BROOKINGS – The Brookings City Council stuck a toe in Tuesday night and opened a dialogue about a potential indoor recreation center during its study session.
The council had requested city staff look at various considerations, including site, because they needed to look at all the variables for the facility, said City Manager Jeff Weldon.
The council concentrated on location, with Fishback Soccer Complex in south Brookings and the Wiese Addition on the east side of Interstate 29 near Sixth Street being the top contenders at the moment.
They are not the only sites that the council has previously considered, Weldon said. The city already owns both sites, and discussing parcels of land owned by others is a bit premature.
The rec center needs about 15 to 20 acres, Weldon said. If they downsize the project, it would take less room, but officials want space to expand.
City staff generated 21 criteria to compare the sites, which could be rated from 1 to 5 depending on how they met the criteria. Some points, such as access to adequate existing utilities and proximity to future growth corridors were given a weight of 1, and others, such as pedestrian access to lodging, were given a weight value of 0.5.
Thad Drietz, assistant city engineer, explained each criteria. The aesthetic fit to the surrounding areas could be a factor because it will be a large facility, Drietz said. It might block the sun at certain times of the day for nearby residences.
Economic impact of increased traffic on the surrounding area could be both positive and negative, he said.
Which site would have the least environmental impact, especially if one was near a wetland? Dreitz asked.
Suitability of in-situ soils is a factor if it’s clay, gravel or has a high water table, he said. Suitability of existing topography depends on the lay of the land, steep slopes and drainage.
Drietz said more can be added to the list or taken away.
Councilor Dan Hansen pointed out five things the citizens task force had chosen as important: access to pedestrian traffic, proximity to neighborhoods, utilities, vehicle access and how close is it to a growth corridor.
There’s a big difference between walking and driving there in a car, Hansen said.
It will be an indoor facility with heavy use in the winter months, Weldon said, adding that people don’t walk as much as they should and parents tend to drive their kids most places, especially during the winter months.
Hansen countered that South Dakota State University has summer camps and clinics inside, and he thinks the rec center will be utilized for indoor activities like soccer and basketball in the summer when it’s hot.
“We have to pay attention to pedestrian access,” Hansen said.
Hansen also questioned the weight of importance each criteria item was given, especially the limited alternative potential uses for the property. He said a property that could be used for other things should be developed for those uses, but if a property has only a limited use and the rec center fits in that use, it should be used for that purpose.
Councilor Ope Niemeyer said land with greater flexibility has value, and the council should look at what it would cost to replace that land’s value so it can be used. He said Wiese can create commercial property tax and Fishback never will.
Councilor Holly Tilton Byrne said the city should encourage people to walk more and she questioned how the weight of each item was determined, pointing out the pedestrian access for residential neighborhoods was given less weight than a pedestrian access from commercial neighborhoods. Residential neighborhoods should be more important, she said.
Weldon said the difference was just 0.5 to 0.6.
Tilton Byrne asked if the private property adjacent to Fishback was considered, and Weldon said it was.
Councilor Nick Wendell said whether residents walk or bike is dependent on how the city constructs the facility, and he thinks it’s important to build it where it will draw people to Brookings’ other amenities.
“We want people to drive through Brookings,” Mayor Keith Corbett said.
Anyone who’s driven their kids to another town knows you don’t just go to the event and stay in a hotel and that’s it, Weldon said. People coming to use it will generate sales tax and operating revenue for the building.
Councilor Mary Kidwiler said Brookings isn’t so big that driving around is an issue, but biking is.
“Can’t imagine putting my child on a bike and letting them ride to the industrial park,” she said, adding the city was building the rec center for the community, not to be a money-maker.
“Our primary priority should be our people,” Kidwiler said, adding she wants it at Fishback.
“We can do all this – my question is how are we going to pay for it. That is our major problem right now. We can’t tax the death out of people,” she said.
“We need to start the discovery process,” Corbett said.
Weldon asked that the council give him specific information about the criteria they want and the weight for each because he needs a consensus.
“I’m not comfortable guessing,” he said.
Al Kurtenbach of the East Brookings Business and Industry Council said the two most valuable assets in Brookings are SDSU and I-29, and “taxpayers have contributed a lot to those assets.”
He helped find land for Daktronics in 1973 on the east side of the interstate and said a lot’s changed since then. Now Larson Ice Center is one of the biggest draws for the town, and there’s a hospitality area over there.
“The East Brookings group is very supportive of having a well-planned rec center,” and it should be near Larson Ice Center, he said.
“We can start with a smaller building and allow for add-ons,” Kurtenbach said.
He said putting the rec center at the Wiese Addition could enhance it as a big draw and complement Larson Ice Center. He wants to see multi-family housing at Wiese, too.
Sean Binker of the Parks and Recreation Board said developing the Wiese Addition with a rec center could help Brookings become a top biking community and increase revenue to support the building. He used the Pentagon in Sioux Falls as an example of a place that brings in a lot of revenue and develops young athletes.
The rec center plan “needs tweaking, but it’s a good starting point,” Binker said.
In other business:
Contact Jodelle Greiner at jgreiner@brookingsregister.com.
