Community Center

Task Force
DRAFT Report
By: Community Center Task Force
Presented December 4, 2023

Task Force Members

Tony Franklin, Chair
Anthony Law, Vice-Chair
Darla Krejci, Secretary
Debbie Clague
Cassie Cirimotich
Sharon Custer
Connie Dennis
Carl Dortch
Dave Hix
Ted Hoffman
Demarkius Medley
Grael Mulata
Maria Salsman
Adam Sampson
Jaclyn Smith-Esters
 Table of Contents

Project Overview………………….………………………………………………… page 2

Mission & Vision Statement …………………………………………………………page 4
Recommended Amenities……………………………………………………………page 5
Management and Operations………………………………………………………..page 6
Programming …………………………………………………………………...……..page 7
Expenses and Revenue …………………………………………………………..... page 9
Potential Locations ……………………………………………..……....…………….page 10

Appendixes

I. Top 10 Amenities Lists

II. Results of the Teen Survey
III. Potential Organizational Partnerships
IV. Potential Locations from the Farnsworth Study

1
 Project Overview
The City of Galesburg City Council commissioned a Task Force to make recommendations to
the City Council to add value to the lives of the residents of Galesburg. The charge of the Task
Force was to see ways that a Community Center could meet multiple objectives and build a
stronger foundation of community.
Opportunity and Parameters
The Task Force considered the following parameters in the development of a Community
Center.
• Parameter #1: Serve youth, teens and seniors
• Parameter #2: Consider transportation and location
• Parameter #3: Consider on-going costs
• Parameter #4: Not duplicating services that other entities are providing
• Parameter #5: Consider a “soft cap” 2.5-million-dollar budget

Goals and Objectives

The Task Force has an opportunity to improve the lives of many individuals and strengthen the
foundation of life in the community for generations to come.

• Goal #1: Create opportunities for youth (birth to 11 years old) to thrive in a safe
environment free of obstacles that would limit their potential growth.
• Goal #2: Develop opportunities for teens (12-17 years old) to build skills and develop the
character traits that ensure their future success and in return the City of Galesburg
grows and thrives.
• Goal #3: Support the aging population (55 years old and up) to ensure that they are
exposed to environments that are welcoming, beneficial and promote a healthy lifestyle.
• Goal #4: Offer opportunities for residents of all ages, abilities, and income levels to
connect, learn, grow, and enrich their lives through recreational, social and educational
activities.
• Goal #5: Develop partnerships with other community-oriented organizations.

Solution
The following recommendations are made in an effort to meet the stated objectives. It has
become clear through observation and data that many people describe programming when they
speak of Community Center(s), thus a focus on spurring programming is an important aspect of
this final report.

Rationale
The Community Task Force members did extensive research with interviews, HS/JR school
surveys, a review of surveys in general, and many observational hours and tours of current
facilities. The recommendations made are aligned with stated objectives and goals to serve the
greatest number of citizens possible with the resources available.

2
Expected Results
By developing a Community Center the City of Galesburg could potentially benefit in the
following ways:
 Enhance the quality of life in the community
 Offer valuable community information
 Keep adolescents safe
 Provide meeting space
 Provide after-school care - after-school childcare to keep kids out of an empty home
while the parents are working. This time period, roughly between 3-6 pm, is a peak time
for juvenile crime. Additionally, programs that can help further physical and mental
growth in kids will benefit families tremendously.
 Improve student performance rates - After-school programs can have positive impacts
on classroom behavior, test scores, and reading and math achievement. After-school
programs have also been shown to enhance experiential learning.
 Reduce crime rates – Adolescences who don’t participate in after-school activities are
more likely to be arrested
 Increase property value - Community centers are often viewed as a symbol of
community pride and offer activities that enhance the lives of those living around them.
 Promote physical and mental wellbeing
 Boost the local economy
 Strengthen family bonds
 Connect people

Conclusion
The Community Center Task Force was given a very tough assignment by the Galesburg City
Council to build a stronger foundation of community. The following recommendations should be
used as a guide to making the best decisions to serve the youth, teens, middle age group, and
seniors, of all abilities and economic status, in the community.

