The Rogersville Community Center project, which was shelved four years ago due to the pandemic, is now back on the table, albeit a smaller version of what was originally planned at the former United Grocery property.
The project originally included a community center, a new city hall, and an indoor swimming pool.
On May 14 Jamie Pfeffer from the architect firm of Pfeffer Torode presented the Rogersville Board of Mayor and Aldermen with the revised conceptual drawings which now exclude the City Hall and swimming pool components.
Pfeffer told the board that the estimate cost of the 32,500 square foot community center is $16.5 million. That includes a double gym big enough for two adjacent basketball courts, as well as locker rooms, offices for the Parks and Rec Department, a fitness center, two event rooms, and teen game room.
The gym will have a classic wood basketball court floor, but the space can be partitioned off and utilized for a variety of indoor sports and activities.
There is a video in the online version of this article in which Pfeffer explains the floorplan in detail to the BMA.
‘It’s very efficient’
The building will face Main Street from the current location of the former grocery store complex. The proposed facility also takes up space where the current Parks and Rec offices are located.
“We tried to compress things and keep them very efficient,” Pfeffer told the BMA. “It’s all one story, so that we don’t have the cost of extra stairs and ADA considerations. Everything is fully compliant on one level. It’s very efficient in that regard.”
Vice Mayor Brian Hartness said he believes the architects did a great job coming up with a brick exterior design that blends aesthetically with the appearance of the town.
“They went all through town when they first started this project to look at the basic type of architecture that we have here,” Hartness said. “With the renderings they came up with, you can tell you’re looking at a building that probably ought to belong in Rogersville.”
Pfeffer said the next step will be to contract with engineers to advance the drawings in preparation for construction.
Once the BMA agrees to move forward with the engineering plans, Pfeffer anticipates about six months before the project is ready for construction. Actual construction would take about 12 months.
“About 18 months from now we could be using the facility,” Pfeffer said.
‘It is a smaller structure’
Mayor Jim Sells the facility is needed.
“We’ve had to borrow basketball courts ever since I’ve been here,” Sells said. “We’re big enough. I think we ought to have our own courts.
Hartness told the Review after the meeting that the BMA isn’t quite ready at this point to move forward with the project. Hartness said the city could possibly be in a position to get started during the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Prior to COVID the original project was estimated at $16-18 million, and also included a new City Hall Facility and an indoor pool. Pfeffer acknowledged that construction costs have risen significantly since then.
“The cost may be the same now, but through everybody’s efforts, and prioritizing, we’ve been able to keep that cost from expanding,” Pfeffer said. “It is a smaller structure to make that happen.”
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