'Community living room' under way

Local and state officials turned out for a Nov. 8 groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new Airway Heights recreation center, and it's a good thing they did.

At the rate site crews are moving, there soon won't be any ground to break.

Work is progressing quickly on the new center, the price tag for which is now around $18 million, with more funding needed to fully complete the project, which started in 2007 but only in the last several years garnered enough community support to move towards fruition.

Airway Heights Mayor Kevin Richey reflected on this in remarks at the groundbreaking, noting it was 10 years ago when he was first elected to the City Council that a ballot measure to fund the project failed. He credited J.C. Kennedy, the city's parks and recreation supervisor, for keeping the project alive through stressing the importance of a community center.

"This wouldn't be happening without him," Richey said.

In his remarks, Kennedy emphasized not only the support of Airway Heights citizens but also the partnership between the city and the Cheney School District for helping pave the way for the center.

"It's (CSD) absolutely critical to everything we do," he added.

Lydig Construction chief executive officer Larry Schwartz said the project will create around 100 jobs during construction. Project architect Rustin Hall of ALSC Architects added the project, once finished, will have a large impact not only on facility users, but also the community as a whole.

"You still have no idea what's coming," Hall said.

While physical work on the center is moving ahead, much remains on the financial side of the equation. Voters approved a $13 million capital facilities bond in August 2016 to fund the center, but since that time, the project's changing scope has added dollars to its cost.

The council approved appropriating $1 million of Real Estate Excise Tax funds for the project, and another $800,000 is coming over from the park reserve fund to pay for construction of the athletic fields around the center. City officials and 6th District legislators were successful in getting $200,000 placed into the 2016 state capital budget also for the fields, as well as $500,000 earmarked in the 2017 capital budget this past legislative session.

That budget passed the House 97-1, but is stalled in the Senate pending legislative resolution of the Hirst decision regarding water rights in the state. At the groundbreaking, 6th District Rep. Mike Volz promised to do whatever is needed in Olympia to make sure these and funds for other area projects are available, stressing the importance to Airway Heights not only of the recreation center but of the community center function as well.

"It's (community center) kind of like the living room of the community," he added.

Volz also noted the importance of the recreation center to the West Plains region as a whole, saying the region is growing fast economically and in importance.

"This project represents another step, another piece in development of the region," he said.

Kennedy said in a Nov. 13 interview that the city will be requesting another $1 million in project funding from the state in 2018. Without the $500,000 held up in the Legislature, the center is still $2 million short, and Kennedy said that funding is being pursued via private parties by Westby Associates, Inc. through donations from foundations and businesses.

Westby Associates principal Mike Westby alluded to this in remarks at the groundbreaking, saying state and local funding will help in increasing the impact of what is donated.

"We want to assure you the funds you give for this project will be highly leveraged," Westby said.

Kennedy said while this work is just beginning, the council elected to move forward with the bulk of the project. The main features of the center will be in place for its grand opening, with other portions - "shells" - filled in as funds come through.

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.