3
 Mission and Vision Statement

Mission and vision both relate to an organization’s purpose and are typically communicated in
some written form. An organization's Mission and Vision Statement answers questions about
who they are, what they do, what they value, and where they are going.

Recommended Mission and Vision Statement for the Galesburg Community Center:

The mission of the City of Galesburg Community Center is to serve, empower, and connect our
community.

Our vision is to enhance the quality of life and to serve the needs of our community by:

• Providing a multi-generational, cross-cultural, multi-use facility

• Providing programs to enrich the lives of children, teens, seniors, and families
• Providing recreational, social, and educational activities to residents of all ages
regardless of ethnicity, gender, ability, or economic status with the goal of connecting
and empower the community
• Proving a facility that is accessible to all
• Developing partnerships with other non-profit and community-oriented organizations

4
 Recommended Amenities
The Task Force members were asked to submit a list of amenities they would like to see in a
Community Center. Some of these amenities included:
1. Lounge/sitting area
• Designated area for teens
• Designated area for seniors
• Designated area for families with small children
2. Information desk
3. Classroom/Meeting space
4. Recreation area/fun room – pool table, ping-pong, board games, etc.
5. Kitchen
6. Personal Hygiene area (showers, laundry, hygiene items)
7. Office space – administration/staff, non-profit co-op
8. Childcare/daycare*
9. Transportation to and from the Community Center*
10. Programming that engages participants and enriches their lives, as provided by
the Mission and Vision Statement.**
Some task force members offered drawings of some of these suggested areas, including square
footage for individual areas, and many suggested multiple programming ideas. Ultimately, it was
determined that the design and incorporation of these suggested areas should done by an
engineer/architect.

*Childcare/Daycare and Transportation were deemed too large an issue for the Task Force to
solve in the time given. Some recommendations are given in another section of this report.

**Programming is discussed in another section of this report.

5
 Management and Operation

It is recommended that an Advisory Board be established to ensure that expected outcomes are
achieved. How this Advisory Board is set up will take much consideration so that representation
will be fair and balanced.
If the City chooses to build or rehabilitate a building to use as the Community Center, the City of
Galesburg would be responsible for scheduling programs and rentals, opening and closing,
cleaning, securing, and maintaining the facility. Much of this could fall under the current Parks &
Recreation Department, although some new positions could be added.

If the City chooses to expand the facilities of the YMCA, then the YMCA would be responsible for
opening and closing, cleaning, securing, and maintaining their facility. They would also be
responsible for coordinating scheduling in cooperation with the City.

Suggested Positions and Job Descriptions

• Manager/Director – oversees the building’s usage and staff.

• Programming Director – Develops programming through collaboration with staff, other
organizations and entities in and around the community of Galesburg.
• Youth Development Director - facilitates feeding participants, managing space,
homework help, mentoring, recruiting, organizing field trips and guest speakers, and
countless other duties associated with teen mentoring.
• Front Desk/Reception Staff – welcomes people, directs people to various
areas/programs, registers people for classes, answers questions
• Facility Attendants – oversees areas in use
• Kitchen/Concessions staff – prepares & serves food
• Custodians – cleans and maintains building

6
 PROGRAMMING
Programming can be as varied as our collective imagination can go. The city already has
programming that a community center could draw upon and add to. The city also has many
facilities it can use in programming which would require transportation to and from, but could be
utilized in programming. These facilities include Lakeside Recreation Facility, Hawthorne Pool
and Gymnasium, Lake Storey Pavilion, Bunker Links Golf Course, Lakeside Water Park, Lakeside
Nature Center, and numerous parks.
Programming and services could be broken up into several categories with each category
managed by city staff or an outside agency as needed. These categories could include (but are
not limited to):

• Recreational Programming
• Educational Programming
• Life Skills Programming
• STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) Programming
• Afterschool Program
• Childcare Services
• Social/Supportive Services
• Non-Profit Co-op
• Food Service/Concessions
• Transportation

Programming Considerations
1. Programming would evolve over time as community and individual needs are
identified.

