During the Nov. 4 City Council meeting, a $1.23 million contract with Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture was approved for schematic design, design development and construction documents for the facility that includes a walking track, workout room, basketball courts and aquatics.
The overview
Parks and Recreation Director Chris Smith discussed the plan during a meeting that lasted less than 40 minutes on Election Night.
He said a survey of members showed the need for more space in the classroom and fitness areas. Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture was given a contract during the Aug. 6, 2024, meeting for performance and utilization analysis. According to previous reporting, the plan was supposed to be back in February 2025.
Smith said the building opened in 1996 as the Community Activity Center. Following renovations in 2015, it was renamed The REC of Grapevine, which stands for Recreation-Education-Community.
The details
Smith said a few things have been changed to meet growing demand. That included turning Studio B into a temporary fitness center with seven additional pieces of equipment to help alleviate crowding issues with the workout facility on the second floor.
According to city documents from Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture, the renovation would be between $12 million and $14 million.
Smith said the renovations would include 15,600 square feet added and 16,938 square feet in total renovations.
A rendering presented during the meeting shows a new fitness area in the outside area near the pool area. That would turn into two levels of space for fitness workouts, with 13,000 square feet.
On the first level, the classroom, office space and child watch space would increase by 2,600 square feet.
Quote of note
“The renovation and expansion of The REC of Grapevine will ensure the facility continues to meet the evolving needs of the community and remains a flagship destination within the Parks & Recreation system,” Smith said.
Put in perspective
Smith said when The REC opened, the goal was to have 12,450 members, or about 20% of the Grapevine population. During the 2024 analysis, he said there are more than 21,000 members and that accounts for 40% of Grapevine’s population.
In comparing numbers, Smith said the national average for publicly-operated recreation centers is about 20% to 25% of a city's population. He said Grapevine is also trending higher when it comes to average daily usage. The national average for daily users in a recreation center is 1,430 and Smith said Grapevine averages 4,000 per day.
Stay tuned
According to the presentation, the design period will last from December to November 2026. A contract would be awarded on March 2, 2027. Smith said the estimated construction timeline would be March 2027 to June 2028.
