BBR moves ahead with Welcome Center

The Black Butte Ranch (BBR) Association Board of Directors has voted unanimously to proceed with the construction of a new Welcome Center. The complex will be located near the current entrance to the resort property.

Partly due to the controversy engendered over construction of the facility, the Welcome Center has received more scrutiny than any other new construction project in the history of the Ranch. The proposed solution is the result of significant homeowner input, multiple traffic studies, professional environmental impact analyses and hundreds of hours of task force consideration.

The financial pinch recently experienced at BBR now seems to be a thing of the past after BBR association members passed a $100 per month increase in dues. Nonetheless, the Welcome Center has been downsized to minimize costs, while still providing the resort entry experience desired by the BBR board.

The Welcome Center may also produce some additional cost cutting to BBR when it becomes operational, as currently staff is divided between the lodge and the access registration building.

The property owners' approval of the $100 per month dues increase will provide sufficient short- and long-term funding to begin construction immediately, with completion projected in early 2009.

The board believes that this timeline will assure continuity among the architect, general contractor, project manager and Facilities Implementation Task Force and will best leverage the approximately $200,000 already expended.

Current market conditions may result in significant cost savings during the construction process.

The current "Guaranteed Maximum Price" proposal provides a project completion forecast at $116,000 below the approved budget.

"We are very optimistic the completed Welcome Center will make property owners proud by greatly improving the entry experience at Black Butte Ranch," said Lynn Stafford, chair of the BBR Association Board of Directors.