Council committee asks staff to draft ordinance to name Gemini Center competition pool after coach Richard L. Secrest

Ed Bettendorf, representing Fairview High School alumni, asked the Local Government and Community Services Committee to consider naming the refurbished Gemini Center competition pool for longtime coach Richard L. Secrest. Bettendorf described Secrest’s community programs, the 1964 championship, and a proposed commemorative plaque and interior signage. "Our goal is $15,000," Bettendorf said, adding that donors and the Fairview Park Athletic Club (FPAC) had already committed roughly two-thirds of that amount.

Council members asked practical questions about which part of the facility would be named (competition pool versus the broader aquatic center), the signage design and vendor alignment with high-school branding, and whether maintenance funds should be reserved. Bettendorf told the committee the FPAC would use its tax-exempt status to accept donations and that the group would set aside a modest maintenance reserve if needed.

Councilwoman Wearing moved that staff draft an ordinance specifying the scope of the naming (what building or pool would be named and the exact name) and advance it through the reading and vote process; the motion was seconded and approved in a roll call recorded as 7–0. Separately, the committee subsequently voted 7–0 to keep the Gemini Center item in committee for follow-up on design and implementation details.