Ponca Community Center Information

03/13/2024

At Monday night’s meeting, the estimated cost and funding sources for the proposed community center were discussed.

The cost of the project is estimated to be $3.7 million, and the planning committee has been advised to plan to raise $4 million in case of unanticipated additional costs.

The main sources of funding for the project will be grants and donations. The Ponca City Council will continue to plan for city office expenses, which will include reduced maintenance and utility costs. The project will not affect property taxes in Ponca.

Members of the planning committee have volunteered to lead grant-writing efforts for the project. Better Ponca Foundation will work hand-in-hand with the committee during the fundraising process.

Because of Ponca’s successful Nebraska Civic and Community Center Financing Fund (CCCFF) planning grant, the community is in an excellent position to apply for the CCCFF Construction Grant which can provide up to half the costs of construction, with a maximum grant amount based on population.

Making this project a reality will require a full community effort because the community center will be financed with grants and donations. The economic development anticipated with the new downtown building should bring increased business and sales tax revenue to Ponca.

Are you interested in joining the fundraising committee? Please contact Jada Hamar or Heather Craig-Oldsen to volunteer.

03/13/2024

Nathan and Nate of PLaN Architecture have created an amazing design for the proposed Ponca Community Center!

The new concept for the Ponca Community Center is turning out great! We're excited to see this concept start to take shape!

03/13/2024

We had a great public meeting last night to share the progress our committee has made in the planning process for a potential new community center.

PLaN Architecture has guided us through the planning grant process and created an amazing design for our community center. We are excited and proud to share the plans with the Ponca community.

For reference, the existing community center is 7,250 square feet. The existing large event space is 3,200 square feet. There are currently 7 parking spaces and 2 handicap parking spaces.

The spaces in the 13,825 sq ft. proposed community center include:
- A large event space that seats 295 (4,415 sq ft)
- Two medium-sized meeting rooms that seat 56 people each (825 sq ft each)
-There is a partition wall to allow for combining these spaces into one larger space.
- These meeting spaces will serve as the American Legion space and potentially the senior center space. They will still be rentable when not in use by the legion/senior center.
- Six city offices, reception area, and storage throughout the building
- City meeting space that seats 42 people (city council chambers)
- Warming/catering kitchen that can include refrigerators and ovens
- There are two serving windows into the large event space.
- The kitchen plans include no open flames or grease production (deep fryer) due to the large expense of the required additional mechanical items.
- The planning committee will be selecting the specific kitchen appliances at a later date.
- The windows on the south side of the building face an interior wall that can become a display wall for Ponca history or something similar TBD at a later date.
- There are 25 parking spaces and 3 handicap parking spaces. This does not include any street parking.

Please contact any planning committee member or Mayor DJ Smith with questions. You can also send a message to this page.

05/02/2023

Planning Meeting Notes April 26, 2023

1. We reviewed the last meeting’s notes and summarized the 4 concepts previously reviewed and noted the preferred concept from the previous meeting.

2. PLaN presented further in-depth options of the previous meeting’s preferred concept. We discussed exterior materials in the context of maintenance and comparative cost. The materials included brick, honeycomb metal panels and another less expensive metal system.

3. The consensus was that those materials each (as they are dark) are relatively interchangeable, and cost may be the driving factor in selection.

4. PLaN will bring material samples of materials and finishes for the next meeting.

5. The various renderings showed options for quantities and location of different elements such as wood-imprint areas, glass areas and possible signage areas.

6. In terms of signage it was favored to do relatively small signage on the building itself and look at a monument type sign off of the building on the site somewhere.

7. In terms of the various options the following was the decided direction:
a. Shorter punched openings at the west, without clerestory windows above.
b. A large clerestory at the south is preferred.
c. The thicker wall-adjacent wood-look columns are preferred at the south.
d. At the north, windows are desired, but only the up high / clerestory window concept.
e. We discussed punched opening windows for some of the offices at the east – PLaN will render that as well.
f. We discussed roofing – depending on product and slopes it will be either metal or membrane (more likely that latter), and will drain to the east and west, but the downspouts would be tied-in to storm as opposed to sheet-flow on the surface.

8. There were attendees from the senior center that reviewed the revised plan with us. By and large we have provided what was previously discussed. There was some conversation about furniture (note Furniture is not by the design team).

9. We discussed the kitchen and possibly having some cabinetry lockable and/or dedicated to the
Senior Center.

10. It was discussed that a fryer and griddle could potentially be needed in the kitchen. PLaN
discussed this with the mechanical engineer, who also visited with product reps to see very roughly what could be required and what the cost could be. A more robust hood system, fire suppression, grease management, and ducting scenario would likely be required. This could in- turn result in significant infrastructural costs. PLaN requested info on the specific equipment to follow back on that with more detail.

