Supervisors to issue RFP for Page County Recreation and Wellness Center

Unanimous vote to seek proposals for Rec Center next to Tech Center

By Randy Arrington

LURAY, Oct. 6 — On Monday night, the Page County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to proceed with advertising a Request for Proposals (RFP) to construct the Page County Recreation and Wellness Center in the middle of the county adjacent to the Page County Technical Center.

While many details remain up in the air at this point, the estimated 20,000-square-foot facility is projected to cost between $5.5 to $6.5 million to build, with another $250,000 in estimated annual operating costs. The proposals for construction are being sought to get solid figures and more detail about how such a facility would come together and be operated.

Recreation Director Andrew Good and District 1 Supervisor Keith Guzy, who have met several times over the past year on the project and were given a directive to come up with a proposal at the last Board retreat, made the presentation at Monday night’s work session. Estimates were based on similar facilities in the region and through contractors that specialize in building recreation centers.

While discussion of such a project has been ongoing for several years, Good made a presentation about one year ago to the board for a new facility, in which potential revenue streams came into question. Monday’s presentation included several options for revenue streams that would support the annual operating costs, such as membership fees, hosting various tournaments, hosting various leagues, concessions, and rentals of multiple spaces and equipment within the facility. Similar facilities that were toured and studied showed a trend in which these revenues streams could potentially cover 70 to 80 percent of annual operating expenses.

Several financing options presented for the initial construction costs included using about $2 million in the carry-over balance of revenues from the county’s Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT); drawing about $2 million from the county’s fund balance (or reserves, which currently exceed $20 million — at least $8 million must be maintained in reserve); and potentially financing another $2 million through bank loans that would require about $200,000 in annual payments.

The proposed location on 6.8 acres adjacent to the Tech Center was chosen in lieu of seeking a site in which the county would have to purchase land.

“If we tried to procure land, we would put ourselves at a deficit immediately,” Guzy stated.

The site next to the Tech Center, according to Guzy, already offers available parking, easy access to Route 340, a central location in the county to serve all residents, the need for limited excavation, available water and sewer service, the ability to expand the facility in the future, and with its proximity to a lower-income area makes it accessible to Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (VDHCD) grants.

County Administrator Amity Moler has also met with representatives of Valley Health and the Page County Economic Development Authority about potential community grants from Valley Health of up to $200,000 per year that could potentially cover the first few years of payments on a loan.

The proposal included both indoor and outdoor activities at the new Rec Center such as: INDOOR — basketball, volleyball, pickelball, baseball, softball, indoor soccer, futsal (similar to soccer), golf simulator, walking track; and OUTDOOR — multi-use fields, specifically a soccer field. The current plans call for two full-size basketball courts on the left side of the building that will also be lined for volleyball and pickelball. The right side would contain multi-use fields with turf for indoor soccer, baseball, softball and other sports.

District 2 Supervisor Allen Louderback said many residents have asked for a swimming pool for use by all ages; however, that was considered a potential future expansion of the facility. Plans discussed on Monday night were considered “Phase I” of the project.

“If you added [a swimming pool] you would be doubling the operational cost [annually],” Good stated.

The Recreation Director stated that one of the only swimming facilities that he researched that actually made a profit was an Olympic-sized facility in Charlottesville that rented to the University of Virginia. It would also add a significant cost up front in construction. On Wednesday night, members of the Stanley Council, who are dealing with future issues surrounding its Hawksbill Park pool, were told it would cost a minimum of $1 million to build a new pool at that site.

One of the issues that prompted the conversation of a new rec center was the Page County Recreation Department’s reliance on facilities that were owned and maintained by other entities. County programs, such as youth and adult basketball leagues that now utilize multiple gyms across the county, could be centralized in one location. The need for more facilities for various sports, including the popular sport of pickelball, also drove the conversation.

The metal building being considered would be similar to the Rockingham County Sports Center in Penn Laird, according to the supervisor’s discussion.

District 5 Supervisor Jeff Vaughan, who made the motion to move forward with the RFP, also stated a desire to explore potentially placing solar panels on the roof to supply electrical power to the facility.

“This is something we’ve talked about for a long time,” Louderback said at the conclusion of Monday’s work session,”and it’s time we moved forward and did something for our citizens.”

For more information about the Page County Recreation Department,

CLICK HERE.

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