2. A “Community Connects” system (similar to a time bank system) would allow

people who can teach a skill to meet with those who would like to learn that skill.
Community members could hold a class for one or several individuals.

3. Other agencies/organizations or individuals could offer programs by submitting a

proposal to the board or director.

4. An after-school program could be run by the school district, the YMCA or another
organization (or a combination of these entities) using the community center
facilities. The YMCA already has an afterschool program in place and has shown
interest in providing this service. The YMCA does charge fees for their before and
after school program. The city could subsidize to make this service more
affordable.

5. Social/Supportive Services and the Non-Profit Co-op would be run by outside

entities. They could lease space from the Community Center.

6. The need for childcare/daycare (birth to five) was discussed and researched
extensively throughout this process. It is concluded that this is a major issue facing
the Galesburg Community. This Task Force does not currently have the tools to

7
 solve the licensed daycare issue in this session. However, it is believed that the
City of Galesburg can be a major facilitator of solving this issue. It is recommended
that the City Galesburg partner with the current licensed daycare providers to
physically grow the capacity at these providers. This can be done through financial
support and the city’s ability to write, facilitate, and identify capital grants. A child
care program could be run by an outside agency using the community center
facilities. The YMCA has a business model which they could implement or allow
the city or another entity to implement using Community Center facilities.

7. In an effort to enhance rather than duplicate services already provided in the

community, it is recommended programming could use a “Community Voucher
System” (Described below) or provide grant opportunities to support the
organizations that provide these services. Entities located in Galesburg that are
providing entertainment and programming (for children, teens, adults and/or
seniors) could apply for programming grants for programs to occur at either their
facility or at the Community Center. Entities that serve food, teach skill sets, and
others that could apply for grants. There would be no ongoing annual costs for the
City of Galesburg as these identified entities will be responsible for being experts
in managing their not-for-profits and/or businesses.

8. An amount of money should be allocated for transportation and

marketing/communication of transportation. Many services that are being
requested are available in Galesburg. There should be very specific routes
chosen to meet the most applicable services that target the demographics and
entities this proposal identifies. An example of targeted transportation would be if
a program at a Community Center ran from 3 pm to 6 pm the shuttle would pick
up at 6 pm and make four specific trips or stops to drop off participants at
designated drop-off sites.

Community Voucher System

Without having a community center or a center like the Carver Center our community proved it
is resilient. Agencies stepped up to the plate to fill that need. Places like the Community Arts
Center and Knox-Galesburg Symphony began to make programs for our community. We have
these little silos of empowerment and opportunity all over. Because of this resilience, we do not
want to come in and duplicate services, but rather complement them and assist in the
programming that already exists. Thus, the idea of a voucher system seems the most effective
to continue this development of agencies and programs. This system would only be successful
if we have a centralized community center where citizens can see these programs being
offered. Transportation is an important key to making this work.
Agencies would be required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) if they would like
to provide a service to the community. The agency would be very clear on how much a unit of
service would cost.
For example, if Abbe lanes in Abingdon wants to participate by providing games of bowling and
shoe rental then they would determine how much it would cost one person to participate.
Two frames of bowling = $10
Shoe rental = $3
One Unit of service = $13

8
This would be seen and understood before the program was available for the community center.
So if 15 people went to bowl they would send an invoice to the city (community center) that
stated 15 units of service was provided.
Total cost: $195
This would create a true idea of community. We don’t have a space or time for all who would
like to help but it would allow those who want to assist to do so. This lets any agency, club, or
group have the ability to be at the table and only as long as they can or want.

Expenses and Revenue

The cost of operating a Community Center is going to vary depending on the facility chosen, the
amenities it provides, and staffing needs. It would be impossible to predict actual costs at this
point.

