Two new improvement projects at the Perham Area Community Center could soon be underway after approval by the three local units of government who direct the operation of the facility.
During a special meeting of the Perham City Council August 25, the group gave its approval to the PACC spending an estimated $23,000 to replace the flooring in the center's cardio weight room and spending up to an additional $7,500 to blacktop the small parking lot near the facility.
At a recent combined meeting of the PACC Board of Directors, the Perham-Dent Board of Education and the Perham City Council the parameters of the two projects were outlined.
About two years ago officials had also considered replacing the floor at a cost of about $41,000, but then decided to merely repaint the floor for less money, but that idea was scrapped after it was learned the repainting would be a very labor-intensive project and possibly detrimental to PACC business due to the paint related fumes and the need for the paint to cure for an extended period of time before reinstalling the weight room equipment.
The new project, now approved, calls for the new flooring to be installed through interlocking rubber flooring sections. The cost is much lower, the floor is expected to last approximately 20 years and there will be no problems with fumes or paint.
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If the floor would have been painted the life expectancy of that work is only expected to be about 10 years instead of the 20 years for the new floor.
The council also went along with the PACC board's recommendation to spend up to $7,500 to put a blacktop surface on the small parking area directly north of the PACC's field house entrance.
The lot currently only has a gravel surface and when equipment is moved through the large door there into the PACC many times some of the gravel is dragged into the building and damages the floor inside. Adding the blacktop surface would prevent that damage.
Mayor Tim Meehl said a nearby eye doctor office also uses the gravel lot for parking. They are being requested to help pay for a part of the cost of the resurfacing.
"If they don't pitch in to help with some of the cost then that lot will be turned into a permit lot only and they will not be allowed to use the space for parking," said Meehl.
