by Dennis Dalman
editor@thenewsleaders.com
The Sartell City Council at its Dec. 14 meeting decided to move forward with plans, specs and bids for a Sartell Community Center in the “Town Square” south portion of the city.
The vote was 4-1, with council member David Peterson voting no. Peterson has long opposed a center at the south site, partly because it won’t have a library in it.
Council approval means HMA Architects will begin the final planning and specifications for the center, with council approval along the way; and for Strack Construction to seek bids.
At the meeting were Bob Strack of Strack Construction, Murray Mack of HMA (Hagemeister-Mack Architects) and Lyle Mathiasen, consultant.
The center will house three gyms, a walking track, a senior center, a community meeting area and an innovation area with some technology. It will not contain a library, a fact that has sparked much controversy (see related stories).
Council member Peterson said perhaps the walking track should be placed on ground level instead of above and around the parameters of the three gyms so that money could be saved.
The track will cost between $350,000 and $400,000, Strack said, and the upper level (“mezzanine” level where the track will be located) will cost about $1 million.
Strack said putting a walking track at ground level is probably do-able but it could be problematic. If there were a walking track indoors around the three gyms, there would be all kinds of cross traffic between walkers and those involved in activities on the gym floors. Strack said he does not know at this point how much money would be saved by putting a track at ground level.
Council member Steve Hennes said putting the walking track above is a good idea for the reasons Strack mentioned and because walkers would have pleasant views from that height of the activities on the gym floors as well as a view of the outdoors.
“It’s worth the investment,” he said.
The center will cost about $11 million, but Strack said there is already an $800,000 shortfall in the budget with current amenities planned. Those amenities, he said, can be changed somewhat in the near future, with council approval. He said the council will receive a kind of a la carte menu of features in and on the building that could be added or eliminated to fit the budget and avoid cost overruns.
There will be 250 parking stalls at the center, but parking areas could easily be extended in the future, Strack noted.
Amy Braig-Lindstrom said she is excited about the project and thanked the planners for their hard work.
“It (the center) will be such a gift to the community when we have it up and running,” she said.
The planners will return to update the council in a couple of months.
This is the current, early design of a community center next to Lake Francis. Design plans were created by HMA Architects.
