Big Spring council signals support to pursue police and fire fitness center at McMahan Airpark

City staff said they will proceed with planning and fundraising steps for a dedicated police and fire fitness center at McMahan Airpark after a discussion at the Big Spring City Council meeting in May.

Staff presented the proposal, explained the project’s current budget gap and described donated fitness equipment that would reduce the city’s out-of-pocket equipment costs.

The center grew out of an offer from the Dora Roberts Rehabilitation Foundation to donate exercise equipment and $165,000 for rubber flooring and related items. “They gave a hundred and $65,000 for new rubber flooring for the building, as well as the free weights and other exercise equipment,” a staff member reported during the meeting. Staff later said an architectural firm, Jacob Martin, produced a preliminary construction estimate that raised the total renovation cost to about $501,822, leaving roughly a $300,000 shortfall compared with the $200,000 Airpark had budgeted earlier this fiscal year.

Feeley, a city staff member presenting the item on behalf of Airpark, described how Airpark has already spent money preparing the building and said Airpark’s current unrestricted fund balance is $24,167,000. He explained the conceptual financing approach: “Airpark cannot commit resources to another department’s facility unless we collect rents on the facility. So conceptually, what we've envisioned is police and fire will pay Airpark rent for the facility much like we do for Station 1 on the airport.” When asked about timing, staff said renovations and rent would not begin until the next fiscal year.

Chief Williams described the proposal’s rationale, focusing on safety, injury prevention and mental health benefits. “One of the most critical reasons to provide a workout facility for first responders is their mental health,” Chief Williams said. He added that secure, department-only facilities reduce safety concerns that can arise when officers use public gyms. Chief Holt also supported the project, noting the physical demands of firefighting and saying the facility would aid both departments.

Council members asked about several practical matters: where police and fire would find the rent money (staff said it would come from the general fund and would have to be budgeted), whether other agencies might share the facility to offset costs (staff said they had not yet asked the county sheriff or Texas Department of Public Safety but that countywide membership discussions had been raised previously), and what ongoing maintenance costs would be (staff said Airpark staff would likely maintain the facility but full maintenance costs have not yet been determined).

Council members and staff also discussed next steps. Staff said the next formal step, if the council still supports moving forward, would be an agenda item asking the council to appropriate funds from the airport fund balance to complete renovations. Mayor and council members did not register formal opposition during the discussion. “This is discussion only,” staff counsel added; no vote was taken on the project at the meeting.

The council asked staff to continue pursuing cost reductions, outreach for additional donations, and potential cost-sharing by other governmental users; several council members urged staff to bring a formal appropriation request to a future meeting once numbers are refined.

If the council later places an appropriation on a future agenda, the city will have to decide the rent amount, the repayment period and any sharing agreements with other agencies before renovations begin and before rental payments start (staff estimated rent would begin next fiscal year).