$5.5 million Buckwalter Recreation Center expansion to open in spring 2016
A $5.5 million expansion that will double the size of the Buckwalter Regional Park and Recreation Center should begin next spring, according to Beaufort County's parks director.
The new space will include a weight room, two indoor batting cages, two racquetball courts, two full-size basketball courts with a sky track above them, multipurpose rooms, equipment storage and common areas.
The county plans to open the expanded Bluffton facilities in time for Parks and Leisure Services' 2016 basketball season, PALS director Scott Marshall said.
On Aug. 18, County Council's Public Facilities Committee recommended that Charleston-based companies Mashburn Construction and Clancy Wells Architecture be awarded the contract for the second phase of the recreation center's construction. The full council will vote on the contract Monday.
The two companies were also recommended by county staff because they built the $3.87 million first phase in 2009, said David Coleman, county capital-improvement projects manager.
The center currently has a gymnasium with two basketball courts and locker rooms, along with the park's surrounding soccer complex, skate park and walking trail.
Initial funding for the construction will come from about $18 million the county will borrow later this year for a slew of capital improvement projects, deputy county administrator Bryan Hill said. Other projects include replacing the Perry Clear Bridge on Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and installing a dozen new air-conditioning systems and repairing leaky roofs on eight county buildings.
Impact fees collected on developments in the Buckwalter area will repay borrowed money for the recreation center and be used to create a $550,000 contingency fund for the project, Hill said.
The county now has more than $2.2 million available in such impact fees, which are collected for each home built in new developments. The fees are used to pay for roads, libraries, parks and fire protection, Hill said. The county expects to pay off the project in five to seven years, he added.
The county also plans to add three athletics fields to the park and likely will seek construction bids later this year, Marshall said. Those fields will be covered with artificial turf and cost between $750,000 and $1 million in all, also to be paid for with impact fees, Hill said.
The new facilities will help the county expand Parks and Leisure Services' sponsored athletics leagues, Marshall said. In particular, the county has seen basketball participation at Buckwalter nearly double to more than 800 children since the recreation center was built, he said.
The expansion might also help attract regional basketball and soccer tournaments to the area, Marshall added.
Follow reporter Zach Murdock at twitter.com/IPBG_Zach.
Related content:
- Consultants reviewing Beaufort County PALS programs, personnel, Oct. 12, 2012
- New rec center opens on Buckwalter Parkway, Dec. 16, 2009
This story was originally published August 24, 2014 at 5:46 PM with the headline "$5.5 million Buckwalter Recreation Center expansion to open in spring 2016."