Rec center survey should hit mailboxes in October

SHAWANO — A survey to gauge community interest in a proposed joint city-school district recreation center should be in the mail by the first week of October.

In the meantime, the city and the school district will launch a media blitz to make people aware the survey is coming, according to City Administrator Eddie Sheppard.

Sheppard said the surveys should start hitting mailboxes around Oct. 2-3.

The Shawano Common Council got a look at a draft of the survey Wednesday.

“A copy of this is going to go to every household within the school district,” Sheppard said. “Everyone’s going to get this and everyone’s going to have an opportunity to share their thoughts on the facility.”

Sheppard also said word of the survey will be going out through newspaper and radio ads and on social media.

“We’re going to be doing a pretty heavy marketing push here in the next few weeks,” he said.

“We’ve done a pretty extensive outreach to date as far as what this facility is,” he said. “We do know, though that there are people out there who still have no idea about it. Hopefully, we can continue to educate people on what this is.”

The survey, drafted by a joint committee of city and school officials, is four pages long.

“We felt that was necessary because it’s a very complex issue,” Sheppard said.

It will explain what the project is, how it will be paid for and what the project includes.

It also asks survey respondents what they like or dislike about the proposal.

“Ultimately, this survey is going to provide all of the information that the school district’s going to need to decide whether they’re going to move forward with the binding referendum or not,” Sheppard said.

The school district has to make a decision by Jan. 28.

“We’ll know here in the next few months if this is a project that moves forward,” Sheppard said.

The proposed joint-recreational and aquatic center would replace the city’s existing recreation center and expand facilities at Shawano Community High School.

It would be located adjacent to SCHS, on the north side of the building, and would include the school’s existing competition pool.

It would add a separate community pool area; a fitness area, including weights and cardiovascular equipment; a multi-purpose space; gymnasium; racquetball court; and indoor multi-purpose facility and walking track; as well as offices, bathrooms, lockers, storage and other amenities.

The new center could cost up to $28 million, which means property owners would see $57 hikes on a piece of land worth $100,000.