Lemay community center in planning stages: Group hopes to have plan ready by end of summer

From the South County Journal. Tuesday, June 24, 2008
By Steve Birmingham

Going up the lazy river, attending craft fairs and physical fitness are all in store if a planned Lemay community center is completed.

A plan for such a center is several steps closer to becoming reality following a series of recent meetings involving community members and St. Louis County officials.

The St. Louis County Port Authority, St. Louis County Parks Department and the Lemay Community Facilities Committee (LCFC) are working on planning and preliminary design studies for the new center which is being designed by Ankney-Kell Architects.

Greg Hayden, president of the Lemay Chamber of Commerce and a member of the LCFC, said the suggestions on what a community center should include will be incorporated into a final plan that could be available by the end of the summer.

“We wanted to be sure the committee members came to the meetings with an open mind because it’s really about the community and what the community wants and needs,” Hayden said. “So, that’s why we ended up getting a consultant, because none of us are experienced in building community centers. We really felt we should build something the community will use and be proud of.”

A survey was taken recently of the 63125 ZIP code area that included residences within a three-mile radius of the community, said Jacqueline Wellington, of the St. Louis County Port Authority. The survey revealed the community was looking for a gathering spot that could provide a variety of activities through the use of flexible room spaces within the community center, she said.

Currently Lemay residents have the Kennedy Recreation Center in Mehlville as the closest option, although some use the Affton-White Rogers Community Center.

Hayden said a tract of park land owned by St. Louis County at Kingston Drive and South Broadway, at the entrance to Jefferson Barracks County Park, will be the center’s site.

The committee considered accessibility and the cost of purchasing land elsewhere “but there’s just not much acreage available in the Lemay area,” Hayden said.

Wellington said community suggestions included an aquatic area with an outdoor space of about 15,000 square-feet that would include an outdoor family pool and lap lanes for water exercise classes. An aquatic center would also feature a vortex pool, a current channel, play structures, a water slide andassorted sprays and fountains.

Also suggested was a 9,500 square-foot gymnasium with portable seating and space for basketball and volleyball courts, a running and jogging track of 4,000 square-feet, weight and cardiovascular areas of 5,000 square-feet, a multi-purpose room of about 1,200 square-feet and a baby sitting area of about 1,000 square-feet.

The entire area, including the building and aquatic area but not the outdoor swimming pool, would total almost 35,000 square-feet, Wellington said.

“The architects will take a look at all the various things the community would like to see incorporated into the project, put some budget estimates on it and then we will have to refine it based on the funds that are currently available,” Wellington said.

Hancock Place School District Superintendent Dr. Greg Clark, also an LCFC member, said “my view of a community center is one that provides activities for everybody, from kids all the way up to senior citizens.

“We’re working with the community to see what they really want, but I also realize we’re working within a budget that try have to stay within,” Clark said.

Funding for the community center, about $5 million, was provided by Pinnacle Entertainment through an agreement with the St. Louis County Port Authority and St. Louis County for the construction of their new River City Hotel and Casino.

The casino is being built on the former National Lead Industries site near the Mississippi River. The St. Louis County Port Authority owns the site and is leasing it to Pinnacle.

Pinnacle estimates the $450 million casino project will create approximately 1,000 jobs during its
construction and nearly 2,000 permanent jobs for the community.

Plans call for it to feature a 3,000 slot casino, a 100 room hotel andmore than 280,000 square feet of retail and entertainment amenities, including a band pavilion, athletic fields and the community/aquatic center.