Chanhassen sold voters on a new sales tax to build a community center with two sheets of ice, a restaurant and other amenities.
But early proposals came in over budget and missing some key features. Now, elected officials have asked designers to hit “reset” and come back with other options – or let them know if the project isn’t viable.
“I would rather have egg on our face and say we couldn’t do it under the budget that we promised our residents than say we’re increasing the levy and we have less amenities,” Mayor Elise Ryan said in a council work session earlier this month.
Just over half of Chanhassen voters in November signed off on a plan to impose a 0.5% sales tax to help cover the costs of building the Chanhassen Bluffs Community Center in a new development at Hwy. 212 and Powers Boulevard.
In the run-up to the election, officials told residents they expected the facility would cost about $80 million and include two sheets of ice, a restaurant, an indoor walking track and an indoor playground, among other amenities. It would be funded using the new tax, the property levy and money from the sale of the existing recreation center, among other sources.
In a public meeting earlier this month, members of design firm BKV Group and RJM Construction presented council members with multiple options for the project. An $81 million version wouldn’t have a second sheet of ice or turf in a fieldhouse. A $93 million version would replace the restaurant with a community room that could accommodate weddings and other events.
Members of the project team told the council they needed to present new options for the design because the costs of site work, which includes paving parking lots, curb and gutter work and “earth work,” came in higher than expected.
Paul Michell, government managing partner for BKV Group, said in a follow-up email to the Minnesota Star Tribune that he couldn’t yet comment on why the costs were higher.
