Parks department moves – for now

The Cheney Parks and Recreation Department has been holed up on the gymnasium stage in City Hall since the beginning of January when the roof of the multipurpose room of the Wren Pierson Building began to cave and the building was declared unsafe.

This week the department moved into new offices – a place to stay until the city and insurance company decide where they will be permanently.

The new Parks and Recreation Department, 2640 First St., Suite B, is in the Tomlinson Black building next to Taco Bell. The building boasts sunny offices and a large meeting room.

Paul Simmons, department director, said the large room isn’t big enough to hold some of the programs they had in the multipurpose room of Wren Pierson, but they will hold meetings and training sessions there. During the summer, the department hires 50 to 60 employees and volunteers to run its programs, and the space will help when it comes time to train them.

Staff members hauled boxes into the new offices this week, as well as buckets of basketballs, maps, computers and plants.

“I love it,” Simmons said of the new space.

Simmons said the space is still a temporary space for the department. The insurance company still needs to decide whether the Wren Pierson building should be rebuilt. .

Simmons hopes to have a plan in place by June.

He estimates the space to be around 2,200 to 2,300 square feet. It will cost around $8,000 per month for the first year to pay for construction costs. The insurance company was willing to let the city sign a lease for only a year, so any time the department is in the offices after that, the cost per month will be around $2,500. The city’s insurance will pay for the lease.

Simmons said one of the biggest challenges will be making sure everyone knows where the department is located, since it is no longer so close to City Hall.

He is busy getting quotes for signage so residents will see the department as they drive by.

Simmons estimated the department should be fully moved into the new building by the end of this week. Much of the department’s equipment will remain in storage.

As with any move, Simmons expects some challenges, but he’s optimistic.

“We’ll make it work.”