The Madison County Commission is considering building a $10 million recreation center to accommodate growth in the northern part of the county.

The commissioners approved an agreement Wednesday with Frameworks Architecture, P.C., for design and construction services related to building the center at Sharon Johnston Park in New Market.

The design fee would be about $774,000 based upon the anticipated cost of the project.

“Up in District 1, we are growing exponentially,” District 1 Commissioner Tom Brandon said. “One of the problems we have in that area right now is that we have four rec centers, more than any other district, and they are all bursting at the seams.”

He called approving the agreement the first step toward “trying to relieve some of that congestion by putting together some plans for a new rec center.”

Before committing to building a new recreation center, District 4 Commissioner Phil Vandiver wanted to know how funding the facility would affect other county projects, including the potential renovation or construction of a new county courthouse that could potentially cost more than $60 million, or future road construction.