$18M PARA Activity Center Proposed For Fosters

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority (PARA) on Wednesday provided the first conceptual designs for a proposed $18 million activity center at Braughton Park in Fosters.

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Eric Requist of Ellis Architects was on hand to go over the preliminary designs and figures with the Tuscaloosa County Commission, which ultimately held off on taking any formal action as it considers the different possibilities of the project.

Requist said that following a feasibility assessment completed by Barge Design Solutions in October, along with consideration of a 2014 master plan for the site, the proposed recreational facility was viewed as one that would balance out the number of new PARA facilities in each of the four commission districts.

He then explained that the feasibility study recommended a facility similar in size and amenities to the Jerry Tingle Activity Center in McCalla, which opened in 2018 and is the newest PARA recreational center in its portfolio of properties.

If the new center at Braughton Park is constructed, Requist said it would feature the same amenities as the Tingle Center, such as a pool with water slides, an indoor walking track, a gymnasium and additional space set aside for a possible second gym.

Ellis Architects estimates the total cost to be $18,110,000 for all phases of construction.

"There's an existing building and an existing ball field [at Braughton Park] and part of this would be demolition of the existing building and a relocation of that existing field," he said. "And the there are some unique aspects to the site that are part of this and that was presented in the feasibility study, one being the floodplain."

Here's a look at the design for the proposed activity center and property

Requist then said the current proposal would see the new facility and field positioned outside of the aforementioned floodplain, in addition to bringing in soil to raise up the location and its parking lot to keep them from flooding during heavy rain events.

As for the amenities indoors, Ellis Architects pitched the possibility of a ground-floor walking track to save the costs of an elevator and the required maintenance that comes with one.

Instead, Requist proposed putting the walking track in the facility's exercise room, which would also provide a windowed view to the nearby forested area adjacent to the property.

Separate from recreation, the new building would also provide space for a Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office satellite station.

In terms of presentation, though, Requist said a primary difference in the proposed facility in Fosters when compared to the Tingle Center is that the entrance would be facing out to Highway 43.

"We've rearranged it to where you're coming down Highway 43 and you're looking in, you're going to see the pool on the main entry ... so as you're pulling into the parking lot, you'll have those slides that are right next to the highway to help promote the facility. ... You're going to get a lot of advertising just out of that first entrance."

Once open, the new facility would likely be financially supported by the community, with Ellis Architects reporting that over 90% of the survey respondents indicated that they would be willing to pay for a PARA membership to use an activity center like this in Fosters.

Requist was also asked about a possible construction timeline, to which he responded anywhere from a year to 14 months. He also mentioned that costs had started to stabilize — a trend the architecture firm anticipates will continue in the coming months.

"I talked to a few contractors and they're seeing the workloads coming down," he said. "The subcontractor pricing should come down, so we do see potential savings in the next six months just on subcontractor costs, but not on all materials. I don't anticipate materials coming down in most of the time frame we see for construction."

The County Commission ultimately decided to consider the concept presented on Wednesday and plan to further discuss the proposed project at a later date.

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