A joint agreement between Lincoln University and the Jefferson City Parks and Recreation Commission for a planned multipurpose/wellness center has been signed. However, many details - such as how much access the public will have and at what cost - are still up in the air.
Earlier in September, the LU Board of Curators unanimously approved an agreement with the Parks and Recreation Commission, which also unanimously approved the agreement, laying out divisions of responsibility for the planned multipurpose building or wellness center.
According to the agreement, Lincoln has exclusive control over the second floor, which will contain the fitness area, classrooms, offices and a game suite. The agreement states Lincoln will "set an allowance for a limited number of non-student memberships to its weight room/cardio area available to the public at large."
Membership priority will be given to faculty, staff and alumni of Lincoln first, followed by city staff. "Thereafter, memberships may be offered to the general public."
A press release issued after the agreement was signed further stated the fitness center is "designed primarily for the wellness of Lincoln University students, faculty and staff, as well as city staff." There was no mention of city residents.
Commission President Denise Chapel said, "There might be up to 500 non-student memberships made available to LU faculty, city staff and the general public."
There are 425 full-time city staff positions alone, and 150 on the Lincoln University faculty.
"At this point, many of these types of operational details are not yet fully resolved," Chapel said. "Everyone realizes there has to be a balance between managing operational revenues and expenses while also encouraging as much use of the facility as possible by LU students, parks program participants, and also the general public."
One of the decisions the commission still has to make is what cost there will be to residents seeking to use the facility. Chapel said daily drop-in fees have been discussed, possibly including "tiered rates depending on whether the person will access the fitness center." She said the commission also has discussed possibly making the walking track available at no charge during "certain non-peak hours."
Moving forward, Chapel said there are plans for public involvement being developed, but nothing has been finalized. She said any public presentations likely will be after the architect finishes construction documents, making more refined drawings available to show the public.
Chapel said so far the input she has received has been largely positive, though she did note the commission has heard some concerns.
"This is something our community has needed for many years, and we are getting closer to making it a reality every day," Chapel said.
Last year, the Parks and Recreation Commission authorized Parks staff to pursue a collaboration with Lincoln on the multipurpose building, which would operate as both a multipurpose facility and a student wellness facility on Lafayette Street.
Between LU and the parks commission, $11.1 million is available for the collaborative project, which includes a $1.5 million line of credit approved by the Jefferson City Council in December at the commission's request. According to the agreement, Parks is solely responsible for repaying that loan.
In July, commissioners approved shrinking the building's proposed footprint from 90,000 to 79,000 square feet after cost estimates had risen above the available funds for the project. By trimming the overall square footage, the estimated cost of building the facility became between $11.4 million and $13.6 million, which still leaves a potential funding gap of up to $2 million.