VIENNA, Va.-The Town of Vienna Virginia will be able to take the plunge and build an aquatics and fitness center with some financial assistance from Navy Federal Credit Union, which is headquartered in the town and is its largest employer.
A majority of Vienna Town Council members have voted to authorize an agreement that will allow staff to accept a $3 million advance from Navy Federal for hiring a project manager and architectural firm, fulfilling the company’s offer last year to help fund the facility’s design, according to FFXNow.
The Town of Vienna is obligated to repay the credit union by Dec. 31, 2029, but no interest will be charged, Town Attorney Steven Briglia told FFXNow, noting that the two parties entered into a similar advance funding agreement for a reconstruction project to reduce traffic backups on Follin Lane.
No Room for Fitness Center
The attorney told FFXNow Navy Federal became interested in supporting the proposed facility after determining its corporate headquarters at 820 Follin Lane doesn’t have enough employees present at any given time to justify providing a fitness center on the campus.
The credit union is Vienna’s largest employer, with approximately 5,400 workers based at its headquarters, although many of them now work remotely, according to FFXNow.
“When they heard about [the aquatics center], they said a lot of our employees are residents of Vienna,” Briglia told the town council, according to the report. “Can we do something like what we did at Follin Lane and help you jump-start the project; maybe get it started a little sooner with the idea that hopefully their employees will be able to join?”
Money On Hold
Briglia said the agreement establishes a “mechanism” that the town can use to draw funds from Navy Federal, but no money will be spent unless or until the council approves contracts with a project manager and design firm. He also stressed that the credit union will have no say in the design, construction or operation of the facility, and there’s no requirement that the town move forward with the project, FFXNow added.
The goal is to finish the project by 2030.
