David Barto, Collegedale Tomorrow Foundation executive director, announced via Facebook on Jan. 12 that the new addition to The Commons, located at 4950 Swinyar Drive, has gone to bid.
The “Annex” is the official name of this new space until the Collegedale Tomorrow Foundation and the Collegedale City Commission decide on a new name, according to Barto.
“After a year of work, seeing the need for the community room proved over and over again, the [Collegedale Tomorrow Foundation] Board decided to ensure that if we were to build this, we built it right from the beginning,” Barto said in his Facebook post.
According to Barto, the Annex will consist of a catering kitchen, community room and changing rooms. The detached, 4,100-square-foot addition will be on the Northside of Founder’s Hall.
“We always knew we needed a kitchen for Founders Hall,” Barto said. “But in the beginning, we had no way to get a sewer easement across the adjoining property to the south to get sewer access. The new owners of that property allowed us to add that easement, so now we can have sewer.”
According to Alex Reyland, project architect at Hefferlin and Kronenberg Architects, the vision for the project started in 2015. Ground was then broken for the first phase in 2016, and the Annex was designed in 2019.
With the project going to bid with its contractor, Modus Build LLC, working in conjunction with EMJ Corporation, the hope is to start building in March 2021 and have it completed by October 2021. The bid is for the contractor’s subcontractors and tradesmen, according to Barto.
“The Commons is an exciting project that provides Collegedale with a great public gathering space,” Reyland said. “The vision is that the community can host a variety of events that celebrate the people and town they live within.”
According to Traci Bennet-Hobek, director of Collegedale’s Parks and Recreation, Collegedale has outgrown the two community rooms in Collegedale’s Municipal Building.
“The main goal of the Collegedale Tomorrow Foundation in developing The Commons is to build community. The addition of the Annex and the community center included in those plans, meets needs of the community,” Bennet-Hobek said. “Christina [Clark, recreation program specialist at Collegedale’s Parks and Recreation,] and I are excited to have another resource for delivering programs and special events to the residents and visitors of Collegedale.”
According to Barto, the Collegedale Tomorrow Foundation has received $1.3 million from three donors for this addition. If the project goes over budget, the City of Collegedale will contribute to make up the difference. Collegedale Tomorrow Foundation will give $6.00 of donor money to every $1 the city puts in.
Aubri Dancek
BAILEY DUBOSE
Bailey DuBose is the Collegedale News Editor, this is her second year reporting for the Southern Accent. She is studying Public Relations and is focusing on learning and acquiring as many skills as she can from Southern’s School of Journalism and Communication.
1 thought on “New community space to be added to The Commons”
What is being constructed south of the Commons area and directly across the street from the assistance living area in Collgedale?