Harrison approves $12M in bonds for $35M recreation center

The Village of Harrison’s Board of Trustees on Thursday night approved issuing $12 million in bonds to help finance construction of a new recreation center at 270 Harrison Ave., at he corner of Harrison Avenue and Calvert Street. The total cost of the center is expected to be no more than $35 million.

The project to build a new recreation center was put on hold because of the Covid-19 pandemic and Harrison turned its attention to purchasing the former Willow Ridge County Club for use as a municipal golf course and recreation facility. The recreation center project was put back into motion last spring. The new facility would be on the site of the current Sollazzo Center and will be significantly larger.

The Mount Kisco-based firm KG+D Architects has designed the planned new building and created various documents needed for its construction. Harrison Town/Village Engineer Michael Amodeo is expected to shortly advertise for bids for the first phase of the project’s construction. Phase 1 of the project is intended to include site work involving installation of a subsurface geothermal well system to prepare for the heat pump to be used in heating and cooling the building, preparing a stormwater management facility and installing required utilities.

The new recreation center would include two basketball courts along with a walking track. There would be a variety of spaces available for community meetings and other activities in addition to office space for Harrson’s recreation department. Some underground parking would be provided but the number of spaces would be limited because of underground rock, which would be difficult to remove.

In addition to the bonding, which is subject to a permissive referendum, the village plans to finance the project using the transfer of $2,938,000 from the New Public Works Garage Reserve Fund, expenditure of $11,888,000 from the Rec Center Reserve Fund and $11,312,000 in other funds the village currently has on hand.