City Staff directed to get a structural assessment of the 1911 portion of the building

The 5701 Merriam Drive Steering Committee shared its final report to Merriam City Council at the Aug. 12 council meeting.

Committee members met several times since October to determine best uses for the site. They hosted public meetings in April and June to meet with residents about potential uses and get feedback from the community.

Based on this work, the Committee’s final recommendation was for the City to keep as much of the existing 1911 building as structurally possible and then tear down the rest of the Irene B. French Community Center to make room for an amphitheater/stage, playgrounds, and green space.

View final report.

While the City Council voted to accept the final report and recognized the hard work of the Committee on this project, further study needs to be done before the City Council can decide how to move forward. The next step in the process is to hire a structural engineer to do a more in-depth evaluation of the 1911 portion of the building. Once that study is completed in early 2020, the City Council will resume conversations about this project. A decision about what to do with the property needs to be made by the time the City vacates the building in summer 2020 when the new community center opens.