Breaking News
Local News

Name, rates proposed for new facility in Parkersburg City Park

\'Simms Powell Pavilion\' proposed for center

By Evan Bevins 4 min read

PARKERSBURG - City Council is set to vote Tuesday on a resolution naming the new activity and recreation center after a former councilman and the first reading of an ordinance setting rates for its rental.

The agenda for the meeting, set for 7:30 p.m. in council chambers on the second floor of the Municipal Building, includes a resolution naming the approximately 46,000-square-foot facility the Simms Powell Pavilion.

According to the resolution, Powell was a member of council in 1896 when the city acquired the property that would become the park. During debate about the acquisition, Powell said, "We need a park, we can afford to purchase it, let us do so, and in the years to come even the children of those who now oppose it will rise up and call us blessed," the resolution says.

The new facility was built as a replacement for the nearly 100-year-old smaller pavilion at the site that was demolished in 2024.

Also on the agenda is an ordinance forwarded from the Finance Committee to the full council on a 4-0 vote this week setting rates for renting the new building, which is nearly complete and expected to open this fall.

The amounts were based on comparisons to similar facilities in the region and estimates of costs, according to Development Director Ryan Barber and Finance Director Eric Jiles.

Some of the venues they took into consideration included the city's pools, the Elite Sports Center and Discovery World on Market, Wood County's Resiliency Center, Vienna's Community Building, the Betsy Mills Club, the Boys & Girls Club of Washington County and Marietta College's Dyson Baudo Recreation Center.

"There's not a perfect comparison that we could find," Barber said, adding Dyson Baudo was probably the closest.

The new building includes a conference/community room with monitors; a gymnasium striped for basketball, volleyball and pickleball; arena space that will be striped for multiple sports; a full-service kitchen; a large portable stage; athletic equipment; tables and chairs; and audio/video capabilities. There is also office space for three city and two Wood County Recreation employees and a police substation.

Private rentals for events with less than 50 attendees would have an hourly rate of $150 and more than 50 attendees would be $250, both with a two-hour minimum. Those rentals would have access to the conference room, kitchen and gymnasium, with all sports equipment.

The arena could be rented for the day for $1,000 by nonprofits and $3,000 by for-profit entities with an add-on of $400 and $600, respectively, for the gym. A second concurrent day would receive a 25% discount, with a discount of 50% for a third concurrent day.

The day rate for rental of the gym would be $500 for nonprofit and $700 for for-profit.

Setup and tear-down service would cost $50 per labor hour.

Jiles said he estimated an annual cost of $100,000 to operate the building, including utilities, insurance and incidentals. The cost for the Municipal Building, which is much less energy efficient, over the past 12 months was $155,000, he said.

"This is a brand new operation," Jiles said.

A $15 million bond issue funded both the activity center and the new Fire Station 3. Jiles said the bond payments were designed to be covered by interest revenue from the city's investments, so "there will be zero additional financial burden on the residents as a result of this."

The fees were not meant to cover personnel costs, he said, as all work is expected to be handled by employees already on staff. Joyce said if it ends up being rented six or seven nights a week and revenue makes it possible, another employee might eventually need to be hired.

Jiles noted the city's goal is not to turn a profit with the facility, just offset expenses as much as it can.

"There is and always has been the expectation that this will be subsidized to some degree," he said.

Joyce said a private, for-profit facility would require higher rates.

There would be additional requirements, like event insurance, "which is pretty standard stuff for that kind of contract." The administration could also require other payments, such as for an electrician to set up sound and lights or an off-duty police officer to provide security for an event with a large crowd.

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

Starting at /week.