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CITY NEWSLETTER By Mayor Marcus Stevenson
Recreation Center Update
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AUGUST 2024
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Last November, Midvale City voters approved a General Obligation (GO) Bond to put $10 million towards the construction of a new recreation center. Since that time, I’ve been asked a lot about where this process stands and what our community can expect. County Parks & Recreation Facilities Master Plan Process Last year, Midvale City started the public process to secure a new recreation center, recognizing that this process was still going to take several years. Unfortunately, Copperview Recreation Center (Copperview), which is owned and operated by Salt Lake County, is nearing the end of its useful life and will need to be replaced within roughly 10 years. Additionally, Salt Lake County has now started their Parks & Recreation Facilities Master Plan, which will guide prioritization and funding for recreation centers and other amenities for the next 10 years. While this process started last year, the Master Plan won’t be published until spring 2025. With about 10 years left on Copperview’s life, and the fact that the master planning process is starting now, Midvale City wanted to ensure the County knew that we were fully committed to this process, which is why the city proposed a GO bond to help with construction costs and Union Park as a potential location. A recreation center in Midvale must be included in the master plan, if we wish to be considered for funding. Purpose of the Recreation GO Bond As Midvale City considered our options to be most competitive in this process to secure a new recreation center, Salt Lake County told us we should consider how to include either money and/or land in our application. As a new recreation center that includes a pool is estimated to cost about $45 million to construct, and Midvale City’s general fund – the main fund of the city where all sales tax and property tax flows into – is only about $30 million a year, there is not a financially responsible way for Midvale City to pay for a new recreation center on our own. Realistically we need to rely on our partnership with Salt Lake County to ensure we maintain and grow adequate recreation opportunities. Coming up with millions of extra dollars in a city of our size is an enormous task. Ultimately, our city decided to put this issue to our voters, so they could determine whether coming to the table with a portion of the construction costs was worth it to help bolster our chances of receiving a new recreation center. Last year, the Recreation GO Bond passed with 61% of the vote, giving Midvale City the opportunity to commit $10 million to the construction costs of a new recreation center, with a goal of partnering with Salt Lake County to secure the rest of the needed funds. Union Park Location Proposal As Salt Lake County had asked that we also consider where the recreation center would be located, we looked at every option we had. Midvale City owns very minimal land, and finding a large enough space that Midvale could afford to purchase would be next to impossible. We ultimately decided to propose Union Park for several reasons. Location: Just a few years ago, when the State expanded I-15, Copperview lost significant field space. Midvale does not want to advocate to rebuild the new recreation center where the Copperview is located because there is a risk of further I-15 expansion in the future. A new location allows us to continue to have Copperview open to Mid-
vale residents while the construction for the new recreation center is underway. Union Park allows much greater certainty about the recreation center lasting far into the future. Further, Union Park is directly west of Hillcrest High School. As most of our students go through Hillcrest, in conjunction with the county’s new free recreation center pass program for kids 18 and younger, this is the perfect opportunity to get our kids into more programming at a recreation center. Cost savings: Salt Lake County already owns and operates Union Park. By proposing this park, it gives significant cost savings to Midvale and to Salt Lake County, because no new land must be purchased. These cost savings further increase our chances of receiving a new recreation center. Size: As Midvale City is largely built out, finding affordable land that is large enough to fit a recreation center is quite challenging. Copperview Recreation Center and the surrounding field sit on about 12 acres of land, Midvale City Park has about 10 acres of available land, assuming we did not want to lose our community center or amphitheater, and Union Park has about 17 acres of land. Using Union Park as the proposed location allows us the greatest flexibility to both advocate for a full recreation center, as well as having the ability to have programmable green space. Zoo, Arts, and Parks Program The Zoo, Arts, and Parks (ZAP) Program will be on the ballot this November for Salt Lake County voters to reauthorize. This program, which is voted on every 10 years, serves the purpose of enhancing art, cultural, and recreational offerings across the county. It’s this program that funds the construction of most recreation centers in the county. ZAP is already part of the sales tax that we pay. If ZAP passes, regardless of whether we receive a new recreation center, our residents will stay pay this tax, as it is collected countywide and pays for amenities that are meant to be accessible to all county residents. ZAP Application Process and Timeline If ZAP passes this November, it will open the door for communities to start applying for new projects that qualify under ZAP guidelines, including new recreation centers. In the summer of 2025, project submissions will open. At this time, Midvale City will officially submit our proposal for a new recreation center with the offer of $10 million towards the construction, and the proposal that Union Park is used as the recreation center location. The submission deadline for proposed projects will close in October 2025. After that, there will be a yearlong review process and projects will be selected by November 2026. It will take additional time after that to start construction of a new recreation center, if we are awarded the funds. If we are Successful or Unsuccessful While it’s still unclear of what Copperview’s future will hold, regardless of if we are successful or not, I want to ensure that our community has access to adequate recreation opportunities. If we are not successful in this endeavor, we will continue to work with the county to advertise and enhance what Copperview has to offer, while continuing to work to position our community to receive a new recreation center in the next round of funding. If we are successful in our ZAP application, I look forward to a public process where we’ll engage our community in the design and implementation of a new recreation center, while continuing to work with Salt Lake County to ensure that the Copperview location remains a community space for our residents to enjoy.