Apple Valley Just Greenlit a $13.8M Community Center Makeover

Apple Valley Just Greenlit a $13.8M Community Center Makeover — Here's What's Coming

TLDR

• The Apple Valley City Council approved contracts to combine the community center and senior center into one building.
• Total cost: about $13.8 million, all from the 2023 parks referendum.
• Construction starts June 2026; the full building reopens fall 2027.
• You're getting an indoor playground, a bigger senior coffee lounge, AC in both gyms, and a heated front sidewalk.

At its May 28, 2026 meeting, the Apple Valley City Council signed off on the city's biggest park project yet: merging the Apple Valley Community Center and Senior Center into one connected building at Hayes Park. If you've wondered where your 2023 parks referendum dollars are going, this is the headliner — about $13.8 million of it.

What the council actually approved

There were two votes. First, a guaranteed maximum price contract with Terra Construction for $10,528,253. "Guaranteed maximum price" just means the construction price is locked in — the contractor eats the cost if their own bids run over. On top of that, the city has about $3.2 million in its own costs (design, fees, and such), which brings the total project to roughly $13.8 million.

The second vote was a small bump — about $21,500 — to the architect's contract with JLG, since their fee is tied to the project's design estimate, which grew as the plans got more detailed.

Both passed without drama.

Why this is happening

This is the fifth and final "signature" project Apple Valley promised voters when the parks referendum passed in 2023. The community center opened in 1989, so it's pushing 40 years old, and the senior center sits right next door sharing a parking lot. The idea is to physically connect them into one building that's cheaper to run and used more hours of the week.

"Everything that we're doing within the project is trying to make sure that we're operating the facility as cost-efficiently as possible," Parks & Rec Director Eric Carlson explained.

What you actually get

Here's the fun part — the new combined building will include:

• A central front entrance with automatic sliding doors and a heated sidewalk (fewer slips in winter).
• An indoor playground called Voyagers, with two attached party rooms you can rent.
• A bigger senior coffee lounge (about 850 square feet) right behind the front desk, with park views and a patio.
• A small fitness room aimed at seniors.
• An enclosed upstairs game room to protect the ping pong and billiards tables.
• Air conditioning in both gymnasiums, new roofing and mechanicals, two EV charging stations, and a solar-ready roof (panels may come later).

Fun detail: the rooms will all be named after national parks — think Yellowstone, Denali, Zion, and Acadia.

The part that affects you most: the closures

This is the trade-off. To do the work, the buildings have to close:

• Community center: closes mid-June 2026 through about the end of the year.
• Senior center: closes January 2027 through about June 2027.
• Full reopening: fall 2027.

Expect parking changes, noise, and dust while crews are on site. Carlson said the city will try to keep everyone posted on what's open and what's closed as construction rolls along.

What happens next

There's one loose end: the project needs a new electrical transformer, and the city is still working with Dakota Electric to size it. The cost is expected to come out of a roughly $450,000 contingency already baked into the budget, but the council will likely see a contract amendment for it later.

The good news on money: Carlson said the overall ~$73 million referendum program is back on track. Back in February the city was "in the hole," but updated numbers now show costs around $80 million with about $80 million to cover it. For more on the smaller neighborhood work happening this summer, see our rundown of 15 Apple Valley parks getting upgrades.

The Bottom Line

Apple Valley's community center and senior center are about to become one modern building — but you'll lose access to both for a stretch. Mark your calendar for the mid-June community center closure and the January senior center closure. There's no public hearing left on this one; the contracts are approved and shovels go in the ground this summer.

FAQ

Is the price really locked in? Mostly. The $10.5 million construction contract is a guaranteed maximum price. Carlson expects normal change orders during the job, but the city set aside about $450,000 in contingency to cover those.

Will this push my property taxes up more? No new tax was voted on here. The cost comes from the 2023 referendum that voters already approved, so the tax impact was set back then.

When can I use the building again? The combined facility is expected to reopen in fall 2027. The community center closes first (mid-June 2026), then the senior center (January 2027).

Will there really be an indoor playground? Yes — it's called Voyagers Playground, and it'll have two party rooms you can rent for things like birthday parties.

Are other park projects getting cut to pay for this? Staff say no. After this project, three more years of smaller, less expensive park projects remain, and the budget is currently on track.