CACHE COUNTY – Speaking for VCBO Architecture of Salt Lake City, consultant Whitney Ward ran into some hard questions when presenting the initial findings of a feasibly study for a proposed county indoor recreation center (or centers) to members of the Cache County Council.
Ward’s presentation was delivered at the council regular meeting on Dec. 2, where she explained that Cache Valley’s long winters tend to prompt the local public’s desire for an indoor recreation facility.
She presented three options to council members: a single large countywide recreation facility located near Logan; the creation of two recreation districts with centers in the north and south of Cache County; and a three-district option, with centers in Logan as well as north and south.
But council member David Erickson – who is on record as opposing the growth of government for taxpayer-funded recreation – insisted that his fellow council members should consider a fourth option, that is, doing nothing at all.
Erickson argued that creating recreation districts would give those entities taxing authority similar to that of the Cache County School District while leaving the county officials responsible for collecting those taxes.
Ward’s report on Dec. 2 was the result of Phase 1 research conducted for the feasibility study that was green-lighted by county officials in spring of 2025.
That study included information gathering, site evaluation, stakeholder workshops, market needs assessment, public outreach and visioning, concept designs and cost analysis at a cost of $75,000 from the county’s Recreation, Arts, Parks and Zoos (RAPZ) tax revenues.
Still to come, Phase 2 of the study effort would include operational analysis, detailed designs of the proposed facility, cost estimates, a statistically valid survey of county residents’ opinions, funding models and additional recommendations.
Ward said that a “robust analytical survey” of county residents found a strong desire for one or more indoor recreation facilities — with spaces dedicated to adult/youth sports and fitness, plus a pool — and a willingness to pay for it.
Under questioning from council members, however, Ward reported that only about 10,000 county residents responded to the VCBO survey effort.
While the VCBO consultants considered that number statistically significant, Erickson pointed that that it represented less than 10 percent of the county’s 110,000 residents.
After generally acknowledging the public desire for new recreation facilities, council member Keegan Garrity asked Ward to provide cost estimates for each of the three options offered by the VCBO study, particularly those involving recreation districts and multiple facilities.
VCBO Architecture is also involved in conducting a similar feasibility effort in the south end of Cache Valley for residents of Nibley, Hyrum, Wellsville, Providence, River Heights, Mendon and Paradise.
Funded by Nibley City, the VCBO consultants involved in the South Cache effort were initially leaning toward a $25 million indoor recreation facility. A facility with an indoor pool – which many residents specifically mentioned as a preferred requirement – would raise the cost of the facility to about $35 million.
Located in Salt Lake City, VCBO Architecture has been in business more than 50 years providing its clients with projects noted for their design, planning and sustainability.