An $8.7 million, 79,000-square-foot multipurpose recreation center with batting cages, basketball courts and other facilities could be built at the site of the Phoenix motel, 100 N. Fifth.
Salina developer Brian Richardson announced Tuesday at the Salina Downtown Inc. annual meeting that he plans to build on the northeast corner of Fifth Street and Iron Avenue a two-story recreation center with four open basketball courts, which could be converted to volleyball courts; a commons area; two other “court-sized” facilities that could have turf; and a second floor with batting cages.
“With my three kids playing sports, we travel the Midwest and, when talking with the families of teammates, we wondered why we don’t have something like this in Salina,” Richardson said before the meeting. “After visiting with the city, Kansas Wesleyan University and other groups, we determined this is something that has been needed for some time.”
Richardson said the facility will be paid for with a combination of private and public funds. He said he is applying for grants and already has raised $2 million in private money.
“Talking with people about the project, I haven’t heard one negative thing about it,” Richardson said before the meeting. “Everyone has been positive about this.”
Richardson said the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce estimates that the recreation center is expected to generate about $6 million a year in economic activity.
He said he is not sure who will manage the facility, but the city, YMCA and other groups have been involved in discussions about the project.
Members of Salina Downtown Inc. clapped and raised their hands in support of the project when Richardson asked for their feelings on the project.
Sooner than later
Modeled after the Farha Center in Wichita, the facility was designed by architect Charles Renz, of the Salina firm Jones Gillam and Renz. It would be located at the site of the Phoenix motel, which Richardson is in the process of purchasing and plans to demolish in the next year.
“We are not sure on the time frame for construction,” Richardson said. “We would rather start sooner than later.”
Richardson announced in January that he planned to purchase the former Hilton motel, now the Phoenix, from owner Ben Frick, for $620,000. He was working with Assurance Partners, an insurance and risk-management company, to remodel and purchase the Phoenix’s 7,500-square-foot convention center building.
“We want to get Assurance in their building before we start demolition of the motel,” Richardson said.
Why go into downtown
Richardson said the decision to build downtown stems from decisions by other cities investing in their downtowns.
“Other cities are doing infill development downtown, such as building an arena downtown,” Richardson said. “It is not often there is an area with the square footage to do this — and the Phoenix is an area we could do that.”
Richardson is renovating the old Anderson Leather building, 116 N. Santa Fe, where former Salina Mayor Monte Shadwick plans to open Blue Skye Brewery & Eats. Richardson also has an option on 10 acres of land west of the post office at Fifth and Ash.
Salina is missing out
Richardson said the facility which will have bleacher seating to allow people to watch games and will allow the city to attract events.
“The chamber recently turned away a chance to have a national volleyball tournament because we didn’t have the facilities,” Richardson said before the meeting. “We are missing opportunities all the time because we don’t have these facilities.”
Will stop leakage, too
Dennis Lauver, president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, confirmed that the chamber turned down a volleyball tournament. He said Richardson’s proposed facility would have helped bring that event to the city.
“The recreation center can be viewed as attracting activity to Salina and stopping the leakage out of it,” Lauver said before the meeting. “It is clearly an opportunity for us to bring folks from across greater Kansas to our events and keep people here that are going out of town for the weekend.”
~Article via salina.com
