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City, county plan mailed survey on SECO Park; indoor aquatics funding and location on the table
Summary
City of Manhattan staff asked Riley County commissioners for permission to include SECO Park questions in an October mailed statistically valid survey to gauge support and funding willingness for an indoor aquatics facility; commissioners discussed scope, sample frame, and next steps if the survey supports further joint planning.
City of Manhattan staff told Riley County commissioners on Sept. 4 they plan a mailed, statistically valid survey in October to test public support and funding preferences for an indoor aquatics facility and related SECO Park uses.
Jason (city staff) and colleagues said the survey would target registered voters inside Manhattan: about 2,800 mailings are planned to achieve an expected 400 completed responses, which would provide a 95% confidence interval for population estimates. City staff said the questionnaire would ask both location questions (City Park, SECO Park, an alternative) and financing scenarios, and asked the county whether it was comfortable including questions specific to SECO Park on county-owned land.
Commissioners and staff discussed expanding the sample to include the whole county if the commission wants broader countywide input; several commissioners emphasized that results would be an early step, not a final decision, and could lead to a joint master-planning process with the city and USD 383 if responses indicate interest. A city presenter noted that prior statistically valid surveys showed majority interest in aquatics but that support for a project often falls once financing questions are asked.
What was decided: commissioners generally supported proceeding with the October survey and requested the city coordinate with county staff to adjust the mailing frame and question wording as needed before launch.
Why it matters: SECO Park is primarily county property and any major capital or operational decision would likely require county participation, a potential joint funding decision and further public engagement.
