Mayor Di An Putnam is confident that the Winnemucca Community Improvement Group can come up with something "that's really viable for the community" when it comes to a recreational facility.
The group met last week to sift through community survey responses to determine what is desired in a recreational facility. Putnam said the responses indicate people favor going forward with the club.
"The question is where do we stand and what does the community need?" she said.
Group chair Ray Parks said the last meeting focused mainly on what can be afforded soonest and what the community wanted most. The answer: a Boys and Girls Club.
"The Boys and Girls Club came out No. 1," he said, adding the plan is for the club to be the first phase of a multi-phase project.
The next step is a feasibility study. Because the group has no idea what the facility is going to cost, a study is necessary to point them in the right direction to seek funding.
"We should be scheduling those in the next month," Putnam said, and then the group will have a better idea of how to move forward.
The feasibility study is required by groups seeking grant funding. The group isn't sure where funding will come from - private, public and grant funding are all options. Ideally, Parks said, the funding will come from a combination of those sources.
Parks said the group has had an initial meeting with the Pennington Foundation of Reno and he said the foundation is the group's biggest opportunity for funding so far. The Pennington Foundation supports organizations in Nevada with a focus on northern Nevada.
As part of the feasibility study, the group will look at various locations and sites to try to pinpoint a viable option. Parks said the group is eying three or four possible locations, but the top choice is located behind the high school.
So far, the group's progress has impressed Parks.
"It's going really well," he said. "A lot better than I expected."
Putnam agreed, saying the group is going slow enough to be thorough and not make mistakes but fast enough something can get accomplished in a timely manner.
The group will meet again the beginning of April to prepare a bid proposal for the feasibility study.
The Winnemucca Community Improvement Group was formed in October with the goal of improving the quality of life for residents through youth development services, recreational opportunities and community development.
Contact Jessica Powell at j.powell@winnemuccapublishing.net.[[In-content Ad]]
