Iris Fontana English 212 Proposal

BUILDING A COMMUNITY CENTER Iris Fontana Technical Writing Kenai Peninsula College Professor Dorothy Gray November 23, 2014

A Proposal to the City of Soldotna

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Table of Contents Abstract

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Proposal Overview…………………………………..2 Introduction

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The Purpose and Main Point……………………...…3 Current Situation

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The Problem and its Causes………………….….…..3 Project Plan

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Solution to Problem.……………………….……..…5 Project Plan Objectives...……………………………6 Major and Minor Steps………………………………7 Project Plan Outcomes.………..……………………..8 Qualifications

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Why our Team is the Best Qualified……....…….…..8 Cost and Benefits

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Cost Summary……………………………...………..9 Major Benefits……………………………………...11 Conclusion

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Our Next Step………………………………………12 References

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Abstract The sprawling communities of the Kenai Peninsula are secretly suffering behind closed doors, and something needs to be done. The unsettlingly high rates of depression and suicide are even worse in the winter months. Teenagers find themselves with nothing productive to set their minds to, and thus turn to delinquency. Finally, the qualified professionals that our community hires from out of town, especially in the health care field, prove to be difficult to retain for longer than a few years. Our team at Project Plans, Inc. has devised a full project plan to solve the problem of a lack of community connectedness. First, we plan to build additions to the Soldotna Sports center, in order to turn it into a sufficient central hub that houses a pool, sports, classes, and community events. This new community center will then be opened to the public, and should be making enough money to sustain itself about 10 years after its completion. The team we have here at Project Plans, Inc. is extremely qualified for this task. The senior members have each worked in this field for over 20 years, and the entire team has successfully completed three community-related buildings together in the state of Alaska. The costs of building a centralized community center will end up being roughly three million dollars. However, we believe that the resulting benefits vastly outweigh the monetary cost to the City of Soldotna. Should you choose to give the green light for this project, the future will be bright for the entire Kenai Peninsula community. We expect to begin to see our children and teenagers thriving, more people choosing the Peninsula as their permanent haven, and a great reduction in depression and suicide rates among our rural residents.

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Introduction The Alaskan Kenai Peninsula is a great place for adventurous spirits, entrepreneurs, and people who enjoy year-round outdoor sports. However, there are many people who live here that do not fit these categories. These people struggle with feeling connected to their community, and they become at risk for suicide and depression – especially in the winter when darkness and cold temperatures take up the majority of the day. Teen delinquency is not as huge a problem on the Peninsula as it is in other Alaskan towns. However, teen pregnancy is among the highest in the country and continuing to rise. Bored and isolated teenagers will always find an outlet for their developing minds, and without an engaging community, these outlets will continue to be sex, drugs, and vandalism.

The Kenai Peninsula Borough has 57,147 people, and is so spread out that it is roughly twice the square mileage of New Hampshire (U.S. Department of Commerce, 2014). Currently, there are only four active recreation centers that serve the entire Borough. These four, Nikiski Rec Center, Kenai Rec Center, Sterling Rec Center, and Soldotna Sports Center, are very spread out with only minimal entertainment activities, poor building maintenance, and abysmal attendance rates. A new community center would provide a centralized event building with more activities to offer, and the extra space needed to house everything under one roof.

Current Situation Retention, suicide, depression, and teen delinquency on the Kenai Peninsula are community problems that all stem from the same general cause. This is the fact that people on the Kenai Peninsula, and Alaska in general, struggle to feel connected to their neighbors and community.

Alaska is very rural, which adds difficulty for people to have one central place that they can meet and interact with other people. The team at Project Plans, Inc. has investigated the problem of

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community health and connectedness, and found that building a community center is the most economical and efficient solution.

If nothing is done to help the struggling community members, the life expectancy and life satisfaction of the Kenai Peninsula will slowly decline. People move to the Peninsula because they are drawn to its rugged beauty, but many of them leave in the next one to three years. This is because they fail to make connections with other community members, and they end up feeling isolated. Even now, people continue to become depressed and suicidal because of the sheer lack of human contact. We will only see an increase in the issues associated with teenage delinquency. Likewise, people who move here to fill our professional healthcare positions will keep failing to connect and end up relocating to places that offer better public social tools.

