Taylor’s long-discussed indoor wellness and recreational center is taking a step toward becoming a reality with two planned community meetings.
The first is 6:30-8 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Taylor Public Library, 801 Vance St. A second will be publicized later.
“Long before I’ve been here, indoor recreation and meeting space has been a need, and that need has just grown. We know that need will just grow as we grow,” Parks and Recreation Director Tyler Bybee told City Council at a mid-summer meeting.
During that session, the council approved a feasibility study to guide architects in developing the facility. The information-gathering project will cost $183,835 and will come out of the city’s Samsung Quality of Life funds.
The study will include public input from town-hall meetings, mail questionnaires and an online survey.
The research is being run by Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture, a firm the city hired in April to oversee the project. BRS has partnered with several other companies specializing in design, operation, planning, site selection and cost estimation.
“We don’t design schools. We don’t design business buildings. We don’t design residential. We design recreation architecture,” said Mick Massey, project planner for BRS. “We specialize in this. We study it. We bring our knowledge to bear on this.”
For the feasibility study, BRS will gather the consultants together to create a comprehensive report evaluating potential sites and outlining concept options regarding facility size, features and amenities, based on community input.
It will include architectural diagrams and provide cost estimates with an operations analysis spotlighting attendance projections, fee schedules, staffing requirements, revenue sources and more.
The community survey will be launched following the Sept. 25 meeting. BRS intends to collect opinions from at least 400 residents, which company officials say is a scientifically valid sampling for Taylor.
The city has a population of about 18,000, according to a recent census.
Taylor has been dipping its toes into the idea of an indoor swimming pool and recreation center for the last two decades.
“In 2004, during the development of the Parks Master Plan, indoor recreation facilities were identified by the community as a need,” reads a statement from the city.
“Designs were developed for a facility and a bond election was held in 2010 to fund a $3 million facility in partnership with the YMCA. The bond election failed. During the 2016 Parks and Recreation Master Plan development, an indoor recreation facility was again identified as a need with 83% of participants in support.”
Following completion of the BRS study, the city will evaluate the results and identify whether the construction and operation of a recreation center is possible and how it will be funded. The study does not guarantee construction of the facility.
“This is just a table of contents of what the community wants,” Mayor Dwayne Ariola said. “We’re not doing funding, we don’t know how we’re going to fund the build. This is the very first step.”
The study is expected to be complete in February 2025. The public can sign up to receive project updates at taylortx.gov/Recreation FeasibilityStudy.
