SV plans to buy Sports Center as library site

Scotts Valley is expected to acquire the cavernous Scotts Valley Sports and Event Center for $4.5 million and convert most of it into a new library branch that could be open as early as next year.
The deal with Bob Slawinski and his family, owners of the 22,600-square-foot center on Kings Village Road, is on the City Council agenda for final approval Wednesday, June 3. Council members already had okayed the purchase price in closed session May 20, City Manager Steve Ando said in a report.
Closure of the center will deprive its many users, including roller hockey and indoor soccer programs, service clubs, individual roller skaters and others. No nearby venue is nearly as large—The Chaminade resort offers 12,000 square feet of space, Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium 8,600, the Cocoanut Grove ballroom at the Boardwalk 6,300 and the Scotts Valley Hilton 3,500.
Slawinski approached the city to offer the building, Ando said. Funds for the purchase will come from the city Redevelopment Agency and impact fees paid by residential developers.
The plan will enlarge and change the layout for the planned Town Center commercial-residential development, which had a new library at the head of a road next to a city green. Since the sports center is nearby and in the Town Center planning area, changes should be minimal.
Scotts Valley’s current branch library is 5,300 square feet.
City Councilman Jim Reed, who represents the city on the county library system’s board, said it would be “sad” to see the center close, but the city will benefit from the enlarged library.
SEE FULL STORY IN THE JUNE 5 PRESS-BANNER