After hesitation, Moses Lake progresses with Larson Rec Center

MOSES LAKE — After initial hesitation, the Moses Lake City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to move forward with the 30,000-square-foot recreation center. Deputy Mayor Daryl Jackson was absent.

The council at a Feb. 10 meeting had tabled a decision to amend a contract for the firm designing the proposed 30,000-square-foot Larson Rec Center after a council member expressed concerns about the project’s costs.

The amendment would have increased the maximum amount allocated for The Driftmier Architects’ design fee from $451,249 to $821,602. The increase reflects the increased size of the project, which was first proposed in 2018 to be 14,000 square feet and was later more than doubled to 30,000 square feet.

The council voted to amend The Driftmier Architects’ contract Tuesday, the final vote necessary before the project can continue and be brought to bid. Only with bids in hand can the council make a final vote to begin construction.

The proposed recreation center, in the 600 block of Yakima Avenue, would add a number of features to the community, including multi-use indoor space that could be used as basketball, volleyball and pickleball courts. It would also add bathrooms and changing rooms to accommodate the nearby ice rink, which council members hope will allow local hockey programs to expand.

Workout spaces were also proposed, though that particular feature came under question Tuesday night, after Mitch Molitor, a hotel and gym owner, questioned whether the city should provide service that could compete with local gyms. Several council members later echoed Molitor’s concerns.

Tuesday’s vote, however, only solidified the architectural contract and the proposed 30,000-square-foot floor plan; what that space gets used for in the future will be the subject of future debate.