Harvard eyes indoor recreation options and what community wants

Harvard residents have told the city why they want a recreation center, but where, when and how one could be built is unknown, Mayor Mike Kelly said.

The city hosted a community meeting Thursday, May 18, to gauge the community’s response to the idea. Harvard School District 50 Superintendent Corey Tafoya, along with representatives from Mercy Health, the park board and park foundation, the Harvard Community Senior Center, area banks and nonprofit youth and adult sports organizations also were invited to serve on the panel.

About 30 residents also attended, telling the board what they would like to see.

The conversation was “ground zero” for any recreation center plans, Kelly said.

“Let’s shoot for the moon” at this stage of any plans, Kelly said. “We need to see the support of the community, that this is what we want to pursue.”

It’s not the first time the idea has come up.

We need to see the support of the community, that this is what we want to pursue.”

—  Harvard Mayor Mike Kelly

An indoor recreation center was suggested in a Parks Master Plan presented to the City Council in 2015, Kelly said. In a visioning workshop held as the plan was developed, 64% of participants called an indoor recreation center “extremely desirable” for the city.

At the time, Kelly said, the council determined there was not a “political will” to move forward on the issue.

It is, however, why he ran for a spot on the council. After moving to Harvard in 2006, Kelly said, he found city-backed recreation programming for his children was not available.

“I was perplexed ... the city doesn’t host any real programming” for youth and families, he said.

Instead, parents were told – often through informal channels – where to find the nonprofit, user-group youth sports leagues, Kelly said

“The government – the city of Harvard – didn’t have any of that programming. Parents banded together and created individual not-for-profit sporting groups,” Kelly said.

One of those sporting organizations is the newly formed men’s soccer league. Composed entirely of Harvard residents, the league now has 24 teams averaging 18 members each. They play Sundays at Milky Way Park, which also is used for many other summer sports programs.

In the winter, the city partners with District 50 to use school gymnasiums for recreation programming, but Kelly noted access to those gyms are at a premium and go to school teams first.

The need for indoor facilities includes a running track, Jose Pichardo said.

Right now, the Harvard High School track team runs in the school’s hallways when the weather doesn’t allow them outside, Pichardo said.

“There is always water” they can fall and trip on, Pichardo said, adding that better facilities means “a chance against other schools.”

A community center could be planned for, used and possibly funded by all of the organizations invited, Kelly said.

Resident Randi Amato said that as a military veteran, she has to travel two hours – one way – for a warm physical therapy pool. A warm pool, or an indoor pool for senior programs, would be high on her list of needs.

Marie Day said any recreation center also should include programming for youth and adults who are not into sports.

“We homeschooled [and] had to travel outside of Harvard for things not sports-related,” Day said.

Performing arts space for music and dance recitals also was suggested as an option to include in a future building.

Growing the city’s population – Kelly has a goal of doubling Harvard’s population in the next 10 to 15 years – can help reduce the tax bill associated with any parks and recreation expansions, he said.

But it would be premature to talk about how to fund a recreation center before more discussions, Kelly said.

“If everybody said ‘Nope,’ this would be the end of the discussion,” City Adminstrator Lou Leone said. “Let’s explore this a little further.”