Community Center ponders expansion, new baseball and softball configurations

The Cheyenne County Community Center is offering more services and serving more people than ever. So Mike Namuth, Director of CCCC, spoke with the Sidney city council on Tuesday about future needs, recreation enrollment and services.

Namuth is reviewing possible expansion plans for the CCCC. The center is considering the costs of possible growth to the north and east, or moving into the old hospital once the new one is completed.

"I can't tell you any way anyone would be leaning," Namuth said.

He added that because of expanding usage, more room is necessary.

"From 2005 to now, we've basically doubled the usage of the community center," Namuth said.

CCCC had seen around 62,000 people in the facility for programs and events as of the end of April this year and 155,000 in 2012.

"It's on an escalating thing and we're just to the point where we've got to find some more space to do some more programming," Namuth said.

CCCC provides many services for the city of Sidney, Namuth added.

"In addition to the contractual agreement, we have to provide recreational services for the city, a lot of the things that are offered are for public convenience," Namuth said.

The community center attempts to be open as often as possible for its users.

"

We do provide about 104 weekly hours of access for the public," Namuth said.

The center is also open about 87 hours per week during the summer.

Those at the center also take care of reservations of the shelter house at Legion Park, reservations for Lodgepole Valley Youth Camp, as well as reservations for the gazebo at the Living Memorial Gardens.

"Just here a couple months ago we started doing the fishing pole check out program that some Cabela's employees, through the leadership program, set up," Namuth said. "We have about 10 fishing poles and tackle boxes at the community center and any child or adult that doesn't have that can come check them out and go over to the pond and try their hand at trying to catch some of the big fish."

CCCC also has around five sets of discs for anyone wishing to play on the disc golf field over by the soccer fields.

The center keeps a strong online presence with its website, Facebook and Twitter, Namuth added.

"It's amazing how that social media, it just enhances what information we can get out to the public concerning weather related issues, or signups or just every day activities we've got going on at the community center," Namuth said.

The council had some questions for Namuth after looking at enrollment numbers in CCCC activities.

"So participation numbers are declining?" asked Sidney Mayor Wendall Gaston.

The enrollment goes in cycles, Namuth said.

"We get a large group of kids that are coming through the program, you get that class and then they're out," Namuth said.

Participation depends on the size of classes going through Sidney schools as well, Namuth added.

"Overall I think participation has been steady," Namuth said.

Gaston wondered what the community center and its related activities needed most at the moment.

Namuth would like to do something with the softball complex and possibly one new baseball field.

"It's kind of like the pool," Namuth said. "It's time for a facelift or upgrade or something out there."

The baseball field seems to see the most conflict and there isn't enough space for all the different area teams and leagues to practice at some times during the year, Namuth said.

Gaston wondered if the CCCC was budgeting for a new field or trying to find funds for one.

"They're your fields," Namuth said.

CCCC does pay for bases and pegs and among other things on the fields.

Gaston wondered if flipping the fields around 180 degrees would be beneficial or if it would affect Namuth's ability to run the fields.

"There will be some expense in it," Namuth said.

If the city desired to upgrade the grounds at Legion Park, Namuth suggested building a clover of fields, instead of flipping the existing ones. Building a new complex nearer to the youth camp would be more practical because the surface is level there, he added.

"If you're gonna have the expense of moving the lights, moving the plates, re-sodding everything, you might as well just do it, and do a clover and then you could put a concession stand in the middle," Namuth said.

Most clover complexes have four fields, which Namuth said would be plenty for Sidney and would make it possible to add more softball teams to the league. This would also probably leave room for another baseball field, Namuth said.

City council member Roger Gallaway agreed that flipping the current fields or building new fields and including t-ball area would be more convenient. He also suggested putting in a centrally located concession stand.

"That would be a major accomplishment," Namuth said.

Although these are just possible ideas for the future at the moment, the council seemed open to it.

"I think it's a great idea," Gaston said. "I think it's something we ought to consider. It's probably gonna be a more than one year project."