Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 118. No. 3	January 20, 2010

Meade Activity Center – from a dream to reality

The Meade Activity Center (MAC) began as a dream in November 2008. A group of citizens from around the county had the idea of a facility where the community could go to enjoy healthy activities with their families. In the spring of 2009, a phone survey was conducted in order to determine the community’s interest in such a facility.

Out of approximately 558 parents and community members surveyed, 92 percent agreed that an activity center would be good for the community. Of those, 71 percent said they would enjoy a fitness/workout center; 71.2 percent said they would utilize an indoor pool; and 69.5 said they would use a gym.

Based on these findings, a board of directors was formed. It consisted of John Beavin, chairman; Randall Bradley, finance; Nicole Whelan, fundraising; Jason Sutton, community relations; Leigh Roberts, marketing and communications; Doug Vowels, legal and contracts; Scott Wilson, technology; Meg King, health and wellness; and Russ Powell, research and analytics.

The first duty of the board was to determine financial validity. This was accomplished by visiting communities similar to Meade County that had an activity center in order to provide proof that the county would be able to support the ongoing operation of such a facility.

A special presentation was held Jan. 12, at the Meade County High School Performing Arts Center. The event, better known as the “MAC Attack,” involved members of the community who attended to learn more about the proposed activity center. Children were entertained in the gymnasium with judo, jump-roping and gymnastics while their parents listened intently about the plans for the MAC.

During the presentation, Sutton explained how community support is an important aspect to the success of the project. “This is about the community coming together to do something good for our community. We really need your input. This cannot happen without community support.”

According to Sutton, the facility will be approximately 44,000 square feet. It will feature an indoor pool, exercise rooms and equipment, a community room, walking track and multi-purpose classrooms which could be used for aerobics, or childcare.

Following the presentation, those attending were allowed the opportunity to ask questions. One of the main concerns seemed to be the cost of developing the facility. “This will be a multi-million-dollar facility,” said Sutton. “But we want to build it in stages. We may not build everything we want right off the bat.” He continued, “But we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and we are looking at grants. Like John often says, ‘Not more than we can afford, but not less than we deserve.’”

Another question from the audience was the amount of jobs MAC could generate. Sutton replied,

“There would be 10-20 employees in the facility itself. We would need a director, an assistant director, secretary, custodial staff, etc. There are many ways people will benefit from this.”

Beavin also stressed the importance of community support. “We’re going to do this a phase at a time,” he said. “We want to put this out to the community and see where it goes. We’ll talk to more and more business leaders. But they don’t want to invest in something that they don’t see community support.”

One community member questioned the school’s role in the project. Beavin answered the question. “This isn’t a school project, it’s a community project,” he explained. “I don’t want anyone to get the message that we’re doing this for the high school swim team, because we’re not. We’re hoping that the high school swim team’s use of it allows us to do some things that we might not otherwise be able to do.”

Another question was whether the school had committed to any funding support. Sutton answered this question. “The school right now is partnered with the facility on Fort Knox. We basically pay them to use their facility. Our school system is definitely interested in partnering and putting in some money to help keep the pool going. I think we can be a good partner and I think we can help each other maintain a nice facility.”

“Don’t wait on the next guy to do it. It’s got to be all of us coming together and putting in our time and effort, because we can all contribute in some small way,” Sutton said. “We’re a tight community. I think we will come together and do this.”

He added, “This is not just a flash in the pan that’s going to go away. We’ve got nine people who are dedicated to this program. This is something we want for our community and we’re going to keep hammering!”

There are fundraisers planned every other month to defray the cost of the facility. On Feb. 9, the First Annual “MAC Matters” Gala will be held at the Meade County Farm Bureau building. Activities will include a catered meal, silent auction, live entertainment, prizes and a special appearance by PGA Masters Finalist Kenny Perry.

The only way this dream can become a reality is by your participation and support. To purchase tickets to the gala, or to find out more information about MAC, go to www.meadeactivitycenter.org; or call the Meade County Extension office, (270) 422-4958, Kentucky Farm Bureau office in Brandenburg, (270) 422-3979, or Kentucky Farm Bureau office in Flaherty, 828-4600.

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