My team has already interviewed members of the community, and found that single adults are asking for events that would help them meet other wholesome singles (not people in bars), adults with children want child care and family activities, while teens long for a pool with reasonable hours, and a rock climbing wall. All of these things can be found at a properly funded and maintained community center.

The future of the Kenai Peninsula should also be considered, because a current petroleum project in Nikiski will cause a population increase. The new petroleum center is expected to provide as much as 4000 new jobs when it opens in 2016. Many of these jobs will be filled by people specifically moving to the Peninsula for petroleum work, and much of them will bring along their families. This influx of people will only create more social problems, like depression, on the Peninsula, unless something is done to increase community health and connectedness. The answer is to provide a modern and functional community center.

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Project Plan Introduction The best way to lower the excessive rates of depression, suicide, and teen delinquency on the Peninsula is to create a centralized and cohesive community center. Community centers have many facets and benefits to all community members. They give parents a place to interact with other parents, and their children a place to safely play with other children. Community centers draw in teens with the allure of swimming pools, indoor sports, and public events or classes aimed at their age group. Finally, community centers give unconnected adults a chance to find and attend local events that interest them, as well as participate in classes and recreation alongside other members of their community. The main purpose of a centralized event building is to give people the opportunity to develop strong social relationships with one another.

Solution to Problem Currently, many community centers in America have scheduled classes and programs for adults, teens, and children. They can also offer athletic outlets such as a weight room, bad mitten room, indoor track, basketball court, exercise classrooms, indoor pool, rock climbing wall, or a roller-skating/ ice-skating rink. Finally, most community centers have special conference rooms that can be rented out privately or used for public meetings and events. Our proposed solution to the community health and connectedness problem is to build additions onto the Soldotna Sports center, in order to make it a more complete and functioning community center. The Soldotna Sports center already houses an ice-skating arena, racquetball court, wallyball court, walking track, and meeting rooms, which means it only needs some building renovation.

The new Peninsula community center should take two years to complete and become fully operational. Once it is built, we plan on implementing the following activities in the new building. 

Pool for frequent open swims throughout the day, 7 days a week

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Basketball during the day, roller-skating in the evening

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Rock climbing

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Day care that offers per-hour child care (for parents who want to spend a couple hours exercising or taking a class)

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A schedule of athletic classes, such as: o Yoga o Zumba o Martial Arts o Elderly fitness

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Community events, such as: o Low-cost breakfast for the elderly o “No school” specials that would be cheap or free sporting access for students on days with school inservice o “Try it before you buy it” for adults interested in uncommon products o “Learn your technology” for adults and elders who want advice on smartproducts they have (iPhones, tablets, etc.) o Workshops (DIY, Photography, Cooking, etc.) o Cultural activities (language, history, crafts, etc.) o Speed dating aimed at entertainment for single people

These are the activities that we believe will successfully provide people of all ages with the creative, athletic, and entertainment outlets that they need for healthy social development.

Project Plan Objectives 

To establish a functional and centralized community center

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To provide wholesome and engaging activities for all types of community members

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To improve the social connectedness of people on the Peninsula

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To reduce depression rates

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To reduce suicide rates

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To curb teenage pregnancy, drug use, and vandalism

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To increase retention rates of professionals, especially those in health care

Major and Minor Steps to achieve the plan The steps for creating a centralized community center are as follows: 

Gain startup funding (not including operational funding) from o City grants o State grants o Private donations o Corporate donations

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Create blueprints and plans for new additions

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Clear land behind and around the Soldotna Sports Center to be used for additions and future parking

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Build new additions onto the Soldotna Sports Center o Pool o Rock climbing room o Basketball court (will also be used for roller-skating) o 3 Athletic class rooms o Child care center

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Renovate existing parts of the Soldotna Sports Center that need updated o Add a kitchen to one of the medium-sized event rooms

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Complete all building and addition projects

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Hire staff and advertise the new center

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Provide services at a lower cost than desired and slowly raise prices over the next 5 years

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Become fully self-sustaining by the 10th year of operation

The included additions are all community needs that have been expressed by the residents of the Kenai Peninsula. We believe that each one is important for providing the most entertainment and community connections under one roof.

