The bond election was agreed upon unanimously at the Feb. 4 city council meeting.
The overview
The estimated cost for construction is $16.34 million. An additional $3.66 million was included in the bond for any extra costs that may occur including design documents, maintenance of the building or structures added during the design phase.
“As we’re kind of going through the final design, maybe the residents want a playground outside, which we talked about, or they want a splash pad or they want all these other elements,” Assistant City Manager Mark Wood said. “We do have some funding set aside in our current CIP for those, but they could also be considered in [the bond].”
The total tax increase with this bond would be $0.031, which takes into account a 4.17% interest rate.
Based on the average taxable value of a single-family Colleyville home, the average household would pay an additional $18.89 a month in taxes if the bond is approved, totaling $226.74 more annually for a 20-year period.
The details
If voters approve the bond, the expansion would add about 31,000 square feet to the existing building toward Roberts Road. According to city documents, the additions would include:
- 8,900 square feet of fitness space with weights, workout and cardio equipment on first and second floors
- 6,175 square feet for a new gym
- An elevated two-lane track surrounding the existing gym, new gym and fitness area
- 1,060 square feet for an outdoor Crossfit area
- A 1,800-square-foot locker room on the first floor
- A 2,050-square-foot expanded lobby
- Paved outdoor walking trails and sitting areas
- Improvements to outdoor fields
The background
A question was put on the May 2024 advisory referendum asking Colleyville residents if they would like to call an election for a future tax bond to expand the recreation center. Of the responses, 74% said yes and 25% said no.
“We sought a lot of community feedback on how we want to proceed with the recreation center,” Wood said. “We asked questions during open houses that we hosted for residents, what they liked about it, what they wanted to see in the future, if anything. And we sought feedback that way."
Colleyville bought the Covenant Christian Church campus in 2022 for $8.5 million, renovating the building for the recreation center.
In August, the recreation center opened with a basketball court and individual fitness spaces. The northern wing opened Dec. 16 with a second gym lined for volleyball, basketball and pickleball, along with an upstairs game room.
What else?
Currently, the city of Colleyville pays $950,000 a year in debt. If the bond is approved, the annual debt payment would increase to $2.4 million until the current debt is paid off in 2042.
Early voting for the 2025 local election will start April 1 with election day on May 3.
