen County commissioners.
The meeting is at 6 p.m., Dec. 16 in the ACC theatre.
ACC administrators are currently vetting possible partnerships to help in building and maintaining the activity center.
Masterson said he has spoken to several individuals in the community and has garnered a lot of support.
The focus of this meeting will be listening to the community and find out what the top priorities are. We will then take that list of items back to the planning committee and discuss them. I will then schedule another meeting with officials from the city and the county, Masterson said.
Several have mentioned Saint Lukes as a possible partner, if the activity center were to include an indoor pool or therapy pool.
Saint Lukes is set to take over Allen County Regional Hospital on April 1.
Masterson said he is willing to look at all the possibilities for the activity center before coming to a decision.
We want to come up with the best possible plan that can serve everyone in the county. This isnt a race. Like, with Saint Lukes, I still dont even know who to contact and set a meeting up with. They could be interested or they can give me a short and sweet reply of no. But I want everyone to have a chance, Masterson said. The worst thing that could happen is we leave something out, and we have someone say, Well, if you had only waited and asked.
Masterson said he plans on keeping in close contact with both city and county officials over the next few weeks.
