After narrowly surviving a vote to scuttle the entire project, the Prairie Village City Council is moving forward with a years-long idea to build a city-owned community center. The final projected price tag is now clearer, too, with the city council voting 8-4 to move forward with plans to repay construction costs over 30 years through an estimated five-eighths or three-quarter cent sales tax increase. The cost of building a new city-owned community center to replace the current aging Paul Henson YMCA is estimated to be $55 million, but when interest is added on to repaying bonds over a 30-year term, the total cost the city is projected to pay reaches $92.5 million. On Monday, Mayor Eric Mikkelson broke a split 6-6 vote to kill the project outright, a motion that was made on the fly by Councilmember Nick Reddell. Several councilmembers said they are concerned about partnering with the YMCA, but some who shared those feelings voted against killing the project in order to get feedback at an already scheduled city public forum Oct. 15.
Source: Johnson County Post
