The 9/14 special meeting of the IVGID BOT should be cancelled. As of 8am on Tuesday, September 13, there is still no RFID contract for the Board to review. And the description of the revised rec center expansion is lacking in sufficient detail. There are serious drawbacks to this proposal. Square footage of various rooms is not available. However, what is presented is that there will be no added gymnasium; the staff memo is deceptive in listing the dedicated gymnastics space as a “gymnasium”. And including expanded staff office space, conference and break rooms as “recreation center” is equally misleading. So out of the 26,411 sq ft rec center expansion, the only “public” amenities are a 1000 sq ft activity room, some restrooms, a new entry, a covered walkway and possibly some storage areas.

The preliminary cost estimates for the rec center expansion presented a few months ago exceeded estimates so the foundation scaled back the expansion and cut out the new gymnasium, the only major element that was actually part of the Master Plan. There is a rush to have the Board approve this new plan so it can be submitted to TRPA for their approval at their meeting on Thursday, September 15.

The revised option D rec center expansion does not comport with the barely 3 year old Community Services Master Plan. The master plan listed 10 objectives on p. 102; the modified expansion plan misses the mark on nearly all of them. Here’s what’s not in the expansion plan

• No warm water pool
• No second gymnasium
• No large multi-purpose room (2500 square feet or more was recommended)
• No increase in the size of the weights room
• Only slightly increased fitness studio (doubling was recommended).
• Not only is the parking not increased, additional demands for parking are being created.

Here’s what is included:

• Office space for staff, thereby freeing up a few hundred square feet for the group exercise/fitness room. The master plan called for multiple, larger group exercise rooms.
• A new entry, possibly providing space for a massage studio in the existing center, based on plans presented a few months back for the reallocation of existing space.
• A small activity room (updated square footage not provided, but prior drawings show 1080 sq.ft.), when the master plan calls for a multi-purpose room of 2500 square feet or more.
• A dedicated youth center (nowhere to be found in the master plan) to provide before and after school care and all day care when school is not in session (not exclusively for recreation, as mandated by deed restrictions and IVGID’s basic powers). And although staff claims some of the space may be available for IVGID use, if the agreement is finalized with Boys and Girls Club , the club will take priority. Considering we have unanticipated school closures due to snow, this space cannot be relied upon to be available for any other use during winter months.
• A dedicated gymnastics facility with restrooms (again nowhere in the master plan).

This plan is another ill-conceived attempt to cater to special interests and overstep IVGID’s limited role of providing recreation. Although a youth center might be a very desirable community amenity, this type of facility overburdens the existing rec center and parking. It would be more appropriately located at or near one of our school properties. IVGID does not have the power to operate the type of programs offered by the Boys and Girls Club. IVGID has the power of public recreation.

Creating dedicated spaces like the gymnastics area that will serve only a very small number of our residents conflicts with a basic tenet of public recreation to provide the greatest benefit to the highest number of residents/property owners. The expansion is not modular in design and likely precludes projects that were already identified in the master plan. It does not follow the Master Plan “trends” of “promoting flexible spaces that can easily be converted to a variety of uses” (CSMP p. 102)

Let the Board know they should cancel this meeting. It is irresponsible to go forward with the missing or deceptive information on the two agenda items.