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Recreation director urges three-court rec center as youth programs swell
Summary
Recreation Manager Sara Ramsay told the council rising youth participation strains available gym space and proposed a three-court recreation center with possible regional financing partnerships; she cited examples of recent centers and noted program growth.
Recreation Manager Sara Ramsay outlined demand for more gym and aquatic facilities at the Feb. 2 work session.
Ramsay said the department now serves nearly 500 children in youth basketball across 56 teams and maintains seasonal pool and splash-pad programming with roughly 30 seasonal staff. Current gym availability relies on school gyms (Highland Primary, junior high, Taylor Elementary) that are aging or limited; Ramsay said a three-court recreation center would better meet community and club-team needs and could include an industrial kitchen and storage.
She reviewed cost and financing examples from other communities: Marana’s new center (cited at about $65 million) and Provo’s $40 million center from a decade earlier, noting those projects used sales-tax mechanisms or property-tax funding. Ramsay suggested a phased $10–12 million starter project with regional partners (Snowflake, Taylor, county) and potential private-public partnerships to expand later.
Ramsay also promoted local programming ideas, including a cardboard-boat race set for April 3, and encouraged council consideration of long-term location options such as Heritage Hall.
Why it matters: Limited gym space constrains youth programming and regional competition for facilities; expanding recreation facilities affects operating costs, tax or dedicated-revenue decisions and long-term facility maintenance.
Next steps: No action was taken; the presentation frames future capital planning and potential intergovernmental or financing discussions.
