Residents Urge Salina Officials to Reconsider Sunset Park as Boys & Girls Club Site

Concerns over the proposed placement of a Boys & Girls Club facility in Sunset Park drew criticism from both residents and at least one city commissioner during recent public discussion, with opponents arguing the project would change the character of the neighborhood and alter land long understood to remain park space.

Commissioner Doug Rempp said one of the concerns weighing most heavily on him is what the proposal could mean for nearby homeowners who purchased property with the expectation that the surrounding park would remain unchanged.

“One of the concerns that weighs on me most is hearing from people who say they bought their home backing up to the park, or across the street from it, with the understanding that it was a park and should remain a park,” Rempp said. “I know that would bother me if I bought a home near a park and then the landscape changed. I think some of those people are in the room today, and we’ll probably hear from them during the citizens forum.”

That concern was echoed by several residents who spoke during public comment, including Jackie Pestinger of Salina, who said neighbors want Sunset Park preserved as a park rather than redeveloped for a building project.

Pestinger said residents have been handing out flyers in the area and that when she visited the park around 8 a.m. that morning, about 10 people were already there, including people walking dogs, children playing, and others sitting near the war memorials.

Pestinger said Sunset Park, which she noted was purchased in 1918 and more fully developed beginning around 1935, is one of the oldest parks in Salina and still has a great deal of potential, even though it has not been maintained to the same standard as some other parks in recent decades.

She said bringing the Boys & Girls Club into the area would change the landscape, increase traffic, and create additional safety concerns for children in the neighborhood. Instead, she said, residents would like to see the park better maintained, updated, and preserved for park use as originally intended.

Other residents voiced similar concerns, focusing on traffic, tree removal, neighborhood character, and the potential impact on nearby homes.

Greg Taylor, who said he has lived near Sunset Park for 42 years, told commissioners he was surprised and disappointed to learn the proposed location had shifted from being near the park to being in the park itself. Taylor said he supports the Boys & Girls Club as a program, but not at that site, arguing the city should reconsider and look at another location.

Mary Kay Kuhn, who said she has lived on Sunset Drive for more than 30 years, also urged commissioners to rethink the plan. Kuhn said she supports bringing the Boys & Girls Club to Salina, but questioned whether Sunset Park is the right fit. She raised concerns about increased traffic, the effect on surrounding homes, and the loss of existing park space and trees.

Supporters of the proposal have pointed to public-use elements planned as part of the facility. During the discussion, it was noted that the Boys & Girls Club plans to include a community room that would also be open to the public, drawing comparisons to other park-based community facilities in Salina.

Still, much of the public comment centered on whether a permanent building belongs inside a neighborhood park that many residents say has long served as open green space for walking, recreation, and informal use.

The discussion comes as the proposed Sunset Park site continues to generate debate over whether the project would expand community services or permanently change a park that nearby residents say should remain just that, a park.

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