WYNNE — Any decision made concerning the rebuild of the E.U. DeShay Park building will not be made until at least September.
The Wynne City Council tabled a decision on Tuesday to allow time to seek more grant funding.
Mayor Jennifer Hobbs addressed the issue on this morning’s Yawn Patrol program.
“E.U. DeShay Park had a building on it that was destroyed by the tornado. That building housed a small gym, just a little bit over like a half-court traditional size, but they played basketball there. They had a couple of offices and bathrooms in that building. It was a concrete block, brick-and-mortar building,” Mayor Hobbs said. “We do have a project in queue [with FEMA] if we wanted to build that back. They have certain boxes that you have to check. We have been working with an architect to meet those requirements.”
Mayor Hobbs said the cost to rebuild is currently estimated at $1.6 million. The city received around $425,000 worth of insurance on the building that was lost. She noted that any decision made will come from the Wynne City Council.
“It’s going to be a city council vote,” she said. “We cannot come to an agreement on our Parks & Recs committee so I don’t know if we’ll ever 100 percent vote on whatever the decision is… It’s not just about the initial cost in rebuilding. It’s about the ongoing maintenance and upkeep. That will probably be a rent-to-use facility in the future if it does get built back. It would not be something that we have staffed and open all the time.”
In other news, the city council approved a resolution to purchase property from First Financial Bank for the construction of pickleball courts. The city agreed to purchase the property for $10. The property is located west of the bank on Merriman Avenue. As part of the agreement, the bank will have naming rights, and if the city doesn’t complete the project within two years, the property will revert to the bank. The city is working to obtain a grant for the project and has also received private donations.
Aldermen also authorized the destruction of outdated documents.
