It has been 4 years now since the joint concept was conceived. That is exactly what it started out as, a concept. Then many meetings with private and public entities were made, hours were spent, input was received, volunteers contributed, experts were contacted, and days were lengthened. After thousands of hours of dedicated work and evaluation, it is now time for execution of this state-of-the-art facility. On Monday, August 1st, 2016, at the Hobbs City Commission meeting, the Commission passed the grant agreement between the J.F Maddox Foundation, the construction contract with Haydon Building Corp, and the authorization for construction administration services from Barker Rinker Seacat Architecture. This gives the City of Hobbs the authority to move forward on constructing this $63.5 million multi-generational recreation center.

This $63.5 million recreational facility will be like no other in the region and will supply the area’s economy with up to 300 jobs during construction. It will include numerous meeting areas, an indoor soccer field, a multi-use indoor court, an indoor lap pool that meets NAIA, NCAA, and high school regulations, an indoor therapy pool with 1,100 square feet of water surface area, an indoor track that will wrap around the inside of the facility, and an indoor recreational pool with 3,300 square feet of water surface area. The recreational pool will have 2 water slides. The body slide will have a 32” diameter and be 262’ long. The tube slide will have a 52” diameter and be 425’ long – that is longer than a football field! The two slides will start from the concrete tower 40’-3” above the pool deck, making it the highest indoor slide in New Mexico. All this activity will revolve around a central core in the facility, where the indoor play area will be. This core symbolizes the synergy of so many individuals that made this entire project possible.

It was the synergy that the City of Hobbs, Hobbs Municipal Schools, New Mexico Junior College (NMJC), the J.F Maddox Foundation, University of the Southwest (USW), and Lea County created in order to improve the quality of life in our community. Here, children will have a place to gather and participate in numerous extra-curricular activities together. The community’s quality of life as a whole will be largely increased. This investment will make the area more attractive for companies to expand as their employees will benefit from our recent investments in affordable housing, quality of life initiatives, and multiple investments in public safety.

The president of NMJC, Kelvin Sharp, who recently entered the position after the retirement of Dr. Steve McCleery, stated on Monday, “What a tremendous asset this facility will be to the community. Its unique design and features will truly support and enhance the wellness of our citizens.”

City of Hobbs Mayor, Sam Cobb, stated at Monday night’s City Commission meeting, “The recent downturn in the oil patch has reminded us all of the need to diversify our local economy. We are well on our way to creating a destination for Hobbs and Lea County that will be the envy of not only small towns in our country but many of the metropolitan areas as well. The proposed facility will provide recreational opportunities for all ages both for visitors and residents and will be a powerful recruiting tool for our economic development efforts. It will truly put Lea County on the map for a special place to ‘Live Work and Play.’”

Hobbs City Manager, J.J. Murphy, stated, “This facility is a game changer in our community. This public-private partnership embraced the vision of making this the community’s multi-generational recreation facility in every step of the way. After all the success of Rockwind Community Links, I am humbled to be a part of another impactful project which will be a model for other communities to follow. We stand together and redefine the term ‘public-private partnership’ where six public and private institutions came together to collaborate on a true center of recreational excellence.”

Following the statements from Cobb and Murphy, Murphy gave a PowerPoint presentation of the facility spread out on 12 acres. He displayed photos of the interior and exterior of the facility. At the end of the presentation, he played a video of a virtual experience around the outside of the facility, at the end of which the individual traveled down the entrance road and arrived at the front doors where the flag of the United States of America and the flag of the state of New Mexico are waving in the wind.

The date of groundbreaking will be announced once scheduled. Construction will last approximately 22 months from the start date.

(News release from the City of Hobbs)