Council to look at options for designing indoor youth sports complex – The Lawton Constitution
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The City Council will provide direction Tuesday on how to proceed with design plans for the indoor youth sports complex.
Council members directed city staff in December to negotiate with Stantec Architecture Inc. for a contract allowing the Texas-based firm to design a 86,000-square-foot, $11.05 million indoor youth sports complex in Elmer Thomas Park, south of Lake Helen. Stantec already has conceptual designs showing how the complex would look at that site. City officials intended that the firm would prepare construction designs as well.
Deputy City Manager Dewayne Burk warned the Lawton Youth Sports Trust Authority in early March that city officials and Stantec had not reached agreement on a design contract, saying discussions “hit a snag.” City administrators said they couldn’t comment on specific details until they had briefed the council members, which they did while meeting with council members in small groups.
According to Tuesday’s council agenda commentary, city staff members have been “unsuccessful in obtaining a favorable contract with Stantec Architecture.” As a result, city administrators recommend the council direct city staff to terminate the agreement with Stantec and “evaluate potential options for the Sports Facility project to be brought back to council for consideration.”
The agenda commentary doesn’t specify the options, but Burk told the trust authority — created by the council earlier this year to oversee youth sports and associated facilities — that one may be seeking proposals from other architectural firms.
As proposed, the 86,000-square-foot facility will provide an indoor venue for soccer, basketball and volleyball with competition surfaces, an indoor walking track, viewing areas, food concessions area, classrooms and other support spaces. Conceptual designs show a complex with two wings: the east wing will contain the indoor soccer field with elevated walking track; the west, six indoor basketball courts. The agenda commentary also states a portion of the complex space would be engineered to serve as a public storm shelter, something that would “increase the value of the structure to the community….”
Stantec’s project architects John Shiver and Hunter Bradshaw said in December that conceptual designs take advantage of the slope of the area near the lake, meaning part of the building would be “below grade” and fit more easily into the park. The building would be west of a parking lot that serves what has become the park’s primary monument area.
City funding is coming from the 2019 Capital Improvements Program, which designates up to $8 million for construction of the complex. The balance of the cost will be covered by donations and grants, supporters have said.
Some residents have opposed part of the plan, saying they like the idea of a sports complex but not its location in Elmer Thomas Park because it would intrude upon existing recreational facilities. Parks and Recreation Director Christine James said the complex will take about 3 acres of space in what is a 160-acre park.
“This footprint is pretty small,” she said.
Supporters have said the site was selected because it is visible from Interstate 44, because the land is owned by the City of Lawton, and because it can take advantages of amenities in the park. Trust Authority Chairman Brian Henry said a steering committee narrowed an initial list of 20 sites to four, then evaluated those four before recommending the Lake Helen site. A prominent alternate site, north of the Second Street retail complex at Northwest Ferris Avenue, was dropped because city officials want the land to be kept for retail activities that generate sales …….
The City Council will provide direction Tuesday on how to proceed with design plans for the indoor youth sports complex.
Council members directed city staff in December to negotiate with Stantec Architecture Inc. for a contract allowing the Texas-based firm to design a 86,000-square-foot, $11.05 million indoor youth sports complex in Elmer Thomas Park, south of Lake Helen. Stantec already has conceptual designs showing how the complex would look at that site. City officials intended that the firm would prepare construction designs as well.
Deputy City Manager Dewayne Burk warned the Lawton Youth Sports Trust Authority in early March that city o…….
The City Council will provide direction Tuesday on how to proceed with design plans for the indoor youth sports complex.
Council members directed city staff in December to negotiate with Stantec Architecture Inc. for a contract allowing the Texas-based firm to design a 86,000-square-foot, $11.05 million indoor youth sports complex in Elmer Thomas Park, south of Lake Helen. Stantec already has conceptual designs showing how the complex would look at that site. City officials intended that the firm would prepare construction designs as well.
Deputy City Manager Dewayne Burk warned the Lawton Youth Sports Trust Authority in early March that city o…….