A plan to pursue a cheaper option for the building of a new Stanley White Recreation Center was rejected last week by the New Bern Board of Aldermen.

The board directed the project architect to continue with work on the original design, with construction possibly beginning by early next year.

Kenneth Mayer, vice president with CPL Architects and Engineers, explained the company had developed the alternative plan due to the rising cost of materials and labor. Projected costs for the original two-story, 35,000 square feet design have risen from $12.4 million to $13.9 million, Mayer explained. 

The original plan calls for a new recreation center with two gymnasiums, offices and multi-purpose spaces on the ground level, along with an elevated walking track and fitness and weight room on the second floor. 

Principal Architect Mayowa Alabi said the alternate design would decrease the building’s footprint to 28,437 square feet and eliminate the second floor. The building materials would also incorporate less costly, precast materials, he explained.

More:Nearly four years after Florence, Stanley White Rec project draws closer to reality

According to Alabi, the changes would bring the estimated cost down to $12.1 million.

“That’s how we’re trying to reduce the cost while still maintaining the programming as much as we can,” Alabi said.

Another month and a half would be needed to complete the design phase, Alabi said, after which the plan will be reviewed by the city and FEMA for final approval. He said another two months will then be allocated for the construction design phase.

“We’ll be honing in on some very specific details at that point,” he noted.

Alabi said CPL currently has a construction bid date on its schedule for December.

City Manager Foster Hughes said he hopes to see construction on the new Stanley White Rec Center start by the beginning of 2023. 

By a vote of 5 to 1, the board agreed to direct CPL to continue with plans for the original design. 

Alderman Jeffrey Odham was the lone no vote, while Alderman Johnnie Ray Kinsey did not attend the meeting.  

More:Architectural plans underway for new Stanley White Rec building

Mayor Dana Outlaw said he was ready to move forward with the original plan despite the increased cost.

”I don’t think any of us are going to know the absolute (cost) until we get to the bid process stage,” Outlaw said. “I would like to stay the course and get some absolute numbers. They might come down a little bit but it’s not going to be significant if we want this building built, and it’s past due to be built.”

Alderwoman Sabrina Bengel noted that the alternate plan would also eliminate an outdoor pedestrian and bike path that would connect to the site of the original Stanley White Rec Center on Chapman Street.

“To me, that’s probably one of the most important features that we need to retain is the connection to Henderson Park and this facility, so that would concern me,” Bengel said.

Bengel added she believed the city could still find ways to lower costs.

"I think the footprint of this building needs to be the footprint of this building,” she commented. “I don’t like spending money I don’t have to spend but I think we’ve debated this long enough and had enough turmoil about it.”

The board’s decision comes nearly four years after Stanley White Rec Center was closed due to flood damage from Hurricane Florence in September 2108. It was later demolished.

More:'Really, they’ve given up on this community': Residents express frustration with Stanley White Rec rebuilding

By June of 2020, just over $8 million had been funded for the rebuilding project from state and federal sources. 

The board initially voted to approve a resolution to rebuild the recreation center at its original location at 901 Chapman Street but subsequently approved relocating it to property purchased by the city between Gaston Boulevard and Third Avenue, which lies outside of the city’s flood zone.

The move led a number of community members to cry foul, with some charging that the city is deliberately ignoring the wishes of the Duffyfield community.

Barbara Sampson, a longtime Duffyfield resident and daughter of the late Craven County Commissioner Johnnie Sampson, said she believed the city has misrepresented the available options for rebuilding on Chapman Street.

“I think the city hasn’t done anything to listen to the community. They made up their minds that they’re going to move it to Gaston Boulevard,” said Sampson. “They sent FEMA all the negative stuff about the original location and they misrepresented a whole lot of stuff. They knew it was in a flood area when they built it.”