Inflation and rising construction costs are taking a bite out of Redmond’s voter-approved recreation center.
Voters in Redmond said yes in November 2022 to a $49 million bond measure to build a new recreation center. But preliminary cost estimates now indicate the plans may need to be scaled back.
Redmond Park District calculated 12% inflation in their original feasibility study. Now, they are being told by designers to factor in a 36% increase in costs.
Like any business or individual dealing with higher expenses, that means cutting back in order to stay on budget.
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The $49 million bond measure Redmond voters approved last November was supposed to buy them a 74,000-square-foot, two-story community recreation center with a lot of bells and whistles. But after receiving the first set of schematic designs that includes inflationary and material cost estimates nearly three times what was budgeted, a reassessment is underway.
“It’s going to be a smaller building than we originally planned but all the amenities that we promised the voters will still be in there,” said Katie Hammer, executive director for the Redmond Area Park and Recreation District. “There’s still going to be two pools, a gym, community spaces, fitness spaces. All of those spaces are going to be just a little bit smaller.”
The new rec center is now being planned as a one-story building with a larger footprint. New architectural drawings will be presented to the community at a public meeting scheduled for December 7.
“There has been some concern that because the building will be smaller, we won’t be able to provide all amenities. Because we are able to provide the amenities we promised, it seems the bulk of that concern might be dissipating a little bit,” Hammer said.
Voters also approved a $250 million bond for the Bend La Pine School District last November. The bulk of those funds are focused on rebuilding Bend Senior High School which has some buildings that are 90 years old. Officials say they don’t have enough bid data yet to determine the impacts of inflation on that project.
If project revisions don’t slow down timelines, the new Redmond community recreation center is scheduled to begin construction in late spring 2024. It should be complete and open in late 2025.
