Ellensburg council reviews three field‑house concepts, asks staff to model lease and operating options

City of Ellensburg staff and outside consultants on Feb. 3 presented three alternative designs and associated budgets for a proposed replacement field house at Rotary Park, outlining tradeoffs between hard‑court and turf space, estimated construction and operating costs, and funding options tied to an insurance settlement and potential local partnerships.

Brad Case, parks and recreation director for the City of Ellensburg, told the council the project moved into a validation phase after the Rocket Center fire and contracting with the Helix Design Group and an owner’s advisor. “We’re excited tonight to update you and provide you some information on the work that’s been going on with regards to the Ellensburg Field House,” Case said.

The plans presented to council included three concepts developed with the city’s owner’s advisor, the Winnehaha Group, and design‑builder Absher/Helix. Concept A is a “bit of everything” option with a 12,500‑square‑foot phase 1 (one regulation basketball court, small administration and reception) and a full build priced at about $28 million; the turf component in the full build would be roughly 40 yards, the consultants said. Jake Hartwig of the Winnehaha Group described…