When is PenMet’s rec center opening near Gig Harbor? Here’s the plan, what it’ll cost

The PenMet Parks board recently approved a $31.6 million construction budget for the projected Community Recreation Center, about $1.6 million over the previous estimate.

Project manager Curt Gimmestad told the board the higher cost was a result of design changes and cost escalation resulting from the pandemic. Shortages of both materials and labor have driven up costs, he said.

The Peninsula Metropolitan Park Board also approved a change in the so-called “delivery method,” opting to return to the more traditional “design-bid-build” formula, which Gimmestad said will give PenMet greater ability to control costs in the uncertain climate.

The park district paid $4.3 million in December 2019 for the 17.5 acre former Performance Golf Center at 2416 14th Ave. NW, adjoining state Route 16 across from the Narrows Bridge toll plaza.

At 58,300 square feet, the building would contain one indoor soccer/football field, three basketball courts, a multipurpose room for exercise or gymnastics, and an elevated walking track. The basketball courts could double as nine pickleball courts, and — in one option — could be turfed over to form a second soccer field.

Construction is lion’s share of cost

Most of the anticipated cost — about $24.25 million — will come from actual construction, according to a memo presented to the board on Tuesday, Dec. 7. Sales tax, architect and engineering fees, various permitting fees and a contingency fund of $1.1 million account for the rest.

The project is to be financed with $11.6 million from the district’s capital project fund, $16 million in bonds, a $3.1 million capital campaign — that is, donations solicited from the public and corporations — and $900,000 in state and local grants.

The switch in delivery method involves some insider baseball, but basically the district is abandoning its original intent to use an alternative method known as General Contractor/Construction Manager (GC/CM). This method allows the general contractor to participate in the design process, sometimes achieving better results by providing early input on suggested methods and materials.

An early criticism of the project from PenMet’s professional staff was that the architectural firm chosen by the board to lead the design work, Barker Rinker Seacat of Denver, had little experience with the GC/CM delivery method.

The district is now falling back on the more traditional design-bid-build method, in which architects and engineers complete the design before calling for competitive bids for the actual construction.

Gimmestad told the board the project team has “found that in the current construction climate, the competitive design-bid-build delivery system is the most cost-effective.”

Gimmestad told the board Oct. 5 that PenMet could be forced to abandon its preferred construction method — a pre-engineered metal building — and seek alternatives.

Recovering from a bumpy start

The recreation center project has had a bumpy ride, even before a shovelful of dirt has been turned.

The original architects were replaced. The original project manager resigned, citing unspecified “interference” from board members. The original consulting firm withdrew when its contract was not renewed. The board fired three executive directors in a row and laid off its longtime construction manager in 2020, just as the project was getting underway.

There was some dispute over the choice of BRB, which the board settled by splitting the design work with a Tacoma firm, BLRB of Tacoma.

Public input during the design phase resulted in the addition of indoor amenities including a turf field, three multi-purpose gymnasium courts, an elevated walk/jog track, and spaces for community gathering. All of that lengthened the design phase.

The board approved the concept design in January, and construction was supposed to start in October, but is now projected for spring of 2022, with completion in 2023.

In other business, the PenMet board:

▪ Updated the district’s public records disclosure policy to make it easier for staff to prioritize requests and, in some cases, to fill complicated requests in installments, with the easiest-to-find documents provided first. The policy also followed the City of Gig Harbor’s lead in limiting the amount of staff time normally spent on public records requests to eight hours a week.

▪ Updated and revised the Board Policy and Procedures, adding, among other things, a provision allowing board members to participate by video conference.

This story was originally published December 12, 2021 at 5:00 AM.