Costs would come from:

o Staff
o Utilities
o Equipment
o Program supplies
o Upkeep and maintenance

Potential Revenue
o Rentals for special or family events
o Program fees
o Office space rentals
o Utilizing vacant city property for urban farming – food grown could be used in the
food served and excess can be sold
o When collaborating with non-profits, many are experienced grant writers. Grant
funds for programming could be obtained through this kind of collaboration.

Potential Sources of Funding

City Funding
o $2.5 million bond
o General obligation bond proceeds
o .25% sales tax
o Gaming fees/proceeds
o Other unallocated funds, i.e. sale of Churchill Junior High School, the sale of the former
Community Center, etc.
State Funding
o Capital Funding Grant
Federal Funding
o Congressionally Directed Spending
Miscellaneous Donations

9
 List of Potential Locations
Current Library – 40 E Simmons
According to the Farnsworth Group assessment, the estimated cost to renovate the current library
is $5.6 million. The recommendation is to allocate $2.5 million for the purchase and renovation
of the current library. Consider forgiving money owed to the city for HVAC in part of the overall
allocation of approximately $350-$400K now becoming the Galesburg Community Center. Some
of the funds will be used for transportation, to develop kitchen areas, showers, laundry areas, and
partition areas for multipurpose spaces. Start-up funds will be used to address the recommended
amenities and programs. The Galesburg Community Center will provide a centrally located space
for people to gather, hold meetings, participate in programs, and build a stronger foundation for
our community.

Square footage – 33,630

Owned by the Public Library Foundation (City owns parking lot)
Included Amenities
 Office space
 Meeting space
 Parking
 Central location
 Sprinkler system

Suggested improvements
Kitchen
Personal Hygiene area (showers and laundry)
Divide into designated areas for offices, classrooms, etc.

Cedar Creek Hall – 571 E North St.

Owned by Cedar Creek Hall, LLC – Current asking price $580,000
Included Amenities
 Kitchen
 Office space
 Meeting space
 Parking
 Sprinkler system
 Laundry hook-up

Suggested improvements
showers
divide into designated areas for classrooms, offices, etc.

10
Addition to the YMCA – 1324 W Carl Sandburg Drive
Assist in building of indoor playground and outfitting the current child watch area into a teen
center. The teen center area could be used as a Senior “hang out” area during the school day.
Owned by YMCA – monetary ask $800,000, $75,000 annually for Youth Director

Assist in the building of an indoor playground and child watch space to serve youth (birth to 11
years old) to enhance opportunities for free play, especially during the colder months of the year.
In addition to indoor playground space, the current child watch will be totally renovated and fitted
with equipment to attract teens called the Teen Center (12-17 years old). This space will have a
lounge (hangout areas) space and a homework help area (STEM Lab). The Teen Center will be
programmed to attract and influence teen participants with character development programs and
ensure all of their needs are identified and met. This space will double as a senior lounge in the
mornings. The Teen Center will need a Youth Development Director who will be a partnership of
the Knox County YMCA and the City of Galesburg. The Youth Development Director will be an
employee of the Knox County YMCA and managed by the Knox County YMCA. This employee
will be responsible for managing and programming the Teen Center which includes and is not
limited to: facilitating feeding participants (through an already established United Way & USDA
partnership), managing space, homework help, mentoring, recruiting, field trips, safety, guest
speakers and countless other duties associated with teen mentoring at the Teen Center. An
advisory board shall be established to ensure that expected outcomes are achieved. The Teen
Center will run a program at no cost to participants. The City of Galesburg will be responsible
annually for the cost of the salary, benefits, and taxes directly associated with paying this staff
member. All other costs associated with this program will be the responsibility of the YMCA
including any oversight. On-going City of Galesburg reimbursement of $75,000 annually.*

Included Amenities
 YMCA facility (including showers)
 Parking
 Sprinkler system
 Proximity to Jr/Sr High School

