Council Rejects Adding Third Gym to Plymouth Creek Center Renovation
The Plymouth City Council rejected the option of adding a third gym to the Plymouth Creek Center expansion project. The vote on Tuesday was 4-2 against the third gym. The vote comes despite support from the pickleball and basketball communities for that option.
The makeover of the Plymouth Creek Center includes adding two gyms, a walking track and an indoor play area. The cost currently stands at $51.6 million. The city council approved the preliminary designs Sept. 10.
However, the city left open the option of adding a third gym to the cost. A third gym could add at least $5 million to the total project price tag.
Some council members said the cost is getting too high.
“While three gyms might be nice to have, I’m topped out at $51.6,” said Plymouth City Council member Jim Davis.
Plymouth Mayor Jeffry Wosje says the city sold the project to residents as a $50 million project. He too was uncomfortable in scaling it up.
However, Plymouth City Council member Ned Carroll strongly disagreed. Carroll said there is significant support for a third gym to be included.
“I know there’s some opposition to doing this at all, the project, but there’s also significant support, not only for the community center, but for three gyms. We saw that in the last meeting, people showed up,” said Carroll.
Carroll believes it’s better to do it now than wait, when the population grows and the project gets more expensive.
Council Member Jim Willis brought up the idea of having upgraded HVAC and mechanical systems that could make building a third gym in the future less expensive. A third gym addition would require knocking down a wall in the future building if the city waited to add it. The city council didn’t vote on council member Willis’ idea because it wanted a price estimate first. That estimate could range from an extra $400,000 to $700,000.
The city of Plymouth is requesting $15 million in state bonding money in 2020 for the Creek Center renovation. According to the preliminary designs, the project would increase the space by about 80,000 square feet, more than tripling the size of the existing space.
The Plymouth City Council also approved a contract agreement with HGA Architects and RJM Construction to proceed with the project.
