A new Aspen Village Sports Complex will soon rise on the site of the previous athletic club that was destroyed by fire in 2004.
Work will move forward at the facility, located at the Aspen Village condo complex on Davis Avenue, after receiving approval last week by the McCall Area Planning and Zoning Commission.
The new facility will feature a basketball gymnasium, lap pool, racquetball court, exercise room, hot tub, sauna and a meeting room, said Ed Hershberger, president of the Aspen Village condominium homeowners association.
The building will also have an apartment on the second floor.
Construction of the facility will begin sometime next spring and could be completed within a year, Hershberger said. The association settled for $2.7 million
Work expected to start in spring to rebuild popular facility from 2004 fire
in insurance money to replace the facility, and so far the association has spent $300,000 on planning and design.
"We anticipate we will be able to get the job done with the available funds," Hershberger said.
The sports complex may be opened up to the public, much as the original facility was managed, he said. However, that has not been decided yet.
"I believe, for myself, that the association will choose to manage the facility similar to what we managed before the fire," he said.
Cost of membership has not been determined, as well.
An earlier design of the project went before P&Z in October, but was denied due to protests raised by a number of Aspen Village condo owners..
Since then, some of the concerns were addressed that dealt with aesthetics of the building.. Other concerns, outside the purview of the P&Z, were addressed by the association, Hershberger said.
The design of the project, done by Nampa construction firm Hansen-Rice, Inc., was done within in the limits of the association's insurance claim from the fire, Hershberger said. It was also done to restore the amenity to the community.
The club was extensively damaged when a fire that started in a condominium building under construction nearby spread to the building.
The redesign includes 14 new windows and a change in the floor design to accommodate the interior use space, said Matt Brown of Hansen-Rice.
At the Dec. 5 public hearing, most of the comments came from members of the condominium community who were in favor of the project.
Hershberger apologized if he has offended people during the process, noting however, that the association could not be "everything to all people at all times."
The project does not require final approval by the McCall City Council unless the decision by the P&Z is appealed.
