Seward’s new Wellness Center is well underway, and Joel Brase has joined the team as the facility’s executive director.
Brase began his role in the newly created position on June 26.
The wellness center will operate under its own city department, Brase said, but it will intermingle with the Recreation Department as city rec programs will use the facility often.
Brase is originally from Seward and spent the past 22 years as a teacher, coach and educational administrator. He said the route he has taken from teaching math to becoming the wellness center’s executive director was unexpected but fits the skill set he has gained as a high school athletic director and assistant principal.
“It was a great fit all the way around. I never envisioned all this happening 22 years ago when I started out teaching and coaching,” he said. “I’ve been led through this and the part that I can play in this – it’s fun.”
Brase spent six years teaching and coaching in Norfolk, followed by four years at Denver Lutheran High School. He earned his master’s degree, then he and his wife returned to Seward where he taught math and served as the assistant activities director for four years at Seward High.
After that, he commuted to Lincoln, serving as the activities director and assistant principal at Lincoln Lutheran High School for eight years. His wife, Cathy, is the business manager at St. John Lutheran Church in Seward.
“It’s great to be now working in town and I really have enjoyed working for the city so far,” Brase said.
In his last position, he was out of town during the day and busy with school activities most evenings, “so I really wasn’t out in the community a whole lot. This is an opportunity to be involved in day-to-day city operations and in the community,” he said.
Brase coached football, track and baseball while teaching.
“I’ve coached in every single season. It’s my love for athletics that led me to be an AD,” he said.
He hopes the wellness center can create a positive athletic experience for young people in the community and become a hub for youth sports, similar to how teams from all over use the sports facilities at Plum Creek Park.
“We think we can eventually do that with this facility and offer some things in different areas that are going to bring people into Seward,” Brase said. “I’m a huge fan of what’s going on in the city and a sports fan. Seward has wanted and needed this type of facility for a long time.
“I’m humbled and I’m honored to be involved in it. I’ve lived youth sports in Seward growing up and I’ve seen how they’ve changed. I think we can enhance that.”
He said the wellness center won’t just focus on youth, though.
“It’s going to serve all parts of the community. Every single part of the facility is a multi-purpose space and multi-generational as well. From young kids all the way up to retired seniors, there’s going to be a place for everyone,” he said.
Brase said his experience managing facilities, scheduling events and running tournaments with 30-plus teams as well as managing people and building relationships has prepared him for this role.
He will also work with the center’s childcare director to provide before and after school care and coordinate the staff and care of the building.
One new component he isn’t as familiar with is the swimming pool that will be part of the wellness center. He hopes to work with area professionals to make sure all facets of the facility’s offerings are top-notch.
“I want to hire the experts and then trust them to do things well,” Brase said. “We have a lot of awesome people in this community that are experts in those areas.”
Brase began attending design meetings for the facility in late April with the city, school district, Concordia University and Seward Changing the Game working in committees with contractors and architects prior to that.
“So many people have done all the work on it. I came into this project toward the end,” Brase said. “As we approach construction time and get some dirt moving up there, I’ve been able to be part of that and now completely involved in those day-to-day items that come up with the design and all the engineering involved.”
The project is nearing the end of the design phase, with a public presentation to unveil the final design planned for the July 18 Seward City Council meeting.
The groundbreaking will be in the fall, and Brase said construction will take about 18 months.
“It’s not going to be done overnight. We have the goal of June of 2025 for it to be all completed,” he said.
The wellness center committee is working toward another fundraising push to kickstart a foundation to fund repairs and maintenance that eventually will be needed.
“They’re already looking at creating an endowment for the facility so that we can keep it as nice on Day 500 as it is on Day One,” Brase said.
He said everyone he has spoken with so far has supported the project.
“People understand this was something that was needed in Seward for a long time,” he said. “It’s been a long time in the making.”
