Marion City Council wants more assurances of sustainability
Managing editor
Marion City Council supports a youth center, but some members want to make sure the center will be successful before committing to owning the building that will house it.
“I want to see someone else spearhead this instead of you,” Mayor Mary Olson told City Economic Development Director Doug Kjellin at Monday’s meeting.
Kjellin said he was bringing this before the council as an economic development professional.
Councilman Steven Smith said experience with previous committees made it imperative that someone else other than a city employee needed to be involved with the youth center.
“I want one person in charge,” he said. “I don’t want the city caught in-between.”
Smith was quick to acknowledge the fund-raising success of Marion Youth Advancement Committee members.
“The job this committee has done has been tremendous. This is volunteerism we don’t see anywhere else,” he said.
Although he is pleased with the outcome, Smith said he wanted to see more structure.
“If structured right, it would be successful. I want to make sure this carries on,” Smith said.
Olson said she wanted to see teens take it upon themselves to support the center.
Kjellin said 16 middle and high school students were interested in the center.
“Five or six of them are seniors,” he said. “They will be doing a lot of work and not get much reward.”
Middle school students are the “core” group who will support the center, Kjellin said.
Six members of MYAC were in attendance at the meeting.
A contract will be created while the council reviews guidelines.
The youth advancement committee wants to purchase a building at 331 E. Main St., Marion but insurance costs could put the youth center out of business. If the city owned the building, with the committee purchasing it and paying other costs, the building could be insured under the city’s insurance at a minimal cost.
The city also would pay real estate taxes of $1,200 per year.