Park/Rec building open for business

Eight months after construction began and under budget, the new Park and Recreation office in Dexter is now open for business.

The 2,700 sq. ft. facility offers a major step up from the shared offices in the prior location.

Park Director Lawson Metcalf provided The Daily Statesman with a tour of the building Wednesday morning.

As opposed to the former facility, most employees will have their own office or working area in the new facility.

"That's a big change for us," Metcalf said. "We had no privacy for anyone where we were located before."

While it may not seem like a big deal for a park department, there are, on occasion, meetings that necessitate more privacy.

Also inside the building is a large conference room that seats approximately 30 people. The room has its own restrooms and an outdoor entrance.

"We have a lot of coaches meetings that are scheduled after hours," Metcalf said. "This room allows for a great place for those meetings, while at the same time keeping itself separate from the office portion of the building."

The building also features a large filing room with a sliding file system that allows workers to maximize their storage space.

Even the furnace room has a multi-purpose use and will serve as temporary storage for sporting equipment as it is returned by coaches throughout the year.

"We're very happy with how its turned out," Metcalf said, noting that their first day in the building was Thursday, May 30. "We're still getting settled in and finishing the parking lot, but it's all going well."

The parking lot in front of the building is already complete and the parking along the north side is expected to be finished in the coming days.

As of today, the project is about $20,000 below it's initial $160,000 budget.

Metcalf said that once the concrete is completed, he expects it to be "right about at" the proposed cost.

That cost includes all of the office furniture, new electronics, the filing systems as well as the furnishings for the conference rooms.

Handling the construction themselves has literally saved thousands for the city.

"It would have cost double for us to have had the building constructed," Metcalf said.

With that said, the time spent on the project has had its unintended consequences.

Metcalf said that it has pulled them off of some of their basic maintenance work in recent months.

"We have a lot of work to do in the parks, pruning limbs and removing trees that aren't in the best shape," he said. "We'll be slammed all year playing catch-up."

The new facility, located at 500 Fairgrounds Dr. just off of Hwy. 114, has the same hours as before. It is open from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, with the exception of a lunch hour from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

An Open House event has been scheduled for Friday, June 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. A ribbon cutting will take place at 10 a.m. with refreshments served or the remainder of the event.

For more information on the Park and Recreation Dept, call them at 624-8244 or visit them online at http://dexterpark-rec.com/.