BELMONT, N.C. — A recreational center has been on the city of Belmont's wish list for several years. Now, the wait is over. The Belmont Recreation Center opened its doors on Saturday. It's expected to provide an economic boost for the area.
“Finally, we’ve made it to this milestone, this achievement of it’s grand opening,” Alex Szucs, Belmont City Councilmember, said.
But the opening didn't come without challenges.
“I think there were some mistakes made, in the process,” Marc Seelinger, Belmont's mayor, said.
Previously, the recreation center was being built without the approval of a much-needed loan of nearly $12 million. The project's total price tag ended up totaling about $13 million dollars. City leaders dipped into the general fund to bankroll the project until a loan came through.
The state wouldn't approve financing for the project until the city completed overdue routine audits. Now, Seelinger says they've been able to reimburse the city's bank account.
“When the loan closed, we were able to replenish all the funding that we had basically pulled from other sources to pay for the ongoing construction,” he said.
Seelinger also said they've learned from the downfalls.
“Council has gotten a lot more intentional with it’s oversight of the city’s finances, which I think is a good thing,” he said. “We really got down in the weeds with where’s the money going, what we're spending things on.”
And as the community enjoys the new space, the city will now pay back the nearly $12 million dollar loan at a 3.4% interest rate until June 2038.
Contact Lexi Wilson at lwilson@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.