WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Wichita will move ahead with a new Planeview Community Center after the City Council approved a design contract Tuesday in a 6–1 vote. Mayor Lily Wu was the lone no vote.
The $9.9 million project will replace the aging Colvin Neighborhood Resource Center with a new 18,400-square-foot building next to Colvin Elementary. Plans call for a computer lab, classrooms, a gym, a food pantry, and a community meeting space.
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City staff said renovating the closed Jardine Middle School would have cost more and required millions in deferred maintenance. Council member Mike Hoheisel, who represents the area, said a new build was the only realistic option. “We owe it to taxpayers to not get into a boondoggle that would affect us with ongoing costs every year,” he said.
Wu questioned the cost estimates, square footage, and whether Jardine could still be viable. “My big thing is I don’t want to see a blighted building in that neighborhood within walking distance of a new community center,” she said in explaining her vote…