Berthoud to top off Waggener Farm rec center Thursday

BERTHOUD — The town of Berthoud will celebrate the placement of the final beam in a topping-out ceremony for the new recreation center that is part of the Waggener Farm Park development.

The long-awaited park and rec center on the west side of Berthoud along Berthoud Parkway and Mountain Avenue is on schedule for completion late this year. Town Administrator Chris Kirk said the town anticipates beginning to train staff in October with a public opening of the rec center in November or December.

The rec center is a 54,000-square-foot facility that includes a fitness area, two basketball courts, gym, class and meeting rooms, a bouldering feature and an aquatics facility.

In addition, the recreation complex will include outdoor playgrounds; outdoor basketball courts; a skate park; and two, large multi-use athletic fields that can be subdivided into smaller fields, Kirk said.

Waggener Farm, which sat dormant for several years, could be developed because of the passage of two sales-tax issues. In 1998, voters approved a 1% sales tax that was committed to multiple uses including recreation, streets and other city purposes. Then, in 2018 voters approved another 1% sales tax with the proceeds committed to parks and recreation. 

Tax revenue increased during the pandemic, Kirk said. “During COVID, people shopped locally more or online [with sales taxes collected locally on online sales],” he said. “That, plus population growth has caused the tax to outperform expectations.”

The topping-out ceremony will be noon Thursday, with contractor FCI Constructors Inc. setting the last beam.

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