The excitement is palpable in the City of Perry for the upcoming remodel of the McCreary Community Building, and the next phase of the project is imminent.

At the most recent Perry City Council meeting, there was a public hearing to review the bids received for phase 1B, which will be more readily visible than phase 1A’s boiler and chiller replacements. Included in the base bid package was the reconstruction of the theater into a 24-hour workout center, and an overhaul of the ceiling of the gymnasium. There were also several alternates, such as a family restroom and child watch area, that weren’t included in the base because the City wanted to first see how the bids came in. After looking over the proposals from contractors, it’s now safe to say the alternates will be included.

City Administrator Sven Peterson says the engineers at Ethos Design Group estimated the total bid package to cost around $1.2 million. While no specific numbers or bidders were presented during the public hearing, Peterson says the low bid was well under the expected pricetag. He points out, the City and Parks and Recreation Department will still have to do some fundraising for the project, but it was a relief to everyone that the number to reach isn’t so far away. The bids will officially be considered at the next Council meeting on Tuesday, February 18th, and the remodel should begin shortly after that.

Peterson adds, everyone is rightfully excited about the McCreary Center project, and he believes it will be a big draw for people thinking about moving to Perry. “You know, I visit some other communities, and other communities visit Perry and they just are blown away by our rec center and that we have that nice of a facility in a town our size. So we’re definitely lucky to have that facility, and I’m personally excited to be part of upgrading that facility and bringing it into 2020! So that’ll be an exciting project, and one that generations to come will be able to enjoy.”

To learn more about this and other City of Perry topics, click the link below to listen to the recent Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Peterson.

https://www.raccoonvalleyradio.com/2020/02/04/lets-talk-dallas-county-2-4-2020-sven-peterson/