Project Plan Outcomes The final outcome of a completed and operational community center should be reflected in lower rates of depression, suicide, and teen delinquency in our area. We should also see that professionals who move here for work are more likely to make the Kenai Peninsula their permanent home. The overall community health and connectedness of the Kenai Peninsula should improve. The community center should also be able to sustain its own operational costs after 10 years of being open.

Conclusion This project plan is a sure way to improve the quality of life for the residents of the Kenai Peninsula, because when individuals are able to interact with their community, they feel more hope in times of need. A new centralized community center will increase the likelihood that new people will want to stay, teenagers will use their time for wholesome skill-building activities, and adults will be less likely to succumb to the depression and suicide that plagues the winter months in Alaska. The community center will also be able to become profitable to the City of Soldotna after the 10-year mark.

Qualifications The team I have put together at Project Plans Inc., has already been primed for completing community planning projects just like this one. The senior members have each worked in this field for over 20 years. The entire team has successfully finished three

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community-related buildings together in the state of Alaska, including the Ketchikan Recreation Center, the Spenard Community Recreation Center in Anchorage, and the Last Frontier Community Center in Ft. Wainwright. On the Kenai Peninsula, we have recently completed the South Peninsula Hospital MRI building, the South Peninsula Hospital Expansion Phase 2, the Central Peninsula Health Center Radiology and Oncology building, and the Central Peninsula landfill cell 2. I will personally be in charge of overseeing the community aspects of the project, as I have 15 years of experience in public and community health operations. I believe that as we move forward together, you will become even further convinced that the Project Plans, Inc. team is the best qualified team in Alaska for the task of constructing and opening a community center.

Cost and Benefits Cost Summary The expected project costs from beginning to end of building a centralized community center are roughly three million dollars. This estimate is based on the 2003 construction of the Tulelake Community Center in California, which had a total cost of $2,740,500, and was 17,000 square feet (Rural Development Initiatives, 2008). We understand that this previous project was a new facility, but our price quote is accounting for the high-cost of construction operations in Alaska. We realize that this number seems very unattractive at first, but we are confident it will be worth it in the long run. The city of Soldotna will have to take on most of the initial startup cost in order to begin building the community center foundations. Thankfully, we anticipate being able to gain the following additional funding: 

State and city grants

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Corporate donations

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Private donations

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We have inquired into the policies of the city, state, and some corporations on donating funding for projects like ours. The city of Soldotna will give a maximum of $1,000,000 per project, and the state of Alaska can give us a $500,000 grant. The corporations in the area that are most likely to contribute are Soldotna Fred Meyers, Kaladi Brothers Coffee, Chevron, BP oil, and ConocoPhillips. There are also a few private citizens who have expressed a willingness to donate if we move forward with our project.

Funding Breakdown Table Funding Type

Amount (in $)

Cumulative Total

City of Soldotna Grant

1,000,000

1,000,000

State Grant

500,000

1,500,000

Corporate Donations

1,000,000

2,500,000

Private Donations

500,000

3,000,000

(Grand Total)

3,000,000

Cost Breakdown Table Pool

1,200,000

1,200,000

Rock Climbing Room

250,000

1,450,000

Basketball Court

500,000

1,950,000

Athletic Class Rooms (3)

300,000

2,250,000

Child Care Center

250,000

2,500,000

Kitchen

200,000

2,700,000

Operations and Salaries

300,000

3,000,000

(Grand Total)

3,000,000

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Major Benefits All of the benefits of a community center tie in together, because they all improve the overall health of the community. One of the most important connectedness issues on the Kenai Peninsula is depression, especially in the winter months. With so many possibilities of building relationships and commitments at a community center, it reduces the risk that people will feel alone and helpless. Reducing the suicide rates goes hand-in-hand with reducing depression rates.

