The Grapevine City Council approved phase 2 of the performance and utilization analysis with Dallas-based Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture during the Aug. 6 meeting. According to documents, phase 2 will look at the opportunities and constraints of building expansion and/or renovations for items identified in phase 1.
The REC, a 108,000-square-foot facility, opened in April 2015. The facility features The REC Aquatic Center, basketball courts, pickleball courts, indoor track, fitness room, indoor playground and camps.
The big picture
Phase 2 looks into the fitness room and the cost estimate for expanding that area. Parks and Recreation Director Chris Smith said the timeline would be eight weeks and the study results would be available in early October. A final plan could come to council in February 2025, he said.
The eight-week timeline for phase 2 is three weeks faster than the original proposal that came to council during a July 16 meeting.
Smith said phase 1 took about 10 months to complete.
The details
The cost for the analysis is coming from various funds within the city budget, according to city documents.
- An amount not to exceed $15,000 from capital projects-recreation fund
- An amount not to exceed $83,000 from capital projects-park open spaces
- An amount not to exceed $50,000 from special revenue fund-senior activity center
Mayor William D. Tate voiced his concerns on the cost and the timeline associated with phase 2 during the July 16 meeting. He reiterated those thoughts during the Aug. 6 meeting.
“I’m not very happy with phase 1. I'm probably not going to be happy with phase 2,” Tate said. “I think we're stuck with them for this project, but it's been a nightmare. A very big disappointment, a lot of money, a lot of time and we have nothing. So I'm prepared to vote for it. You tried to do what you could, but I'm not happy. I don’t want to see us ever use them again.”
