The City Council split 3-2 Wednesday to go ahead with preparing
construction plans for the indoor recreation center. Councilmen
Steve Tate and Larry Carr tried to delay the move until June when
the council will see the results of a city staff and a library
subcommittee search for money to fund a new library building.
The City Council split 3-2 Wednesday to go ahead with preparing construction plans for the indoor recreation center.
Councilmen Steve Tate and Larry Carr tried to delay the move until June when the council will see the results of a city staff and a library subcommittee search for money to fund a new library building.
With the indoor center costing more than $20 million and the library needing to find an estimated $7 million more, Tate and Carr wanted to make sure the library was covered before committing to final recreation center plans. The $147 million in voter-approved Redevelopment Agency funds are totally committed.
Mayor Dennis Kennedy, Councilwoman Hedy Chang and Councilman Greg Sellers voted to go ahead with the construction documents though all but Sellers clearly promised to find library money – somewhere. Sellers explained his vote on Thursday.
“I consider it a false choice to have to choose between library and the IRC,” Sellers said.
Not considered in Wednesday’s recreation center discussion is what effect a private recreation facility that may come to Morgan Hill, called The Coliseum, might have on the financial viability of the public facility.
The Coliseum plans include space for indoor soccer, roller hockey, volleyball, basketball, a skate park, rock-climbing wall with a sports bar and gym overlook for the more sedentary populace.
Coliseum backers have not announced a possible site.
They intend to appeal to families, adults, teens and children and provide space for parties, fundraisers, teambuilding and events, besides the primary purpose of getting Morgan Hill off the couch and on the court. Doug Payne, The Coliseum’s spokesman, said he is still in talks with city Recreation Manager Julie Spier about how the two facilities can complement each other.
Tate grilled Mori Struve, deputy director of public works and project manager of the center, over an economic analysis of how much it would cost to run the center’s gymnasium, considered to be a money-loser.
All Morgan Hill public facilities are supposed to pay for themselves since the general fund has no added money and Redevelopment Agency funds cannot be used for maintenance and operation.
“I really need to see something,” Tate said, emphasizing the “really.”
Struve replied that the gym cost was not broken out from the indoor pool, senior and youth center but allowed that a gym is definitely not a moneymaker.
“Then why are we putting it in if it won’t be making money,” Tate asked.
Sellers explained.
“The gym is a loss leader (as in retail sales),” Sellers said. “It won’t make money itself but will help attract in other areas.”
Spier said the gym was the third priority in a public survey of recreation components and both the senior and youth centers will depend on the gym as multi-use space. The senior and youth spaces will be subsidized, Spier said.
When the idea of an indoor recreation center was originally conceived, it was recreation only. Adding the senior and youth centers came later. It will be located on West Edmundson Avenue between Community Park and Burger King.
Another quibble arose over the need for an indoor swimming pool in the recreation center, when the aquatic center will have three pools which will be closed and lying fallow much of the year. Jan Guglielmo questioned the need for six public pools in a city of 39,000.
“Why are you putting a swimming pool in this building when you are building three pools at the other complex (for $13 million), besides the new Sobrato High School pool and the Live Oak pool has just been redone,” Guglielmo said. “People can only swim so much.”
Council declined during the aquatic center’s design period, to consider covering one pool during the cold months.
Kennedy said the indoor pool fills a need.
“It will serve the market not covered by the aquatic center,” Kennedy said. “It’s a warm water pool for seniors, toddlers and can provide lessons year-round. And it’s an important moneymaking component.”
Struve said the cost of delaying construction documents until June would be $75,000. Groundbreaking ceremonies should be scheduled by February or March 2005.
