Underneath the giant unfinished roof at the site where the Park City Recreation Center is being built sit piles of dirt.
Outside the Park Meadows building, the grounds of what was once known as the Racquet Club remain littered with construction equipment and materials.
The crews working on what is one of City Hall’s most ambitious projects, though, are progressing toward a completion date in late November, three weeks or so behind schedule.
The Recreation Advisory Board, the municipal panel that holds some influence on City Hall’s sports offerings, last week toured the construction site, giving the members a chance to tour the inside of the building. People passing by have watched as the steel skeleton went up, but there has not been a chance for Parkites to visit the site.
Donning hard hats and led by the two City Hall staffers most involved in the project, the Recreation Advisory Board members were provided a glimpse of the project as well as the layout of the new building.
Ken Fisher, who manages recreation programs for City Hall, and Matt Twombly, the municipal staffer who managing the Recreation Center construction, guided the Recreation Advisory Board through sections of the construction site.
They spent time under the giant roof with piles of dirt making up the ground, the space where the tennis courts will be built. A running track will be put above the tennis courts, following the perimeter of the courts and allowing runners a bird’s-eye view of the tennis play below.
The tour included stops where the pro shop will be located and where the tennis offices will be situated, both close to the front door of the building. The Recreation Advisory Board looked at the space set aside for a 12-foot-tall wall for bouldering as well as the area where a yoga studio will be offered.
“The ceiling stays high in here. It will be quite the space,” Fisher said.
A weight room will be placed on the second story. An aerobic studio will also be on the second floor. Both of the spaces will offer views of the mountains.
The Recreation Advisory Board also looked at the innards of the building, making a quick stop at the room where the hot-water heaters will be located.
“It’s really, really, really awesome,” Kathy Kahn, a member of the Recreation Advisory Board, said about the facility.
The visit to the site was scheduled shortly before City Hall officials are scheduled to approach the Park City Planning Commission with a request to slightly extend the hours that construction is allowed. The Planning Commission is tentatively scheduled to consider the request at a meeting on June 22.
The officials want two hours added to the beginning of the workday on Saturdays, from the 9 a.m. now permitted to 7 a.m. Twombly has said poor weather last winter set the project back. The extended hours would ensure the work does not fall further behind, he has said.
John Halsey, a member of the Recreation Advisory Board, said in an interview during the tour he supports the extended construction hours. Halsey lives on Little Kate Road, across the street from the Recreation Center site.
“It’s a project I’d love to get done,” Halsey said, adding, “We’ve only got a few months left.”
City Hall is spending $10.5 million on the Recreation Center construction and related costs, one of the largest-ever municipal projects. Most of the Racquet Club was demolished and the larger Recreation Center is going up in its place. The facility will offer numerous new pieces of workout equipment and many environmental upgrades.