Following years of planning, the Poulsbo City Council approved the Poulsbo Event and Recreation Center feasibility study Nov. 1, declaring intent to develop phase 1 through partnership with the Kitsap Public Facilities District and to pursue the following two phases.

The PERC will be constructed in the College Marketplace area.

Phase 1 will consist of two tournament fields with outdoor recreation elements (walking circuit, sports courts, playground, parking/landscaping). Phase 2 would incorporate a flexible event/meeting space and classrooms to host varied-sized community events, a recreation gym and support to Olympic College and Western Washington University campus. Phase 3 would add an outdoor warm-water recreation pool with resort-type features.

Phase 1 is estimated at $11.7 million with $7.84 million from the KPFD and $3.86 million from the city.

Poulsbo will seek grant assistance, and it will be used for its 33% funding portion in 2024, per documents. The city will also seek additional methods to contribute to the funding. KPFD has communicated that it can fund 67% of Phase 1’s full cost but its commitment to other regional partners would limit its funding for the other phases.

Upon construction, it is the city’s responsibility to maintain the PERC. Additional land acquisition is necessary, and parcels would need to be evaluated that may be suitable for the facilities identified in Phases 2 and 3. Without KPFD funding other sources would be needed, such as voted bonds or a metropolitan park district, which would necessitate additional action by the council.

The council’s action requests an additional $1.7 million from the KPFD to begin Phase 1 final site plan and engineering design and finalize capital funding strategies and agreements, city documents state. For Phase 1, that includes: topographic survey, geotechnical investigations, land use and environmental permitting, completion of civil site improvement/utility plans, architectural building design, preparation of 30/60/90/100 plans, specifications and estimate, project management and development of bid documents.

For Phases 2 and 3, additional feasibility analysis is needed including: finalization of facility programming and size; operations evaluation and staffing; facility management analysis; maintenance analysis; cost estimate for building construction; and financial revenue and expenditure analysis for operations and maintenance. That additional analysis will not be tied to a specific parcel/site and is intended to be utilized when additional land acquisition is made, and the two phases can be forwarded.

The city intends during the time that Phase 1 development of plans, specifications and estimates is occurring, to coordinate and finalize with the KPFD to identify the preferred bonding structure, final funding split amounts, and action for construction funding of Phase 1. The funding structure will necessitate additional action by the council, per documents.