Hilliard City Council postpones community recreation center appropriation
Hilliard City Council postponed proposed legislation to appropriate $40 million toward construction of a $66.4-million community recreation and wellness center until July 11.
The ordinance was scheduled for a second and final reading June 27, but it was instead tabled until July 11 by a 4-2 vote.
Council members Les Carrier and Peggy Hale voted against the ordinance. Council member Tina Cottone was absent.
The ordinance would appropriate only a portion of the revenue needed to construct the 85,000-square-foot community recreation and wellness center.
In March, City Council approved an ordinance authorizing the issuance of bonds not to exceed $95 million for the design and construction of the Hilliard Recreation and Wellness Campus.
The tabled ordinance appropriates $40 million toward the center. The remainder would need to be appropriated by the end of the year, according to City Manager Michelle Crandall.
Separate legislation, yet to be drafted, is to be required to expend the revenue as construction contracts are finalized, Crandall said.
Crandall asked that City Council appropriate funds so as to be positioned to quickly move when necessary.
But council members remain divided on several issues, including whether the project, as proposed, is sufficient to meet the desire and demands of the residents.
“What we are doing is not unique (and) it is not enough,” Carrier said.
Hilliard resident Cara Boettner appealed to City Council to reconsider its decision to forgo construction of a 50-meter pool to meet the demand for aquatic-related uses by children, adults and athletes at the high schools.
“There is simply not enough lane time for private swim lessons, swim clubs, dive clubs, synchronized swimming, water polo, water aerobics and high school teams,” and it is exacerbated by the recent closure of Aquatic Adventures, Boettner said.
Approval of the programming was necessary to allow the architect to advance to schematic design, Crandall said.
Four members backed Crandall’s request: Andy Teater, Pete Marsh, Cottone and Cynthia Vermillion, but Carrier, Hale and Omar Tarazi voted against the measure.
A 50-meter pool would cost about $24 to $29 million to construct while a 25-meter pool would cost about $8 million, according to Keith Hayes, principal at BRS Architecture, one of multiple construction groups working on the community recreation and wellness center.
“I understand your heartfelt advocacy. I wish we had the money,” Vermillion said in response to Boettner’s plea.
But Carrier said the city is “ignoring” such sentiment, as well as the Hilliard/Ray Patch Family YMCA.
Tony Collins, president and CEO of the YMCA of Central Ohio said previously he is “disappointed” Hilliard did not consider the kind of arrangement the YMCA has with the city of Reynoldsburg.
“I’m very disappointed that (Hilliard) and the YMCA are not working together for one unified community center that would save the community money in operating costs and most likely construction dollars,” Collins told City Council on June 13.
But Crandall said, when meeting with Collins late last year, that the city “didn’t see that as a way forward.”
Carrier reiterated June 27 that Hilliard is missing an opportunity to partner with the YMCA and criticized the lack of forthcoming details since the April 29 announcement that Hilliard is partnering with The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center on the creation of a medical office within the center.
Carrier called the June 13 decision to advance the resolution approving programming for the center as a “railroad job,” referring to its passage, despite confusion about the budget for the project.
“I take exception to that characterization,” Marsh said, adding that while some line items were categorized incorrectly, the overall pricing was not in question.
Don McCarthy, president of McCarthy Consulting and overseeing the project on behalf of city, reiterated the budget and warned City Council of potential problems.
The project’s total budget is $66.4 million, of which $52.9 million is allocated for construction.
The remainder is set aside for professional services, such as design and engineering, other owner costs and owner contingencies, McCarthy said.
In a typical project, about 80% of the project’s total budget is for construction, or “hard costs,” while 20% is for “soft costs,” and Hilliard’s project is such.
The budget of each individual project is often a little less or little more than projected, but the goal is to complete the project at the estimated total budget, McCarthy said.
But there is at least one early indicator that the center might have an additional cost.
“Yours is a challenging project. It’s not good news,” McCarthy told council members concerning the preliminary findings of soil conditions on some portions of the construction site.
A higher than expected water table might require soil conditioning, he said.
The elevated water table introduces elements into the soil that if not treated and built upon, could cause a shift in the building’s foundation, McCarthy said.
The decision to wait until July 11 to consider an appropriation should not have any effect, but “speed to the market” is critical when it comes time to procure material, McCarthy said.
During discussion of appropriation ordinance, Teater said “time is money” while reiterating that the proposed ordinance only appropriates and does not spend money.
A groundbreaking for the campus is set for May 2023 with an opening scheduled for the first quarter of 2025, both later than first proposed, according to Ball.
The city purchased the land last year for $4.41 million.
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: City Council postpones community recreation center appropriation
