Joint effort builds major swim center

Joint effort builds major swim center

Written by Shannon Colletti Friday, 07 September 2007

Facilities compared to UT swim center and Cedar Park’s Nitro Swim

The City of Round Rock and the YMCA of Greater Williamson County have partnered together to build the city’s first indoor, competitive aquatic center with plans to begin construction next month. More than just a swimming pool, the $6 million facility will have water therapy resources, play features such as a water slide and competitive swimming seating.

It will be only the third year-round, competitive swimming center of its kind in the Austin area; University of Texas’ Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center and Cedar Park’s Nitro Swim Center are the other two.

“We both found out there was a need for a year-round aquatic center,” said Jeff Andresen, president of the YMCA of Greater Williamson County. “We got together and started talking about a way we could co-fund the swimming pool. We figured out that together we could do a larger facility than on our own.”

Construction will begin next month, and completion is expected by September 2008.

The city and YMCA partner

The idea of a partnership between the YMCA and the city originated when Andresen approached city officials. Although Nuse said the city has collaborated with private entities many times, he doesn’t think any approach has matched the magnitude of this indoor aquatic center.

“There was a demonstrated need for competitive aquatics and through this partnership, that need will be met,” Nuse said. “It’s something that we would have had a hard time doing on our own and the Y would have had a hard time doing on its own. So we combined the public and private resources. I’ve got great confidence the Y has the skills and ability to really make this a prize for the community.”

The YMCA raised $4 million to go toward the new pool and contributed the land, and earlier this summer, the city council approved $2 million from certificates of obligation. The Y will be solely responsible for the center’s management, including operations and maintenance.

The city will retain the right to reserve the pool 10 days a year and will most likely use those days to enhance its Sports Capital of Texas programs, Nuse said.

Seton Medical Center Williamson, which will open early next year, also saw potential in the aquatic center and has already secured a role in utilizing the warm water therapy swimming pool for its patients.

“[The center] really fills a void that we have now and would have had going forward. It couldn’t be a better relationship,” Nuse said.

Need for aquatic center

Although Round Rock has three outdoor public pools and one indoor pool at the Clay Madsen Recreation Center, city officials and the YMCA both recognized the need for something more expansive.

Andresen said the idea originated a couple of years ago and was supported by market research his organization conducted.

The city also did its own research to ascertain the community’s recreation needs. The results mirrored the YMCA’s findings. Much of the city’s conclusions came from a study conducted by market research firms Leisure Vision and ETC Institute and the consulting team of Jacobs/Ballard*King and Associates in August 2006.

“Aquatics may not be the top one, but it was certainly something that garnered a lot of support,” City Manager Jim Nuse said. “This partnership [enables] one more high-quality facility that will be available to the public.”

Some key findings of the ’06 study indicate almost half of the Round Rock residents surveyed used indoor recreation, sports, fitness, meeting space or aquatic facilities.

Of those, 44 percent used Clay Madsen Recreation Center, which has a six-lane, 25-yard lap pool used for swimming laps, water exercise, open recreation time and water aerobic classes.

Respondents also indicated the types of features they would most likely use. The aquatic features the public noted were an indoor, warm water, family-oriented swim center; lap lanes for exercise swimming; warm water area for therapeutic purposes; area for swim lessons; and a 25-yard competition pool.

In addition, 64 percent said they would use lap lanes for exercise swimming at least once a month.

Features of the aquatic center

In addition to holding swim meets at the facility, all city residents, even those who are not YMCA members, can enjoy the new aquatic center.

The 14,025 sq. ft. facility, which will be added to the Round Rock Family YMCA at 1812 N. Mays St., will include:

• 25-yard, eight-lane lap pool;
• recreation instructional pool with a slide, splash and spray elements, and zero entry;
• whirlpool;
• warm-water therapy swimming pool;
• aluminum bleachers with 100-person capacity; and
• family dressing rooms and restrooms.

Even with its first-class amenities, entrance fees will be comparable to what the city charges at its Rock’N River Aquatic Center.

Daily admission to the outdoor water park, which opened last year, is $3 for adults and $2 for children 17 years old and under as well as seniors 55 and up.

Plans for the Round Rock Family YMCA

The new competitive swimming center will be the first of its kind in Round Rock

The facility will have:

• Eight-lane, 25-yard heated competitive swimming pool
• 100 capacity aluminum bleachers
• Family dressing rooms & restrooms
• Whirlpool
• Slide
• Lazy river
• Splash and spray toys
• Splashpad (zero entry)
• Hot tub

The people’s opinion

• Findings from a 2006 survey indicated 34 percent of Round Rock residents were interested in an indoor warm water, family- oriented swim facility.
• The survey was conducted to explore the community’s recreation needs.
• In July 2006 surveys were mailed to a random sample of 2,000 households. A total of 420 surveys were completed.
• The results of the random sample have a 95 percent level of precision of at least +/- 4.8 percent.

Source: Leisure Vision/ETC Institute

Another partnership: A recreation center for the west side

In the November 2001 bond election, Round Rock voters approved funding for several parks and recreation projects, including the construction of a new fitness facility west of IH 35. The west side recreation center is planned to include an elevated walking track, weight room, cardio area and multipurpose basketball courts.

Round Rock’s continuing growth as well as the popularity of the Clay Madsen Recreation Center — the 55,000 sq. ft., city-owned rec center that opened in east Round Rock in July 2000 — are just two reasons why the necessity for a second fitness facility had become apparent to city residents.

“We’re up to just over 90,000 [residents] at this point in time, and we’re trying to make sure that we provide adequate service for our citizens,” said Rick Atkins, director of the Round Rock parks

and recreation department. “We know that the Clay Madsen [Recreation Center] has a large population that it services, and the demand is there for a second facility.”

Once the city established there was still a need for another rec center, they looked at several possible sites. Because CMRC is east of IH 35, a logical place seemed to be on the west side of the city.

City officials found land on Deepwood Drive, across from Round Rock High School on Round Rock ISD’s property that could be an advantageous spot. Negotiations are still in the infancy stage, but city officials hope to work out an arrangement with the school district soon, Atkins said.

RRISD spokeswoman JoyLynn Occhiuzzi said that RRISD is currently working on its master plan for RRHS and collaborating with the city in planning the rec center.

“The school district had the land, and it was a good location for the city,” Occhiuzzi said. “And from the school district and city’s standpoint, you’re always trying to save the taxpayers money. If there’s a partnership opportunity, you want to investigate it to see if it can be done.”

Occhiuzzi said that meeting the students’ physical education needs with a new facility is where the partnership could be mutually beneficial for the school district.

Atkins said he hopes that construction on the rec center will begin next May or June. The project will take about 13 months to reach completion, Atkins said, and if construction starts on time, the center should be finished in late 2009.

“The reception we’ve gotten from the community seems to be very positive,” he said. “They want us to hurry up and get this facility on the ground, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”