Considerations: The YMCA has the desire and ability to provide and operate a teen center and is
a long-standing entity in the community with a proven track record of doing what they do.
However, this option does not meet all the necessary goals and objectives set forth by the Task
Force. Additionally, there are concerns that the “Youth Development Director” is paid for by the
city, but is a YMCA employee. The development of a Youth Development Director (or similar
position) is an excellent idea and should be considered. However, they should be an employee
of the city and they should provide programming out of the city’s community center.
* Submitted by Adam Sampson and Demarkius Medley

11
St. Patrick’s Catholic Church – 888 S Academy
Owned by St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Congregation
Included amenities
 Kitchen
 Office space
 Meeting space
 Large performance/meeting space
 Parking
 South side location

This facility is not for sale at this time, however the local Catholic Diocese has announced that
they are consolidating down to two buildings.

Central Congregational Church – 60 Public Square

Owned by the congregation of Central Congregational Church
Included amenities
 Kitchen
 Office space
 Meeting space
 Large performance/meeting space

This facility is not for sale, but the leadership is “open to a conversation.” This location has been
suggested in the past. Such a beautiful and iconic building with historical significance could
generate a lot of community support which would be beneficial to the idea of a community center.
Ensuring the future of this building by using it as a community center is an idea worthy of
investigation.

New Construction locations

5th Street – near H.T. Custer Park
Gunther site
Hawthorne Centre

12
 Appendix I
Top Ten Lists
Top 10 from Community Satisfaction Survey (used by Darla Krejci, Anthony Law)
1. Senior Center
2. Teen Center
3. “One-Stop” location for social/supportive services
4. Daycare for children
5. Permanent warming center
6. Specialized classes for people of all ages
7. Full-sized kitchen
8. Space for large performances/assemblies/meetings
9. Indoor playground
10. Outdoor recreational activities

Top 10 from Core Amenities Sub-committee (Maria Salsman)

1. Area to hang out and feel safe
2. Study area including computer lab
3. Fun room for gaming, board games, ping-pong/shuffleboard/pool table
4. Special event area for movies, rentals, meeting, classes
5. Arts & Crafts
6. Showers and laundry (Personal hygiene area)
7. Information center
8. Rental space for Co-op office space and/privately run daycare
9. Kitchen
10. Transportation

Connie Dennis’ Top Ten

1. A study/computer area where teens could hang out and feel safe
2. Game room – shared space for all ages
3. Special event space for classes, rotating events or rentals
4. Arts & Crafts area
5. Showers
6. Laundry
7. Kitchen
8. Information area for non-profits and other organizations
9. Transportation
10. Space for privately run day care

Debbie Clague’s Top Ten

1. Teen area to come together
2. Special event space that is affordable to rent
3. Senior area – could be shared space and they could mentor teens while they are there
4. Game room
5. Arts & Crafts
6. Shower & laundry
7. Kitchen for classes and community use
8. Day care
9. Warming shelter
10. Transportation

13
Jaclyn Smith-Esters’ Top Ten:
1. Teen area
2. Senior area
3. Community education area
4. Youth area (younger than teen)
5. Middle-aged area
6. Kitchen
7. Day care
8. Office space
9. Transportation
10. Rental space

Dave Hix’s List:

1. Meeting space
2. Open space where people of all ages can hang out together
3. Information desk
4. Classroom space
5. Mentoring
6. Study space
7. Game room for board games and video games
8. Computer lab with internet access
9. An area for non-profits to present their information
10. Movie room
11. Life skill classes
12. Place where seniors and teens can hang out together

Ted Hoffman’s List

1. Available to everyone – persons of all ages
2. Provide educational development programs
3. Promote wellness (physical, mental, and spiritual)
4. Promote personal growth
5. Include cross-generational and multiethnic programming
6. Maker spaces to encourage and support creativity
7. Can include an incubator kitchen
8. Host community training events, i.e. CPR, emergency management, tax preparation
seminars, home improvement seminars
9. Can serve as a safe space to gather in the event of major emergencies such as a
chemical spill.

