MARCH 13, 2025|
Photo – Hanna Recreation Center – Bigfoot99 file photo
The governing body of Hanna is considering selling the town’s shuttered recreation center instead of paying for costly repairs.
When coal was booming in the northern part of Carbon County, the mine companies built a large recreation center to attract workers and their families to the town of Hanna. In the early 2000’s, when the mines began to close, the coal companies gifted the facility to the town.
Hanna officials have been using impact assistance money from nearby wind energy projects to help offset the $300,000 annual cost to keep the facility operational.
With impact assistance money drying up, the Hanna town council, under then Mayor Jayson Nordquist, made the difficult decision to shut down the struggling recreation center. The facility was indefinitely closed on July 31st, 2024. Mayor Nordquist promised the town will continue to maintain the building in the hopes it will eventually reopen.
During February’s Hanna town council meeting, current Mayor Charlie George said the recreation center roof is leaking. Mayor George said, despite being closed, the unused building continues to deteriorate.
The town requested contractor estimates to fix the leaking roof.
At Tuesday evening’s Hanna town council meeting, Town Clerk Vivian Gonzales said four contractors submitted bids to repair the recreation center, three for the roof and one to replace the metal siding on the building. Councilman Sam Sikes said one of the contractors reported that the roof had already undergone extensive repairs.
Mayor George said two town employees examined the rec center roof and found standing water and a leak. The mayor said the building’s roof might not need a complete overhaul. However, the longer the town waits to fix the underlying issues, the more expensive the repairs will become.
The least expensive roof repair bid was $48,000 with no warranty.
Mayor George said the former town council didn’t fully prepare the structure to remain vacant for a long time. The mayor said the water was shut off and the doors were locked, leaving tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment in the facility. Mayor George said further consideration is needed before the council makes a decision.
Mayor George said recently passed property tax relief bills are set to create additional financial hardships. The mayor said the cost to reopen the recreation center may be too great for the town to bear.
Mayor George said he understands how much the recreation center means to the people of Hanna. However, without significant financial investment, the facility may become unusable. The mayor said the town can no longer afford to maintain the building.
The council admitted that it may be difficult to find someone willing to purchase the shuttered recreation center and voted to postpone a decision about fixing the roof.
The next order of business was to approve a bid to repair the metal siding on the rec center. The quote was $6,200.
Councilman Sam Sikes asked if the town’s public works department could replace the siding for less money. Mayor George said he would rather have a professional contractor perform the work but left the decision up to the council.
The governing body voted to postpone a decision to replace the siding on the rec center until they can speak to Public Works Director Larry Korkow about having town employees handle the repairs.
The council agreed that the town must protect its assets, whether the governing body decides to sell the recreation center or not.