11. Next meeting: May 15th, 2023 at 7PM.

04/14/2023

Notes from planning meeting on April 11, 2023

1. We reviewed the last meeting’s notes and graphic notes.

2. There was a general discussion about to what level the facility needs to cater various groups that use the facility only a few times a year vs permanent uses as it relates to potentially added
costs.
a. We discussed storage for different groups.
b. We discussed the potential griddle and fryer. Note: PLaN will get input on those from the Mechanical Consultant.

3. We reviewed the four types of building forms and material combinations.
a. A – 2 votes: Liked the simple form and cost associated.
b. B – 0 votes: Not preferred, did not fit in with Ponca’s character.
c. C – 0 votes: Worried about overhang and clerestory glass, expensive.
d. D – 6 votes: Most preferred, liked the building as key entry to town.
e. 1 vote absent

4. PlaN discussed working on version D further bringing back a few variants of that version for the
next meeting. Notes for next iterations:
a. Liked the warm tones of the wood printed panel.
b. Liked the contrast of dark/black material and the wood imprint.
c. We discussed the possibility of adding exposed columns and beams at the exterior, but
we noted the site may not allow for this space-wise.
d. PLaN will look at different skin materials such as stone, brick, metal panels and wood imprint metal.
e. PLaN will look at different opaque vs transparent ratios of building skin. (IE more or less glass)
f. PLaN will show where signage could be in this version as seen from the primary corner.
g. Lighting of exterior – was discussed as possibly coming from the glass when lit at the interior as well as cans in the overhanging roof.
h. Eventually PLaN will make a day AND night rendering.

03/16/2023

Community Center Team Meeting Minutes
Thursday, February 23, 2023

Heather suggested the committee appoint a secretary to record meeting notes and write articles for the newspaper and Facebook to keep the community updated. Heather asked for volunteers for the position. Jada volunteered for the position.

Programming discussions began with the senior center. Deb Gibbs shared the group’s concerns:
They won’t have their own kitchen.
Their potluck held every third Wednesday of the month could conflict with funerals.
There won’t be as much space as the current building.
They don’t want to be far from the bathrooms.
There is not enough parking.
They are unsure about the cost to rent the space.

Nathan Kalaher (architect) addressed most of these concerns and whether or not they were solved in the current plans.
There won’t be multiple kitchens, so they would use the main kitchen; it would be placed in close proximity to the senior center.
The current senior center has about 1,200 square feet, including the kitchen, office, and bathroom. The current plans as drawn have the senior center space of about 800 square feet, an office of 120 square feet, and storage.
The bathrooms will be centrally located to all rooms and there will be plenty of them.
The current plans have 20+ parking spots, which is more than any building in town.
DJ spoke about the cost to rent the space. He said while his thoughts are not the final decision, he believes there would be no cost for the senior center to use the space.

The possibility of adding a basketball court to the large event space was discussed.
It was agreed there is a need for more gym space.
The size, height, and aesthetic of the event space would change greatly.
The basketball hoops and court lines would be permanent fixtures.
There are many variables in the cost of the court, so Nathan could not say how much it could add to the total cost.
Nathan noted that even a 7-& 8-year-old size court isn’t that much smaller than a high school regulation size court.
The court would need 10 feet around the outside for safety purposes.
Each person shared their thoughts on adding the basketball court. The overall thought was that while the need for the gym exists, adding one to the community center may not be the best use of the space. The plans will proceed without a basketball court/gym.

The discussion returned to the senior center.
Deb Gibbs stated that the agency in Norfolk has no say in whether the group moves, and it is up to the board in Ponca to decide.
Julie Sydow suggested they talk to other area community senior centers who have recently moved to their community’s new community center and get their thoughts.
DJ made sure they understood there is no pressure for them to join the center. He said the space will be there either way to use as a meeting room.
Deb said one misconception is that funding the senior center gets does not go directly to the city if they move into the new building. Heather Craig-Oldsen affirmed that no one on the committee was under that impression.
Nathan said he was willing to present to the senior center group to show more of the members the plans and answer questions.
A decision from the Ponca Senior Citizens Center on whether the group will relocate to the new community center will need to be made soon so the planning can continue.

The group reviewed multiple versions of potential layouts. Nathan explained how each drawing was different and the benefits to each. He also pointed out the parking and entrances in each layout. The potential layouts will be revised based on the feedback regarding the senior center and basketball court.

Next steps for the committee are:
Nathan will send out revised plans with the discussed changes.
Jada will create a page to share updates about the committee’s progress.
Nathan will discuss with the senior center the possibility of meeting with them, possibly at the next potluck. The senior center will decide whether they will be a part of the new center or not.
The committee will meet again in the next few weeks to keep progress moving forward.

The next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday, March 14.

02/24/2023

Like this page to receive updates about the progress of the Ponca Community Center planning process.

Community involvement is a crucial part of the process, so please share this page so it reaches as many people in the community as possible.