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Community Center

Ely's Municipal Complex (now referred to as Community Center)

Library, Recreation, City Facilities

 

Ely is growing and the expectation for more amenities and services is on the rise. A municipal complex helps Ely position itself to expand our library facilities, provide additional recreation services, provide a safe place for meeting and community business. The Ely Library has been working on an expansion plan for nearly 7 years. The land that was chosen as the primary site became unavailable last year, however the City Hall location is a viable option. Currently, the cost of making the existing City Hall building ADA compliant, bringing the HVAC up to code, and mitigating the inner roof structure is nearly 1 million dollars. The community has also expressed the desire to have some type of a recreational facility in the community, so there can be expanded recreation services for people of all ages. Taking all of this into consideration, a committee was formed to explore the possibility of a multiuse facility in Ely.

A Municipal Complex will provide additional services currently not available in Ely, such as recreation facilities, updated city hall facilities, additional learning spaces and community spaces.
The goal is for city hall services and the library to be able to keep up with the demands of our growing community. It would will allow for a one-stop shop experience. It is intended to provide further community building, and expanding opportunities for neighbors to meet each other.

The outcome of the facility will be in the hands of the community and the decision to pay for/build the facility will be determined by the community as well.

The current City Hall location has some very positive aspects to it. For example, the city currently owns the property, ease of accessibility and visibility, current access to city utilities, proximity to the downtown area, and a new parking lot has recently been installed next to the location.

There is a community-based team working on this project, and the final decision will be made by a vote of the residents of Ely to approve of this project. An extensive fundraising campaign is planned to be conducted to raise as much funds as possible. A large portion of the project will likely be funded through property taxes by a referendum/vote of residents. The group is working on a schedule to have this project on the ballet in November of 2023.

Identified Needs Flyer

Important Documents:

Municipal Complex Updates:

  • Community Center (previously Municipal Complex) Public Forum #2 - Tuesday June 6, 2023
  • Committee Worked Extensively on a concept based on Community Survey results - January - May
  • Council Review Survey Results - January 9, 2023
  • Public Input Survey - Closed December 9, 2022
  • Public Q & A Meeting: November 1, 2022 @ 6pm - St. John's Lutheran Church
  • The online public input survey will be available in early November, 2022 (see link above)

  • Potential Project Schedule:
    Community Input: July 2022 – November 2022
    Design Renderings: November 2022 – December 2022
    Feasibility and funding study: December 2022 – February 2023
    Start fundraising: March 2023
    Referendum Vote: November 2023
    Final design and construction docs: January 2024 – June 2024
    Bidding: July 2024
    Construction: September 2024 – December 2025 Early 2026
    Opening: Early 2026

 

Who can I contact with additional questions?

Adam Thompson, City Administrator, cityadmin@elyiowa.com

Sarah Sellon, Library Director, sarah@elyiowa.com

Callie Stulz-O’Brien, Director of Parks & Recreation,  callie@elyiowa.com

Municipal Complex Survey Announcement