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April 11, 2000
Design options for rec facilities outlinedNU residents vote in November on sales tax to fund rec facilitiesBy KREMENA TODOROVA Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM - City consultants Rozeboom Miller Architects on Monday discussed options for grouping new recreational facilities that could be funded with a local sales tax. The consultants held an unofficial meeting with the city council to discuss scenarios, and also addressed Parks Commission members later in the day. New Ulm residents are scheduled to vote on a half percent local sales tax this November. The tax is intended to generate funds for recreational and other community projects. Rozeboom Miller Architects have assessed the community's needs and are in the process of developing design alternatives, to be presented to voters ahead of the referendum, said Ted Rozeboom, of the Minneapolis-based consultancy firm. The design alternatives discussed are still tentative, with no price tags or operational costs attached, he stressed. The final versions, with cost estimates, will be ready for presentation to parks officials May 8 and to the city council May 16. The program to be presented to voters may be a hybrid of different architectural alternatives, Rozeboom also stressed. Council members, in turn, note that some options may not be politically viable. * Expand current rec center Build at fairgrounds One option proposed by Rozeboom Miller Architects calls for the expansion of the Family Recreation Center/Vogel Arena, turning it into a focus for the community's athletic needs. The new center would incorporate a second, Olympic-size sheet of ice (to double up as exhibition space), a walking/running track, locker and team rooms, space for aerobics and other new features. The center, however, would not include a gymnasium, the need for which was listed in needs assessments. This scenario also calls for a new "pavilion-style" community building at Brown County Fairgrounds. This building would house programs for seniors and community theatre projects. It would feature a multi-functional layout, providing expanded meeting, dining and food service facilities and 300-seat community theatre. Under this alternative, arts and crafts programs would be moved to the current senior citizens center. * Build at fairgrounds Remodel rec center A second major scenario calls for a larger, 90,000-square foot-plus building at the Brown County Fairgrounds. This building would accommodate a second sheet of indoor ice (to double up as exhibition space), as well as performing arts, dining, food service and meeting space. In turn, Vogel Arena would not undergo expansion but would be remodeled to accommodate a three-station gymnasium and running track. Arts and craft programs, again, would be housed at the senior center. * Expand rec center and senior center; No building at fairgrounds A third alternative would eliminate the need to locate facilities at the Brown County Fairgrounds, an approach that requires extensive negotiation with other government and non-government entities. Instead, it would expand Vogel Arena, to include facilities listed in option one, as well as a two-station gym. In turn, the senior center would undergo major expansion, concentrating facilities for meeting, dining, performing arts, crafts and youth. All three scenarios envision electrical, mechanical and other relatively small-scale upgrades at the Old Library/Museum building and the arts and crafts center in Riverside Park, said Rozeboom. All scenarios also call for completing upgrades at Harman Park, a multi-purpose athletic complex north of the Artstone baseball field, and handicapped accessibility upgrades at various city parks. "Accomplishing all these needs would exceed your referendum capabilities," said Rozeboom. With sales tax revenues projected at $9-$9.5 million, the first phase of the upgrades would be referendum-funded, while funding for later phases would come from operational and other sources, over a longer term, he stressed.
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