Belmont to Borrow $28M for New Aquatics Center
Over a decade and millions spent in preparing and redesigning culminated in a final construction and funding plan for the long-awaited Belmont Beach and Aquatics Center at Tuesday’s Long Beach City Council meeting.
In total, the project is costing the City $105 million, which includes the decade plus of planning meetings, redesigns, fighting a lawsuit and more. While Long Beach has been setting aside funds for the center for years, it will have to borrow $24 million in bonds to be paid back over a period of 30 years.
To pay for this bond, Long Beach will introduce parking meter fees along the coast in 1,800 spots that are currently free, as well as increase parking costs in other areas and increase fees for certain programs at the aquatics center once it’s open.
The City approved a $59 million contract with Bernard Bros. Inc. for the construction of the Belmont Beach and Aquatics Center, as well as $24.5 million in bonds to cover a funding gap for the project.
Hendrick Motorsports Unveils 35,000-Square-Foot Athletic Training Facility
Hendrick Motorsports says its all-new 35,000 square-foot training center rivals those seen in some of the top athletic colleges at professional sports team, and the pictures and videos released of the inside appear to support that claim. They scouted several complexes for inspiration, including Clemson, Auburn and Alabama, as well as the MLS' Charlotte FC and even Fort Bragg.
In partnership with Atrium Health, the athletic center has everything from state-of-the-art recovery devices, a nutrition station, a barber shop and sauna, a rock wall inside a weight room, as well as a full-time athletic trainer and physical therapist. But that's still only scratching the surface. There's also a film room, a hot tub, a cold tub, a conference room named in honor of Ray Evernham, and even a kombucha kegerator.
Gulf Shores Sportsplex to Add Facilites, Upgrades
Gulf Shores city schools are looking at making improvements at the city’s Sportsplex to expand facilities for the schools’ athletic teams. Those facilities will better accommodate baseball, softball, football, and soccer teams. Work will include new buildings as well as some renovations on existing fields.
The plans will first come to light at the city planning commission’s meeting on Jan. 27 at 4 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall.
The improvements planned include:
- Construction of two 9,000-square-foot field houses for baseball and softball, including locker rooms, coaches’ offices, laundry, and batting cages.
- Adding about 2,100-square feet to the existing football fieldhouse for use by the school’s soccer teams.
- Relocating the existing visitor dugouts.
No action is required by the commission on this item, and funding will come from the Gulf Shores Board of Education.
This new athletics project was announced just as the $7.5 million athletic training facility at the new high school campus at the Foley Beach Express and Coastal Gateway Boulevard is set to open for fall classes.
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