We are excited to announce that at last night’s meeting the Town Council voted unanimously to authorize the construction of the Wellness Quarter adjacent to the Doug Will Tennis Center in Harrison Park. The $6.7 million dollar project will result in a new facility with multi-use courts and an elevated track. The project will also add air conditioning, insulation, and better lighting to our existing tennis center.
Last night’s vote is the culmination of years of study to design a facility to meet several needs expressed by Bridgewater residents:
- A place to walk indoors, especially in the winter.
- A space to play indoors, including courts to meet the needs of a growing community.
- Restrooms to be made available during the lawn party.
The Wellness Quarter will provide an elevated indoor walking track along with a space for basketball (or volleyball or pickleball or just family play time). The space could also be used for meetings, receptions, trade shows, and the like.
With an ambitious project such as this, there are, of course, potential issues that have been raised. We have considered and addressed these as we developed the plan for the Wellness Quarter.
First, some have expressed concern over the location, especially as to how it might impact the lawn party. As you likely know, the green space in Harrison Park is used for parking for the lawn party if the ground is not saturated with rain. While the Wellness Quarter will be built on a small portion of this space, most of the area used for parking will be unaffected. (The net loss of parkable area will be about half an acre.) Plus the Wellness Quarter will actually add additional hard-surfaced parking that can be utilized regardless of any summer rains. We are happy to work with the fire company to find alternative parking in the area and around town in support of the lawn party. We already have some ideas.
Another concern has naturally been the cost of the project. While the Wellness Quarter represents a significant investment of resources, it is our view that it is both affordable and worthwhile. At the recommendation of our auditor, we began building a two-million-dollar reserve fund in 2019. By saving an increasing amount each year, we have put ourselves on pace to complete this goal in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. With the reserve fund in place, we can repurpose that income stream (which derives from sales tax) to the building of the Wellness Quarter. At the end of the day, we feel confident that we will be able to develop the Wellness Quarter using current revenues while also continuing to invest in our existing infrastructure and services.
We anticipate breaking ground on the Wellness Quarter late this year and opening the facility late next year. We look forward to seeing residents young and old make use of the building for years to come.