CLAYTON 鈥 Prominent local developer Larry Chapman came up with the $40 million cost estimate for a proposed north 50度灰视频 County recreation center that its champion, County Council Chair Rita Days, has declined to discuss publicly, according to recently obtained emails.
Chapman, president and CEO of both Seneca Commercial Real Estate and Chapman Ventures, figured the estimate in partnership with Clayco and sent it to Days in an email dated Feb. 22. The cost estimates include projections for an indoor track, meeting space, and a fitness center that appeared to be based on a suggestion for a collegiate-level indoor track facility of the type suggested by the 50度灰视频 Convention and Visitors Commission.
Others who received copies of the email were Adolphus Pruitt, president of the 50度灰视频 branch of the NAACP, and Rodney Crim, president and CEO of the 50度灰视频 Economic Development Partnership.
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Chapman, who has developed other projects in north 50度灰视频 County in Days鈥 district, said Thursday that he had volunteered to provide a cost estimate, but had no other plans for the project.
鈥淚 just simply put together a very preliminary order of magnitude budget for her to see, so that when she put a RFP together she could do it in a realm of reality,鈥 he said.
Days did not respond to requests for comment.
The emails, obtained through a Sunshine Law request, shed light on a project that would use public funding but about which Days has revealed few details.
The idea of a new recreation center in North County has had public support from the County Council, County Executive Sam Page, the CVC, the Partnership and Pruitt.
The project aims to benefit youths in a majority-Black part of the county that has seen less economic and public investment compared to other areas of the county.
But Days has pushed for public funding for the facility without detailing what it would look like, where it would be located, and who was providing cost estimates for the proposed facility.
Under a bill up for a final vote as early as Tuesday, the county would issue $40 million in special obligation bonds for a rec center, tacking the cost onto a $105 million bond issue to expand America鈥檚 Center in downtown 50度灰视频.
The move, approved by the council on March 8, came after Days delayed for months action on the convention center bonds, insisting that the rec center matter be addressed to her satisfaction.
The council would have to vote again on the rec center bonds after the financing is arranged, and would have to approve any future contracts.
At the March 8 meeting, Days said 鈥渧olunteers鈥 had estimated the cost for the project, which she claimed faced opposition because it would benefit a majority-Black area. But she declined to provide more details about the plans or those opposing it.
鈥淚 have been reluctant to say a lot about what is happening with this because I know that there are several people that do not want this to happen,鈥 she said at the time. 鈥淎 lot of people have been volunteering their time and their efforts to me, and they鈥檙e not willing to come forward at this time and say, 鈥業 am involved in this.鈥欌
Chapman鈥檚 email to Day included a Clayco preliminary budget, dated Feb. 16, for an 鈥淯MSL 鈥 Indoor Track Facility鈥 that estimated roughly $30.4 million in site work and construction costs.
Chapman added $9 million for entry and building enhancements, a recreation and meeting space, and furniture fixtures. The $9 million also included $3 million for a 10% contingency fee and $1 million for startup costs and first-year operations.
鈥淚f you have questions, please feel free to give me a call. ... Please note, I haven鈥檛 sent it to everybody at this point in time, but I am happy to do it if that is what you would like me to do,鈥 Chapman said in the email. 鈥淚 really would not like to get information like this published at this point.鈥
Days, in a response sent March 2, said that the information, 鈥渟hould be kept with the team at this point.鈥
鈥淪o if you got this, you are not to forward to anyone else,鈥 Days said.
In an email March 4, Chapman asked for 鈥渁 little direction鈥 on how to produce more detailed designs for the recreation center that could be used for an RFP. He also asked for $100,000 to study the UMSL site identified as the likely location for the facility.
鈥淚 also keep remembering that there will need to be a RFP process at some point in time and all the materials generated by this effort will be needed to do the RFP anyway, so I will make sure the information collected is in a format to use for the future RFP process,鈥 Chapman said.
鈥淚 continue to think about the facility, and I just want to tell you that if I was given the opportunity to respond to the RFP, the $40 million overall estimate that I put together is plenty to get the job done and create a fabulous facility everybody would be super proud of. If one of you could give me a little direction on what I should do to get something like this done, I would appreciate it.鈥
Asked why he had written that he wanted to keep the information from being publicized, Chapman said Thursday it was because the talks were 鈥減reliminary.鈥
鈥淭here are no plans,鈥 he said. 鈥淧eople get information like this, and they want to drill down on details. There are so many things that have to happen between now and then, and all that represents is a number that should be adequate to develop the project and complete it. Period.鈥
In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Partnership said the entity 鈥渋s one of many organizations who are trying to help find a regional solution.鈥
Page spokesman Doug Moore said Page 鈥渨asn鈥檛 involved in those conversations鈥 outlined in the emails. But Page knew from Crim that the Partnership was talking to Days about the project, he said.
The Partnership, Moore said, 鈥渋s finding partners in the community that have a proven track record and can provide sound cost estimates for what something would cost.鈥
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be a long time before any funds are available for that project but the process is underway to at least begin identifying the cost,鈥 he said.
UMSL location
The emails also showed Days moving forward with an agreement to house the recreation center at the University of Missouri-50度灰视频.
The university previously confirmed that it was in talks to house the center on its campus at a spot near the north MetroLink station.
A March 7 email from Charles Saulsberry, a partner at Saulsberry and Associates LLC, included a draft 鈥渙f an outline for an agreement with UMSTL.鈥
鈥淥nce you approve this draft, I will then share it with the University for their comments,鈥 Saulsberry said. The email copied Pruitt.
UMSL spokesman Steve Walentik said Thursday in a statement that the university had not signed any agreements. He said he did not know more.
In a statement, he said: 鈥淭he University of Missouri鈥50度灰视频 will continue to engage in conversations as a part of the regional solution for building a facility that can benefit the campus and the region.鈥
Originally posted at 7:41 p.m. Thursday, March 17.