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No vote taken on Parkersburg recreation center location

By Evan Bevins 3 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Members of Parkersburg City Council will have the opportunity to weigh in on whether to build a recreation center in City Park at future committee and regular meetings.

Moving forward with the proposed $13 million project in the park was discussed during a Public Works Committee meeting Monday, but members adjourned without taking a vote that some believed was unnecessary.

Committee Chairman Chris Rexroad said last week he hoped the meeting would allow the committee to nail down the location of the project. But Councilman J.R. Carpenter, who is not a member of the committee, pointed out that council could only determine the location by passing an ordinance or withholding funding if they disagreed with the mayor's plan.

Mayor Tom Joyce said after the meeting that his next step would be to ask council's Finance Committee to make an additional appropriation for the project, with about $4 million allocated so far.

"If we don't get the money, we're not going to build it," Joyce said.

The mayor called building the center a "once-in-a-generation" opportunity, noting the city has the ability to do so without raising taxes or fees or borrowing money.

Architectural firm Pickering Associates presented a rendering and proposal for the center to council in March, to be built on the site of the 100-plus-year-old pavilion in the park. Some residents expressed concern that building it there could negatively impact the park and asked during public meetings that other sites be considered.

City officials commissioned a feasibility study by Pickering that reviewed all properties the city owned and specifically focused on five sites. City Park got the highest score and remained the recommendation.

Joyce said the building, as proposed, would be approximately 32 feet high and have dimensions of 265 by 225 feet. The posted occupancy is expected to be 1,000 people. It would eliminate less than 2% of the existing green space in the park, he said.

Joyce said he does not believe the project would harm the park but would instead enhance what is already offered there.

"Really what we're talking about is a community building to replace (the) pavilion," he said.

Fifteen people attended Monday's meeting, which, as with most council committee meetings, did not include an opportunity for public comment.

Carpenter suggested putting the question of where to build the center before voters next year, but that proposal did not get a lot of support.

Councilman Zach Stanley, who is not on the committee, said he believes the question for voters would be whether the pavilion needs replaced and, although he likes the structure, it is clear that it does.

"It needed replaced when I was a kid," he said.

Parkersburg resident Trish Pritchard said after the meeting that she felt more public input was needed.

Ken Watts, who lives near the park, said he is still concerned the building won't fit the aesthetics of the park. He's also wary of the impact on parking, noting side streets fill up with vehicles when big events are held there now.

"Our concern is not to try to prevent some type of ... improvement," he said.

Pickering representatives said there are about 400 marked parking spaces in the park and the current design could add about 30 more. Others could be added over time, while balancing green space considerations, as it's seen what the actual impact on parking is, they said.

Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com.

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