Island Rec seeks support for improvements

The Island Recreation Center on Hilton Head Island can't offer an evening aerobics class because its lone gym is occupied by after-school activities and a winter basketball league.

That's just one reason the Island Recreation Association, which operates the center, wants the town to authorize the use of $95,000 to plan enhancements to the facility.

Frank Soule, the association's executive director, is trying to rally support for the project, which will be discussed by the town's Public Facilities Committee at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Town Hall.

"It's time to put a fresh face on it," he said. "We're limited in space and we're always kind of juggling our schedule."

The association, a nonprofit organization contracted by the town to provide recreation programs, will ask for the money to plan four elements:

• A second gym.

• 4,500 square feet of meeting space with multipurpose rooms for seniors programs.

• A 10-lane, 25-yard swimming pool and a warm-water tank for water aerobics and swim lessons.

• A splash pad with water features for children.

The new proposal comes about two years after the association presented more elaborate plans for a 30-acre, $20 million center that included a larger pool, said Charles Cousins, town director of community development. The Town Council told the association to pare that proposal to the essentials, Cousins said.

The more modest wish list is needed, Soule said, because demand for the 20-year-old center has grown along with the island's population. The population has doubled to about 34,000 since the center was built 20 years ago, and annual participant visits have increased from about 75,000 to 280,000 during that span, he said.

Committee chairman and town councilman John Safay said he believes the request is warranted because the center benefits a wide spectrum of residents, yet can't offer as much as it could without better facilities.

He said he would like for the project to be ready to be built by the time the recession lifts.

"I think we need to go forward aggressively and approve the funding that's been requested," Safay said. "We've got to make the plans, so when we do pull out of this economy, everything will be in place."

IF YOU GO

The Hilton Head Island Public Facilities Committee will meet at 2 p.m. Tuesday in Council Chambers at Town Hall to consider proposed enhancements to the Island Recreation Center.