North Union Township supervisors pay off 15-year recreation center debt in three years
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
North Union Township supervisors (from left) Thomas Kumor, Robert Tupta and Curtis Mathews sit in the gynamisum of the North Union Township Recreation Center and discuss paying off the cost to construct the center ahead of schedule.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Eli Marua, Krew Livingston and Kobly Livingston shoot baskets Wednesday at the North Union Township Recreation Center.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard The North Union Township supervisors have paid off the township’s recreation center ahead of schedule.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
The North Union Townships supervisors have paid off township’s recreation center ahead of schedule.
The North Union Township supervisors paid off the township’s recreation center ahead of schedule.
The North Union Township supervisors are proud to have made repaid the $1.2 million loan for the North Union Township Recreation Center in just four years, instead of the 15 years they agreed to when they borrowed the money.
Supervisors used the loan, state grants and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money to build the $3.3 million center on a 2.7 acre lot the township purchased for $115,000 at the end of Commonwealth Drive. Construction stated in late June 2011 and the center opened on Nov. 10, 2012.
The supervisors executed the loan, which had a 3.69 percent interest rate and was supposed to be repaid by Feb. 1, 2027, in January 2012 and paid it off with a $1.1 million check from the special project fund on Nov. 12, 2015.
“That’s a heck of an accomplishment,” Supervisors Curtis Matthews said.
Aside from normal real estate taxes, which haven’t increased in decades, no financial burden was placed on township taxpayers to build the center, the supervisors said. The only cost is the $1 annual membership fee that residents pay to use the facility.
“Good money management,” is how Thomas Kumor, chairman of the board of supervisors, said the debt was paid off so quickly.
Supervisors started saving CDBG money for the project in 2004, Matthews said.
After several unsuccessful attempts at obtaining grants, the supervisors removed the elevated walking track from the construction plans to reduce the overall cost of the project, Matthews said.
Shortly after the supervisors agreed to the loan, former state Sen. Richard Kasunic, D-Dunbar, came through with a $750,000 grant from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and former state Rep. Deberah Kula delivered a $50,000 grant.
The $800,000 in grant money was the “icing in the cake.” Supervisors said some of the grant money was used to repay the loan.
With financing in place, the Fayette County Redevelopment Authority, which administers the township’s CDBG program, awarded a $2.3 million construction contract to Repal Construction Co. of North Huntingdon.
To reduce the construction cost, the supervisors rented a large excavator and 50-ton and 25-ton dump trucks and used township equipment to clear the wooded property and prepare the site for the building foundation.
Township workers cleared brush and removed 52,000 yards of rock and dirt from the site saving about $208,000, which was based on the going rate for excavation of $4 per yard at the time.
Equipment rental cost $54,000, but doing the work in house saved about $150,000.
“That saved is a lot,” Matthews said.
The finished product is a modern facility built with energy efficient materials and technology. Center court of the 7,000 square foot gym with electronic score boards bears the Rams logo from the former North Union Township High School.
Matthews said the supervisors contacted everyone they knew to find an image of the old logo and visited many other recreation centers for ideas. He said the supervisors worked closely with K2 Engineering to get the facility just right.
“We made a lot of changes to the plans. It was a big project. That’s for sure,” Matthews said.
The elevated track was installed and the center also features a fitness room and locker rooms. The basketball hoops and backboards can be lowered to 8 feet from the floor for youth basketball leagues. The court can be used for volleyball. The bleachers have a seating capacity of 308 people. The North Union Township Municipal Services Authority offices were relocated to the center.
“It’s a beautiful facility. It’s a tribute to North Union Township. It’s something residents can be proud of for years,” Kumor said.
Residents from in and outside of the township have been using the center. Supervisor Robert Tupta said 924 residents are members. About 280 people participate in basketball leagues and 300 play in soccer leagues. The leagues are open to anybody.
People of all ages use the track and there is another room for yoga, Tupta said. The center can be rented, he said.
The center generated about $8,000 in profit last year, Kumor said.
The supervisors said they are glad that all the materials used in the construction were made in the United States.