Benzie seeks funds to open Wellness and Aquatic Center

By Ross Boissoneau

Sun contributor

People running around the track. Pickleball and basketball. Swimming lessons and water aerobics. These are some of the activities that will take place at the Benzie Wellness and Aquatic Center, located at the former site of Crystal Lake Elementary in Benzonia.

That’s the hope and the plan, but the reality is still years away.

“We anticipate the capital campaign … for two or three years, with construction in 2029 and opening in 2030,” says Diane Tracy, vice president and development chair of the non-profit BWAC board.

Nonetheless, members of the board overseeing the project express optimism and enthusiasm. “We have great momentum,” says Bill Kennis, president of the board.

When it finally opens its doors, the BWAC will be the culmination of work that began nine years ago. The organization grew from a modest beginning: a desire to teach youngsters how to swim. Initially the group’s home was at the Crystal Lake beach in Beulah. A desire to have a more controlled environment led to a search for a year-round indoor home.

Along the way, the idea grew into a larger scale operation that will enable people of all ages throughout the county and beyond to participate in other health and exercise-related activities. Kennis says it became obvious that to make it economically viable, the facility had to offer more than just aquatics, hence the decision to include additional sports and recreational possibilities.

When completed, the facility will include two pools, a fitness center, a gym for basketball and pickleball, two studios, a meeting room, and locker rooms.

The selection of the site was based on its central location at the intersection of two of the main roads in the county, M-115 and US-31. It is within walking distance of both Benzonia and Beulah, and only seven miles from Frankfort. The hope was to renovate and retrofit the aging school, but the engineers and designers determined that wasn’t possible, so the building will be razed before a new one is built.

Nonetheless, Kennis and Tracy both say its location will enable it to draw attendees from across the area. “It will draw from northern Manistee (County), western Wexford and southern Leelanau, places within a 20-minute drive,” says Tracy.

It won’t be cheap. The cost to purchase the defunct school and property from the Benzie Central School District was $425,000, with another $500,000 for schematics and design. That will be dwarfed by the estimated $25 million for the rest of the project. BWAC is estimating $20 million for demolition and construction of the new building, with a $5 million endowment for operating and maintenance costs.

Among the challenges is the fact Benzonia doesn’t have a sewer system. That means a large portion of the site needs to be dedicated to a septic system to handle the wastewater for a facility that includes not only bathrooms and locker rooms but also two pools.

The organization is taking some lessons from the Kaliseum, the recreation complex in Kalkaska. When it was proposed, a millage to construct the building passed, but millages to pay for its ongoing operational costs have not always been successful, leading to an air of uncertainty over that building’s ongoing use. That is why the BWAC board is looking to the $5 million endowment, the idea being that the facility will be solvent while usage fees enable it to remain viable.

Tracy and Kenni say the board did not want to put the cost on the back of local taxpayers. “We’re not going for a millage,” says Tracy. Instead, the group is looking for private funding, foundations and government grants.

The group wants to then rely on user fees. “We want to break even after a couple years,” adds Kennis.

Kennis believes the facility will prove beneficial to local people, particularly in the winter, who otherwise have to drive to Traverse City to use the YMCA or other facilities, such as simply walking at Grand Traverse Mall. He says it goes beyond getting exercise to fostering a sense of community. “Winter can be tough. Isolation can be hard on folks,” Kennis says.

Despite the cost, they remain confident they can raise the money. “When the community sees something, they get it done,” says Kennis, pointing to the Elberta waterfront land project as an example.