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Everman council agrees to consider student-designed recreation center for capital plan
Summary
The Everman City Council voted unanimously May 27 to add a recreation-center concept created by the mayor’s youth advisory council to the city’s capital improvement plan (CIP) for staff review and future planning; the concept is a two-story, roughly 31,000-square-foot facility estimated at about $10–11 million.
The Everman City Council voted Tuesday to add a student-designed recreation center concept to the city’s capital improvement plan for staff consideration.
The project was presented by members of the mayor’s youth advisory council and described by city staff as a two-story, approximately 31,000-square-foot building with multiuse courts, breakout rooms, a nursery, a second-floor walking track and rentable event space. City Manager Spencer told the council the concept’s construction cost is “about $10,000,000” based on an estimated $325–$350 per square foot range.
The youth presenters said the center would be “a safe, inclusive space designed to meet the physical, emotional, and social needs for our young residents,” offering sports leagues, tutoring, mentorships, arts and life-skills workshops. Sierra Sibley, identified as vice president of the mayor’s youth advisory council, made the principal presentation. Members described a two-court main floor configurable for basketball and volleyball, a concessions area and possible membership or rental revenue to offset operating costs.
Staff presented a recommended site: the city’s underused football field adjacent to the Civic Center and Pittman Park, which staff said would reduce land-acquisition costs. The presentation noted Grossman Design Build provided pro bono assistance to develop the concept and a 3-D model. Staff said the students’ timeline for the project’s research and presentation ran from March–May 2025 and emphasized that the council was being asked only to consider the concept for inclusion in future CIP work, not to allocate construction funding immediately.
A motion to add the proposed recreation center concept for CIP consideration was moved by Place 2 and seconded by Place 4. The council voted aloud—Place 2, Place 3, Place 4, Place 5, Place 6 and the mayor recorded “Aye”—and the motion carried.
Councilmembers and staff repeatedly emphasized that significant additional planning would be required, including business models, rental and membership pricing and inflation adjustments to future-year cost projections. City staff cautioned that the $10 million estimate would be refined during the CIP process and that no construction funding was committed by the vote.
The council applauded the youth advisory council for the presentation and invited a group photo. The students asked that, if built in the future, their work be recognized on any dedication plaque or similar acknowledgement.
Details recorded from the meeting: estimated size 31,000+ square feet; estimated cost roughly $10,000,000–$11,000,000 (based on $325–$350/sq ft); proposed site the current football field adjacent to the Civic Center; deliverables presented included concept narrative and 3-D model; timeline noted research in March–April 2025 and final presentation in May 2025.