People are less likely to commit suicide when they feel like they have something to live for, and a community center is the perfect thing to provide commitments (obligations, if nothing else).

This is a very relevant quote from a police chief, “Anytime, you can engage kids and adults in productive endeavors, you’re assisting in the effort of fighting crime,” Chief Ray Tarasovic, Richmond police said. “Healthy neighborhoods lead to crime free neighborhoods,” (Jones, 2013). To sum it up, when kids have wholesome entertainment, it benefits the entire neighborhood and community, because they aren’t out doing drugs or vandalizing property.

Teenagers need activities to focus their developing brains on, and all the different sports offered at a community center answers that need There are a lot of work-related benefits of building a community center. Entry-level jobs will help people become receptionists, lifeguards, equipment cleaners, and inventory takers.

Professional-level jobs will be in place for personal fitness trainers, program directors, financial consultants, managers, and class instructors. Volunteer opportunities can be concerned with any part of the customer service jobs, like class instructors, daycare, chaperones, or helping with community event coordinating (like senior breakfast or scavenger hunts on Easter). People enjoy feeling connected by creating events that help other people in their community. On the Kenai Peninsula, and Alaska in general, we have a huge problem with making people want to stay after moving here, simply because new people have an extremely hard time finding things to do

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besides going to bars. A community center would provide a central hub of events and social connections for all of the people who feel lost and isolated, especially in the winter.

Conclusion The best solution to lowering the rates of depression, suicide, and teen delinquency on the Kenai Peninsula is to create a centralized community center. We believe that our team is fully capable of building and launching this facility. Thank you very much for reading our proposal, and for providing us the opportunity to improve the community health of the entire Peninsula.

The next step you should take is to decide whether or not you agree with submitting our proposal to the City of Soldotna Grant Review Board in January, or if you think we need more initial support or revising. Your assistant has set a date of December 12th for a follow-up meeting so that we may discuss the proposal together in detail. Should you have any questions before our meeting, please contact me at ifontana@kpc.edu or by phone at 907-000-2424.

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References Jones, S. (2013). City Leader fights for youth center to keep kids off the streets. http://WTVR.com. Retrieved from: http://wtvr.com/2013/03/27/city-leader-fights-foryouth-center-to-keep-kids-off-the-streets/

Rural Development Initiatives (2008). Creating your community center. www.horizons.wsu.edu.

Retrieved from: http://www.horizons.wsu.edu/project/horizons2/resources/ creatingyourcommunity.pdf

U.S. Department of Commerce (2014). Kenai Peninsula Borough. http://quickfacts.census.gov.

Retrieved from: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/02/02122.html

Kenai Peninsula College 156 College Rd. Soldotna, Alaska 99669 November 23, 2014 Jay Stephens, Director of Public Programs Kenai Peninsula Borough 144 North Binkley Kenai, Alaska 99611 Dear Mr. Stephens, In response to our meeting with the Kenai Peninsula Board of Public Programs on October 18, 2014, you requested a proposal to establish a community center in a centralized location. I am pleased to provide you with a complete plan that includes all informational materials, supplies, costs, and benefits for the potential building of a Peninsula community center.

We realize that the financial considerations of building a community center are a difficult hurdle to look past. This is why, rather than focusing on the financial cost to the Borough, we hope that you will consider how greatly the lives and mental health of the residents of the Kenai/Soldotna area will improve. Our proposal is focused on not only helping adults with depression and suicide, but also aiding in the effort to keep teens off the streets, and to provide wholesome family activities for younger children. The enclosed proposal describes the plan and includes a detailed budget for your consideration.

Thank you for giving us this opportunity to propose to you a solution for teen delinquency, and increased rates of winter depression and suicide on the Peninsula.

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at ifontana@kpc.edu or by phone at 907-000-2424.

Sincerely,

Iris Fontana, Chief Project Adviser Project Plans, Inc.