Foster City rec center halfway complete

The halfway-mark is an important step for many residents, especially given the multi-year lead-up to the project. 

Located in Leo J. Ryan Park, conversations to get rid of the old center, built in 1974, ramped up around 2016, largely motivated by structural deficiencies, especially related to water leakage, as well as outdated emergency shelter accommodations. However, the process was punctuated by budgetary and pandemic-related delays. A projected long-term structural deficit had given several elected officials pause on whether to move ahead on the project. Some councilmembers had previously floated ideas for a bond measure or other financing mechanisms to fund the project in light of fiscal concerns but ultimately voted to move forward on the project as originally planned. 

While the city scaled back on some of its prior upgrades, the center will include, among other amenities, updated playgrounds and more room rentals, which is a primary source of revenue for the facility. 

“A lot of people are very excited and can’t wait to see it continue,” Mayor Stacy Jimenez said during the council meeting.

In September, the city signed a contract with BHM after construction bids came in roughly $10 million lower than the originally anticipated $65 million.

“Overall the project is in a strong position,” Parks and Recreation Director Derek Schweigart said.  

The milestone also comes after the City Council discussed early-stage efforts to make improvements to all of its parks and open spaces. During a recent assessment, city staff found that it had a generally lower level of reservable picnic areas and dog parks than other municipalities. And even though the amount of open space is relatively high compared to other similar cities in the region, it may still need to increase its open space to accommodate future growth. Some of the improvements at Leo J. Ryan Park may include increasing the number of pickleball courts and upgrading docking areas, according to a prior report.