Holland City Council intends to issue bonds for a new recreation center, but the move reportedly won’t raise the millage rate for taxpayers, according to Assistant City Manager Matt Van Dyken.
During a meeting May 20, officials approved a “notice of intent” to issue up to $22 million in bonds. Finance Director and Treasurer Lynn McCammon said the notice triggers a “right of referendum” — giving those opposed an opportunity to speak before the process begins.
McCammon also said the monetary amount is a maximum, not a minimum, noting it may not be necessary to issue the full $22 million. The effort would gather the funds necessary to cover an estimated price tag of $26 million. The municipality has already received significant support in the form of a $5 million donation from the Heeringa Estate.
“Our millage rate has stayed the same for a number of years,” Van Dyken wrote in an email to The Sentinel. “We timed this (issuance to come) after other debt was paid off.”
The project includes an 83,000-square-foot recreation center off 16th Street on Fairbanks Avenue, near Hope College’s Ray and Sue Smith Stadium. The development is expected to include four full-sized basketball courts that can also be used for volleyball, soccer and pickleball; spectator seating; and multi-use spaces for recreational programming like dance, ballet and acting classes.
There will be an estimated 231 on-site parking spots, in addition to 20 existing spaces on 16th Street.
What about the existing playground and skate park?
During the meeting May 20, Van Dyken answered questions about an existing playground and skate park on the property. The playground, he said, is roughly 20 years old and reaching the end of its useful life. The city intends to save what’s possible, though it wasn’t immediately clear where those items might be relocated.
The skate park, meanwhile, will likely be moved and rebuilt on open space closer to 16th Street — possibly in 2028, when work is scheduled at Bouws Pool.
City Manager Keith Van Beek previously indicated a groundbreaking date would come after the beginning of the new fiscal year July 1.
— Contact reporter Austin Metz at ametz@hollandsentinel.com.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Holland to issue bonds for new recreation center. Will taxes rise?
Reporting by Austin Metz, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
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