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<br />. If the City of Ramsey were to pursue the construction of a Community Center, what types <br />of facilities (fitness center/gymnasiums space/lap pool/pleasure pool/meeting <br />rooms/banquet facilities/auditorium) would you anticipate your <br />(family/organization/community group/athletic organization/church/school) having a <br />need or desire to utilize? <br />· Of the components listed below, which would be most important to you based upon the <br />group you are representing in this focus group: <br />o Fitness center <br />o Gymnasium space <br />o Lap pool <br />o Leisure pool (could include indoor and outdoor) <br />o Meeting rooms <br />o Banquet facilities <br />o Auditorium <br />. Are there other types of uses or facilities you would like to see included in a community <br />center project that have are not listed or have not been discussed? <br />. What types of ancillary services do you think you would patronize if available In a <br />community center? <br />o Cafe/snack bar <br />o Spa services <br />o Athletic training <br />o Others? <br />. If there is more detail you can offer about your potential use. of a community center <br />facility, please provide the information. <br /> <br />Once the information is gleaned from the focus groups, staff would anticipate returning to Council to <br />further define the potential components of a Community Center and further refine the membership of the <br />Task Force. Throughout this process, staff will continue to meet with fitness provider and <br />hotel/conference center representatives to develop plans for a community center project that could include <br />those partnerships. With the establishment of a Task Force that is representative of the potential <br />components of the project, staff will continue to meet with the Task Force on a regular basis to further <br />define the components/uses of a community center and provide presentations from project partners; this <br />public process from focus group to formal establishment of a task force is anticipated to take 60-90 days. <br /> <br />Following this initial process, it is anticipated that the City will need to engage the services of an architect <br />or consultant to match the components of the facility desired by the community with the square footage <br />required to accommodate those needs and to perform preliminary cost estimates for the project. The cost <br />estimates and square footage needs would be utilized in negotiations/collaborative efforts with a private, <br />fitness provider and possibly a private hotel/conference center to determine public and private <br />components of the project. <br /> <br />Staff anticipates that the Task Force would continue to participate in the planning/design process for the <br />project as an advisory board to the City Council. As the City moves through this public process and the <br />collaborative work with private partners, issues of financing will need to be addressed. At this point, the <br />Council has directed staff to proceed with the focus group/task force portion of this project vs. pursuing a <br />community survey to determine support/desire for a community center project. If the Council proceeds <br />with a financing package that includes bonding that requires voter approval, Council may want to <br />consider a community survey to determine voter tolerance for a bQnd referendum and an amount that <br />would likely be approved. The further definition of the project via a task force, collaborative partners, <br />and an architect/consultant, will assist in determining the financing needs/structure for the project. <br /> <br />-44- <br />