OTTAWA — The Ottawa pPlanning Commission heard a proposal Wednesday to convert the old Swim For Life aquatic center, 913 E. Wilson St., into a gymnastics school. David and Stacie Doemland own Sunflower Gymnastics in Emporia and Burlington and seek to expand by buying the aquatic center and convert the building for gymnastics. The exterior of the building won’t be changed but the pool area will be converted to allow four large trampolines at one of the building and a tumbling area at the other end, assistant city planning director Tom Yahl told planners. The planners will hold a public hearing June 13 on giving the Doemlands a special permit that allow the school as a “non-conforming” use. The permit is one of the few options to allow the Doemlands to use the building, which has limited commercial use, Yahl said. Two previous attempts to use the building as an indoor pool haven’t been successful, he said. David Doemland, Sunflower business manager and coach, said research for the business plan for the Ottawa facility shows that center would attract enough gymnastics students to be a success. There is a large potential market for gymnastics in the area, he said. “It’s a wonderful building for that,” he said. Stacie Doemland has been a national gymnastics and trampoline competitor since she was 14, and although she’s now the mother of two, still competes nationally.
Thursday, May 31, 10 a.m.