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Regular City Council Meeting <br /> Monday, September 24, 2012 <br /> Page 21 <br /> Councilmember McGehee questioned HVAC services in buildings intended for <br /> replacement; status of running water or bathroom facilities; and average use of <br /> those facilities. <br /> Mr. Brokke responded that the buildings were heated, but not cooled; most had <br /> bathroom facilities with the exception of two (2); rinks were still flooded annu- <br /> ally; and average use varied by season depending on their location, with some <br /> housing recreation programs as applicable. <br /> At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Mr. Brokke advised that the cur- <br /> rent intent was that new buildings would be furnished if intended for use as <br /> community gathering places, with their exact design and furnishings yet to be <br /> determined as work continued with the community and specific neighborhoods. <br /> Councilmember McGehee opined that furnishings would create the need for a <br /> substantial upgrade for maintenance, as well as needing more staff on site. <br /> Mr. Brokke clarified that it was not intended to staff them on a regular basis, un- <br /> less a recreation program was housed in those facilities, with supervisors then <br /> on site. <br /> At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Mr. Brokke clarified that it was not <br /> intended that the facilities all remain open and available to the public unless pre- <br /> arranged, or requested by the neighborhood for use or for rentals; and would be <br /> operated similar to the Nature Center. <br /> Councilmember Johnson noted that the intended replacement and/or repurpos- <br /> ing of warming houses was to facilitate their use as more than just a warming <br /> house. Councilmember Johnson asked Mr. Brokke for his opinion on what val- <br /> ue there would be to the community in drawing others to the parks and these fa- <br /> cilities, both to the broader community as well as hubs used by a broader scope <br /> of the community. <br /> Mr. Brokke, from his perspective, opined that during the Master Plan updating <br /> process, it had been the intent to respond to community requests to provide <br /> gathering places. Mr. Brokke noted that those parks where facilities were pro- <br /> posed were already heavily used, and he saw that continuing or being further <br /> enhanced as a result of the buildings. <br /> At the request of Councilmember Johnson, Mr. Brokke confirmed that the pro- <br /> posed facilities were thoroughly vetted out by during the Master Planning pro- <br /> cess by the community and its citizens since 2009 through a variety of commu- <br /> nication efforts, as well as the 28-member citizen advisory team guiding the <br /> Master Plan update. During the 1.5 year process begun before Master Plan <br /> adoption by the City Council in November of 2010, Mr. Brokke advised that <br />