Sharon Custer’s List:

1. Area for kids to hang out and feel safe and study
2. Information center
3. Co-op office space
4. Arts & crafts
5. Day care
6. Transportation

Tony Franklin’s Top Ten:

1. A place people can come together
2. Long term financial commitment
3. A place that is safe, inclusive and welcoming

14
 4. Youth and adult programming (but it should focus on the people. Programming should
not override the people.
5. One-stop shop for services that is centralized
6. Transportation
7. Education and skill development (he listed several programming ideas such as crafts,
life skills, language skills, financial skills etc.)
8. Meeting space for clubs and organizations
9. Coordinating with existing organizations (partnering with government, non-government,
schools, civic and community organizations.)
10. Sharing information

Maria Salsman’s Site Recommendations

Library, Some Attributes:
● Located close to:
○ Police and Fire Departments: Safe zone and convenient for department members to
foster relationships ○ Downtown
○ Public Transportation Route ○ Senior citizen high rises
○ Standish Park
○ Local businesses - convenient for businesses to rent office space or possibly get
involved in Community Center programming
○ New library
○ College - students may want to use/get involved in volunteering
● Location is middle of town
● Large enough (i.e., approx. 30,000 sq. ft.) to fulfill all the of the listed needs
● Ability (i.e., with added walls) to close off areas that may not be in use at the beginning in
order to save energy
● Potential of being able to put into use without a lot of expense
● Upstairs areas that could be used for programs or rentals and be somewhat private from the
rest of the center
● Handicapped accessible
● Elevator
● Parking lot

YMCA:
● Proven record of successfully working with kids
● Would fulfill some of the needs of teens, that is, mentorship, programming, showers, and
meals
● Easily accessible for Galesburg Junior Senior High School students

Transportation:
● The committee has spoken a lot about the need for transportation to and from the Community
Center/or YMCA (Teen Survey, Meetings: August 28, September 26, October 10, and October
24, 2023.
● I’m not sure about the logistics, but I do feel that if the city does not provide some type of
transportation, many people who might like to use the facilities will not be able to

15
 Appendix II
Results of Teen Survey

16
 Appendix III
Potential Organizational Partnerships

Organizations with Youth Programming

o Galesburg Public Library
o Discovery Depot
o YMCA
o Knox College
o Carl Sandburg College
o U of I Extension
o 4-H
o Boy/Cub Scouts
o Girl Scouts
o District 205
o Boys & Girls Club
o Big Brother/Big Sisters
o ROE #33
o Vocational Arts Center
o CUSD # 205
o Streaks Dads (& Moms)
o Boy Scouts
o Girl Scouts

Programming for Seniors

o VNA
o Oaks Senior Center
o Seminary Village
o Various Nursing Homes
o Alternatives

Service Organizations
o Habitat for Humanity
o United Way
o Salvation Army
o Family Planning
o Lutheran Social Services
o Loving Bottoms
o Blessing Boxes
o Knox Prairie Community Kitchen
o Bridgeway
o FISH Food Pantry
o Thrive (formerly KCCDD)
o Health Department
o Safe Harbor
o Rescue Mission
o Housing Authority
o General Assistance

17
o WIRC
o Galesburg Community Foundation
o Milk Fund
o Women Pregnancy Center
o Veterans’ Association
o Christmas in Action

Arts Organizations
o Knox Galesburg Symphony
o Galesburg Community Arts Center
o Community Chorus
o Choral Dynamics
o Nova Singers
o Prairie Players
o Sugar High

Other Non-Profits
o Chamber
o Tourism
o Religious organizations
o KCAP
o PFLAG
o United Against Hate
o AGES Community
o Southside Neighborhood Group
o NAACP
o Support Group for African American Affairs
o Hispanic Latino Resource Group

Other Organizations
o KCAP
o Chamber of Commerce

18
 Appendix IV
Potential Locations from the Farnsworth Study

Location Type of Construction Total Estimated

Costs
Gunther New construction $9,755,775
820 E. Fifth New construction $9,386,875
St.
Churchill Renovation $7,352,500
Hawthorne New construction for Comm Ctr, $6,755,750
Centre renovation of Gym
Library Renovation $5,627,350

19