| Tweet |
‘The facility desperately needs upgrading,’ says the center’s executive director. Here’s how it hopes to move forward.
When the Island Recreation Center opened its doors in 1988, it was a state-of-the-art facility that met the needs of Hilton Head’s approximately 17,000 permanent residents. It had (and still has) an eight-lane pool, a gym, outdoor tennis and basketball courts, a playground and a couple of meeting rooms.
But while the 14,000-squarefoot recreation center hasn’t changed much over the last 23 years, Hilton Head’s population certainly has: It’s more than doubled to 35,000.
At a Town Council meeting in late 2009, Frank Soule, executive director of the Rec Center, said there were about 75,000 visits to the center in its first year of operation. By late 2009, that number had jumped to 280,000.
Meanwhile, the center itself has stagnated. “This facility desperately needs updating,” Soule said in a March interview.
In early 2008, the Rec Center conducted a community survey that asked what residents wanted in their local recreational facility. Based on that survey, a wish list was created for a new facility, one that included tennis and basketball courts, a gym with a track, pools for children and adults, trails and a playground. That facility would have cost more than $20 million, not including the price of the 30 acres needed to build a new center.
At the time, the Town Council OK’d a feasibility study to determine the next steps. But, as times have gotten tighter, so has the town.
Instead of a new site, the Rec Center is now focused on improving its current facilities, which could cost anywhere from $12-14 million, said board member Alan Perry.
Those improvements would include upgrading meeting and locker facilities, constructing a new gym with a walking deck, and building a new 10-lane enclosed pool and a new kiddie pool. The existing outdoor pool would be enclosed and used for senior water activities.
The Island Recreation Association also runs S.H.A.R.E., a center for senior activities that offers everything from bridge games to exercise classes to art and computer classes and more. The center, at 6 Office Way, is only 2,100 square feet. “We’ve certainly outgrown that space,” said Soule.
“The recreation facility and the S.H.A.R.E. site are outdated and the activities are crowded,” said Nicole Dixon, senior planner for the town. “The town recognizes the need for the upgraded facilities.” To that end, Town Council has hired Lee & Parker Architects, FWA Group and Mission Resources Group to create a master plan for going forward with the renovations and expansion.
Dixon said the town and rec center will have a better idea of a timeline when the master plan is complete, which could take up to six months. Dixon said the project would not be worked into the capital projects fund until 2013.
When the master plan is complete, the rec center and the town will look at funding. That could include a tax increase, user fee increases, fundraisers, corporate sponsors, grants, and reaching out to local civic organizations for financial help.
Meanwhile, the Rec Center administration hopes to get going on the improvements.
“Hopefully the train will pick up now,” said Perry. “We just have to get out of the station. This all goes right in line with improving the quality of life here on Hilton Head.”
