OTTAWA — The Ottawa Recreation Commission has decided to pull out of a joint venture for a community center. The ORC members voted Wednesday night to end a partnership with the Ottawa Community Partnership Incorporated. Members decided that ORC could better serve the public by maintaining its existing relationship with the city of Ottawa and the Ottawa USD 290, ORC director Theron Diechman said. OCPI has been working on a community and senior center that includes the YMCA, Neosho County Community College and possibly the East Central Kansas Area Agency on Aging. The proposal will move forward despite the ORC vote, OCPI chairman Tom Weigand said. The vote wasn’t unexpected, he said. Weigand said it will take three to five years to build a new community center. He also said if the ORC ever changes its mind, they’ll be welcomed back with open arms.
