The Utah National Guard recently began building a new facility south of Bloomington Hills, a St. George suburb, using land managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
This left the old National Guard armory, situated in the center of St. George, available, said Brent Crosby, St. George City Information Officer.When St. George donated the property to the state for the armory shortly after World War II, it was done with the condition the property was to return to the city if the use of the land changed, but the state wanted to sell the building, Crosby said.
Prior to the National Guard move, in fact, in 1992, St. George had begun negotiations with the Guard, but nothing much happened until the Guard began constructing their new facility.
The cost of roads to the new facility and of utilities pushed the National Guard building budget beyond its limits.
In a creative and cooperative joint endeavor, St. George agreed to extend the roads and utilities to the new location and contribute an unspecified sum to provide amenities to the new building in exchange for the old armory building in town and access to the new armory for recreation programs.
During the course of the negotiations, it was discovered the new gymnasium was less than regulation for basketball and the floor was to be cement or tile. The city asked if plans could be changed to add a wood floor and enlarge the gymnasium if the city paid for these items. An agreement was reached. The city will now receive first access (behind the National Guard needs) for use of the new building during the week. This includes the gym, locker rooms and seven classrooms.
The City Council then approved approximately $650,000 for the first of a three-phase renovation of the old armory to create a community center. Construction of the first phase was completed in late May and the recreation center opened its doors to the public in late July.
The facility provides a gym, game room, crafts area, kitchen, locker rooms, two class rooms and a social/TV area.
Moving the Recreation and Community Programs Division to the new center consolidates all program registrations to this central locations, Kent Perkins, director of St. George Leisure Services, said.
Plans are under way by the Leisure Services Department to add racquet ball courts, a second, smaller gym, fitness and multipurpose rooms, a day care and additional parking and storage in the second and third phases, according to information received from Crosby and Perkins.