City of Cambridge Council approves recreation complex concept

A decision has been made on the long-awaited Cambridge Recreation Complex and Library.

At Thursday’s Special Council Meeting, City Council unanimously approved ‘Option B’, which is the larger, more expensive concept. It includes more square footage, two more lanes in the pool, a three-court FIBA standard gymnasium rather than high school-sized basketball courts, an upgrade to the idea exchange and more parking spaces.

This went against staff’s recommendation. They believed that the cheaper complex was sufficient, and ‘Option B’ was not worth spending the extra $8 million. In total, the chosen concept is estimated to cost $107,935,380.

Council recognized the cost of the project, but Councillor Scott Hamilton was in agreement with the public that spending a bit more money now will have long-term benefits that can be reaped for years. Hamilton said no design is going to appease everybody.

“I think we’ve been looking for the perfect rec complex for what seems like decades. If you keep chasing what’s perfect… you’ll never actually put a shovel in the ground. Right now, I think what we’ve got is better than good, and it’s better than great.”

The complex will be built in Ward 7, Hamilton’s district. He told Council Chambers that the complex is going to be a cornerstone for growth.

“We need to build for the capacity of the future, not just the capacity we have today. We only get one chance to do this right. We only get one shot. So if our city is growing, we need facilities to accommodate this.”

Ward 5 Councillor Sheri Roberts also agreed that the larger complex was needed to accommodate the city’s rising population, citing a recently signed housing pledge.

“We’re building for not only the population we have today, but for the growth that is happening here in Cambridge. I mean we just signed a housing pledge for 19,000 new homes in the coming years and with that comes a lot of new residents.”

After years of work to push the plans for the complex over the line, culminating with a 9-0 vote, Mayor Jan Liggett allowed all those in attendance to applaud the efforts of the city.

A statement from the City of Cambridge states that the anticipated next steps will see the project team move into design development, including a more detailed look at the design and cost estimates, as well as continued consultation with the public and key stakeholders.

The timeline in the staff report shows that the design phase is expected to continue for another year, with construction beginning in July 2024.