Get ready for the rec center

SANDUSKY — It's game on for proceeding with a long-awaited facility catering to young people, the elderly and everyone in between. During Monday's public meeting, in a 7-0 unanimous vote, city commissioners approved what many board members called a "historic" decision to pursue construction of a new recreation center. Bid documents show the project coming in at $10.4 million, equating to a 13% decrease from the original budgeted amount of $12 million. 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. Because commissioners approved this 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, most notably with Monday's vote. 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: Based on Monday's approval, 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: Monday's vote showed the commission strongly behind this project. Other than Steve Poggiali, the other six commissioners spoke about why each supports this project: • Dick Brady: Our commission passed historic legislation to build a recreation center. Not only have we guaranteed the funding to build the center, but our residents have guaranteed the funding to manage it. We have listened to our residents, we have listened to our staff's programming recommendations, and we have a local design-build contractor who has guaranteed a price that fits our budget. This project has taken us a long time to get it right. The result will be a recreation center that meets the needs of residents of all ages. This is a win for our entire community. • Richard Koonce: One of the things that is really important and has been important to the commission chair and myself is that we have a facility that we can manage that we can afford but also one that we can expand upon the grounds. There is some room to expand. • Jeff Krabill: This has certainly been a long process to get to where we are this evening, but I think that long process has served a very good purpose in that we have been able to hear from a lot of people over the course of the number of years it has taken. I, too, echo the comments about being thankful to the community for providing the support for operating funds for this facility. • Dennis Murray Jr.: I would not be willing to support this had we not secured that long-term funding. The voters spoke, and they said they want this, and they've wanted this long before that and outside of that vote. I'm glad we are able to deliver it. It's a wonderful thing that we are finally able to deliver this for our community. • Kate Vargo: It's been a long time coming. I'm very excited for the rec department. You guys do such a great job as it is, providing so many opportunities for our kids, for families, whatever it might be, and you keep coming up with new ideas. Tondra (Frisby, the city's youth program supervisor) does an incredible job with the kids at Mills School, and I can't wait to see what you can do with the opportunities that are going to (come) in this new building. It's going to be an opportunity for relationships to be built, friendships to be built, great athletes to be born (and the) elderly to take walks. It's very exciting times. • Dave Waddington: I would like to thank the residents of Sandusky for passing this levy a while back. To have this passed and the community behind it is big. I'm excited about it, and I hope every commissioner is.