The future of the Crestwood Community Center and whether or not to construct a new one could be determined by voters in next year’s election.

City Administrator Kris Simpson and Director of Parks and Recreation Eilien Ramirez, gave a presentation to the city’s Board of Aldermen June 27 about the future of the community center.

In May, the board approved the Parks Master Plan, and one major aspect of that plan was taking a look at the aging community center.

The Crestwood Community Center was built in 1978, making it the oldest community center in the surrounding area. Because of its age, many aspects of the building are 20-30 years past their useful life. Some updates have been performed over the years, including the replacement of HVAC units, but for the most part the finishes and layout of the building are outdated and not serving the community well.

“I don’t think it was a good design from the get-go,” Ward 3 Alderman Grant Mabie said. “You’ve got an overly large lounge area that is awkwardly laid out, obviously built in the 70s. It’s expensive to heat and cool. (At) trivia nights, you see the people who aren’t used to our facility … when they rent it out and they see the kitchen space there’s almost like surprise and shock and horror.”

Because of the poorly planned design, the current community center is not meeting community wants or needs.

Staff and consultants hosted town halls and a citizen survey to gather feedback about the center, including an open house where community members were invited to rank amenities they deemed most important for a community center. A multi-facility gym, a weights and cardio fitness area and a walking track were the most popular desires, with a community event meeting space, a yoga studio and a performing arts space closely following. Results from a later community survey echoed this.

Based on these community needs, staff began evaluating their options: renovate and expand the existing community center or pursue new construction. Space and costs were compared in depth and ultimately led staff to recommend new construction.

“The new construction is costly, but you can build exactly what you want where you want it how you want it,” Ramirez said. “We want to be as confident as possible that the community will be satisfied with the end result. If we’re going to spend that kind of money I think we want the residents to feel like they actually got something for the money. And we also want this to be something that will be functional 10, 20, 30 years out, not just for the next five to 10 years.”

Due to the projected construction cost of the new community center, the measure will have to go before Crestwood voters as a bond measure.

Three areas for new construction specifically stood out: the “sledding hill” or ballfield at Whitecliff Park, 9245 Whitecliff Park Lane, or in the footprint of the current facility.

The hill was quickly eliminated as an option as it is too close to adjacent residences and does not have space for sufficient parking.

Building on the existing footprint was an option, however it would disrupt Parks and Recreation operations for over a year while construction would be under way. In this case, full-time staff would have to be moved to a new location and part-time staff would have to be temporarily let go.

“It’s taken me about seven years to get really good part-time employees,” Ramirez said. “I’d hate to see losing them now.”

Significant revenue would also be lost as program offerings and memberships would be impacted during construction.

In the end, the ballfield location made the most sense. The current ballfield, though nice looking, is underutilized. It is not a major revenue source and requires a fair amount of maintenance.

“It’s a very fancy place to have practices,” Ramirez said. “Most of the facilities that are having big leagues and tournaments have multiple fields – we only have one. It’s really hard to compete with those larger facilities that have six to 12 fields.”

Additionally, if the new facility was built on the ballfield, operations could continue at the current community center with little to no disruption. The existing parking lots at the park could also be utilized for the new facility.

If a new facility was built, the lowest cost option for the old one would be to demolish the building and turn the area into green space. Alternatively, Parks and Recreation staff developed the idea of partially demolishing the facility while keeping the newer portions of the building. In this case, the gymnasium, a small administrative support area, restrooms and the newly renovated locker rooms would remain, with the rest of the facility converted into a pickleball/family games and event center. In total, this project would cost an estimated $2 million.

Right now it costs $824,500 per year to run the community center. The new facility would cost even more, sitting at $1,180,000 per year, though revenues are expected to drastically increase with a new community center, specifically from memberships and added programs.

“An outdated, unattractive facility makes it difficult to sell memberships,” Ramirez said. “I actually just had somebody come in last week who said, ‘I want to see what you have for a workout facility.’ We pointed to it and he said, ‘nevermind,’ and he turned around and walked out. It doesn’t really sell itself very well.”

The current community center brings in $457,568 per year, putting it at a high operational deficit. The revenue at the new facility would be over double the current center’s revenue at $980,911.This new facility would still operate at a deficit, but the overall cost recovery would be 84% which is in line with regional norms.

When the presentation concluded, each of the aldermen were asked if they wanted to pursue a new community center. All said “yes” besides Ward 1 Alderman Jim Zavist, who said “maybe.” The majority believed building a new facility was the way to go, though Zavist was undecided. He did, however, agree with the rest of the board on the ballfield location if there was new construction.

There was some debate over what should be done with the old facility if a new one was built – many liked the pickleball and event center idea, but a few were skeptical. 

“If the old center is at the end of its useful life, why are we then planning to refurbish that for pickleball? It’s either good enough for keeping or it’s not good enough for keeping,” Zavist said. 

Others disagreed. 

“I think repurposing the existing community center… that’s a brilliant idea…I think that’s fantastic,” Ward 4 Alderman Tony Kennedy said. “(It) seems very cost effective, and I think well utilized.”

The board will decide by December 2023, or January 2024 at the latest, whether or not to place this issue on the April 2024 ballot. If voters approve, construction would optimistically begin in late 2024 or early 2025 and wrap up in mid-2026.