Slated to open May 2025, the new Conway Community Center saw its official groundbreaking at 450 Corporate Drive on Sept. 26.
“People have been talking about this for years in Conway,” Mayor Bart Castleberry said. “The voters stepped up and voted for a positive for us.”
The city expected the facility to have its groundbreaking in late summer of 2023 and an official opening summer of 2025.
As of April 2023, the budget for the project is $34,750,000.
“When it passed, we were just in the conceptual stages, so it’s taken quite a while to get to this point,” Castleberry said. “It’s been a lengthy process, but Nabholz, when they hit the ground, they hit the ground running. You’ll start seeing some movement out here in a hurry.”
The location’s preexisting building will see a remodel, followed by other additions.
Mike Armstrong, the project executive with Nabholz, said the goal is to start construction within the next week or so.
“Once we get permitting approved through the city, we think it’s going to be a quick process for this project,” Armstrong said.
With their budget already turned in, Armstrong said a remodel of the current building is the first order of business.
“This building is going to have the volleyball courts and the pickleball courts inside,” Armstrong said. “Then we’ve got a new natatorium building to add onto it that’s going to support the indoor pools.”
Armstrong said they will also build an equipment room for the outdoor pools. The natatorium, which houses the indoor pools, will have storage space in this same equipment room.
“We’re ready to get rolling,” he said.
Nabholz Vice Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer Brad Hegeman said, “I’m a lifelong resident of Conway, and it makes me really, really proud to look at the long history the citizens of this city have of stepping up and supporting initiatives, supporting our police, our fire, our parks, our streets and all of the other initiatives that simply make Conway the best city to raise a family and to work and to live.”
Hegeman said the project has been a topic of discussion in Conway for over 20 years.
“We just congratulate the city on getting to this milestone and bringing this great amenity to our fellow citizens,” Hegeman said.
Castleberry said the project hasn’t come without plenty of help from the Conway community.
“We’ve had help from citizens. We’ve had help from business leaders. We’ve had help from a lot of our own departments,” Castleberry said. “But Nabholz came out and helped us before we were even ready to start anything and clear out the building. It’s been a great team effort.”