Auburn leaders scrapped their original plan to build a community center at the south end of the Les Gove Community campus last year when it threatened to burst its budget.
On Tuesday its less pricey alternative, at the north end, adjacent to the activities center – went out to bid.
“This is an important milestone for the City and for the design team of being able to go out to bid. It has been a race to the finish,” Stan Lokting, principal of ARC Architects, whose firm began design work on the $9 million community and youth center only last November, told the Auburn City Council Monday.
Construction starts in August, and the center should be open next June in time for KidsDay.
“We have been going through a whirlwind of design, going through all the different technical specifications and drawings to make sure we have a project that is beneficial to the community and can be constructed on time and budget,” said Assistant City Engineer Jacob Sweeting.
Bids open July 7. The council learns how the bids came in on July 20.
The $9 million budget breaks down into a $3 million appropriation from the state Legislature and $6 million in City funds. The $3 million appropriation has to be committed to the project by June 30, or the state takes it back.
Lokting said the design team has worked hard to stay true to the City’s original ideas, notably that the center should fit in well with the existing buildings on the Les Gove Campus, in particular with the gymnasium, which was built only a few years ago.
He went on to cite another important principle: finding a color and material palette that was neutral, natural and appropriate for the campus setting, a palette that was not only effective from a budget perspective but also from a maintenance perspective.
Where possible, construction will incorporate local building materials.
Design drawings show a total of 21,000 square feet of space devoted to educational, cultural and social activities, offering broad views on Les Gove Park.
Taking up 7,300 square feet, the youth center will be created out of the existing Parks, Arts and Recreation administration building. It will offer an arts classroom; a computer lab; youth center staff offices; room for structured programs like dancing and spoken-word events; a dedicated computer lab; an art room; and room for informal activities such as gatherings, games, tutoring and socializing.
The 13,700-square-foot community center is to be built from the ground up. Its heart will be a 3,500-square-foot multi-purpose room, offering enough space for 200-275 people and dividable into three rooms. What the City hopes to achieve with the community center is to create opportunities for public and private events; classes; a fitness room with cardio and resistance machines; city-wide celebrations; storage; offices; and work areas for Parks, Arts and Rec administrative staff.
Shared spaces between the buildings are to include a lobby, some outdoor gathering areas and a teaching and warming kitchen, which the project realizes by renovating and expanding the kitchen.
