Crestwood voters will weigh in on a $33 million bond measure in April that, if passed, will allow the city to issue several different bonds for different parks and recreation projects, most notably the construction of a new community center.
The Board of Aldermen voted 7-1 Dec. 12 in favor of bringing an ordinance to its January meeting that places the bond issue to fund the city’s new community center and various other local projects on the April 2 ballot. The board considered that ordinance as part of its consent agenda on Jan. 9, and passed it unanimously.
The measure will appear as Proposition A on the ballot, and the city will host an informational town hall about the project at the community center, 9245 Whitecliff Park Lane, Thursday, Jan. 18 from 6 to 8 p.m.
According to City Administrator Kris Simpson, addressing the community center has long been a goal of the city. The current community center was built in 1978, and many aspects of the building are 20-30 years past their useful life. There have been some updates performed over the years, though the finishes and layout of the building are overall outdated and not serving the community adequately.
After gathering citizen input and evaluating space and costs, city staff recommended new construction over renovation of the current building. Though new construction is more costly, professional estimates indicated that it was only slightly more expensive than renovation. It also allows the city to build exactly what it wants without impeding operations of the current center during construction, a major benefit that could not be overlooked.
As for location, the board decided in June on the ballfield at Whitecliff Park, as it is underutilized and not a major revenue source. The existing parking lots could also be used for the new facility, making the space even more ideal.
Director of Parks and Recreation Eilien Ramirez gave a presentation at the board’s Dec. 12 meeting showing and explaining floor plans and mockups of the new facility. Some key features include an indoor walking track, a fitness center with machines and space for cardio, weight training and stretching, rooms for yoga and tai chi, a multipurpose room and a double basketball court that can also be used for volleyball or pickleball.
In addition to constructing a new facility, the city plans on partially demolishing and redeveloping the current community center into a pickleball/family games and events center. The gymnasium, a small administrative support area, restrooms and the recently renovated locker rooms from the current facility would remain as they were updated not long ago.
“We’ve done a lot to the gymnasium, so how can we salvage that? This gave us an opportunity to kind of take another item off our master plan list: pickleball courts, which were in high request,” Ramirez said. “This way we can continue to do three pickleball courts that we currently have indoors, and then four outdoors as well.”
Along with the courts, there will also be an outdoor gathering space with a fire pit and an indoor kitchen where “you can purchase food, have drinks (and) hang out with your family or friends.”
“This is much more welcoming than the current center,” Ramirez said.
The total project budget for the new community center and the redevelopment of the old facility sits at just about $30.4 million. Due to the expense, the city cannot pay for it out of its reserves and thus started evaluating the best options for funding.
“It didn’t take too much discussion to recognize that a general obligation bond was the likely best option for funding a project of this size for Crestwood,” Simpson said.
After the presentation, the board was asked if it wanted to include any other high-priority projects in the bond issue. Four “packages” were proposed, ranging from $32.74 million to $34.04 million.
“You see this often with school districts, where they may have a bond issue and they may have a dozen or two dozen different projects at different schools and things within their districts. Having completed the parks master plan, it seemed appropriate to at least contemplate whether or not the board wanted to add any other parks master plan projects of significance to the bond issue project. What’s presented is a prioritized list of potential projects that the board could consider,” Simpson explained.
Ward 3 Alderman Grant Mabie stated that the $300,000 – $500,000 playground projects should be left out and be funded instead by park grants that historically are obtainable for the city.
“To me, a bond issuance is something you do for projects that are outside your normal funding capacities, like this building. My thought would be you would include the $1.3 million bridge that staff has said is beyond our regular funding. That’s been a project that has been penciled in for 25+ years,” he said.
The bridge in question is a proposed pedestrian bridge across the creek that borders Whitecliff Park. According to Simpson, many residents have crossed the creek on foot for years to access the park. The construction of this bridge was identified as a priority in the city’s 2023 Parks Master Plan.
Mabie also said that it made sense to concurrently construct the trail loop project – a project connecting all walking paths and sidewalks at Whitecliff Park – before landscaping is done for the new facility as it would have to be redone if the trail loop project construction occurred after. He then made a motion to include those two items in the bond. This was seconded and nearly went to a vote, though more conversation ensued, pushing the vote back.
Ward 2 Alderman Justin Charboneau spoke next, stating that this bond is the chance to get a lot of lingering projects done. He voiced concerns with focusing on projects only at Whitecliff Park, and suggested spreading out the projects to better benefit the entire community.
Ward 4 Alderman Tony Kennedy had the floor next, and after some considerable discussion, he made a motion to amend Mabie’s motion by including “Replace Crestwood Park Playground Equipment/Surfacing/Swings” for $448,000, in addition to the construction of the loop and bridge. Ward 3 Alderman Greg Hall later pointed out that the Whitecliff nature play area should be a part of the bond as well, and Mabie accepted the additions as a part of his original motion.
When a roll call vote was held on whether or not to decide on the bond at the board’s next meeting, Charboneau was the only vote against. In total, the bond will be $33,340,000 and will require a 57.14% voter approval to pass. If the bond is approved by voters in April, Bond Architects will begin work on the construction plans, with a goal to be ready to go to bid by the first quarter of 2025.