Belmont rec center design is approved

The conceptual design was shaped by input from more than 3,000 residents over the past nine months. Councilmembers were thrilled so many participated and were supportive of the latest plans, but acknowledged the difficult road ahead in funding the project. 

“It’s going to be more than a daunting task to find where we can get the revenue to do this,” said Vice Mayor Warren Lieberman.

After more than 70 years of extensive use, the existing Barrett is in dire need of replacement, according to city officials who say they’ve been struggling for years to keep the deteriorating building operational.

The goal for the new facility is to equip it with spaces and programming that serve the entire community rather than primarily youth as is the case currently. 

Located at 1835 Belburn Drive, the new two-story, 42,000-square-foot community center will be much closer to Ralston Avenue than the existing one, but sufficiently set back to maintain the trees and open space. With two stories, the new design increases open space by 30% and the latest configuration for the new center will allow the existing one to remain operational during construction.

The new building includes a 10,000-square-foot gym, potentially with a walking track on the perimeter, and outdoor pool on the southeast side of the property. It will also include a child care facility with a dedicated play yard at its rear, behind which will be another playground with a splash pad adjacent to basketball courts.

Behind the basketball courts will be fields for softball and soccer sandwiched between the community garden and parking lot, which can accommodate twice as many cars as the existing center. Multiple drop-off areas will be on the west side of the property and there will be a dog park in the southwest corner of the lot separate from the sports fields.

Connecting the main elements of the project will be an outdoor promenade lined with canopy trees and picnic furniture that will wind from Ralston Avenue to Belburn Drive. 

Barrett’s entrance will include a lobby with a service desk and visual connections throughout the building and to the second floor.

“Being able to see where you want to go and to be engaged by the spaces and pulled — kind of that magnet drawing you in — is one of the new things community centers can offer,” said Dawn Merkes, principal with Group 4 Architecture, which handled the project’s design.

There will be a total of six flexible program rooms, with three on the first floor and three on the second floor. Each room accommodates about 30 people and can be connected to adjacent ones for larger meetings. The rooms will be for conferences, fitness and arts and crafts, among other activities.

There will also be a lounge on the first floor that can be a space for seniors to socialize in the morning or throughout the day and a gathering place for teens in the afternoon before their after-school programs begin, Merkes said. The building also features a community resource room that can be used to charge devices, for medical assistance or to shower in the event of a power shutoff or emergency. 

“This is not just a recreation center,” said Councilman Thomas McCune. “Some people will look at it purely as a recreational center, but there’s more benefit to the community other than that.”

Note to readers: The story has been updated. The new proposed rec center is 42,000 square feet and not 25,000 square feet. 

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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