Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor | Correcting my information about the Rec Center
On April 20, 2026, I published a letter to the editor about PenMet and its financial presentation regarding its Community Rec Center. In that letter, I indicated the original estimated cost was $22,300,000 and the final cost was $31,600,000. Commissioner Steve Nixon recently provided me with more information on this topic. Based on that information, I want to correct my statements about a cost overrun.
The information that Commissioner Nixon provided showed the Board’s approval of a $22,300,000 “construction budget.” That number did not include sales tax, architectural, engineering, and consultant fees, permit fees, furniture, fixtures, and equipment, other soft costs, and a contingency amount. If you add those missing items to the “construction budget,” you get a total cost $31,600,000.
I want to thank Commissioner Nixon for taking the time to more fully inform me of the history of the finances of the CRC. As I’ve always said, if I misstate anything in my letters to the editor, I would be the first to correct that misstatement.
I stand by the balance of my previous letter to the editor.
Craig McLaughlin
Fox Island