College Station Recreation Center Feasibility Study

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – College Station wants to know what residents think about adding a recreation center.

Community meetings, surveys, and a public open house will take place next week.

Jennifer Cain, the city’s Director of Capital Projects and Facility Management, says the city’s goal behind the open-house meeting is for the public to ask questions and give their thoughts.

Cain says the city wants to determine if a new recreation center would be valuable to College Station and what the city needs.

She says the open house will have visuals and ways for the public to vote for or against a new recreation center.

“The City of College Station is kicking off a Recreation Center Feasibility Study. The process includes reviewing and analyzing the current recreation facilities, programs, and services in and around College Station, as well as significant public outreach to determine community needs, current offerings, and potential gaps in service for our residents. The goal of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of developing and managing a recreation center. Project consultants, Brinkley Sargent Wiginton Architects and BerryDunn, will lead a variety of public engagement opportunities that are critical in determining project feasibility,” said Cain. “We want to hear from as many people as possible, so if you can attend the meeting, feel free to reach out through email. We will be publishing a website pretty soon probably in the next week so people have an opportunity to share feedback there as well.”

The open house meetings are next Tuesday and Wednesday, the 23rd and 24th, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at City Hall and anyone is welcome to attend.

KBTX asked a few College Station residents what they thought about a possible recreation center being built in College Station.

Altay Dikec is a dad in College Station and says a new recreation center would help during cold days like today

“Especially in winter when our kids are at home, we just need them to go out and spend some energy out there but there are not many places when it’s really cold,” said Dikec.

Dikec says a new recreation center would add value to families who live in College Station

“Would just increase those opportunities of activities for kids, they could play basketball, tennis, you know, all different types of activities and socialize with their friends,” said Dikec.

Dikec told me he feels limited by what’s available in the city.

“We come here to Central Park for fishing with my kids, but that’s just one thing,” said Dikec.

College Station mom, Jordyn Milenkovic, said the same.

“I do feel like if we had more indoor options, that would be helpful as well. We have the library that we take them [her kids] to normally. We either go to the library or this park, so there’s not much in between,” said Milenkovic.

She said a recreation center with covered spaces and in south College Station would be perfect.

“We need more covered spaces here in College Station with the extreme heat that we get and just the sensitivity of more parents wanting their kids to be protected from the sun but still get fresh air,” said Milenkovic.