Jun. 27—HIGH POINT — The city has turned to outside consultants to try to turn the vision for a new senior center into reality.

The City Council has awarded a $115,000 contract to HH Architecture of Raleigh to explore the feasibility of and develop options for a 25,000-square-foot "center for active adults" on the campus of the city-owned Oakview Recreation Center.

"This particular phase would be one in which we do a lot of investigating to see if our site is going to work, which I think it will," Parks and Recreation Director Lee Tillery said.

City voters in 2019 approved $12 million for a new center to replace the former Roy B. Culler Jr. Senior Center as part of a general obligation bond package.

City staff in April recommended using the 17 acres of city-owned property that adjoins the Oakview Recreation Center at 503 James Road for a new facility.

The consultant will come up with a preliminary site design for a building, programming options and cost estimates for construction.

An engineering subconsultant, Dewberry of Charlotte, will assess technical issues around developing the site and how to incorporate park amenities such as trails, pickleball courts and outdoor fitness equipment.

Another outside vendor, Lifespan Design Studio of Loveland, Ohio, will be charged with gathering feedback on the recreational and leisure needs of local seniors.

"They'll come in and really try to get the pulse of the community. They'll work with us. We'll be able to do surveys," Tillery said.

He estimated that it would take HH Architecture six or seven weeks to complete the scope of services outlined in the contract. From there, the city could move on to a design phase.

"The end result is for them to come back with three options to say, 'Here's where you can go on this campus,' and give us an idea of what that cost is going to be," he said.