Greer City Council on Dec. 9 approved the guaranteed maximum price (GMP) of $69,334,076 for the new City of Greer Recreation, Sports and Events Center, following a multi-stage design and review process.

Staff and project partners told council the facility is now planned at about 205,000 square feet (refined from 216,000 at 30% design) and includes eight basketball courts (main gym), 16 volleyball courts (main gym), an auxiliary gym with additional seating, a roughly 6,100-square-foot wrestling room, multiple flex spaces, city staff offices, a 2,000-square-foot cafe, a sports-simulation lab and a fitness gym including locker rooms and showers. Exterior features include a walking path over a mile long and approximately 551 parking spaces. Project representatives emphasized that the GMP excludes furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E), which staff estimate at a later date to be in the $500,000–$750,000 range and will be presented as a separate procurement package.

The team described contingency allowances (contractor contingency, design contingency, owner contingency), the purpose of each and how unspent contingency funds will be returned or shared (owner contingency returns 100% to the city; contractor contingency savings are shared 75% to the city and 25% to the contractor). Council members asked detailed questions about overhead and decorative doors, stadium seating, the drivers behind the expanded square footage (the auxiliary gym and additional seating), signage and competition with nearby venues. Staff said the project prioritized community programming first and sports tourism as an additional benefit.

After discussion and a roll call vote, council approved the GMP; staff will return with the FF&E package and continue project implementation.