Ogden City Council gets peek at Marshall White Center plans, construction timeline
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- A first-floor schematic of the new Marshall White Center shows an indoor pool, indoor field house, gymnasium, multi-use community areas and additional features such as a “child watch” area for users.
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- A second-floor schematic of the new Marshall White Center shows a running/jogging track overlooking an indoor field house, a workout area with gym equipment and a boxing ring.
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- A schematic of the new Marshall White Center site plan.
OGDEN — Members of the Ogden City Council got a look at what the future Marshall White Community Center could look like during Tuesday’s work session.
Brent Tippets, principal of VCBO Architecture, presented renderings of an approximately 68,000-square-foot, two-story building incorporating a majority of features requested by residents in Ogden’s Jefferson neighborhood.
The decades-old community center will nearly double in size with an indoor synthetic turf field house, a running track, pool and gymnasium among many other features, including 3,000 square feet of cojoined community meeting spaces.
With an ever increasingly tight budget due to rising supply costs and a variety of features that are wanted and needed to be incorporated, Tippets said they wanted to utilize space efficiently while making the new center as functional as possible.
According to the project timeline presented by Tippets, necessary bonding to help pay for the new facility will begin sometime after the bidding process ends around March 31, 2023.
Ogden City Councilwoman Marcia White said while she understands there is a need to follow a timeline and process, she believes the funding aspect should be settled on before the city gets too far down the road.
“If we get all the way through the design and architectural drawings and find out we cannot afford the bid, we will have to start the process all over again,” White said.
Construction is scheduled to begin no later than April 1, 2023, according to the timeline.
In Wednesday’s work session, Tippets said additional funding will have to be raised to pay for the new design featuring collapsable walls and roll-up doors to provide the option for larger open areas when needed. Rolling doors in the field house on the east side of the building can be opened up to the outside park area during special events.
“We’re offering open connectivity to activities throughout the center,” Tippets said.
In capitalizing on connectivity, the indoor track, located on the second floor, is open to the field house below with protective netting. Adjacent to the track is a workout area featuring gym equipment, a fitness studio and a boxing ring overlooking the pool through glass.
A multisport court, turf field, flexible community event space and an indoor pool were among priorities community members wanted to see, according to several community meetings held to gather feedback.
The Marshall N. White Center Advisory Committee and VCBO developed recommendations for a future facility following a report based on a visual inspection of the center’s condition in 2021, two years after the facility’s pool was closed due to safety concerns.
The MWC has served as a vital resource in the community, providing access to low-cost programs, recreational activities and community events.
Named after Marshall N. White, a Black Ogden City police officer killed in the line of duty in 1963, the center is of historical significance to many in the community who want to see his legacy honored with a safe place for individuals and families to gather.
Schematic designs are expected to wrap up next week before an open house on Wednesday where more details on the future MWC will be provided. All are invited to attend the MWC open house at 222 28th St. from 5-6 p.m.