Community Engagement

The architect and design firm hired for the Emporia Recreation Center project will hold several workshop events to get hands-on feedback from the community. We invite the community to attend all of these workshops along with Steering Committee meetings.

CANCELLED: Emporia Community Town Hall Meeting: Tuesday, December 10 

The final conceptual presentation that was scheduled for Tuesday, December 10 is cancelled

and will be rescheduled at a later date. The Emporia Recreation Steering Committee would like

to thank the community for attending workshops and providing valuable feedback on the future

Emporia Recreation Center as well as renovations to the existing facility at 4th Avenue and

DeBauge Family Sports Complex.


Presentation and Conceptual Renderings from Workshop #3:

Presentation from Workshop #3

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Community Engagement #3: Tuesday, November 12

The design team will present the latest round of options for the facility at 4th Avenue (Lee Beran Recreation Center) and DeBauge Sports Complex along with external and internal options based on the new ERC facility Flat option layout from Workshop #2.

Site Visit & Design Renderings: 

You are invited to view the updated designs on the new site location. Walk through the site location where renderings of the new Emporia Recreation Center will provide an immersive look at the facility layout, it’s views and how it will be situated on the new site.

Location: New facility site at 18th and Merchant
Time: 4:00 - 5:00pm (Weather Permitting)

Formal Design Presentation with Q&A: 

Join us for a formal design presentation (approximately 30 minutes) where the project team will be presenting the full project in detail with renderings providing a comprehensive look at the new facilities followed by a Q&A and smaller discussions with the design boards.

Location: Champions Landing Banquet Room, 1801 Rural Street, Emporia 66801
Time: 6:30 pm – Design Presentation (presentation will start at 6:30), 7:00 to 8:00pm – Q&A 

Updated Design Boards Review: 

For those who cannot attend the site visit or formal design presentation, you are invited to view the design boards with Project Team members available to answer questions.

Location: Champions Landing Lounge, 1801 Rural Street, Emporia 66801.
Time: 6:30 to 8:00pm (come & go)

The project scope has expanded upon request from the community.  There are now 3 projects under the ERC Steering Committee's scope: New Rec Center at 18th and Merchant, Renovation to ERC at 4th Avenue and DeBauge Family Sports Complex improvements.

Click here to check out the updated designs. These will have additional updates prior to the November 12 presentation.

Designs for ERC at 18th and Merchant

Designs for Lee Beran Rec at 4th Avenue  

Design for DeBauge Family Sports Complex

Community Workshop #2, Tuesday, October 15

Come and give us your feedback on design options for the Champions Landing West site location. There will be interactive stations to view exteriors and program areas with real architectural designs to provide direct feedback similar to Community Workshop #1. Community feedback will be used to make design decisions.

Location: Bowyer Community Building, Lyon County Fairgrounds
6th and Industrial Road

Time: 5:00 - 7:30pm (Come and go)

Workshop Stations:

  • Station #1: Provides project history, including information from Steering Committee meetings, surveys, and materials from the first workshop.
  • Station #2: Showcases interior and exterior design options, as well as different facility layout versions, including indoor turf possibilities. Attendees can explore proposed building designs through interactive floor plans and virtual 3-D models. The committee will gather detailed feedback on key features of the proposed facility, including larger spaces like the indoor aquatic center and gymnasium.

Materials from Workshop #2:

Design Options from Workshop 2

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Community Workshop #1, Tuesday, September 17: Materials and Presentations

Station 1 – Project information

Part 1: Project facts including history, schedule, budget/sales tax, etc.

ERC Community Workshop Display of process, history, and sales tax

Part 2: Survey results and the building program 

ERC Community Workshop Display of survey results from 2024

Part 3: Site selection 

  1. 1 ERC Community Workshop Display of 10 original site locations
  2. 2 ERC Community Workshop Display of 6 sites that we excluded
  3. 3 ERC Community Workshop Display of why Lowther North was excluded

Final 3 Locations:

  1. 1 ERC Community Workshop Display of Jones Aquatic Center location
  2. 2 ERC Community Workshop Display of Jones Park East location
  3. 3 ERC Community Workshop Display of Jones Park West location
  4. 4 ERC Community Workshop Display of Champions Landing location

Download a pdf of these images here.

Station 2 – Design and exploration

Each potential location had a large-scale site map with 2-3 building layout options with puzzle pieces to allowed attendees to choose and move around the pieces to construct a design. Puzzle pieces of each individual space (like gymnasiums, community room, fitness room, etc) could be incorporated, but you could exclude spaces as well.

This allowed community members to see the scale of the building in relation to the site and to have some fun working through how to put all the pieces together on each site. There will be opportunity for free flowing questions and discussions at this stations related to each site specifically.









Station 3 – Image survey

Each major space that could be included in a new recreation center was represented on display with approximately 15 real-life images of what that space could look like. Examples would be: 

  • Gymnasium
  • Indoor Turf
  • Aquatics
  • Track
  • Lobby/Lounge
  • Community Rooms
  • Family Activity
  • Fitness
  • Exterior

Post it notes were used to indicate likes/dislikes of each image/space. 

Station 4 – Exit Survey

The Exit Survey was used to pick the final location.

ERC Community Workshop Exit Survey Results


Community Pop-up at Lyon County Fair & USD253 Schools: August 13, 2024

Members of the Emporia Recreation Steering Committee and ERC Staff attended USD 253 Parent Nights and the Lyon County Fair to engage the community in taking a survey to provide feedback on a new recreation center.  See full survey results here:

Imagine the Future Survey Results