The Poulsbo Event and Recreation Center project will be divided into three phases after concerns were raised about cost and focus from the primary funder, the Kitsap Public Facilities District.
Senior projects planner Karla Boughton provided an update at the City Council meeting Dec. 14. She said the result of the discussions with KPFD, along with the city’s unsuccessful attempt to acquire an additional nine acres of adjacent property, was to reorganize the PERC into phases and refine its approach.
Phase 1 would include two turfed and lighted tournament fields, with outdoor amenities such as basketball and pickleball courts, picnic shelters, Pacific Northwest-inspired playground, seating along walking paths and concession stands for sports tournaments, documents say.
Phase 2 would be the Event and Recreation Center, which would include indoor gyms and recreation spaces, along with rooms for events/meetings/classes.
Phase 3 would be the outdoor pool.
Phases 2 and 3 are dependent on adding more real estate and funding.
“We don’t have the real estate today, but there are properties around this particular location that we could potentially acquire over time,” Mayor Becky Erickson said, adding the city can also do joint land agreements with Western Washington University and Olympic College, which have campuses close by.
The preliminary cost for Phase 1 is estimated at $11.7 million. The district has ranked the center second in its funding priorities and discussions with its executive director indicate the board is prepared to move forward with a new agreement to fund Phase 1, documents say.
The city will need to match 33% of the $11.7 million. Erickson floated the idea of putting a Metropolitan Park District on the voter’s ballot to help with some of the costs, adding it would generate up to $1.7 million annually.
Tournament fields
To hold large sports tournaments, the city has partnered with the Central Kitsap School District to use four of its lighted turf fields, along with the two turf fields at Strawberry Fields in Poulsbo, for a total of eight fields within a 15-minute driving radius.
BERK Consulting of Seattle conducted a market analysis and determined that the eight fields improve their marketability as a feasible tournament destination.
Cost/revenue estimates
Based on estimates from BERK Consulting, annual contracted maintenance for the two fields would be up to $6,100 and field replacement would cost between $700,000 and $1.3 million. Comparing other city field sites, BERK recommended the following rental rates: field rate, $40/hour; tournament fee, $475/day; and lights rate, $22/hour.
Based on estimated rental hours and recommended rates, revenue estimates were: practice revenue ($40/hour) would be up to $35,000; tournament revenue ($475/day) up to $4,750; lights revenue ($22/hour) would be between $6,400 and up to $9,600; and total revenue would between $30,000 and $50,000.
Other revenue options listed were advertising and sponsorship, concession stand rentals, shelter rentals and miscellaneous equipment rentals.
To learn more about the project, visit cityofpoulsbo.com/perc
