Rec center vote coming

SANDUSKY — It's game time for seven adults to vote on a long-awaited recreation center catering to all community members, especially local children. At Monday's public meeting, city commissioners are expected to decide whether or not to proceed forward with plans to build a facility — which residents, through a levy vote in 2023, supported. Bid documents revealed on Thursday show the project coming in at $10.4 million, equating to a 13% decrease from the original budgeted amount of $12 million. Before the vote happens, here are the major points to understand about this plan: Q: Why is a recreation center being built? A: For many years, decades in fact, community members have expressed a strong desire to have a rec center. In 2021, city officials and Cedar Fair — now Six Flags — executives agreed to a deal that raised admissions taxes in Sandusky. Part of the new revenues would be dedicated to building a rec center. In early 2023, the city conducted a survey based on a rec center. The results showed a high demand to create a safe haven where people, especially youth, can visit to play sports, exercise and gather. Q: Where will it be built? A: The rec center will be located on Hayes Avenue (Ohio 4) at the Rockwell Street intersection. It's near the Hayes Avenue underpass. And the former American Crayon factory once stood at this site. The project received funding to clean up what was known as a brownfield site due to hosting a factory there for decades. The city conducted a study of multiple sites across Sandusky, evaluating each one on a wide range of criteria. Officials determined this site would best benefit residents when factoring in its proximity to students enrolled at Sandusky's nearby middle school and high school buildings. It's also within walking distance to the district's new pool and tennis courts, both of which the public can use. The center also falls within Sandusky's South Side neighborhood, an area identified by officials as a residential zone requiring and still receiving various updates to improve the quality of life for locals living and/or spending a significant amount of time there. Among the South Side's desires include enhancing recreational opportunities for residents. Q: How will the recreation center be built? How much does it cost? A: In fall 2023, Sandusky voters backed a levy for the sole purpose of operating a recreation center. Officials strategically timed up this levy to coincide with when a Sandusky Library bond issue matured, thus falling off the tax roll. In effect, the recreation levy substitutes for this library bond issue. A $100,000 homeowner in the city contributed about $38 a year toward the library levy. That same person, for the past two years, has spent $44 a year — or $6 more annually — for the recreation center. This recreation center levy generates about $672,000 a year to help offset operational costs and should continue to produce this amount for the foreseeable future. For construction or start-up costs, officials have committed resources from the admissions tax increase as part of the 2021 agreement with Cedar Fair/Six Flags. This includes $700,000 per year in admissions tax revenue over a 20-year period. The admissions tax boils down to the amount someone entering Cedar Point or another Sandusky-based, for-profit venue spends on a ticket. Sales from Cedar Point, however, contribute roughly 99% of Sandusky's admissions tax account, which produces about $8 million annually today. If commissioners support Monday's vote, then they're locking in the bid price of $10.4 million, submitted by local general contractor Janotta & Herner. Officials intend to take out low-interest loans for start-up costs, paying down this amount through admissions taxes over a 20-year period. Q: Why has this project taken so long to get started? A: After the levy's approval, the project required many minor but necessary approvals, through legislation needing city commission support. The project also switched to a design-build process, meaning a firm handles aspects of both designing and building rather than two separate companies performing these tasks. Delays also happened as disagreements occurred among those serving on the city's recreation committee regarding programming. This committee, however, can only make recommendations to city commissioners, who ultimately decide what will go inside this facility. And, several times throughout the past two years, commissioners also sought more information from their project partners, which required additional time spent on forming and reforming plans. Additionally, city officials wanted to bank enough money, through the recreation center levy, to ensure that, once it's open, it could be a self-sustaining operation. Right now, the levy has banked more than $1 million for operational costs. Remember: Construction costs, through admissions tax, is a separate pot of money already covered for this purpose. Q: When could construction start and end? A: If the bids get accepted and commissioners approve the contract on Monday, then a groundbreaking should occur in February. Contractors pegged the project as an 18-month-long process. On this timeline, the work would end in mid-2027 with an opening happening thereafter. Q: Who can use the rec center? A: It's a community-based facility with an emphasis on serving children first while also providing programming to seniors and those of all other ages. Officials stressed it's not just a gym and won't compete with other similar businesses in the area. Rather, it expands upon and provides more space for what's happening at the former Mills Elementary School, now known as Outta School @ Mills, which welcomes in hundreds of children a year for afterschool programming. This new center aims to give children an elevated experience for entertainment and educational purposes. Q: How big is the building? A: The indoor facility is tentatively set for 36,000 square feet. Q: What will go inside the rec center? A: Right now, blueprints show two full-sized basketball courts, which can also transform into four full-sized volleyball courts; a running track; activity rooms; a weight room; meeting rooms; fitness rooms; locker rooms; and an outdoor splash pad. There are four different divisions of programming planned, broken down with: • Youth enrichment: This would include: — Skills camps, such as for soccer, basketball, volleyball, flag football and T-ball — A continuation and expansion of programming happening today at Outta School @ Mills, giving children a space where they can spend time after school or during holiday/summer breaks — Large-scale activities, like for dodgeball, calisthenics and obstacle courses — Other activities, like those organized by clubs, community organizations and other special events • Health and wellness: This would include: — Group exercise classes, like for Zumba, bicycle spinning classes, aerobics and yoga — Indoor fitness, like on its indoor track, in a strength training area and personal training — Other activities, like those organized by clubs and social organizations • Senior enrichment: Senior citizens can take advantage of the aforementioned health and wellness programming as well as more. • Leagues: All ages — whether youth, adults or seniors — can take part in league play for sports such as for volleyball, basketball, kickball, pickleball, tennis, flag football and more. Q: How often will it be open? A: Commissioners are under the belief this facility will be open nearly every day and only closed during some major holidays. At certain times on given days, like for league play, some areas might be reserved — but anyone can still access the recreation center to learn, get fit and have fun. Q: Does the project have support? A: Beyond the community members who supported the levy and many children who, today, visit Outta School @ Mills, at least two commissioners confirmed how they're voting: • Dick Brady, ex officio mayor: "Our community has patiently waited for this legislation for more than two years. Prior commissions and this commission have sat through the consultant's recommendations, the public's input, the passage of an operational levy, the staff's programming plan, the design-build recommendation and the public bidding process. All of these efforts and their patience have paid off with a cost that is $1.6 million under our budget of $12 million. This city asked for a recreation center, and, on Monday, this commission has the opportunity to fulfill that request." • Dennis Murray Jr., city commissioner: "We have, literally, spent years selecting the site, collecting public input, developing programming and, finally, going out for bids. We now have a bid from a highly qualified contractor well within our budget. This is the time to seize the opportunity and deliver what the public has long requested. Delaying runs the risk that prices will increase, and we will either pay twice as much for the same product or never build a rec center at all."