Riverside’s plan to replace the aging Nichols Park Community Center could turn it into a place where residents can take a class, play basketball or find shelter during an emergency — if the city can find the money to build it.
The Park and Recreation Commission unanimously voted Monday to receive and file an update on the proposal. The vote did not approve construction. Staff are seeking $18.5 million in grants toward a project estimated to cost up to $30 million.
The concept calls for a building of up to 30,000 square feet, roughly three times the size of the existing center, which was built in 1977. It would include a gym and more space for recreation and adaptive sports programs. A planned Deaf Cultural Center would include activity rooms and a 99-seat theater. The building would also offer shelter and essential services during extreme heat, wildfire smoke, power outages and other emergencies.
The current center is already cramped, said Alisa Sramala, the city’s principal park project manager. The hallway doubles as a lobby, leaving little room for people waiting between classes, and the gym gets crowded during programs.
Commissioner Thomas Forbes said she had left classes at the center because of the crowded rooms and rising temperature. “The need is paramount,” she said, encouraging fellow commissioners to visit the park.
A smaller replacement concept, developed with community input in 2021, called for a 15,710-square-foot building at an estimated $13.4 million, but construction funding was unavailable. The expanded proposal adds emergency services and the Deaf cultural space. City staff say the existing building is in poor condition and too small for current programming.
Funding remains the central question. The city plans to seek $10 million through a state Community Resilience Center grant this month and $8.5 million through a Statewide Parks Program grant in December. Neither requires matching funds, according to the staff report. The city may also seek support through a Riverside Public Utilities solar and battery rebate program.
Sramala said the city could build the project in phases if it receives only some of the money. An initial phase might retain part of the existing building, including the gym, while replacing other rooms. The Deaf Cultural Center improvements are planned for a later phase when funding becomes available. The drawings shown Monday are conceptual and subject to change.
Commissioner Kevin Dawson, who ultimately voted in favor of receiving the update, questioned both the cost and the process. He said the larger proposal should have come before the commission before the City Council took action related to the grant application on Sept. 15.
Dawson also pressed staff on how the city would cover continuing costs. The commission report estimates annual operating costs of about $250,000 for expanded services, compared with approximately $193,000 in 2021. Annual maintenance costs could rise from about $23,000 to about $90,000. The report says increased operating and maintenance costs would be included in future budget requests.
“Show me the numbers,” Dawson said during the discussion. “Again, we’re not taking care of the stuff we have now.”
Staff said the proposal can return to the commission as plans and funding become clearer, with the City Council making the final decision on what to build.
