$150 million Basin Recreation bond would fund new facilities, not ongoing operations

Basin Recreation is considering a $150 million bond to help fund new climbing, fitness, aquatics and indoor recreation facilities in the Snyderville Basin. County council members raised questions Wednesday about the projects’ long-term operating costs. Photo: Basin Recreation

The proposal would fund two new recreation centers, while future staffing, maintenance and programming costs would be covered separately.

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Basin Recreation is considering asking Snyderville Basin voters to authorize up to $150 million in general obligation bonds to build two recreation centers, a proposal that could add about $203 a year to the property tax bill for a primary residence valued at $1 million.

The Snyderville Basin Special Recreation District presented the proposal to the Summit County Council on Wednesday but did not seek formal approval. A resolution placing the bond question on the November ballot is expected to return to the council at a later meeting.

The bond would pay for the first phase of a 64,000-square-foot climbing and fitness center near Jeremy Ranch and a 120,000-square-foot aquatics and recreation center at Silver Creek Village. Outdoor fields, courts, parks, and other amenities would be built later using impact fees, grants and partnerships rather than bond proceeds, according to district documents.

The East Canyon facility, proposed on Rasmussen Road, would include climbing walls, fitness equipment, indoor courts and a second-level sprint track. The Silver Creek Village center would include lap and recreation pools, an indoor turf field, a running track, fitness areas, and space for youth programs, camps, and childcare.

Basin Recreation Executive Director Rob Parrish told the council that the district is seeking authorization for up to $150 million because several costs remain uncertain, including land arrangements and other project expenses. He said he believes the final cost could be closer to $120 million to $125 million.

“I’m confident it’s not going to cost that,” Parrish said of the full $150 million authorization. “We’re still working through our concept design.”

Preliminary figures prepared by Zions Public Finance assume a 20-year bond and combine the new debt with the district’s existing bonds. For a primary residence valued at $1 million, the new bond would cost an estimated $203 a year, or $16.88 a month. Including existing Basin Recreation debt, the total bond-related tax would be approximately $295 annually.

A second home, short-term rental or commercial property valued at $1 million would pay an estimated $368 annually for the new bond, or $537 when existing district debt is included. The estimates are preliminary and based on interest rates as of June 29.

District officials said the facilities are needed to keep pace with development already approved or moving through the county review process. Basin Recreation’s service population, which includes residents and a portion of the workers who use district facilities, is projected to grow from 25,597 in 2026 to 30,709 by 2036, an increase of about 20%. The district’s planning documents say the Fieldhouse is expected to reach capacity in 2027.

Projects contributing to that growth include Silver Creek Village, the Tech Center redevelopment, Junction Commons, and new housing near Jeremy Ranch.

Parrish said new homes and businesses would be added to the tax rolls and help share the fixed annual bond payment. New development would also pay recreation impact fees that could be used for equipment and future outdoor improvements.

Council members generally agreed that the district faces increasing demand, but several questioned whether Basin Recreation has adequately estimated the cost of operating and maintaining nearly 184,000 square feet of additional indoor space.

Council member Chris Robinson asked the district to provide a clearer summary of its existing debt and a forecast of the staffing, maintenance, and operating costs associated with the two buildings.

“I think that we need to go hand in hand with the capital budget and an operating budget that forecasts what it’s really going to take,” Robinson said.

Council Chair Canice Harte shared concerns about the long-term expense of operating an aquatic center, saying pools have remained unbuilt in the Basin for years, in part because of their maintenance costs.

“It’s not an accident that it hasn’t been built before now,” Harte said. “It’s not just the physical cost to build, but the ongoing O&M.”

Parrish said the district is reviewing its membership and program fees and expects to adopt a revised fee structure that would take effect in January. He said the district currently recovers about 25% to 30% of its operating costs through fees and is exploring private partnerships, including the possibility of having an outside concessionaire operate the climbing facility.

He said it would be premature to create a detailed operating plan before voters approve the bond and the facilities move through the design phase.

“If the bond passes, that also gives me the time and ability to leverage public-private partnerships,” Parrish said.

The district is also considering whether the projects could be built in stages rather than financed and constructed at once. Parrish said phasing could reduce the initial tax impact, but delaying construction could expose the district to higher costs in later years.

Basin Recreation has been holding public meetings and conducting surveys on the proposal. District documents say 61% of survey respondents reported avoiding the Fieldhouse because of crowding. Indoor turf, climbing, and aquatics ranked among the most requested additions.

No formal action was taken Wednesday. Council members discussed returning to the proposal at a meeting in the Snyderville Basin, potentially in early August, before deciding whether to place the bond question on the ballot. The district told the council that a resolution would need to be approved by early September to qualify for the November ballot.