Monroe Council accepts updated plans for $4.5 million community center; senior board outlines design requests

Trent Brown of Sunrise Engineering presented updated architectural drawings for the proposed Monroe City Community Center and the City Council voted to accept the plans as presented. Brown said the drawings maintained the previously approved floor plan while adding exterior elevation options and clarifying interior features. The council approved the plans by roll call, with a 4-0 vote (Bagley, Johnson, Payne and Sirrine voting yes). The motion was moved by Councilmember Perry Payne and seconded by Councilmember Ryan Johnson.

The design includes a 9-foot ceiling in the east wing (pool table area, small kitchen, restrooms, storage) and a 10-foot ceiling in the main dining room and primary kitchen. Two exterior finish choices were shown: full wainscot brick on all sides, which Brown said would cost about double but offer longer building life, or a less expensive option concentrating brick at the main entry with stucco on the remaining elevations. Brown recommended installing utility sleeves during initial construction to allow future septic connections without damaging the east parking lot; he estimated that addition at "a couple thousand dollars." The overall project cost was reiterated at an estimated $4.5 million.

Kerrielyn Beard of R6 Regional Council discussed funding pathways, including a potential $50,000 private donation lead, grant applications in the $100,000–$150,000 range that the council will pursue, and a "final million" program described as a funder that would cover a final million dollars of a project once other funding is in place. A Utah Gives donation page has been created for the project to accept tax-deductible contributions; South Sevier Senior Citizen Board Chair Mary Kay Outzen said she also has leads on potential grants from Wells Fargo and the Sorensen family.

Members of the South Sevier Senior Citizen Board asked for several changes and amenities to be incorporated into the final design: they do not want a dividing curtain in the main dining area (preferring controlled access for rentals), requested solid-surface flooring rather than carpet in the main dining area, suggested materials up to chair-rail height to help with acoustics, asked for a sound system with microphone capability, requested a portable stage platform instead of a permanent elevated stage, and asked for a TV monitor in the multipurpose room for meetings and entertainment. The council and Brown discussed access-control configurations that would keep renters limited to the prep kitchen, multipurpose room, restrooms and janitor closet while leaving the pool room, American Legion room, main kitchen and mechanical room locked.

Next steps: Brown said this is the time to finalize any remaining layout or finish decisions so the team can proceed to integrate electrical, mechanical, plumbing and structural engineering. Funding pursuit will continue through R6 Regional Council and other grant and donation channels.