By Greg Ford

Staff Writer

[email protected]

The first steps towards a new community center took are underway, at least the design portion anyway.

The city council approved last week the hiring of architect Ron Hobbs, the designer of the city’s current municipal complex, to design the proposed center. Council members approved funds for the facility less than month ago.

The next step in the process will include a Nov. 8 public meeting at city hall, slated for 6:30 p.m., to receive citizen input about the future center, said Lance Whitworth, Sachse’s director of parks and recreation.

After that, Whitworth said, Hobbs is scheduled to appear before the Parks and Recreation Board on Nov. 9 and then discuss design ideas with council members during the Dec. 4 workshop. Citizens will have the opportunity to provide opinions at both meetings, Whitworth said. The final design should be ready by the end of May or the start of June, he added.

Hobbs discussed a number of potential rooms that could be included in the proposed community center, which likely would be built in the open area across from the library and west of the Public Safety Building. Among the possibilities, he said, are a full-court gym, a multi-purpose room, classrooms, a walking track, a fitness center, a game room and a room that could reserved for use.

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