East Side residents press council for $70 million rec center parity and pool design details

Norfolk residents urged the city on March 1 to ensure an East Side recreation and library facility receives funding and swim-pool design features that improve access for children and beginners.

Liz Albert, a member of the River Forest Shores Wayside Manor Easton Place Civic League and the Equity for the Eastside Coalition, told the council the project listed as R7 is the Norfolk Fitness and Wellness Center and said it "was fully funded for just under $70,000,000 2 years ago in the FY2024 budget." She said capital spending in the city appears inequitable and asked the council to add at least $70,000,000 to the FY2026 budget for an East Side rec center so the East Side receives "the same consideration given to the West Side in all matters."

"We demand the East Side of the city be treated with the same consideration given to the West Side in all matters," Albert said (public comment record).

Council later adopted R7, a comprehensive agreement with MEB General Contractors Inc. for design and construction of the combined recreation/library facility (the Norfolk Fitness and Wellness Center), moving the project forward under the Public-Private Education Facilities and Infrastructure Act.

Community pool design also surfaced in public comment. Lauren A. Smith, who identified herself as a former swim instructor at multiple city pools, urged the council and project designers to include steps in the next pool the city builds on the East Side to aid swim instruction and beginner swimmers.

"The beauty of the steps'design influences life a lot more than we know," Smith said, describing how shallow steps allow instructors to teach multiple children in sequence and help beginners progress into deeper water. "So next pool out in the East Side, please put steps in it."

Why it matters

The council's adoption of the R7 agreement advances design and construction under a public'private framework; public comment shows residents expect the city to match prior West Side investments and to specify features that affect safety and access, such as pool entry design. A public commenter also pointed to an analysis that, in her view, allocated 45% of named CIP projects to downtown and the West Side and only 7% to the rest of the city.

What the council did and next steps

- R7 was adopted at the March 1 meeting, authorizing the comprehensive PPEA agreement with MEB General Contractors Inc. The council dispensed with the charter requirement for second reading and approved the ordinance.

- Project financing and detailed amenity-level designs were not amended on the council floor; the council's action approves the agreement framework and directs staff to finalize contract documents.

- Residents and community groups seeking design changes or equity assurances should watch follow-up staff reports and design reviews; the Parks and Recreation department and city staff will administer next steps for contract execution and design coordination.

Speakers at the meeting emphasized equity in capital spending and practical design choices that make pools more teachable and accessible to beginners.