Liberty Recreation Center may see improvements next year

It is no secret that Liberty Recreation Center is one of Plano's oldest recreation facilities to not receive significant renovations during the past several years.

Built in the 1970s by the YMCA, it was later converted to a Jewish Community Center. The city of Plano purchased the property in 2007 and has regularly maintained it since, but the facility has by and large seen few changes since its initial construction.

That may all change after the city's 2013 bond package is put to a vote: about $2.5 million of the city's $154 million overall program is slated for general renovations at the site.

While the amount set aside for Liberty is small compared to some other proposals in the parks department's $52 million request -- $6 million is suggested for Oak Point Park -- the need for the project was made loud and clear when the department proposed holding off on the Liberty renovations until a post-2013 bond package at Tuesday's council meeting.

Mayor Pro Tem Lissa Smith insisted the project be kept in the package, citing Liberty's heavy use and relative lack of recent improvements. Mayor Phil Dyer and Councilman Pat Miner, who said planned improvements to Moore Park are not as pressing for nearby residents and can be delayed in favor of Liberty, echoed Smith's comments.

"It's very heavily used," Smith said of Liberty the day after the meeting. "At times, there's a wait for those [exercise] machines. At some of the other facilities you can stay on those machines for as long as 60 minutes. I know at Liberty, because of the demand, you can only stay on for 30 minutes."

While nothing has been finalized and public input is still being gathered, current plans include an expansion of fitness areas, classroom improvements and additional amenities for the center's outdoor pool.

David Ostrander, a regular at Liberty Recreation Center, said the facility's stationary bicycles are "shoehorned" in the corner of the cardio room, making them difficult to use.

"The cardio stuff is packed in here," he said. "They'll put two of the [bicycles] in side by side. There's no space in between."

Kristie Bell, assistant supervisor at Liberty, said while the facility's central location and proximity to schools and homes make it an attractive space, the bare-bones swimming pool makes it hard to compete with more recently built and renovated parks facilities.

"Compared to other pools in the city, it definitely needs a facelift," she said. "... We're a hidden little gem with a lot of potential."

Amy Fortenberry, parks and recreation director, said surveys have been sent to homes surrounding Liberty to see what amenities the residents would like to see in the final program.

"We want to get that info from our users, but we also want to get info from our non-users," she said. "... What could we do better that would entice you to come over and use that facility?"

Public hearings for the 2013 bond program will continue through April. Election Day 2013 is set for May 11.

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